Chapter 05
1312 Words
IT WASN’T until Sianna had driven far enough from her father’s house that she finally pulled her car over to the side of the road.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to contain the storm raging inside her.
She couldn’t accept what had just happened. She couldn’t accept how easily her father—her own father—had taken Rose’s side, along with the man Rose was now openly involved with. She was his legitimate daughter. His blood. His family.
And yet he had looked at her like she was nothing.
Maybe it was time she finally accepted the truth: she was alone in this world. No parents to run to. No one to lean on when everything fell apart.
Her hand moved roughly across her cheeks, wiping away the tears that kept falling despite her effort to stop them.
“You shouldn’t be crying over them, Sianna,” she told herself, her voice trembling in the quiet interior of the car. “You don’t deserve to cry over people who aren’t worth it.”
But when she thought about Rose being pregnant, the anger inside her hardened into something darker.
She couldn’t accept that Rose and Wil had fooled her so completely. All that time, they had been sneaking around behind her back while she remained oblivious.
Thank God she hadn’t married Wil yet.
What if she had discovered their affair after the wedding? Or worse—what if she had already been pregnant with Wil’s child when she found out?
Maybe fate had spared her from something even more devastating.
In her mind, she cursed Wil over and over again.
After a few minutes, she forced herself to take a deep breath. She fixed her expression in the rearview mirror and promised herself something.
She would never cry over worthless people again.
Starting now.
She started the engine and drove back to her condo.
When she arrived, she immediately saw Wil standing outside her unit door. He couldn’t get in—she had already changed the passcode.
She looked at him without emotion. Blank. Cold.
“Sianna, let’s talk,” Wil pleaded as he stepped toward her.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” she said sharply when he tried to reach for her hand. Her voice was icy, controlled. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here.”
“Please. Let’s just talk.”
“Talk?” she repeated, her voice rising. “There’s nothing left to talk about. We’re done. That’s crystal clear. Leave. I don’t want to see your face. If I lose control right now, I don’t know what I might do.”
“Sianna, I’m sorry. Tell me what you want me to do. I swear it won’t happen again and—”
The sound of her palm striking his face echoed down the hallway.
She had put all her fury into that slap.
“Damn you, Wil!” she shouted, her body shaking with rage. “What do you think I am? A child who’ll forget everything if you hand me candy? Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think what you did behind my back is forgivable?”
Her chest heaved as she glared at him.
“No,” she said firmly. “What you did is unforgivable. Even if you died in front of me right now, that still wouldn’t be enough for me to forgive you.”
She shoved past him to unlock her door.
“Sianna—”
She turned one last time before stepping inside.
“Be happy with Rose,” she said coldly. “You two deserve each other. You fit perfectly.”
Then she shut the door in his face.
Her breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Only after locking the door did her strength seem to drain away. She leaned back against it, her legs weakening.
Wil rang the doorbell and knocked repeatedly.
She ignored him.
She was done.
After taking another steadying breath, she walked to her bedroom and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
The audacity of that man.
“Sorry?” she muttered bitterly to herself.
Was that all it took? A simple apology?
Did Wil really think “sorry” could erase betrayal? Could undo the damage he had carved into her heart?
Even if he begged. Even if he broke down.
She would never forgive him.
Out of all the women in the world, he chose Rose.
That made it worse.
As for her plan to resign from work to focus on marriage—well, that clearly wasn’t happening anymore. She was back where she started.
Alone.
MEANWHILE, Eliezer sat in his study, staring at the five thousand pesos lying neatly on top of his office desk.
He still couldn’t believe it.
A woman had just paid him five thousand pesos after spending the night in his bed.
Did he really look like a man for hire?
“Sir,” Carlos called as he entered the study. He was Eliezer’s personal assistant.
“Carlos,” Eliezer replied, not taking his eyes off the money. “How much do male escorts charge these days?”
“Sir?” Carlos blurted in shock.
Eliezer finally looked at him. “Any idea?”
Carlos shook his head. “No, sir. I could ask around if you’d like.”
“Never mind,” Eliezer said, turning his gaze back to the bills.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who had warmed his bed the night before.
She was different.
She hadn’t demanded anything. Hadn’t tried to negotiate, flirt for advantage, or cling to him for benefits.
Instead, she had left money.
Five thousand pesos.
He shook his head.
“By the way,” he said casually, “who was the woman in my suite last night?”
“Woman?” Carlos repeated.
“There was a woman in my bed. Did you arrange for someone to be sent to my suite?”
Carlos frowned. “As far as I remember, sir, you stopped entertaining women after that incident when someone tried to trap you. I wouldn’t dare send anyone to your hotel.”
Eliezer went silent.
If Carlos hadn’t arranged it, then who was she?
How could he possibly forget last night?
That girl had been a virgin.
He leaned back against his chair, the memory replaying vividly in his mind.
He had assumed Carlos had prepared a surprise, especially since he had just returned to the Philippines from Australia after spending a month there managing business operations.
But apparently, he was wrong.
He hadn’t even been drunk. He had been fully aware of everything he did. Of how eagerly he had taken her. Of how she had responded to him despite the clear haze of alcohol in her system.
Her face was unforgettable.
Striking.
Soft, yet proud.
“Sir,” Carlos interrupted again.
“Yes?”
“Are you returning to Falcon Group on Monday?”
“Hmm.”
“Wouldn’t you like to take at least a week off?”
“I already rested in Australia,” Eliezer replied.
What he wanted now was answers.
Who was the woman who had ended up in his suite?
And why?
For what, Eliezer? a voice in his head asked. To return the five thousand pesos?
He scoffed.
He was worth far more than that.
Again, his mind drifted to the heat of last night. The way she had responded beneath him. The way her body had arched instinctively.
She had been drunk—that much was obvious.
But she had still responded to him.
And her kiss…
“Fuck.”
He abruptly stood from his chair, startling Carlos.
He needed a cold shower.
Without another word, he left the study, leaving Carlos behind and the five thousand pesos still lying on his desk.
- Writer
