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Chapter 19: Breaking the Rules Again
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2025-03-12 14:30:16The clock on Sienna’s nightstand read 2:37 AM when she heard it—the soft, muffled sound of crying.
Her heart clenched as she sat up in bed, listening intently. The Lancaster mansion was enormous, yet the sound was unmistakable. It was Lily.
Without a second thought, Sienna threw on a robe over her nightdress and padded barefoot down the long hallway, following the quiet sobs. When she reached Lily’s door, she hesitated only for a second before pushing it open.
The room was dimly lit by the nightlight on the bedside table, casting a soft glow over the little girl curled up beneath a mountain of blankets. Her small shoulders shook as she cried into her pillow, her tiny fingers clutching at the fabric as if trying to hold herself together.
Sienna’s heart ached at the sight.
“Lily?” she whispered gently, stepping closer.
The child flinched at first, but when she turned and saw Sienna, her teary blue eyes widened in relief. Without
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The mansion was silent, save for the soft crackling of the fireplace in the grand sitting room. Outside, the night stretched endlessly, the moon casting a pale glow over the manicured estate. It was late—too late for either of them to still be awake—but neither Sienna nor Grayson seemed willing to retreat to their rooms. Sienna sat curled up on the plush leather couch, a cup of tea in her hands, while Grayson sat across from her, his fingers loosely wrapped around a glass of whiskey. His posture was tense, his gaze distant, staring at the amber liquid as if it held all the answers he refused to acknowledge. She had never seen him like this. Grayson Pierce was a man of control, of rigid discipline, of impenetrable walls. But tonight… tonight, there was something different about him. Something raw. Sienna hesitated before breaking the silence. “You look like you have something on your mind.” His gaze flickered to her, dark and unreadable. “I always have something on my mind.”
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The storm from the night before had passed, but the weight of their conversation lingered in the mansion like an unshakable presence. Sienna couldn’t stop thinking about the way Grayson had looked at her, the raw emotion in his voice as he spoke about Evelyn. For the first time since she had met him, he had let his walls crack—just enough for her to see the man underneath the cold, untouchable exterior. But come morning, it was as if it had never happened. Grayson was back to his usual self—detached, composed, unreadable. If it weren’t for the flicker of something in his gaze whenever their eyes met, she might have convinced herself that she had imagined the entire thing. But she hadn’t. And neither had he. ---The Kitchen EncounterSienna was in the kitchen when it happened. She had woken up early, intending to prepare breakfast for Lily before Maria, the housekeeper, arrived. She didn’t know why—maybe it was her way of trying to bring some warmth into the house. Ma
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The house was quiet.Not the cold, suffocating silence that usually filled Grayson’s estate, but something… softer.He stood just outside Lily’s bedroom, watching through the slightly open door as Sienna tucked his daughter into bed.She moved with an ease that baffled him.Lily, who had spent so long retreating into herself, now giggled as Sienna fluffed her pillows, dramatically pretending to wrestle them into the perfect shape.“There we go,” Sienna declared, placing her hands on her hips. “The comfiest pillow fortress in all the land.”Lily grinned, snuggling under her blankets. “It’s perfect.”Sienna sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair from Lily’s forehead. “Did you have fun today, sweetheart?”Lily nodded eagerly. “Yes! The puzzle was hard, but we finished it!”“That’s because you’re a genius,” Sienna teased, booping Lily’s nose.Grayson felt something shift inside him—something foreign.A warmth he didn’t know what to do with.For so long, this hous
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The morning sunlight streamed through the large windows of the mansion, casting golden hues across the marble floors. It was a rare peaceful morning, the kind Grayson was usually too busy to notice.But today, something was different.Something had been different ever since last night.Ever since he had stood outside Lily’s room, watching Sienna bring warmth and safety into his daughter's life. Ever since she had looked at him with those fiery eyes and challenged him—again.Grayson wasn’t a man who allowed emotions to dictate his actions.Yet, as he stood in his study, flipping through a contract he had read twice but still couldn't focus on, he realized something deeply unsettling.He was thinking about her.The way she had gently soothed Lily.The way she had held his gaze, unafraid, calling him out on the things he never allowed himself to admit.The way her voice lingered in his mind, whispering truths he wasn’t ready to face.He needed distance.The Sound of Her LaughterGrayson
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