Chapter 54
The older woman already had bad eyesight, and with Sienna moving so quickly, all she could make out was a dynamic live feed on the screen.
A dense wall of comments rolled past incessantly, full of exclamations of shock and outrage, set right over the real-time footage of the room.
Before the old woman could get a closer look, Sienna pulled her phone back.
The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, both seeing the apprehension in each other’s eyes.
The older woman narrowed her eyes.
“Is it real?” she demanded of the bodyguards.
Uncertain, the bodyguards hesitated before nodding. “It looks real p>
The older woman’s face finally changed.
She knew perfectly well that her eldest grandson, Maloney, had poured his heart and soul into expanding their overseas markets in recent years. Her husband valued their international empire more than his own life.
If this scandal really blew up globally and ruined the Sterlings’ international reputation, forget her—the entire Sterling family wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
She didn’t dare gamble with the family’s fate.
Watching her expression shift, Sienna struck while the iron was hot, her tone light but carrying a lethal, suffocating pressure. “The Sterlings might be powerful, but can your reach extend to every corner of the globe?
I heard you recently dropped billions of dollars to expand into the overseas market. Do you really want to lose it all and have your entire empire crash down because of what you did today p>
The air seemed to freeze.
The older woman stared at Sienna, her gaze so dark it looked ready to swallow her whole.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, shot Sienna a vicious glare, and signaled the bodyguards with a look.
The two men immediately withdrew their hands and stepped aside.
“We’re leaving p>
The older woman stood up. Supported by her bodyguards, she walked up to Sienna and lowered her voice. “Sienna, for the sake of the years we’ve known each other, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Divorce Jarred before it’s too late.
You think he can’t bear to touch you? It’s only because Celeste is by his side to soothe him. Once his patience entirely runs out, his methods will be far more ruthless than mine p>
Sienna’s fingers curled slightly, her expression finally dimming a fraction.
That fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of devastation was accurately captured by the older woman.
Satisfied, she smirked and drove the knife deeper into Sienna’s heart. “You should know better than anyone just what kind of place Celeste holds in his heart p>
Sienna’s face went as pale as a sheet of paper.
The older woman let out a triumphant laugh and turned away.
It wasn’t until that arrogant figure completely disappeared from view that Sienna’s tightly wound nerves finally snapped.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed straight toward the floor.
Luna was quick enough to catch her. Feeling the cold sweat drenching Sienna’s back, Luna’s heart clenched.
“Sienna! Are you okay? Don’t scare me p>
Looking down, Luna noticed a patch on Sienna’s calf that had been burned by the stun baton. The skin was charred black, blood and plasma oozing out of the wound.
“Oh my god!” Luna’s voice pitched up in panic. “Why didn’t you say something sooner p>
“I’m fine, it just grazed me p>
“You call this fine?” Luna’s eyes reddened with anxious tears as she helped her walk toward the door. “No way, we’re going to the hospital right now p>
In the ER.
The doctor on duty happened to be Nolan Price, a friend from Sienna’s college days. Seeing Sienna being supported into the room, he froze for a second.
“Sienna?” he teased lightly as he treated her wound. “What kind of terrible luck do you have? You haven’t even been discharged for a full day and you’re already back p>
Sienna forced a tight smile and stayed quiet.
Nolan shook his head, bandaged her up, gave a few medical instructions, and left the room.
Lying on the hospital bed receiving an IV drip, Sienna realized they were the only two left in the room.
She suddenly remembered to ask, “How did you know I was in danger earlier p>