Sienna thought she was usually open-minded, but Daniel had a way of making her feel overwhelmed.She looked down bashfully and muttered, "I'd rather not talk about this anymore."Daniel smiled affectionately at her and gently patted her head. "Have you had dinner?"Sienna glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already after 9:00 pm. She had cooked dinner around 7:00 pm, waiting for him to come home. Unexpectedly, she ended up falling asleep for over two hours.She wasn't feeling hungry anymore."I've lost my appetite," Sienna said as she stood up from his lap and moved to the couch. With a serious expression, she picked up the black box and the phone from the table. "Daniel, we need to talk."Daniel sat up straight, leaning in toward her with a solemn expression.Sienna passed the items to Daniel and explained, "A man named Clement Russo gave me this fancy set of diamond jewelry and a phone as a bribe."Daniel accepted the jewelry box, opened it, and examined the diamonds clo
Sienna's nose twinged. She realized that Daniel had sensed for a while that she might end their relationship. She couldn't bring herself to use Daniel's money to settle Felix's debt.The sadness in Daniel's eyes pained her deeply."Daniel, Clement framed Felix by putting him in debt and using it to manipulate me. He even offered me money to help him. My family doesn't have the funds to clear the debt, so I feel powerless."Feeling sorrow, Daniel ran his fingers through his hair. "I've already told you. I have the money.""I can't accept your money. Right now, I see only two options. One is to hire a lawyer and sue him for setting up the gambling scam, and the other is to betray him and act as your informant."With that, Sienna pulled out her phone from her pocket. "I recorded my conversation with him, but I'm not sure if it can serve as evidence."Daniel sank back into the couch helplessly. "You're already considering ending things with me, which is why you refuse my money, right
Sienna couldn't hold back her tears as she covered her mouth. She felt intense pain in her heart and was unable to speak a single word.Felix kneeled on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably. "Sienna, I don't want to live either. I'm so sorry to you and Mom. It's my greed that brought us this tragedy."Sienna knew that despite Felix's greed, it stemmed from his desire to give Shelly a more comfortable life."Why did you have to tell Mom about the gambling debt?" Sienna's voice quivered as she choked back sobs. Felix buried his face in his hands, crying out, "Sienna, I promise I didn't do it. When I came back, Mom was already crying uncontrollably, and then she climbed out the balcony."Sniffling and fighting back tears, Sienna made her way toward the balcony. "Mom, I know I messed up. Can you please come back inside? Let's talk this through. If you leave like this, what will happen to Felix and me? We'll be haunted by guilt forever. Please…"Sienna's voice cracked, tears streamin
The living room was unsettlingly silent. The clock on the wall showed it was 12:30 am.Sienna looked at Felix, who sat quietly with his head down, then turned to Shelly, who seemed to have calmed down.Sienna's heart felt heavy, making it difficult to catch her breath. The tension in the house was overwhelming, almost pushing her to the edge of madness."Mom, Felix was tricked into this. We need to involve the police," Sienna urged. She took a deep breath before continuing, "My boyfriend works in anti-drug enforcement, but his job doesn't put us in danger. Please try to understand—"Shelly interrupted, her voice filled with anger, "Those criminals targeted Felix because of your boyfriend. They wouldn't have done this otherwise. Can't you see how serious this is?"Sienna hung her head, unable to reply. Her heart throbbed with pain.Felix hesitantly asked, "Sienna, is what Mom said is true? When did you start seeing a cop? Did Clement trick me into that two-million-dollar debt be
The next morning, Sienna sought out Clement to return his phone and jewelry. "I'm sorry, but I can't keep these. And I can't help you, either," she said calmly. With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Clement sat with crossed legs. He frowned as he asked, "So you're refusing to settle Felix's debt or accept the money and the villa?"Initially, Sienna accepted those gifts to keep Clement at bay while she strategized with Daniel on how to infiltrate Clement's inner circle. She wanted to gather crucial information for Daniel.However, since Daniel disagreed with her approach, Sienna saw no reason to continue the facade."Clement, please consider letting Felix go. He's innocent. The gambling debt was a setup. Can we just let it go?" Sienna asked.Clement erupted into laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever.Sienna knew her request was a long shot, but she kept her composure. "If you won't release Felix, I'll take legal action to protect our rights."Clement flicked the as
Daniel peered into the box and spotted the gifts he had given Sienna. When he met her gaze, he noticed her eyes were red and streaked with tears.As Daniel moved closer to Sienna, she instinctively retreated. In the past, whenever she met Daniel, she would readily yield to his hugs and kisses.Sienna dreaded that if Daniel kissed her again, she wouldn't find the strength to end their relationship."What's wrong?" Daniel's expression darkened, his voice tinged with sadness. Seeing the things she brought and the way she avoided him, he felt a tightening sensation in his chest.Sienna slowly clenched her fists as she fought to hold back tears. She tried to maintain a composed facade as she faced him. "Daniel, I'm sorry. Let's—""Sisi, is there something weighing on you that you can't handle?" Daniel cut her off abruptly before she could utter the words "break up".Sienna forced a tight smile and shook her head. "No.""Is it because of Felix's debts?""No. I'm taking legal action a
"That's not a reason to break up with someone," Daniel said. He leaned his head on Sienna's shoulder and closed his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks.His voice was hoarse as he whispered, "Sisi, I love you deeply. When I was at my lowest, ready to give up on everything, it wasn't the desire to live that kept me going."It was my love for you. Your love motivated me to pull myself together, to undergo risky surgery, and to work in this city just to be near you."His desperation was clear as he pleaded, "Please, just give me more time. Two months isn't enough for you to fall in love with me."Sienna was crying uncontrollably. The more Daniel's words touched her, the more painful she felt. It felt like a thousand needles piercing her heart, the pain seeping into her bones.What had she done to deserve such deep love from a man?She could be selfish and make Daniel quit his job as an anti-drug officer. It would give them a chance to be together. But she couldn't bring herself to d
Sienna rode her electric scooter home, tears streaming down her face the entire way. She hadn't expected to cry so much, but Daniel was her first love.It was the first time she had ever felt such intense emotions for someone, the first time she had truly invested herself in a relationship. It was like fireworks—beautiful, but over far too quickly.Back at home, Sienna retreated to her room for days on end. Apart from coming out for meals, she refused to leave her room. Each time she did go out, her eyes bore the telltale signs of tears, puffy and red.Seeing Sienna in such a state, Shelly figured out that Sienna and Daniel must have ended their relationship. As a result, she chose not to mention blind dates or concern herself with Felix's debts.Instead, she focused on peacefully managing her corner store. In her view, life would become better and more stable from here on out.…On a sunny afternoon, Shelly was busy inspecting the expired items in the corner store when the bell