Chapter 64
She couldn’t bring herself to believe that Maloney would betray her, nor could she accept that someone she trusted implicitly would stab her in the back.
She tried to reassure herself over and over again. It couldn’t be Maloney. Maloney would never hurt her.
If that secretary wasn’t trustworthy, Maloney would never have recommended him in the first place.
Celeste had to be bluffing.
Yet, the panic rising in her chest spread like wild, unstoppable floodwaters.
She forced herself to remain composed, refusing to look at Celeste’s gloating face.
Scrambling to pull out her phone, her trembling fingers tried to dial Maloney’s number, needing to hear the truth from him directly.
But the constant loading icon spinning on the screen delivered the most fatal blow.
“Don’t waste your energy p>
Celeste’s gleeful voice rang out again, dripping with utter arrogance.
“The moment you stepped foot in this estate, I had the entire area blanketed with signal jammers. Forget making a call—you couldn’t even send out a spam text p>
Staring at her dead phone, the emotions Sienna had suppressed for so long nearly shattered.
She took a shuddering breath, forcibly swallowing down the surging wave of panic and fury. Looking up, she fixed a lethal glare on Celeste and demanded coldly, “What do you want p>
Unfazed, Celeste smiled with a toxic mix of innocence and cruelty. “Didn’t we just agree? You’re going to be a good girl and let me teach you how to please Grandmother, how to bow your head in apology, and how to be a properly cultured Sterling wife p>
Sienna’s eyes went red with hatred.
She understood Celeste’s game all too well. Celeste was never the gentle, generous woman she pretended to be in public.
Jarred handing her over to Celeste was literally throwing her to the wolves.
Celeste would never let her off easily; she would humiliate and torment her to the absolute limit.
On any other day, Sienna would have fought back tooth and nail, never bowing her head in defeat. But right now, she couldn’t afford to take the gamble.
Owen’s surgery was scheduled for the morning after tomorrow. She had already booked an 8 PM flight for tonight, desperate to fly over and be by her brother’s side.
It was a miracle she and Owen had waited years for. There was zero room for error.
She stared into the vicious, cunning light in Celeste’s eyes and sneered, ripping right through the woman’s facade.
“Drop the act. I don’t believe for a second you actually want to help me earn her forgiveness. There’s no audience here, so spare me the theatrics p>
Celeste blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter. “If you already know that, why bother asking p>
She completely abandoned her disguise, laughing with brazen wildness. “Unless I have my fun today, you are absolutely not walking out of this room p>
As she spoke, she pulled an object from her bag.
Sienna’s pupils constricted.
It was a Sterling Secure Phone. The sleek device was a patented design exclusive to the Sterlings—immune to any signal jamming, capable of global communication, and equipped with real-time tracking.
Sienna was incredibly familiar with the device. Before handing over her family crest, she used to have one, too.
“You recognize this, don’t you p>
Celeste toyed with the phone, eyeing Sienna like she was watching a trapped beast.
“Sienna, every minute you waste of my time is another minute wasted of Owen’s life p>
She narrowed her eyes. “The choice is yours p>
Sienna clenched her fists.
Without waiting for an answer, Celeste dialed a number and hit the speaker button.
The call connected swiftly, and a heavily German-accented voice came through. “Hello p>
Sienna felt as if her heart was being brutally crushed in someone’s fist.
She knew that voice far too well.
It was Dr. Hans Bauer, Owen’s lead surgeon!