Chapter 5
The Sterling matriarch walked toward them, supported by a maid.
The room instantly fell dead silent; no one dared to act out of line.
Her sharp gaze swept over the crowd. “Jarred, your leave is until tomorrow. Stay here tonight with your grandfather and leave tomorrow.
Miss Sloan, spare me a few minutes and come to the study with me p>
Sienna didn’t want to stay a second longer and turned to head upstairs.
The man standing there watched her back disappear from sight, then slowly bent down and carefully picked up the broken brooch from the floor.
“You’re giving her too much leeway!” Helena scolded.
Jarred looked up, his freezing gaze making Helena choke on her words. “She’s my wife. Cursing her is no different from slapping me in the face p>
Helena froze slightly. “I, well… weren’t you forced into it back then? From what I can tell, Sienna has been completely indifferent to you all these years. You’re going to divorce her sooner or later anyway p>
Jarred’s gaze turned somber. “Then we’ll talk about it after the divorce p>
Sienna entered the study.
The old lady cut straight to the chase. “If I remember correctly, the agreement your grandfather made with my husband stipulated a marriage of only five years p>
Sienna gripped the hem of her shirt, memories flooding over her like a tidal wave.
When she was six, her parents, both Doctors Without Borders, passed away.
Her grandmother had also left them early on, leaving only her and her grandfather to depend on each other.
In his youth, her grandfather was the secretary to the Sterling patriarch.
Back then, the corporate CFO committed fraud, triggering a massive financial crisis.
The mastermind was ultimately sentenced to life in prison, and her grandfather lost his job due to negligence.
When she turned eighteen, her grandfather suddenly fell gravely ill.
Yet he held a piece of leverage against The Sterling Group.
Desperate to secure a safety net for her, her grandfather threatened the Sterling patriarch into forcing a marriage with his grandson.
The old man had no choice but to agree, and ever since, the entire Sterling family had treated her like a plague.
The old lady glanced at her and continued, “You certainly have some talent. Entering a gifted program at fourteen, earning a doctorate in psychology from Stanford at twenty, and now you’re quite a renowned psychologist in the Capital.
Putting aside the fact that your grandfather blackmailed the Sterlings, I would have been more than happy to have you as a granddaughter-in-law, but p>
The old lady took a deep breath. “I know you resent the Sterlings, and you resent Jarred even more.
So for the sake of the fact that the Sterlings have done right by you and your grandfather all these years, let Jarred go p>
She truly was the backbone of the Sterling family, washing her knife clean before moving in for the kill.
Every word seemed considerate of Sienna, but it was a thinly veiled accusation that she was holding Jarred back.
Compared to the old lady’s venomous hypocrisy, the patriarch truly commanded more of her respect.
At least he had given her a choice.
Out of three outstanding grandsons, she had locked eyes with Jarred in an instant.
That was the second time Sienna had seen him.
His face was the most handsome she had ever laid eyes on, so breathtaking that looking too long felt like a sin.
His obsidian eyes were profound and blazing, masking a heavy predatory tension whenever he looked at her.
Sienna was completely thrown off balance by his gaze, her heart racing uncontrollably.
Yet when the old man asked who she wanted to choose, she had kept her head down and pointed blindly, somehow landing on his older brother, Maloney.
Sienna had been filled with regret but didn’t dare speak up.
Her engagement to Maloney was finalized, scheduled to be officially announced on her coming-of-age ceremony.
But she hadn’t expected that on that very day, unable to handle her alcohol, she would accidentally drink spiked fruit wine from a maid, stumble into the wrong room, and share a reckless night with Jarred.
The incident caused a massive scandal within the Sterling family.
The Sterlings, who already looked down on her, despised her even more.
Fortunately, Jarred took responsibility and offered to marry her.
She married Jarred under her grandfather’s protection.
Tragically, just two months into her marriage, her grandfather passed away.
The Sterling patriarch was a man of integrity and didn’t use the opportunity to kick her while she was down.
She had thought the ending would change because of this, but she soon realized that what didn’t belong to her could never be forced.