Chapter 25 The Way Out

Flashback 4 Years Ago…

Sierra almost dropped her face when she saw a ring in the farthest corner—far from the attention of anyone looking because everyone would be focused on the dozens of large diamond rings placed in the center.

“Do you think Callie will like this?” Axton asked, pointing to a solitaire ring with a large, sparkling gem.

Exactly. Everyone would immediately notice that ring.

“It looks good,” Sierra said to Axton—her boss, who was also Callie’s boyfriend and best friend.

Among all the plot twists in her life, Sierra didn’t understand why Callie had to date a man who was her boss. But of course, it wasn’t a big deal because Sierra and Axton could still work professionally when they were in the office. She just hoped that the couple would never break up, or she would feel awkward with both of them. And it seemed her wish came true because a year after they started dating, Axton was now taking her to buy a ring for Callie since he planned to propose.

“Come on, Sierra. You need to give me advice on what to buy. I don’t know which one Callie likes.”

Sierra shifted her gaze from the blue sapphire ring that had caught her attention. Honestly, it was the one she found most appealing. However, she knew Callie wouldn’t like something with a small diamond like that.

“Callie likes something shiny… and big.”

“Oh, I know that,” Axton replied, nodding his head.

Sierra blinked and quickly shifted her gaze to the glass case in front of her—looking for the perfect ring for Callie.

Unfortunately, the only ring that caught her attention was the blue sapphire ring at the edge of the glass case.

“Hi, is there anything I can help with?” A woman approached them with a friendly smile.

Sierra shifted her position because the woman was standing in front of her, and she allowed Axton to explain the purpose of their visit.

“I’m looking for an engagement ring. Could you give some suggestions?” Axton turned his head toward her. “Tell me, Sierra. Which one do you think is the best?”

Sierra pointed to several large diamond rings that had caught her attention—something she thought would suit and be liked by Callie.

“Which one do you want?” Axton asked.

Sierra shook her head when she realized she didn’t like any of the three rings she had selected.

“I think this one is a good option,” the woman in front of them took out the blue sapphire ring that Sierra had been eyeing.

“The diamond’s a little small,” Axton commented as he lifted the ring to get a better look.

“What are you doing?” Sierra frowned, pulling her finger away from Axton’s hand when he placed the ring on her finger.

“Shut up, Sierra!” Axton pulled her hand back once again and then placed the ring on her finger—the very one she had been looking at.

Sierra stared at her finger without blinking.

If only she had a little more money, she would buy this ring for herself, regardless of the fact that it was an engagement ring. Unfortunately, she had spent all of her salary on her mother’s medical bills, and she didn’t regret it at all.

“Do you like it?” Axton asked.

“It’s a beautiful ring. Are you sure you want to get this one?”

Axton shrugged. “I told you I brought you here so you could choose it. I’m going to go with whatever you say.”

“I’m not sure if—”

“Alright, I’ll take this ring,” Axton interrupted her before she could finish.

“It’s a very beautiful ring. You’ve chosen a sweet ring for your girlfriend,” the woman smiled as she looked at Axton and Sierra alternately. “I hope your relationship remains happy. I look forward to seeing you both here again as an old, loving couple.”

Sierra blinked. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she shook her head, staring at Axton in horror. She took the ring off her finger and placed it on the glass display in front of her.

“Oh?” The saleswoman furrowed her brow. “I thought you two were a couple since you’re choosing an engagement ring. Or did I make a mistake?”

“No, you didn’t make a mistake. This ring is for her,” Axton replied, looking at Sierra. “You can have it, Sierra. If I look closely, this ring suits you. The color matches your eyes.” He took the ring back from the display and placed it on her finger again.

Sierra stared at him without blinking. Was her boss really losing his mind?

“Can you tell me which one Callie would love?”

***

“I know that you’re my daughter-in-law’s best friend, and you’re staying here because your house is under renovation. However, of course, I also know that I still need to warn you, right?”

Sierra clasped her hands together and closed her eyes for a moment before looking up and meeting Axton’s mother’s serious gaze. She didn’t know how long they had been silent before Axton’s mother broke the silence between them.

“I hope you know this is just a misunderstanding, Ma’am,” she could hear her voice tremble. “Maybe you thought something bad when you saw Axton in my room this morning. But that’s not what happened.”

“Then what happened, Sierra?”

Sierra blinked. She wasn’t ready to make up lies this quickly.

“My daughter-in-law is your best friend, and I’m sure you know the situation, right? She’s sick, and I don’t want this to affect her. She’s my daughter-in-law, and I don’t want anyone to try to degrade her. Do you understand that?”

Sierra could feel her eyes getting warm, and she almost cried. “I wouldn’t do that.”

Lies. She had just told a big lie.

But what was she supposed to say? Should she let Axton’s mother know that they had been sleeping together repeatedly?

"Please make sure to keep your boundaries with my son. He's a man, and as women, we understand how his mind works."

Sierra forced a smile. "I understand. I promise nothing like that will happen because—"

Sierra's sentence was cut off when the door to her room opened, and Callie quickly walked in. Her face looked panicked, and she looked at Sierra, who was sitting with Axton's mother.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Callie," Axton's mother frowned, "did Axton ask you to come here?"

"Oh, come on, Mom." Callie took a deep breath. "I couldn't just stay silent when there's a misunderstanding here, could I?"

"What misunderstanding are you talking about? I was just talking with Sierra. Can't I do that?"

"Sierra called me while I was showering. The toilet broke again, so she had to use the kitchen or my room's bathroom. Axton helped her check the faucet, but he couldn’t fix it. So Axton wanted to help Sierra go to my room." Callie quickly explained, "I know you're very worried about what happened here, but trust me, nothing inappropriate like that will happen here, Mom."

Sierra stared at Callie without blinking—thinking about how easily Callie made up a lie to her own mother-in-law.

"I hope you really know what's going on here, Callie. I'm not blaming your decision or Sierra being here. Honestly, I'm thinking about you, and I'm happy that you have a friend here other than Axton, so you don’t feel lonely."

"Of course, Sierra helps me a lot when Axton isn’t home. But if she needs help, Axton and I should help her too, right?"

***

"I’m really sorry about what happened," Axton opened the conversation as they drove to the office.

"Oh, Axton, you shouldn’t apologize. All I need is a way out!" Callie complained, glancing at Axton, who was driving.

Meanwhile, Sierra remained silent in the back seat.

Today, she had to go to work because there was an important meeting she had to attend as Axton’s secretary. Callie decided to go with them to the office because she felt they needed to discuss this issue together, and the house was no longer a safe place.

"You know that Mom often stays at the house when Dad is out of town or overseas, right?"

"Of course, I know!" Callie quickly responded. "I’ve never minded if she wants to stay at our house. The problem is, what are we supposed to do now? If she wants an heir for your family’s business, isn’t this the wrong way to go about it?"

"Callie," Axton turned and gave her a warning look.

"Listen to me," Callie turned her head and looked at Sierra. "I know you feel uncomfortable with every conversation we’re having. But I need to do this to end all the discomfort between us, don’t I?"

Sierra stared at her for a moment before choosing to lower her head again—deciding to remain a listener between them.

"Sierra! Are you even listening to me?" Callie snapped.

"I... I’m listening to you." Sierra frowned. "Look, I’ll do whatever you tell me to. You don’t need me in this discussion because I’ll follow whatever decision you two make."

As usual, she had no choice. The only thing she could do was follow whatever they told her.

Callie stared at her for a moment. From her gaze, Sierra could tell that Callie felt guilty toward her... or perhaps guilty about everything that had happened between them. "Alright, I know this sounds really unreasonable, but we haven’t found a solution to this problem. I can’t ask you to go to a hotel because the risk would be higher if anyone recognized Axton there."

Sierra nodded in understanding, waiting for Callie to continue.

Callie looked at Axton and Sierra alternately before saying, "So, what if you sleep in my room, Sierra? You can stay in my room, and Mom won’t suspect anything because she knows I’m there. Would you agree?" Callie asked.

Sierra’s eyes widened when she heard what Callie said.

Was... was the woman crazy?