Chapter 416
Daisy turned around first. The second she laid eyes on Sienna, her innocent facade nearly cracked.
She ducked her head, playing the part of a guilty child caught red-handed.
Jarred possessed predatory instincts. He had sensed the shift in the hallway’s atmosphere the very second Sienna paused outside his door.
Glancing up and spotting her cool, slender silhouette, a flash of pure panic instantly surged in his eyes.
Without a second of hesitation, he raised his arm and physically shoved Daisy, who was leaning entirely too close, away from him.
Surging to his feet, he bolted out the door, chasing after his wife.
“Sienna p>
Bridging the gap with a few long strides, he reached out and firmly clamped his hand around her delicate wrist.
The moment his fingertips touched her slightly cool skin, an inexplicable tightness gripped his chest.
A barely detectable edge of desperation leaked into his voice. “She only came up to bring me a late-night snack p>
Sienna stared down at his hand encircling her wrist, a faint, utterly soulless smile curling her lips.
“If she made it specifically for you, you better hurry up and eat it. You wouldn’t want to break the poor girl’s heart p>
She spoke breezily, acting as though the intimate scene she had just witnessed—and the man standing right in front of her—had absolutely nothing to do with her.
That total indifference was like a jagged knife plunging straight into Jarred’s chest, instantly igniting the blazing fury he had kept suppressed for so long.
What terrified him most was never her tears, her arguments, or her biting sarcasm.
It was this total detachment—the terrifying reality that she truly did not care anymore.
Sienna wrenched her wrist free and resumed her march toward his grandfather’s bedroom.
Her heels struck the hardwood, issuing sharp, unforgiving clicks.
Just as her fingertips were about to brush the doorknob, hurried footsteps closed in from behind.
In the very next breath, a pair of strong, burning-hot arms hooked around her waist, caging her securely against a hard chest.
The man’s broad chest plastered flush against her spine.
His scorching body heat seeped through the thin fabric of her clothes, entirely cutting off any chance of escape.
The air in the confined corridor instantly thickened with tension.
Sienna’s brow furrowed aggressively, a chilling aura instantly enveloping her.
“Jarred,” she warned, her voice dripping with ice. “Are you looking to get slapped again p>
Jarred leaned down slightly, resting his jaw against her shoulder.
His breath ghosted over the shell of her ear. When he spoke, his voice was a low, seductive rasp.
Sienna’s scowl deepened. She turned her head, fully preparing to smack him across the face.
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something down the hall.
A head was peeking out from the corner, watching them like a thief in the night.
Daisy.
There was no fear or nervousness in the girl’s eyes.
There was only something that Sienna, as a seasoned therapist, could identify with pinpoint accuracy.
Daisy was looking at Jarred as if he were her personal property.
Realization hit Sienna instantly, and a scornful smirk touched her lips.
She dragged her gaze back to Jarred.
She didn’t speak loudly, but her voice was crisp enough to ensure the eavesdropper at the end of the ball heard every single word.
“That little girl poured her heart and soul into making you a late-night snack, looking at you like you’re her entire world,
If she finds out I ruined her special moment, she’ll probably cry her eyes out. And then you’ll have to go comfort her all over again p>
Jarred’s face visibly darkened.
He had been so terrified of a misunderstanding that he had chased her down to explain himself immediately.
Yet she just threw it back in his face with a careless quip.
Every syllable was coated in poison, stabbing not at his pride, but straight into his heart.
“Darling.” His grip around her tightened. “Do you really have to speak to me like this p>
Sienna didn’t even bother humoring him.
Reaching down, she tried to pry his fingers off her waist.
Jarred didn’t yield an inch.
She pulled at his hand twice more. When it wouldn’t budge, her patience completely evaporated.
Drawing a sharp breath, she prepared to lash out. “Jarred, you are truly a p>