Page 15

She shoved a hand to his chest. “No. I have to go out!”

Seeing her scowl, he swallowed hard and gave a tense nod. His voice was gravelly. “Yeah. It’s covered.”

His thumb reached up, gently brushing the corners of her lips to wipe off a smudge of lipstick.

She turned to go, stepping away, but he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her back. Reaching into his pocket, he slipped a hotel card into her palm.

“Room number fifteen,” he said, his voice low and rough. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek, lips trailing to her ear with delicate, soft kisses. “I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”

He let go of her hand and stepped back, his eyes never leaving hers.

Sienna stared at the card for a moment—Presidential Suite, Ritzwood Hotel—before slipping it into her clutch. Then, she turned and slipped out of the room.

As she adjusted her hair, she pulled a few strands forward to cover one shoulder, hoping it would hide anything she’d missed. The rest cascaded down her back as she quickly made her way to the VIP seating area beside Theo. Almost everyone was already seated.

A minute later, from the corner of her eye, she saw Adrian enter, calm and composed, and take a seat across from her, just a few chairs away. His presence wrapped around her like an invisible rope, making her nervous.

And even though she sat next to Theo, it was Adrian's gaze that she felt on her skin the entire time.

Theo turned to her as she took a seat, sighing in relief. “You’re back. I was looking for you.”

“Sorry, had an emergency... girl thing,” she replied, flashing a quick smile.

Theo nodded, but his eyes drifted down to her neck. His brows furrowed.

“There are red spots on your neck.” He turned slightly to glance toward the restroom, confusion lining his face. “Were there mosquitoes in there?”

Sienna froze.

Her body went rigid, and her eyes widened in panic. Her hand flew up to cover her neck as she fumbled to open her purse, her fingers trembling.

“Y-Yes,” she stammered with an awkward laugh. “There were a few. I couldn’t believe it either.”

“This is a luxury hotel. How the hell can this happen? I’ll have someone check it out,” Theo muttered, pulling out his phone and sending a quick message to his assistant.

Sienna snatched a compact out of her purse and stared at the reflection. Though she had already covered most of the marks, a few angry red bites still peeked through. The worst part? Adrian hadn’t left just one or two. He’d made a mess of her neck, and he knew it.

She dabbed on concealer again, her heart racing, until everything was covered up. She snapped the compact shut and shoved it back into her purse.

When Theo turned away, she dared a glance at Adrian—and sure enough, Adrian was staring right at her. He was seated across the room, legs spread, one arm resting lazily on the back of the chair, and the other lifting a crystal glass to his lips. His eyes were locked on her.

There was a smirk on his lips.

“Adrian Vaughn, you did it on purpose!” she mouthed, gritting her teeth.

He read her lips, and that smirk twisted into a full, unapologetic grin—shameless, cocky, and completely self-satisfied.

Just then, a woman suddenly rushed in from behind and plopped down next to him. Her hands curled around his arm like a viper coiling around prey, and her voice chimed with sickening cheer.

“Mr. Vaughn! I didn’t think I’d see you here! What a wonderful surprise!”

Sienna’s expression went blank. ‘Isn’t that Ella?’ Her heart dropped a little colder.

She knew that girl. Ella—young, flashy, daughter of a prominent family. Bright-eyed, always overdressed, and once the center of gossip for supposedly dating Adrian. Back then, Sienna had brushed it off. The girl had been a naive nineteen-year-old who threw his name around for clout.

But everything shattered the day Sienna learned the truth. When she found out that the woman Adrian was getting married to was none other than the same Ella. An arrangement between the two families.

She remembered staring into the mirror that day, watching the cracks run deeper than the glass. Because even though she knew Adrian had never truly been involved with Ella, knowing he had agreed to marry Ella while telling Sienna that he would never marry her—something inside her shattered beyond repair.