Chapter 56
Sienna closed her eyes.
She suddenly felt so tired.
An exhaustion seeping straight from her marrow left her without even the energy to be angry.
“Jarred.” She let out a trembling laugh, finding the man on the other end of the line growing more unfamiliar and frigid by the second. “If they hadn’t provoked me first, I wouldn’t have reacted p>
But no matter what she said, it was as if Jarred was entirely deaf to it. His tone dripped with resentment over her immaturity.
“Enough. The damage is done; arguing about it is pointless p>
He issued a hard command, his tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. “I’ve already arranged for a new cane. You will come back to the manor with me immediately, apologize to Grandmother in person, and present the new cane to make amends p>
Sienna found the demand utterly laughable.
Yesterday, she had been cornered by his grandmother’s thugs, the burn from the stun baton still throbbing agonizingly. She had nearly lost her life right there in that room.
He hadn’t asked a single question about her well-being. His first reaction was to condemn her, and now he was ordering her to bow her head and apologize?
Why the hell should she?
She ground her teeth and spat out two syllables. “Not happening p>
With that, she pulled the phone away to hang up.
Jarred was visibly infuriated by her defiance, his icy threat cutting through the receiver.
“Sienna, I am heading to your apartment right now. You have ten minutes. I’ll be waiting at your door. If you aren’t there, this entire neighborhood is going to suffer the consequences p>
His sheer arrogance and unreasonableness entirely incinerated the last shreds of Sienna’s rationality.
She screamed into the phone, “Jarred, are you out of your mind?! I am so sick of you ordering me around p>
Yet Jarred’s voice remained unsettlingly calm, the kind of calm that made one’s blood run cold. “You know my temper better than anyone. Be a good girl, and no one gets hurt p>
The line went dead.
Sienna stared at the darkened screen, her fingertips trembling slightly.
An indescribable wave of exhaustion rippled outward from her core.
She would never bow to anyone in the Sterling family ever again, much less grovel to the old woman who had humiliated her.
She didn’t care about his threats in the slightest.
Sienna threw off the covers and got out of bed, washing up and changing clothes as fast as she could. Grabbing her bag, she headed out the door for work.
The moment she pulled the door open a crack, a tall, imposing figure blocked her path.
Jarred was already standing right at her doorstep.
Dressed in a sharp, ink-black suit, an intimidating chill radiated from him, his eyes veiled in a layer of impenetrable frost.
Seeing her fully dressed and holding her bag, a flicker of dark amusement flashed through his eyes, as if he had anticipated her trying to make a run for it.
“Where exactly are you planning to run off to?” he drawled, his deep, magnetic voice carrying its usual flippant edge.
Sienna couldn’t even be bothered to look at him. She turned slightly, trying to shove past him. “None of your business p>
But he snagged her wrist in a vice-like grip.
The scorching heat of his palm was inescapable. Using the momentum, he yanked her hard against his chest, trapping her against his solid frame, and smoothly kicked the door shut behind them.
With a loud click, all the noise and her only escape route were locked away.
“Jarred!” Sienna thrashed violently. “Let me go p>
She continuously cursed him.
But he only held her tighter, giving her zero room to pull free. He spun them around, pressing her heavily down against the plush sofa.
The glacial coldness from moments ago vanished, replaced by a devilish, roguish smirk. The corners of his eyes crinkled in that seductive, devastatingly charming way he had perfected.
“Sienna.” He leaned in close, his hot breath brushing against her ear, lowering his voice into a wicked murmur. “You’re so tiny. How did you manage to snap Grandmother’s rosewood cane in half p>
Sienna glared at him fiercely.
“You pack quite a punch,” he chuckled, leaning in just a fraction closer, his breath Ghosting over her lips. “Didn’t see that kind of fire in you when I took you in my bed p>