Chapter 51: You

Callahan rose to his feet and walked to stand beside Sienna, "My wife needs your help with the names."

Sienna suddenly felt the heat in her face.

They were legally married and their friends knew of it.

She couldn’t understand why she felt flustered hearing the ’my wife’ coming out his mouth.

The casual way Callahan said my wife drew several amused glances, though he seemed completely aloof to them.

The gathering of powerful people in the hall suddenly leaned over a basket of kittens with great focus.

A bunch of names were thrown around while they ate and talked. The room was filled with the sound of laughter and banter.

The gathering was interrupted by the arrival of Butler Thomas, who had returned from his short vacation.

He greeted Callahan and the guests with his usual composed courtesy, looking pleased to find the villa full of life.

Sienna introduced him to Ava and Jace, and Thomas welcomed them warmly before he turned to leave.

A tiny mew escaped from the basket.

Thomas stopped mid-step.

The orange kitten had wandered onto the cushion, while the other two were peering out from behind the sofa, their tails twitching as they considered whether to join the adventure.

The butler’s face was drained of colour.

Thomas looked as though he had just discovered a fire in the middle of the drawing room, "Why is there a kitten in this villa?"

"There are actually three," Leon helpfully pointed out.

Thomas turned to him with an expression of pure betrayal before facing Callahan again, "Young Master, I shall have them removed immediately. And I will personally find out who thought it appropriate to bring cats..."

Everyone looked at Callahan.

"I brought them here," he said.

Thomas was astonished, "But, Young Master, you’re allergic to cats!"

"He’s already started taking allergy shots, so it is fine," Leon said to the anxious Butler.

Although Thomas still looked unconvinced, he shut his mouth when he saw the look on Callahan’s face.

After one last anxious glance at the kittens, he bowed his head and withdrew, muttering something about making sure the necessary medication was readily available.

The conversation gradually resumed, but the mood had changed.

Jace quietly put down his glass, "I should get going. I have some work commitments tomorrow, and I still need to prepare."

Ava caught his eye and immediately understood, "And I have scripts to go through.’’

Victor rose with a smooth smile, then caught Leon by the shoulder as the latter reached for another glass.

"Come along. We should be going too."

Leon glanced at the wine bottle on the table, considered the situation, and picked it up, "Then, we’ll be leaving now."

Once outside, Victor glanced at the group and took out his car keys, "I haven’t had anything to drink, so I can drop everyone home."

Jace was the first to turn down the offer, "I’ll arrange a cab."

"I don’t think we can get a cab here," Ava tugged at his hand, "Let’s go with Victor."

Victor smiled kindly.

Jace’s mouth twitched but eventually got inside the car.

Leon was dropped off first. Ava’s house came next. Then, it was just Leon and Victor in the car.

The ride continued in silence for a few minutes, until Victor spoke.

"About the other night, I’m sorry for my behaviour. And thank you for helping me out."

Jace paused for a split second before he spoke, "It’s all right. We can leave it in the past."

The tension between them eased, and Jace turned toward the window, looking more relaxed than before.

When his phone rang, he answered without checking the screen, and a genuine smile spread across his face, "Tomorrow? Yes, that works. I’ll see you then."

"Your girlfriend?" Victor asked when the call ended.

Jace slipped his phone into his pocket, "Boyfriend."

"We’re here," Jace said as the car came to a stop, "Thanks for the ride."

He stepped out, gave Victor a brief nod before heading towards the entrance.

Victor remained in the driver’s seat, watching him walk away until his figure disappeared from view.

Only then did he lean back and let his smile fade.

"Troublesome," he murmured, before starting the car and pulling away.

...

It was past midnight. Sienna lay on her side of the bed, tossing and turning.

When she heard the sound of the door opening, she bent over and turned off the bedside lamp.

The door opened and closed and she felt the mattress dipping.

Sienna closed her eyes.

"Can’t sleep?"

Her eyes opened in the dark.

"You are allergic to cats but you brought them here... for me," she whispered in the dark.

The man did not respond, neither accepting nor denying.

Sienna had spent the past one hour convincing herself to not read too much into Callahan’s thoughts and actions. And not dwell on them.

But right now, she couldn’t hold back the question that had been pressing on her since the charity gala.

She sat up on the bed, "Before we got married, we had discussed what’s in it for the both of us."

With the moonlight streaming in, she could see his silhouette as he moved and sat. They were just separated by the pillow barrier.

"Mm."

"But you... don’t seem to want Miss Ivers at all," Sienna said, "What exactly do you want from this marriage?!"

"Haven’t I made myself clear?" They were still separated by the pillow barrier as the man leaned towards her, coming out of the shadows.

As the moonlight touched his face, she could finally see him. There was a deep look in his eyes, and it made something stir in Sienna.

Her eyes dropped to his lips briefly as her breathing turned unsteady, "N...No."

A hint of a smile touched his lips and his eyes darkened. He leaned towards her till his lips faintly grazed her ear, "You."

Sienna did not even have the chance to decipher it before she felt his lips caressing her earlobe, and then he bit on it softly.

Her body jolted, her fingers clutching onto the comforter.