Chapter 322: Unseverable Blood Ties

Chapter 322: Chapter 322: Unseverable Blood Ties

After Sienna Everett and Keith Sterling arrived in Gamber, Director Jarvis came to receive them, and then they headed straight to the archaeological site.

It was Keith’s first time visiting such a place. He was dazzled; everything seemed entirely new and fascinating to him. The staff here all carried professional equipment and tools, while others stood by with notebooks, ready to record information at any moment.

They hadn’t walked more than a few steps before unexpectedly bumping into Miles and Mason Everett.

Keith’s expression immediately turned impatient. He asked Sienna in a low voice, "Was that idiot Miles invited here too?"

"It’s possible."

"And what about Mason? Is he just tagging along for the fun?"

"Yeah, just like you."

"??? Sierra, how can you say Mason is just like me! You’re insulting me!" Keith wore an expression of sheer outrage.

"Uh, that was a slip of the tongue, my bad!" Sienna immediately apologized. Lumping Mason and Keith together was indeed doing Keith a disservice.

Keith snorted, finally satisfied.

The moment Miles and Mason spotted Sienna, they excitedly ran over. When Mason heard that Miles had been invited over to clean artifacts, his first thought was whether Sienna might have been invited too. What if she was? Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of seeing Sienna, it was worth a try!

Therefore, Mason tagged along with Miles. To his surprise, he was actually lucky enough to run into his sister.

"Sienna, you’re here too?" Mason spoke up first. Stripped entirely of his former profit-driven businessman demeanor, he grinned from ear to ear at the sight of Sienna, though he simultaneously feared she would find him repulsive.

Miles was no longer his usual aloof and reserved self either; he looked visibly thrilled. "Sienna, since we’re working together today, let me be your assistant."

Sienna ignored them, walking right past the two men.

Mason felt a sharp pang in his heart. He quickly caught up to her. "Sienna, a couple of days ago, some netizens questioned you, saying you inherited Morgan’s genes... I’m sorry, it’s all our fault for dragging you down."

Listening from the sidelines, Keith thought Mason had finally said something remotely human. Then again, hadn’t the Everett family dragged Sierra down enough already?

Miles also chased after her, looking at Sienna with shame. "Those netizens are just talking nonsense. The Everett family has always been the one letting you down... Please don’t let their comments affect you."

Sienna looked at them expressionlessly. "Are you done? Can you move out of the way now?"

Mason’s heart felt as if it had been stung, a dense wave of prickly pain washing over him. But who could they blame for Sienna’s coldness toward them? It was because they had been such utter bastards in the past and had made far too many mistakes.

Deep regret and self-blame surfaced in Mason’s eyes, and his voice trembled slightly. "Sienna, when we found out that you and Julian Forrester were together the other day, we felt a lot more relieved. We can tell he treats you very well... But if he ever bullies you in the future, you must tell us. Even if we have to risk our lives, we’ll help you get justice!"

Keith nearly coughed up blood. His brother, bullying Sierra? They really dared to imagine that!

Miles chimed in after Mason, "That’s right, Sienna. No matter what, we are your family. It’s only right for us to protect our own sister."

Even though Julian Forrester was extremely powerful, they would fear nothing for Sienna’s sake.

Hearing this, not a single ripple disturbed Sienna’s calm expression. "I severed ties with the Everett family a long time ago. We are definitely not family, so you don’t need to involve yourselves in my business."

With that, she bypassed them and continued forward. Keith hurriedly followed her.

Mason and Miles remained rooted to the spot, staring gloomily at Sienna’s retreating back.

"Mason, is Sienna... really never going to forgive us?" Miles looked desolate, utterly consumed by a sense of powerlessness and uncertainty.

Mason didn’t know what to do either, but he forced himself to pull it together and calmly offered consolation. "She won’t. As long as we keep trying, Sienna will forgive us one day.

"Besides, we share an unbreakable blood tie with her. Even if she says she’s severed ties, the bond between family members can never be erased."

Miles’s eyes grew dark. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they might truly never earn Sienna’s forgiveness... Could she really not give them even one chance?

Suddenly, Mason’s phone rang. It was Wyatt calling.

Upon answering, Wyatt’s annoyed voice immediately demanded, "Mason, did you and Miles go to Gamber?"

"What about it?" Mason retorted.

"A friend just told me that Sienna was invited to Gamber too. You ran off to Gamber today because you wanted to take the opportunity to see her, didn’t you!"

"That’s right, and we already saw her," Mason admitted without hesitation.

"What?!" Wyatt nearly died of anger upon hearing this. "Why didn’t you bring me along to Gamber!!"

Just as Mason was about to speak, he heard Lucas and Dustin fuming on the other end of the line.

Lucas yelled, "Mason, how could you sneak off to see our sister all by yourself! That’s crossing the line!"

Dustin chimed in, "Yeah, Mason, you’ve gone too far! You should have at least brought me!"

Wyatt instantly snapped at the other two, "Both of you, get lost! If he was bringing anyone, it should’ve been me!"

"Stop arguing! We should be united against our common enemy right now. Mason ditched us!" Lucas ground his teeth in anger. "Mason, what gave you the right to keep us in the dark? We agreed to beg Sienna for forgiveness together, so how could you sneak over there on your own!"

Mason patiently listened to them bicker before plainly stating, "With the brains you three have, it’s better if you just forget it."

Wyatt, Lucas, and Dustin were utterly speechless. "???"

Was their oldest brother calling them stupid? Did Mason want to fight!

Meanwhile, Director Jarvis led Sienna to the excavated artifacts.

She recognized all the inscriptions on the bronze wares. After explaining them to Director Jarvis, she had him record the information.

The truly difficult task lay with a silk textile. It was a ribbon tied around a sandalwood treasure box. Having weathered many years, it was now incredibly fragile. The slightest tug would likely cause it to crumble, making it practically impossible to untie. If the exterior ribbon couldn’t be untied, then the contents of the sandalwood box would remain unseen.

Sienna stared at it for a long time, searching her memory for what her grandfather had taught her in the past. Finally, she took a deep breath, picked up a piece of scrap paper nearby, and rolled it into the shape of a chopstick.

Holding the thicker end with her fingers, she used the finer point to gently prod at the ribbon. Her touch was incredibly light and tender, terrified of accidentally shredding the silk.

Seeing this method, Director Jarvis was amazed. It was simply unheard of. He immediately held his breath, terrified of disturbing her.

It took over half an hour before the ribbon was finally and successfully untied—a testament to the immense difficulty and the painstaking care the operation required. Seeing that the ribbon hadn’t been damaged, Sienna let out a small sigh of relief.

"Sierra, this technique is incredibly rare! Did your grandfather teach you this? You’ve made another huge contribution!" Director Jarvis’s face was brimming with elation.

Keith shared in her glory. "Sierra, you’re seriously amazing! I’m practically worshipping you right now!"

Sienna smiled and set down the paper chopstick before discussing the other artifacts with Director Jarvis. Having handled the ribbon—the most difficult piece—nothing else remaining would be too challenging.

As evening approached, Sienna called Julian. He answered the moment it rang.

Sienna hadn’t expected him to pick up so quickly. She paused for a moment before calling out in a sweet voice, "Good evening, my dear Julian! You’ll be seeing your wife back home very soon!"

The man’s voice, laced with a lazy chuckle, came through the receiver. "Are you done with work?"

Sienna walked to a quiet spot, speaking as she moved. "There are still some artifacts left to excavate, but they have professionals here. They don’t need my help with the digging, so I can head back soon."

Julian replied, "Alright, let Keith take care of you. You can boss him around if you need anything."

Sienna couldn’t help but laugh. Glancing at Keith not too far away, she lowered her voice and whispered, "If Keith heard you say that, he’d accuse you of prioritizing your wife over your brother again."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "I already do."

His tone was perfectly matter-of-fact.

"Alright then." Sienna switched the phone to her other hand and continued, "Ian Prescott called me today. I told him that when I meet the Prescotts tomorrow, you’re going with me."