Chapter 263
A wicked gleam surfaced in Silas’s eyes.
The subordinate stammered out the rest of the news: “M-Mr. Draken… we just got word from the auction house… a massive crowd of clients just showed up, claiming we sold them fakes.
The people causing the scene aren’t nobodies… they’re all elites from the Capital’s inner circle. The manager is too scared to handle it and is begging you to come back immediately p>
Silas gripped the tablet so tightly the screen nearly cracked under his fingers.
The look he shot Jarred was as vicious as a cornered wolf’s.
Sienna stood to the side, quietly watching the intense standoff between the two men, the undercurrents surging.
Though no punches were thrown, the air crackled with the heavy, unspoken war between two apex predators.
The tension was thick enough to slice with a knife.
Watching Silas caught between a rock and a hard place, Jarred’s eyes flashed with triumphant satisfaction.
He pulled his gaze away, looking down at the woman in his arms, his voice softening. “It looks like Mr. Draken has his hands full. We won’t take up any more of his time p>
With that, he reached out to wrap his arm around Sienna’s waist.
But the second his fingertips brushed against her, she twisted away and walked straight out the door without looking back.
Jarred’s hand grazed her shoulder, grabbing nothing but air.
Watching her resolute silhouette walk away, he knitted his brows together.
The door to the private room slammed shut behind them.
Sienna stepped into the elevator alone. Before she even bothered to select a floor, she rapidly pressed the close button.
Seeing how desperate she was to shake him off, a dull ache pierced Jarred’s chest.
He stepped forward on pure instinct, forcing his way into the elevator just before the doors slid shut.
He caught her arm. His grip was firm enough to trap her, but gentle enough not to bruise.
“Let go.” Sienna’s expression was utterly detached, without a ripple of emotion.
Jarred stared at her profile.
She couldn’t even be bothered to give him a passing glance.
He couldn’t even name the emotion tearing through him right now.
It felt as if someone had shoved a block of ice-cold cotton down his throat—chilling, suffocating, making it impossible to breathe.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. When he finally spoke, his deep, gravelly voice carried a hint of repressed grievance. “Are you still mad p>
“Are all men this pathetic, Jarred? You didn’t appreciate me when you had me, but the second I dump you, you suddenly can’t stay away p>
Sienna had zero patience for his games. She turned slowly to face him, her eyes dripping with mockery and distance.
“You’ve played the role of the devoted lover well enough. Now I’m just watching you make a fool of yourself p>
A flare of anger ignited in Jarred’s chest.
But it wasn’t sparked by her harsh words; it was fueled by her sheer recklessness in facing danger alone.
Instead of letting go, his fingers tightened their hold.
“I didn’t give you that list so you could go play hero by yourself. Silas is a psychopath. No one knows what he’s capable of when he snaps
Even if you despise me and don’t want the Sterling family’s help you could have brought a lawyer instead of walking into a death trap alone.” וי
Sienna remained silent.
She always had a plan.
She knew Silas. She knew he was unhinged, but he was unhinged with boundaries.
She wouldn’t have gone alone if she wasn’t completely confident.
She had no desire to explain any of this to Jarred, because it was a waste of breath.
Sienna slid her phone back into her purse. Her long hair cascaded down, hiding half of her beautiful, stoic face.
Looking up at Jarred’s dark expression, her voice was completely deadpan. “Thanks for the Warning Now, if we’re done here, let go. I need to get back to the hospital for a meeting p>
She paused, her eyes hardening as she added, “I want to be alone p>
The implication was crystal clear.
She didn’t want him anywhere near her.
Staring into the absolute indifference in her eyes, Jarred felt a nameless fury knotting in his chest, trapped with nowhere to go.