Chapter 46: Primary patron

Callahan was already towering over her from where he stood. But then, he took half a step forward and bent to her level.

"Without a date? You clearly...’’ Sienna pursed her lips.

"Miss Ivers is here with grandfather."

Sienna paused, "I... wasn’t questioning you."

"I hoped you would," Callahan said, his eyes twinkling.

Sienna fell into a daze. What? Which person in the world wants to be questioned so eagerly? Why did he look so excited by the prospect?

"Come with me to meet someone?" He stepped back from her and offered a hand.

Sienna placed her hand in his and felt him pause momentarily before he wrapped his fingers around hers. The man gently nudged her away from the wall.

"Alright, let me inform Jace first? I don’t want him to be waiting..."

Back in the main hall, Sienna pulled out her phone to call Jace but realized that her phone had been dead for almost the entire day.

Just as she was looking around, a person unabashedly blocked her path.

"What are you really trying to do?" Kira spoke smilingly but her words were sharp as a dagger, "Did you come here to cross me?"

"You are not pretending anymore?" Sienna looked at her with mild interest.

Kira scoffed, "You act all high and mighty but without your surname, you can’t even get an invitation to this place. Sienna, don’t you see how pathetic it is when you attend a charity gala while being a charity case yourself?"

Sienna raised a brow.

"What? Was it harsh?" Kira clicked her tongue, "But am I lying? Qing Horizons is beyond saving and so are you. You keep disappointing daddy or else, you could have gotten some allowance from me. Nor do you have a boyfriend like mine who would tend to all your whims!"

When Sienna did not respond, Kira lost interest, "Oh, forget it. I get it. You are probably here to cling to a golden thigh. Maybe you are hoping to fix Qing Horizons by getting a strong backer, huh? Then, let me just tell you this..."

At this moment, a round of applause erupted from the crowd.

Kira stopped speaking, annoyed that Sienna still looked unfazed.

The head of the foundation stepped onto the stage, smiling warmly as he introduced himself.

"Thank you to all the esteemed guests who showed up and made this meaningful evening this successful..."

"Now, we have reached the hour where we formally recognize the night’s primary patron and ask them to grace us with a few words."

Kira made eye contact with Seth who was standing at a little distance. And the man nodded at her.

She beamed and picked up her gown to step forward.

The man on the stage continued speaking, "This year, we have a special guest who has pledged twenty-five million dollars directly to fund our children’s hospital wing under the name of the late Mrs. Amara Qing."

A murmur swept through the ballroom.

Kira’s entire body froze. Her hand that was holding the gown up suddenly lost its strength, ’How could it be?’ She looked at Sienna in disbelief.

Kira had already gone through the past records for this charity gala and the highest amount of money raised by a single premier usually peaked around ten million dollars.

She had spent an enormous amount in the auction itself but her father was generous. Since she needed to rebuild her reputation, he had specifically implied that she needed to be the night’s primary patron.

That would not just help her image but also elevate the Qing’s standing so Kira had used some of her own savings and rounded up the figure to make it eleven million dollars.

But now...

The host continued, "The donation was made through the private foundation of the late Mrs. Amara Qing. Miss Sienna Qing, as the sole trustee of her mother’s foundation, has personally committed the entire three-year operating budget for this project."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the ballroom erupted.

Cameras flashed from every direction as guests began whispering among themselves.

Kira stood frozen by Sienna’s side. She had spent the entire evening believing this was her chance to stand beneath the spotlight as the daughter representing the Qing Empire. ℯ

Instead, Sienna had quietly become the most talked-about person in the room.

Sienna had barely taken a step forward when Kira stepped on her gown. As if she had already expected something like this, Sienna stopped in time, her movements elegant.

There was no trip-and-fall-situation that Kira had envisioned and it made her face burn.

Kira’s fingers curled into fists, ’’How dare you embarrass me..."

"You don’t need me for that," Sienna tilted her head, "You are enough."

"You..."

"I don’t need Daddy’s allowance or a rich man," Sienna pulled her gown harshly, totally not minding the torn edge as she walked toward the stage.

Kira’s chest burned. Earlier, Sienna’s gaze had felt almost condescending when Kira said those words.

At that time, she thought Sienna was jealous but it was at this moment she realized that Sienna had looked at her like that because she didn’t need a man for money.

As a major shareholder, Sienna must have received a huge sum of dividends from the Qing Empire.

Apart from that, she already had her mother’s trust funds and legacy.

On top of it all, she had been working for years as her father’s assistant. She was not an ordinary assistant.

As a daughter of the Qing family, Sienna had handled her own projects and teams and she had been playing a crucial role in the company.

But since nobody loudly acknowledged it, people never paid attention to it.

Sienna stepped onto the stage, accepting the microphone from the host with an easy smile. The cameras turned toward her, and she took a moment to look across the ballroom before speaking.

"I’m grateful to everyone who has supported this cause. My mother believed every child deserved a chance at a better future, and I’m simply doing my part to carry that belief forward. I hope tonight’s contributions will make a real difference to the children who need them."

Her words were brief, sincere, and free of any attempt to draw attention to herself.

She returned the microphone and was about to leave when the host stopped her.