Chapter 713
Before coming to Sterling Manor, he had promised her he would stick to security and not cross the line. He broke that promise.
Jarred had no defense.
Yet, the frustration simmering in his chest refused to fade.
After a beat of silence, he fixed his somber gaze on her. “Who are you planning to replace me with? Marcus p>
Sienna couldn’t be bothered to argue. Ignoring his question, she tossed out a cold ultimatum.
“By the time I get back, I want you completely gone p>
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, never once looking back.
Jarred stood rooted to the spot, watching her silhouette disappear around the corner of the stairs. His hands slowly curled into tight fists at his sides.
As he clenched his fingers, a dull ache radiated from his knuckles.
It was a scrape he’d gotten from a tree branch while trekking through the woods last night.
The fresh scab split open under the tension.
It wasn’t excruciating—certainly nothing compared to the injuries he took during combat training.
But an invisible weight pressed against his chest, making it suffocatingly hard to breathe.
Stepping outside, Sienna got straight into the waiting car prepared by her security detail.
Ever since moving to the new lab, she had poured all her energy into developing the antidote and monitoring Silas Draken’s clinical trials.
She hadn’t found a single moment to visit the private medical center to administer Maloney’s acupuncture treatments.
The window for his scheduled neural-stabilization therapy had already passed its limit.
If she delayed any longer, the toxins would become exponentially harder to control.
She couldn’t afford to waste another second.
The car sped through the city, heading straight for the medical center.
Thea Stanton had been waiting for quite some time.
Seeing Sienna’s vehicle pull up, she hurried over.
She fell into step beside her, keeping her voice low. “Everything is running smoothly at the decoy lab.
I’ve been playing your pre-recorded conversations on a loop to maintain the illusion of our regular research schedule.
The whole team is playing along perfectly. No one on the outside suspects a thing p>
“Thanks for handling that,” Sienna said with a slight nod. “How has Maloney been holding up these past few days p>
The two women stepped into the elevator together as it began its slow ascent.
“The nurses reported that he still has intermittent episodes of agitation, but the sedatives you left have kept him manageable,” rhea replied.
Her tone grew heavy as she paused. “But today has been abnormal. The frequency of his outbursts has spiked.
He’s incredibly unstable, and the medication is losing its effectiveness. I’m afraid the toxins are overpowering his system again p>
Noticing the anxiety in Thea’s eyes, Sienna frowned.
The elevator dinged, and they rushed out, heading straight for his suite.
The duty nurse spotted them and immediately spoke up. “Dr. Sloan. Ms. Stanton. Mr. Sterling was just taken down for a follow up exam He hasn’t returned yet, so you’ll have to wait a moment p>
“Understood, thank you p>
Sienna exchanged a look with Thea before they both took a seat on the hallway bench.
Just then, a man in a dark jacket strode quickly toward them.
Sienna recognized him instantly as one of Jarred’s men.
He stopped in front of her, gave a respectful nod, and handed over a manila envelope.
“Ms. Sloan, Mr. Sterling asked me to deliver this to you p>
Without another word of explanation, he turned and left.
The two women on the bench exchanged a bewildered glance.
Sienna broke the seal and tipped the envelope upside down.
A white smartphone slid into her palm. It had a light pink case lined with rhinestones, distinctly feminine in design.
Thea leaned in to look, her brow furrowing deeply.
“Isn’t that Celeste Carlyle’s phone p>
Sienna’s gaze turned frosty.
She had recognized it just as quickly.
Running her thumb over the back of the device, Sienna paused.
Something felt off.
She brought it closer to her face and caught a faint, coppery scent of blood lingering just beneath the smell of harsh ehemical cleaners.