All Chapters of Hate You, Love You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The sound of raindrops hitting the windowpane echoed through the dimly lit apartment as Sienna Carter sat at her small kitchen table, staring at the stack of unpaid bills. Her fingers tightened around the coffee mug, though the liquid inside had long gone cold. The numbers on the paper blurred together, but the reality was clear—she was running out of time and money. Sienna had always been independent, always believed she could make it on her own. But reality had a cruel way of breaking that confidence. Her teaching job had been her passion, but passion didn’t pay rent. When budget cuts hit the school district, she and several other teachers had been let go without so much as a severance package. It had been two months since then, and despite relentless job hunting, nothing had worked out. Now, she was down to her last hundred dollars, and desperation was creeping in. Her best friend, Ava, had been pushing her to take a temporary job—something to keep her afloat while she figure

The Pierce Estate was magnificent, a sprawling architectural masterpiece that could have been pulled straight from the pages of a luxury magazine. But despite its grandeur, Sienna had never stepped foot in a place that felt so utterly lifeless. She walked through the long, silent corridors, her footsteps muffled by thick Persian rugs. The chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting soft golden hues across the marbled floors, but the light did nothing to warm the atmosphere. Everything was pristine, carefully curated, and impersonal. It was a house meant to be admired, not lived in. The absence of warmth wasn’t just in the decor—it was in the air, in the silence that clung to every corner like an unshakable shadow. There was no laughter, no background hum of life, no warmth that made a house a home. It was a museum of wealth, cold and uninviting. Sienna exhaled softly. She had worked in wealthy households before, but this was different. There was something profoundly lonely about the

Sienna knew she was breaking the rules. **His** rules. But for once, she didn’t care. The sun shone warmly overhead, filtering through the lush greenery of the Pierce estate’s private gardens. A soft breeze carried the scent of fresh roses and jasmine, rustling the leaves as Sienna led Lily down the stone pathway. The little girl’s small fingers clutched Sienna’s hand, her grip hesitant but present. Lily had barely spoken in the past few days, but Sienna had noticed the way her eyes lingered on the window, staring longingly at the open world just beyond the cold, glass barriers. Grayson had made it **very** clear that Lily’s routine was non-negotiable. That her schedule was carefully structured to ensure stability. That there was no room for disruptions. But Lily wasn’t thriving under that rigid structure—she was suffocating. Sienna crouched beside Lily as they reached a small pond, where koi fish glided gracefully beneath the water’s surface. “See that one?” she asked, pointi

Sienna had felt the tension brewing all morning. It was there in the way Grayson’s gaze lingered on her whenever she interacted with Lily, the sharp edge of his posture, the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly whenever Lily responded to her with even the smallest hint of warmth. She had known this confrontation was coming. It was only a matter of when. And that moment arrived just after lunch. Sienna had taken Lily outside again—not defying Grayson’s orders this time, since she had kept them within the gardens of the estate. The little girl had hesitantly taken to drawing with chalk on the stone pathway, sketching soft, delicate swirls of color. It wasn’t much, but compared to the silent, withdrawn child she had first met, it was another step forward. Grayson, of course, didn’t seem to see it that way. “Miss Carter,” his voice was sharp, slicing through the quiet afternoon. Sienna turned, finding him standing just beyond the garden archway, hands in his pockets, expression li

Sienna had always known that working for Grayson Pierce wouldn’t be easy. The man was cold, guarded, and insufferably controlling. But after their conversation the night before, after learning about his wife’s tragic death, she saw him in a slightly different light. It didn’t mean she liked him. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still an overbearing, impossible man. But it did mean that she understood him just a little bit more. And yet, that understanding didn’t make their interactions any less frustrating. If anything, it only seemed to add an extra layer of tension between them—one she couldn’t quite name but could certainly feel. The morning after the storm, Sienna found herself in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee and watching as the staff bustled about. She’d woken up early, intending to check on Lily, but to her surprise, the little girl was already downstairs, quietly eating her breakfast. Lily’s presence at the table was a good sign. It meant she was growing more comfortable, e