Chapter 157
With that, she spun on her heel and moved to leave.
Jarred let out a careless laugh, effortlessly lengthening his stride to catch up.
His towering frame instantly eclipsed her in shadow, his dark, probing eyes locked dead on her face.
“I know you’re itching to get rid of me, but is it really necessary to lie to a dying man p>
He closed the gap between them by another half-step, his warm breath grazing her ear.
“Don’t forget the doctor’s explicit warning. Grandpa’s condition is incredibly volatile. This sudden burst of clarity? It could just be a terminal rally p>
Jarred tilted his head slightly, his eyes drifting down to her white-knuckled grip as he offered a mocking reminder. “Tormenting a dying man… doesn’t that weigh on your conscience p>
“I’m not tormenting anyone!” Sienna fired back instantly.
She had never intended to cause Arthur any pain; she simply refused to remain shackled to a dead marriage.
But Jarred wore that infuriatingly arrogant smirk, his eyes narrowing in amusement. “You gave Grandpa your word to delay the divorce by three months, and the moment you step out of the room, you try to kick me to the curb?
People who know the truth will say you’re coldly abandoning me. But to people who don’t—like Grandpa—it’s just going to look like I’m the one bullying you again p>
Watching him expertly twist the narrative, Sienna felt a suffocating surge of rage, but she was entirely trapped. She gritted her teeth. “What exactly do you want p>
Jarred leaned down to meet her at eye level, a dangerous, intoxicating amusement swirling in his gaze. “It’s simple. We act like a deeply in love, newlywed couple for the next three months. We put on a flawless show for Grandpa p>
Sienna stared at his infuriatingly handsome, cynical face, desperately wanting to turn and sprint in the opposite direction.
But the thought of the frail old man lying in that bed snapped her resolve right down the middle.
Her eyes hardened with absolute wariness as she snapped her warning. “I will play along when it’s absolutely necessary, but don’t even think about using this as an excuse to make unreasonable demands p>
The way Jarred looked at her had always carried a dangerous, predatory edge. When they were alone, she didn’t even dare wear anything remotely revealing.
Jarred caught the underlying meaning in her words instantly. A low, gravelly chuckle vibrated in his throat, his tone dripping with scandalous heat. “Oh? But I seem to recall you enjoying every minute of it p>
The tips of Sienna’s ears burned scarlet. “Shut your mouth p>
Unable to stomach his presence for another second, she whipped around and stormed rapidly toward the villa’s exit.
Jarred stood rooted to the spot, watching her practically flee. The corner of his mouth ticked up into a genuine smile, a fleeting warmth and indulgence flashing in his eyes that even he completely missed.
Sienna practically marched all the way to the side entrance of the estate before her racing heart began to steady.
The sun was glaring, beating down on her exposed skin and making her feel inexplicably irritable.
Just as she rounded the corner by the wisteria trellis, she spotted a group of young maids sneaking in through the back gate, pushing several crates of imported wine.
Sienna instantly recognized one of them—Millie, Eleanor’s personal maid.
The house rules explicitly forbade Eleanor from drinking.
But given Eleanor’s raging obsession with alcohol, Sienna knew that destroying her wine cabinet last time meant the old woman wouldn’t rest until she had restocked it entirely.
On top of the crates sat a few individual bottles of red wine. They didn’t look like vintage labels.
Sienna hadn’t even heard of the vineyard.
She knew Eleanor had impeccably high standards; she was a connoisseur and a collector. Why would she ever settle for garbage like this?
Sienna had zero interest in getting involved and stepped sideways to give them a wide berth.
Without warning, the trolley violently lost its balance and careened straight toward her. Sienna instinctively dodged.
“Watch out p>
Before the young maid even finished the warning, a deafening crash echoed out. The entire cart of wine shattered against the stone path, violently splashing all over Sienna.