Chapter 181: Allergic reaction

Marcus said nothing. His eyes dropped toward the napkin lying on the floor. Then back to her. Sienna pressed her lips together. A small sound escaped her.

A huff. She immediately covered her mouth. Marcus’s stare hardened. She turned away before she laughed. Maybe. A little. Aliya was still screaming.

"Get me out of here!"

One of the guards grabbed her arm. "We need to take you to the hospital."

"Yes!" another shouted, scratching furiously at his own neck. "Now!" Sienna placed a hand against her chest.

"Maybe she’s having some kind of allergic reaction." Marcus almost choked. Everyone looked at her. Sienna widened her eyes.

"What? It happens." Marcus shook his head slowly. He knew. He absolutely knew. Before he could say anything, the door suddenly slammed open.

"What is going on in here?" Elena’s voice cut through the room. Everyone turned. Elena stood at the entrance, her face tight with irritation. Then she saw Aliya.

"What the hell happened to you?" Aliya pointed at Sienna.

"She.." But Aliya broke off with another cry, her nails digging into her own arm. Elena’s eyes narrowed.

Then she looked at the guards. Two of them were scratching their hands. Another was rubbing frantically at his neck. The fourth had backed away from everyone as though the room itself had suddenly become dangerous.

"What is wrong with all of you?"

"I don’t know," Sienna said. Her voice was soft. Innocent. Almost convincing. Elena looked at her suspiciously. Sienna pointed toward the floor. "Maybe it’s that."

Everyone looked down. The napkin. Elena frowned. "That?"

"Be careful," Sienna added. Unfortunately, Elena was already irritated. And irritated people didn’t always listen. She stepped forward.

"What is a napkin going to..." Her shoe brushed against it. She bent down and picked it up.

Marcus closed his eyes. Sienna’s lips pressed together. Elena brushed the cloth between her fingers.

"There is nothing..." She stopped. Her eyes narrowed. A few seconds passed. Then Elena rubbed her thumb against her fingers. Her expression changed.

She scratched her palm. Once. Marcus slowly looked at Sienna. Sienna stared straight ahead. Elena scratched again.

Harder. "What..." Her voice dropped. She looked at her hand. Then at Sienna. The irritation began creeping up her wrist. Elena’s breathing quickened.

"You." Sienna finally looked at her.

"Me?"

"You did this!" Elena’s scream rang through the room. She threw the napkin away as if it had suddenly caught fire. Sienna took one careful step backward.

"Now, Ms. Elena," she said calmly, "you shouldn’t accuse people without evidence." Elena stared at her. Her arm was turning red. She scratched again.

And again. Her face twisted. Sienna’s mouth curved. Just slightly. Marcus saw it. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

Because there was absolutely no way in hell Sienna had anything to do with this.

None at all.

And yet, somehow, four guards, Aliya, and now Elena were all standing in the same room, scratching themselves half to death. Marcus looked at Sienna. Sienna looked back.

"What?" He just stared. She smiled. "Don’t look at me like that." Marcus glanced at the chaos behind her. Then back at her. "You are terrifying." Sienna’s smile widened.

"Thank you." Behind them, Elena screamed again. "SIENNA!"

Sienna couldn’t hold it in any longer. She laughed. Loud, unguarded, genuine laughter, right in the middle of all the chaos.

That was when Marcel walked in.

He took in the scene his mother clawing at her skin, Aliya screaming, guards wincing and scratching, and Sienna standing in the middle of it all, laughing like this was the best thing she’d seen in weeks.

He looked at her for a long moment, something complicated passing behind his eyes. Part of him wanted to be furious.

His mother was in real pain. But another part of him, the part that had been quietly, foolishly pining after Sienna for longer than he’d ever admit, couldn’t quite bring himself to be angry at her. Not really.

Not when she looked like that fierce and unbothered and utterly unshaken by any of them.

"Come on," he said finally, shaking his head. "I’ll get the van. We need to get to the hospital."

He turned and led the stumbling, itching, furious group toward the door.

Sienna followed behind, still laughing softly under her breath. Marcus fell into step beside her, shaking his head slowly, somewhere between exasperated and impressed.

"Well," Sienna said, wiping a stray tear of laughter from the corner of her eye, her voice settling into something sharper, more focused. "That was fun, now call your contacts at the hospital. We need some solid proof."

Marcus nodded once and pulled out his phone, already dialing. "I’ll work on it."

A few minutes later, Viktor finally came downstairs. He stopped halfway down the last few steps. The house was strangely quiet.

Too quiet. Considering what had happened upstairs, that alone made him suspicious. He looked toward Marcus. Then toward Sienna.

Then at the empty hallway. "What happened?" Marcus stared at him for a moment.

"Do you really want the short version?" Viktor’s brow furrowed.

"Yes." Marcus nodded. "Okay. Sienna happened."

Sienna looked up.

"Excuse me?" Marcus ignored her. "Somehow, she managed to send Aliya, four guards, and Elena to the hospital."

Viktor’s eyebrows lifted. "All of them?"

"All of them."

"How?"

Marcus pointed vaguely toward the stairs. "Apparently, everybody decided to touch the same napkin." Sienna cleared her throat.

"It wasn’t exactly like that." Marcus looked at her.

"That’s exactly how it was."

"I was only trying to help."

"You told them to wipe Aliya with it."

"I thought it might help."

"You were smiling."

"I was concerned."

"You were laughing."

"I have a nervous laugh." Marcus stared at her. Sienna stared back. Neither of them said anything. Viktor slowly looked between them.

"And Elena?" Marcus sighed. "She touched the napkin too." Viktor closed his eyes for a second.

"Of course she did." Sienna tried not to smile. Viktor opened his eyes and looked at her. "And you’re sure you’re not responsible for any of this?" Sienna put a hand over her chest.