Chapter 42: Mew

Daniel’s face changed.

"Stop the car," Sienna looked away from the man.

The driver glanced nervously at Daniel through the rearview mirror.

"Hmph!" Daniel scoffed and looked away.

The sedan pulled over on an empty stretch of road.

Sienna opened the door and stepped out without another word.

The driver hesitated before speaking, "Master, it’s not safe to leave Young Miss here."

Daniel looked through the window.

Sienna stood several feet away with her back straight, her face turned toward the road. She didn’t look at him.

After a moment, Daniel’s expression hardened, "Let her learn a lesson. Perhaps then she’ll lose some of that arrogance."

The driver sighed.

"Drive," Daniel ordered.

The car pulled away.

Sienna watched the taillights disappear into the distance, and whatever softness had lingered in her eyes vanished.

She averted her gaze and scanned her surroundings before opening her phone to book a cab.

By the time Sienna returned to the villa, it was already close to eight.

She handed a bag to Aunty Jane and slipped off her heels near the entrance, "I brought some good quality coffee."

Aunty Jane’s smile stiffened a little, "Yes, yes, young madam."

Inwardly, the woman was in a pickle, ’Young madam really thinks we have run out of the coffee. How do I tell her that we have atleast 20 types of coffee but Young Master suddenly didn’t want it on the table today... Sigh...’

"Where’s Thomas? I haven’t seen him all day," Sienna had no idea about Aunty Jane’s inner conflict.

"Young Master was impressed with his work and gave him a few days off," Aunty Jane replied earnestly, "That’s what Butler Thomas told me."

Sienna nodded, too tired to think much about it. "I’ll go upstairs."

She walked into the master bedroom and didn’t bother turning on the lights. After an exhausting day, all she wanted was to collapse somewhere quiet.

She dropped onto the bed and let herself sink into the mattress, closing her eyes in the darkness.

For several seconds, there was nothing but silence.

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from somewhere near the corner.

Sienna’s eyes opened. She sat up slowly, suddenly alert.

Another sound followed. A tiny, trembling—

"Mew..."

Sienna froze. She reached for the lamp and switched it on.

Her exhaustion vanished instantly.

In the corner of the room sat a small cardboard box lined with a soft blanket, and curled together inside it were three tiny kittens.

Sienna recognized them immediately. They were the kittens from the alley beside the restaurant yesterday.

One was orange and white, another was grey and white, and the smallest was black and white.

They were so tiny that their little bodies seemed almost swallowed by the blanket, their ears still disproportionately large and their paws tucked beneath their chests as they slept in a warm, tangled pile.

"Oh my God..." Sienna gasped.

She climbed off the bed and crouched beside them.

The orange-and-white kitten stirred first.

Its eyes opened into two sleepy little slits, and after staring at her for a moment, it gave a tiny mewl before wobbling out of the box.

"Ssh..."

Sienna barely had time to hold out her hand before the kitten toddled straight toward her and climbed onto her lap.

She laughed softly, "You remember me?"

The kitten answered by pressing its tiny face against her stomach and curling itself into the folds of her dress as though it had already decided that was where it belonged.

Sienna’s heart melted, "You’re so small."

The grey-and-white kitten seemed to take that as an invitation.

It climbed onto her thigh, circled twice in an adorably clumsy little shuffle, and promptly curled up against her lap.

Sienna looked down at the two tiny bodies nestled against her.

Then she noticed the third kitten.

The little black-and-white one was still sitting inside the box, watching her.

Its head tilted slightly to one side.

Sienna smiled, "And what about you?"

The kitten blinked.

She held out one finger. It stared at her for another moment before slowly reaching out with one impossibly tiny paw and touching it.

Sienna’s expression softened completely, "Oh, you’re the shy one."

The kitten blinked again, as if considering whether she had earned its trust.

A second later, it toddled toward her too.

Sienna gathered all three against her, careful not to squeeze their tiny bodies, and felt the exhaustion of the entire day melt away.

She grabbed her phone to text Callahan but she had barely typed the word ’thank’ when a voice snatched her attention away.

"You can thank me in person."

Sienna looked over her shoulder, only to find Callahan leaning against the door frame, "When did you...?" she looked at the kittens before looking back at him.

Callahan straightened and strode inside the room, coming to stand beside her. His gaze momentarily lingered on the three kittens curled on her lap and his eyes narrowed for a second before he looked away.

"I had Leon pick them yesterday. They were taken to the vet to be vaccinated which delayed their arrival."

Sienna’s eyes lowered. The moment she had seen these kittens, she had fallen in love. But she was not living alone anymore so she snuffed the possibility of ’catnapping’. And after the tiff with Callahan, she steeled her heart and left the place.

"Thank you."

"I am sorry."

Both the people spoke at the same time.

Sienna glanced towards him and their gazes met, "What are you being sorry for?"

Callahan did not break the eye contact as he squatted beside her, "For disappearing."

Silence descended between them and for a moment, time stilled. Both the people had never slowed to acknowledge certain things, or talk about them.

Whatever happened between them often was swept under the rug or filed away and nobody spoke of it again.

Sienna broke that taboo the night before by mentioning the past. And now, Callahan seemed to have followed on her steps.

Sienna cleared her throat. She briefly looked away before looking back at him, her eyes dropping to his lips, "What else are you sorry for?"

The corner of his lips lifted slightly, "That’s all,’’ he said coolly.

She looked at his annoyingly handsome face that looked even more stunning with that cocky grin. He seemed the least bit apologetic about the kiss.

"For the rest of the things, you can take revenge," the man added.