Chapter 58: Cal

(this Chapter has been updated)

...

Once they were inside the car, Leon raised the partition, separating himself from any unwanted displays of affection.

"What did you tell him?" Callahan turned to Sienna, an intrigued expression on his face.

Sienna sighed, "I told him we have known each other for eighteen years."

She had casually answered Old Master Hawke’s question. She didn’t know he would be so shocked that he nearly tripped down the stairs.

Luckily, Sienna had fast reflexes in the moment and the only thing that shattered was the teacup.

"I will be careful about my words the next time," she added in a softer voice.

Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her forehead. When she tilted her head to the side, she found Callahan patting her head, "He was being dramatic. Don’t be guilty about it."

Weirdly enough, it comforted her a little. As the man put his hand down, Sienna scooted closer to him, "Cal, what did he say to you?"

Callahan looked at her in a daze.

Cal.

Cal.

Cal~

The name played in his mind like a broken tape recorder.

"I mean..." Seeing him so bewildered, Sienna phrased her question better, "He looked so serious when he took you to study. With your brother’s engagement coming up, did he ask you to cut me off to avoid family feuds?"

Callahan regained his senses. He fell silent for a moment before he leaned towards her, "If he did, what would you suggest?"

Sienna thought about it for a moment, "He doesn’t want any rifts in the family, I understand where he is coming from..."

Her words had yet to finish when the man leaned towards her neck. And in the next moment, she felt a tingling pain as his teeth dug into her skin.

"You... What...." She was stunned when he pulled back and looked at her.

"Continue," he said.

Sienna touched her neck, "Are you a dog, Callahan?"

"Do you want me to be?" He narrowed his eyes.

She pushed him away but the man wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, "Finish what you were saying."

Sienna bit her bottom lips, "Although I understand where your grandfather stands, I had made this deal myself. I won’t back out."

Callahan’s lips tugged up.

"Unless... you want to," She won’t self-sacrifice or think of divorcing him. But if he thought she was not worth all the trouble, then she would understand.

Callahan pulled her into his arms as he buried his face in her neck.

Sienna stiffened, feeling her skin grow warm as his lips gently caressed the spot he just bit. Her face flushed and her lips parted but before she could utter a word, the man pulled back.

While still holding her close, he looked into her eyes, "Grandfather talked about work matters."

Sienna looked at him in a daze, ’Liar,’ her eyes slowly drifted to his lips, ’A lying mouth..’

Driven by an impulse, she leaned close to him.

Her face was inches away from his when the car pulled up in front of Qing Horizons and the partition lifted.

Sienna abruptly pushed Callahan, "I will... go now..."

Just as she almost scrambled out of the car, Callahan grabbed her hand, "Drop me a text when you are done and we will go home together. Yes?"

In a daze, Sienna nodded. The moment Callahan released her hand, she turned and left without looking back.

Leon stole a peek at Callahan, "Next time, I will announce it before I raise the partition. I couldn’t have possibly known a workaholic like you would be up to anything during peak working hours, could I?"

Callahan quietly pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

Leon had a bad feeling, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? I didn’t interrupt you on purpose..." He hadn’t even finished speaking when Callahan threw his phone at him.

Leon caught it on instinct, only to be greeted by a video call.

"For how long are you planning to put off the meeting with your brother?" Georgina’s voice echoed in the car.

"Sister-in-law, I..." Leon cried without tears as he grievously glared at Callahan while Georgina went on and on in the background.

Unbothered by the chaos, Callahan relaxed in his seat and glanced in the direction of Qing Horizons.

...

In her office, Sienna was going through the Qing Horizon’s finances for the past few years. And the more she looked, the further her face darkened.

She had already expected the finances to be messed up but looking at the current status, there seemed to be black hole that was sucking all the money away.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Sienna looked up from the laptop, "Come in."

Linda stepped inside with a stack of files in her hand.

Looking at the woman’s pale face, Sienna closed her laptop, "You took a sick leave yesterday and you are already showing up at work today. If you are not feeling good, you can extend the leave."

Linda’s eyes widened briefly but then she showed a professional smile, "I am much better now. In the current state of Qing Horizons, it’s better for you to have more hands,’’ she said while neatly arranging the files on Sienna’s desk.

Sienna sighed, "Qing Horizons cannot flourish in a matter of few days, considering it’s been declining for years. In the meantime, I wouldn’t want any of your health to be impacted. Only by remaining steady in the face of challenges can one eventually conquer them."

Linda paused when she heard that, "Miss Qing, do you really think by remaining steady, one can conquer any challenge life throws at them?"

Sienna glanced at the woman thoughtfully, "Don’t you believe it?"

Linda smiled, "Sometimes, one needs to have the right luck and opportunities too."

Sienna chuckled, "Luck helps those who try to help themselves first. Like right now, I need to find my luck through you to get to the right opportunity," she tapped on the desk, "Help me make a list of potential investment groups."

Linda’s face paled further, her fingers dug into the remaining file in her hand, "I have already prepared it."

"Truly capable," Sienna took the file and flipped through it, "You have gathered quite a few names. Based on your experience, who do you think is the most reliable amongst them?"

Linda gulped softly, lowering her eyes, "W-Wang..."