Page 23

Adrian ran a hand down his face, his palm rough against his unshaven jaw. The sun had begun to rise, casting a golden hue across the room. It was just past 7 a.m. when the call came back.

“Mr. Vaughn, Ms. Donovan was also at the Ritzwood Hotel last night,” Matthew said. “But she never went to your room. She was in Room twenty-eight, First Floor.”

Adrian’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. His eyes narrowed as tension rippled through his expression.

“She was at the same hotel?” he whispered, more to himself. “Then why didn’t she come to me?”

But a darker thought crept in next.

‘Was she alone in that room?’

Without thinking, his feet moved on their own. He stormed out of the suite, taking the stairs down to the first floor two at a time. When he reached Room 28, he saw the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging loosely on the doorknob.

He stepped forward to knock.

But just as his hand lifted, he heard the soft click of the lock from inside. He quickly backed away, stepping behind the nearby wall.

The door opened.

Sienna stepped out, stretching her neck with one hand, a soft groan leaving her lips. “Ugh, I’m so sore.”

Adrian’s foot moved forward instinctively, but then another figure stepped out behind her.

Theo.

“Gosh, I’m so tired,” Sienna muttered with a sigh. “Seriously, stop pulling all-nighters already, will you? My back is killing me.”

“It’s fun,” Theo chuckled, shutting the door behind him. “What’s the point of doing something if you’re not putting everything into it?”

“Ugh, stop talking. I don’t want to remember,” Sienna whined, placing her head on Theo’s shoulder with a pout. “That was too much in one night.”

Adrian’s jaw clenched so hard it ached.

He stood behind the wall, fists curled tightly, nails digging into his palms until blood dripped from his knuckles. His chest heaved, every breath a battle against the storm inside him.

Their words stabbed into him like knives. The way she leaned on Theo. The way she smiled.

He knew she was married now. He knew they had a life together. They sleep together in one bed. But hearing it—seeing it—was something else entirely.

He had turned a blind eye all this time. He had never let himself think of her sleeping with another man. Never allowed the thought to fester.

But now it was eating him alive.

His head fell back against the wall, his throat raw as he swallowed the rage boiling inside.

“Why the fuck did I ever let you walk away, Sienna,” he muttered, his voice laced with pain. “Why did I let you go?”

But he kept still.

Because he had made a promise.

He had promised her he wouldn't interfere. That he’d wait in the shadows if he wanted to stay in her life.

"Alright, my bad, Your Highness.” Theo chuckled, placing his hands on her shoulders. He turned her around and pulled her into a tight embrace as they walked down the corridor toward the elevator. “I swear I’ll reward you properly for all that hard work. Big rewards. Top-tier performance bonus.”

Sienna giggled, walking alongside him into the elevator.

Adrian’s eyes burned into her back until the elevator doors shut.