The Lancaster estate was unnervingly quiet the next morning.Sienna sat at the grand breakfast table, absently stirring her coffee as her mind replayed the events of last night. Damien’s words, his touch, the way he had let her in for the first time—it all still lingered in her chest, warm and confusing.He had admitted that she wasn’t just a business deal anymore.That she mattered to him.And even though he hadn’t said the words outright, she could feel the shift between them.But now, in the cold light of morning, reality came crashing back.The scandal.The whispers.And worst of all—the fact that Richard Lancaster was still waiting for her to fail.Sienna exhaled, setting her coffee down with a soft clink. She needed to stay focused. She couldn’t afford to get distracted by Damien—not when there were still people in this house who wanted her gone.As if summoned by the thought, a voice broke the silence.“You certainly seem comfortable here.”Sienna looked up, her stomach twistin
By the time evening arrived, Sienna felt like she was walking through a minefield.The day had dragged on in agonizing silence, every moment stretching unbearably long as she waited for the inevitable explosion. She had no idea if Damien had seen the photos yet—if Richard or Evelyn had placed them in his hands, twisting the narrative before she even had a chance to explain.But she felt it coming.The storm.And she knew when it hit, there would be no stopping it.She paced in their bedroom, the dim glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows along the walls. The air felt thick, suffocating. Her nerves buzzed with anxiety, but she refused to let herself break down.She had made a decision this morning.She wasn’t running.And no matter how much Richard and Evelyn wanted her gone, she wasn’t leaving.A sharp knock on the door made her pulse jump.And then—Damien.He stepped inside, his presence like a force of nature, dark and overpowering. He was still in his suit from the day’s mee
Sienna had spent the past few months in the Lancaster estate surrounded by wealth, power, and constant scrutiny. But tonight, for the first time, she had never felt more alone.The house was silent.Damien hadn’t come after her.Not when she left their bedroom. Not when she spent the entire day avoiding him. Not when she refused to join him for dinner, instead opting to stay locked in one of the guest rooms.Nothing.Not a single word.And that silence was louder than any argument they could have had.Sienna curled up on the plush armchair by the window, staring out at the city lights beyond the estate walls.She hated this.She hated the way her chest ached every time she thought about last night—the look in Damien’s eyes, the cold detachment in his voice, the way he had hesitated before believing her.She had trusted him.And he had let her down.Again.A soft knock at the door made her stiffen.Her pulse jumped, her breath catching in her throat. Damien?For a brief, foolish moment
The Lancaster estate felt different in the days that followed.Sienna no longer sought out Damien. She no longer tried to get him to talk, to see her. Instead, she did exactly what Isabelle had told her to do—she let him figure it out on his own.And the silence between them stretched.At first, she thought it would be unbearable. That the distance would drive her mad.But surprisingly, it wasn’t.Because for the first time since stepping into this world, she wasn’t the one chasing.She wasn’t the one proving herself.Damien, however?He was struggling.She saw it in the way his eyes lingered on her when he thought she wasn’t looking. In the way his fingers twitched, like he wanted to reach for her but held himself back. In the way his jaw clenched whenever she walked past him without a word.But he didn’t break.And neither did she.At least, not until everything came crashing down.It started at the charity gala.Sienna should have known something was off the moment she stepped into
Sienna didn’t remember leaving the gala.One moment, she was standing in front of Damien, heart splintering as he hesitated—again. The next, she was in the backseat of a car, staring blankly out the window as the city lights blurred past.Isabelle had been the one to pull her out of there.She had grabbed Sienna’s arm, whispered something about not giving the press any more to feed on, and led her straight to the waiting town car.Now, back at the Lancaster estate, the weight of everything pressed down on her like a crushing force.The scandal.The betrayal.The fact that Damien had looked at her and hesitated.Again.Sienna clenched her fists, pacing the length of the bedroom she and Damien shared.She had told herself she wouldn’t fight for him anymore.That she wouldn’t keep proving herself to someone who refused to believe in her.But this?This wasn’t just about Damien.This was about her name. Her reputation. Her life.And she refused to let Richard, Evelyn, or Ethan control tha
The video went live at exactly noon.Sienna sat in the Lancaster media office, staring directly into the camera as her voice rang steady through the live broadcast.“My name is Sienna Monroe, and I’m here to set the record straight.”No PR team spinning the narrative. No reporters twisting her words. Just her—facing the world on her own terms.She recounted the truth, laying it all out.Yes, Ethan had shown up at the gala. No, she hadn’t invited him. And no—she wasn’t having an affair. The so-called evidence was nothing more than a carefully manipulated setup, designed to destroy her reputation.And she made sure the world knew exactly who had the most to gain from it.“People like Richard Lancaster thrive on control,” she said, her voice unwavering. “And when they can’t control someone, they try to ruin them instead.”A calculated risk.Calling out Richard directly was dangerous. But if she was going down, she wasn’t going quietly.By the time she finished speaking, the internet was
Sienna stirred in the early morning light, her body tangled with Damien’s beneath the silk sheets. His arm was draped over her waist, his breath warm against her bare shoulder. For a moment, she allowed herself the illusion of peace—the idea that the walls between them had finally crumbled, that last night had changed something fundamental between them.But reality had a way of creeping back in.Damien Lancaster was still the heir to a billion-dollar empire. And she was still the woman his family despised.She took a slow, steadying breath, trying to hold onto the warmth of his embrace before it slipped through her fingers.As if sensing her shift in mood, Damien’s fingers lazily traced along her arm.“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice husky from sleep.Sienna turned her head to face him, her heart squeezing at the rare softness in his expression. This wasn’t the cold, guarded Damien Lancaster the world knew. This was the man she had glimpsed in stolen moments—the one who kissed h
The weight of Richard Lancaster’s ultimatum lingered in the air long after Damien returned home.As he stood in the dimly lit penthouse, staring out at the glittering city skyline, his father’s words echoed in his mind.“End this farce of a marriage, and everything that is rightfully yours remains yours. Refuse, and you lose it all.”Damien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He had spent his entire life preparing to take over the Lancaster empire, enduring his father’s impossible standards, proving himself time and time again. He had worked too damn hard to let Richard strip it all away.But he wasn’t going to lose Sienna either.A soft rustling behind him made him turn. Sienna stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over the oversized shirt she had stolen from his closet. Her expression was unreadable, but he could see the flicker of apprehension in her eyes.“You’re thinking about what he said,” she murmured. It wasn’t a question.Damien sighed. “I don’t have a choice.
The city blurred through the windows of the cab as Sienna pressed her forehead against the cool glass, her heart pounding violently against her ribs. She had no idea where she was going. She just knew she couldn’t stay. Damien’s silence had been louder than any accusation. He hadn’t fought for her. He hadn’t defended her. He had looked at those lies—those carefully crafted images designed to destroy them—and he had doubted her. That doubt had shattered something inside her. She clenched her jaw, blinking back the sting of tears. Sienna Monroe had spent her life fighting to be enough. To prove herself. And she had sworn—sworn—she would never beg for love. And yet, here she was, feeling like she had been foolish enough to believe Damien would ever truly choose her. Her fingers curled around her phone, hovering over Damien’s contact for a single, agonizing second. Then she shoved it deep into her bag and turned away. She was done waiting for him to believe in her. She was don
The attack came out of nowhere. Sienna had barely taken a sip of her morning coffee when she noticed the tension in the air. Damien sat across from her at the kitchen island, his posture stiff, his expression carved from stone. He hadn’t spoken a word since she woke up, his grip on his phone so tight that his knuckles had gone white. Something was wrong. “Damien?” she asked cautiously, setting her mug down. He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his phone toward her, his jaw clenched so tight she thought it might snap. Sienna’s stomach dropped. On the screen was a headline, bold and damning: “Lancaster Heir’s Wife Caught in Secret Affair—With Her Ex.” Her breath caught in her throat. Beneath the headline were pictures—intimate, incriminating. Sienna and Ethan. A hotel room. A dimly lit bar. The two of them standing too close. Ethan’s hand on her waist, fingers grazing her hip like they belonged there. And the worst one—Ethan leaning in, lips inches from hers. Her heart sl
Sienna had spent her entire life fighting to survive.She had clawed her way through hardship, endured sneers from people who thought they were better than her, and learned how to stand her ground in a world that wanted to tear her down.But this?This was war.And she wasn’t about to lose.The next morning, she and Damien sat in his home office, the weight of Richard’s latest attack pressing down on them. The fraudulent financial documents Richard had fabricated were dangerous—if anyone truly believed them, Sienna could face criminal charges.She flipped through the papers again, scanning the transactions. “We need to find out who created these accounts.”Damien nodded, his jaw tight. “I already have my best financial team digging into it. But Richard covers his tracks well.”Sienna set the folder down, exhaling. “If we just sit back and wait, he’ll keep attacking.”Damien’s expression hardened. “Then we don’t wait. We strike first.”Sienna arched a brow. “Do you have a plan?”He smi
The storm hit faster than either of them expected.It started subtly—a shift in the way people looked at Sienna when she stepped outside, a whisper that followed her through the halls of the Lancaster Corporation when she stopped by Damien’s office. But subtle didn’t last long.By noon, the headlines had already spread like wildfire.“Gold-Digger Wife Ruins Billionaire’s Legacy”“Damien Lancaster Defies Family—All for a Woman Who Doesn’t Belong”“Lancaster Heiress or Scandalous Mistress? The Woman Destroying an Empire”Sienna stared at her phone screen, bile rising in her throat. The comments were worse.“She’s nothing but a social climber.”“She’ll be gone in six months, and he’ll crawl back to his family.”“Pathetic. She should know her place.”Her fingers trembled as she set the phone down on the kitchen counter.Damien stormed in moments later, his expression thunderous. “It’s started.”Sienna let out a hollow laugh. “No kidding.”He reached for her, his touch warm against her wri
The weight of Richard Lancaster’s ultimatum lingered in the air long after Damien returned home.As he stood in the dimly lit penthouse, staring out at the glittering city skyline, his father’s words echoed in his mind.“End this farce of a marriage, and everything that is rightfully yours remains yours. Refuse, and you lose it all.”Damien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He had spent his entire life preparing to take over the Lancaster empire, enduring his father’s impossible standards, proving himself time and time again. He had worked too damn hard to let Richard strip it all away.But he wasn’t going to lose Sienna either.A soft rustling behind him made him turn. Sienna stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over the oversized shirt she had stolen from his closet. Her expression was unreadable, but he could see the flicker of apprehension in her eyes.“You’re thinking about what he said,” she murmured. It wasn’t a question.Damien sighed. “I don’t have a choice.
Sienna stirred in the early morning light, her body tangled with Damien’s beneath the silk sheets. His arm was draped over her waist, his breath warm against her bare shoulder. For a moment, she allowed herself the illusion of peace—the idea that the walls between them had finally crumbled, that last night had changed something fundamental between them.But reality had a way of creeping back in.Damien Lancaster was still the heir to a billion-dollar empire. And she was still the woman his family despised.She took a slow, steadying breath, trying to hold onto the warmth of his embrace before it slipped through her fingers.As if sensing her shift in mood, Damien’s fingers lazily traced along her arm.“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice husky from sleep.Sienna turned her head to face him, her heart squeezing at the rare softness in his expression. This wasn’t the cold, guarded Damien Lancaster the world knew. This was the man she had glimpsed in stolen moments—the one who kissed h
The video went live at exactly noon.Sienna sat in the Lancaster media office, staring directly into the camera as her voice rang steady through the live broadcast.“My name is Sienna Monroe, and I’m here to set the record straight.”No PR team spinning the narrative. No reporters twisting her words. Just her—facing the world on her own terms.She recounted the truth, laying it all out.Yes, Ethan had shown up at the gala. No, she hadn’t invited him. And no—she wasn’t having an affair. The so-called evidence was nothing more than a carefully manipulated setup, designed to destroy her reputation.And she made sure the world knew exactly who had the most to gain from it.“People like Richard Lancaster thrive on control,” she said, her voice unwavering. “And when they can’t control someone, they try to ruin them instead.”A calculated risk.Calling out Richard directly was dangerous. But if she was going down, she wasn’t going quietly.By the time she finished speaking, the internet was
Sienna didn’t remember leaving the gala.One moment, she was standing in front of Damien, heart splintering as he hesitated—again. The next, she was in the backseat of a car, staring blankly out the window as the city lights blurred past.Isabelle had been the one to pull her out of there.She had grabbed Sienna’s arm, whispered something about not giving the press any more to feed on, and led her straight to the waiting town car.Now, back at the Lancaster estate, the weight of everything pressed down on her like a crushing force.The scandal.The betrayal.The fact that Damien had looked at her and hesitated.Again.Sienna clenched her fists, pacing the length of the bedroom she and Damien shared.She had told herself she wouldn’t fight for him anymore.That she wouldn’t keep proving herself to someone who refused to believe in her.But this?This wasn’t just about Damien.This was about her name. Her reputation. Her life.And she refused to let Richard, Evelyn, or Ethan control tha
The Lancaster estate felt different in the days that followed.Sienna no longer sought out Damien. She no longer tried to get him to talk, to see her. Instead, she did exactly what Isabelle had told her to do—she let him figure it out on his own.And the silence between them stretched.At first, she thought it would be unbearable. That the distance would drive her mad.But surprisingly, it wasn’t.Because for the first time since stepping into this world, she wasn’t the one chasing.She wasn’t the one proving herself.Damien, however?He was struggling.She saw it in the way his eyes lingered on her when he thought she wasn’t looking. In the way his fingers twitched, like he wanted to reach for her but held himself back. In the way his jaw clenched whenever she walked past him without a word.But he didn’t break.And neither did she.At least, not until everything came crashing down.It started at the charity gala.Sienna should have known something was off the moment she stepped into