Chapter 172: No! not even for a penalty

Sienna’s voice cut through the living room like a very sharp blade.

"That woman must leave my house this minute."

Tom stopped where he stood. The calm he had been holding shifted at once, hardening into a sharper anger, the one that Sienna didn’t usually see on him.

"Your house? Really?" he repeated, looking at her in disbelief.

Sienna held his gaze, but the heat in his eyes made her throat tighten. She had expected resistance but she had not expected that look. It was too cold and it was shooting daggers at her heart which kept softening for him despite her logical thinking.

"If I don’t even have the freedom to entertain a guest under this roof," Tom continued, "then I can leave this house."

That landed harder than she wanted it to. Sienna swallowed quickly. She understood exactly what his leaving would mean. The launch.... The public arrangement she still needed intact...

She stayed silent for a second then when she spoke again, her voice was low;

"You know that isn’t what I meant. Are you not thinking about my feelings at all?" she asked. "How can you bring a woman here to meet me like this?"

Tom looked at her sternly and replied immediately. "This marriage is contractual. I can do as I please. It isn’t as if I’m cheating on you."

The words struck clean. Sienna’s throat moved again, but she did not look away.

"And the agreement," Tom added, sharper now, "was that you would not pry. Why do you keep forgetting that? If you’re no longer comfortable with the arrangement, say so. I’ll pack out and take my freedom with me."

Sienna blinked. This side of him did not sit well with her. It was too firm. Too willing to walk away. Anger tried to rise, but it refused to form outrightly. One part of her kept whispering that she had created this distance herself. Her jaw tightened. Then, slowly, she nodded and stepped back.

"Fine. Do as you like in the house. You have the freedom." She said.

"Good." Tom said with a nod. He turned to leave, but Sienna’s voice stopped him again.

"but what exactly is Stella doing here?" she asked quietly, though the tightness in her tone remained. Tom exhaled deeply as if to day he had clearly had enough.

"She’s my guest. That should be enough for you." He replied firmly.

He did not give her room to push further. He walked past her toward the kitchen.

Behind him, Sienna sank into the nearest chair and clenched her fists in her lap.

What were they going to do in there?

Have sex? Under her roof?

While she was still in the house?

The thought alone made her stomach twist. She shook her head hard. No. She would not accept that. Tom was still her husband. That fact alone was enough to harden her decision.

Then Tom walked out from the kitchen. He had collected the bottle he needed, and returned toward his room without another glance.

By the time she saw him pass again with the bottle in hand, her nostrils had flared.

Even if he refused to open his heart to her, did he have to rub another woman in her face like this?

"Fine. " She muttered as she decided. If it was her house, then she would ruin whatever plan they had for the night.

She knew the decision was petty but she couldn’t stop herself. Her heart was making the decisions instead of her brain.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, inside the room, Tom found Stella looking around with open curiosity. Her gaze moved over the limited space, the plain arrangement, the temporary feel of everything in it.

"How are you managing in this space? Doesn’t it feel cooped up?" she asked.

"It’s temporary, I’ll be leaving for my own place soon. After Sienna’s launch next week." Tom replied.

Stella’s eyes brightened at that. "Good. Then I’ll be able to come freely."

Tom handed her the bottle. She accepted it with a small satisfied smile and sat back against the edge of the bed, one leg crossed over the other, already settling in as if the room had become hers for the night.

Outside the door, Sienna had moved closer than she should have. The words she overheard struck harder than she expected. Tom was already planning to leave. Her hands curled into fists again. That decided it.

She knocked.

"Who is it?" Tom asked from inside.

"It’s me."

Before he could tell her to come in, Sienna opened the door herself. She stepped inside holding a stronger bottle and flashed Stella a small smile that did not reach her eyes.

Tom stood at once. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her face sternly.

"I’m not here to cause disruption, trust me. I’ve had a rough night too. I want to join the drinking. The more the merrier." Sienna said calmly.

Tom was taken aback. For a second, he only stared at her, trying to read whether this was stubbornness, jealousy, or something more reckless or everything combined together.

Stella narrowed her eyes slightly, studying Sienna with quiet assessment. Then she nodded slowly.

"Fine, The more the merrier." Stella replied. And then she moved.

She stood, walked straight to Tom, and kissed him on the mouth in full view of Sienna. It was not rushed. It was intentional. She had said in her mind that she would gladly show Sienna what exactly she had come to confirm. When she pulled back, her smile was calm and cutting.

"Yeah, babe?" she said to Tom, looking at him all sweetly.

"This bitch.!" Sienna’s fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms as she mumbled under her breath.

Tom shook his head at Stella. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."

Stella turned her face up to him, still close. "Didn’t I say I wanted to get away from my life for one night? This is something I’ve never enjoyed. I want to try it."

Tom exhaled hard through his nose.

The System chose that moment to speak, cutting through Tom’s thought;

```

[SIDE MISSION AVAILABLE]

[Ready for your first threesome, Host?]

[Reward:] Very High and mouthwatering.

Accept / Reject

```

Tom stared at the panel for half a second. For the first time since the System entered his life, he rejected the mission deliberately, without hesitation.

"I’m not doing this. Not even for a penalty." he said under his breath.

He looked from Stella to Sienna, his expression now stripped of play. Whatever game the two of them thought they were beginning, he wanted no part of it.

"I’m not interested in entertaining whatever it is that’s going on in both of your minds." he said firmly.

The two women were taken aback.

Tom did not wait for them to try to recover. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving both of them inside.