Chapter 270

Hearing his voice, Siema felt a pang in her heart, and her fingertips trembled. “Cedric.”

Cedric chuckled. “Why are you calling? Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” Sienna hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

Cedric’s tone shifted, sensing her hesitation. “Did Josiah do something?”

“No,” Sienna closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “You and Reyna. Are you still together?” Deep down, she hoped they had broken up.

Cedric’s answer was straightforward. “Yeah, we are.” He sounded constrained. “But why do you want to know, Sienna?”

Sienna opened her mouth, hesitated, then blurted out, “Cedric, you and Reyna can’t keep this going.”

“Why not?” Cedric asked, surprised. Sienna wasn’t one to meddle. He wondered, “Do you know something I don’t?”

“Yes,” Since she’d started, there was no turning back. She had no idea how serious their relationship was, but Reyna wasn’t good enough for him. Sometimes, it was better to cut ties than prolong suffering. She said, “Cedric, I’m going to send you a photo. When you see it, you’ll understand.”

“Okay,” Cedric replied, puzzled. The call ended, and he immediately received a WhatsApp notification. He opened it and saw the photo: Reyna was hugging Jamie, arms around his neck, kissing him.

Cedric sneered; he understood.

It was only afternoon, but Cedric was in no mood to work. He gave his assistant brief instructions, left the office, and drove home.

The Brawne family bustled with activity, preparing for the Fischer family’s dinner. This was their first time hosting them, and Xenia was taking it very seriously.

Evan returned home briefly to copy documents. As he went downstairs, he heard his wife’s voice booming. “How’s the stew coming along? And why hasn’t the carpet been changed yet? Didn’t I tell you to switch it to the beige one, Hilda?”

Xenia turned, seeing her husband. Evan smiled reassuringly. “No need to be so nervous. It’s just a casual dinner.”

“How can I not be nervous?” Xenia laughed, her exhaustion masked by joy. “Think of all the girls we’ve introduced to Cedric recently. It’s not easy to find someone he’s willing to get to know better…”

“True,” Evan nodded, smiling. He couldn’t mention that Reyna slightly resembled Sienna, which was probably why Cedric gave her a chance.

“It’s all good now,” Xenia said, satisfied with Reyna’s background. “I just hope they hit it off and get married in a year or two.”

“Yeah,” Evan kept nodding and smiling.

“You!” Xenia glared at her husband. “All you ever say is ‘yeah’! Don’t you have anything else to add? I can’t imagine what would have happened to our son if I’d left it all to you!”

She continued, “Thank goodness I took some measures. Otherwise, Cedric would have been messed up by Sienna.”

“Mom,” Cedric called.

Both Xenia and Evan looked up.

“Cedric, why are you back?” Xenia panicked. They hadn’t noticed him enter. How much had he overheard?

Cedric’s eyes flashed with intensity. A faint anger shadowed his usually calm face. “Mom, what did you do back then?”

“Son…” Xenia felt a knot in her stomach. She grasped his arm. “Let me explain.”

“Okay,” Cedric replied, his gaze fixed on her. “I’m listening.”

“Cedric…” Xenia’s voice trembled. What could she say? She never imagined past decisions would resurface because of her pride.

“Say something. Are you going to stay silent?” Cedric pursed his lips, struggling to control his anger. “What exactly did you do to Sienna?” He’d always thought they’d broken up because of Josiah’s interference.

“Could it be…” Cedric’s eyes darkened. “Did Sienna and I break up not because of Josiah?”

“Cedric…” Xenia was at a loss for words; the truth was far more complicated than he could imagine.

“What happened! Tell me!” Cedric demanded, remembering Sienna’s tears. His heart ached. Thinking back to that day in Flirty, he remembered Sienna’s joy at seeing him; she seemed ready to be with him, but then she changed. Something was off.

“Could it be that…” he murmured.

Xenia remained silent, and Cedric guessed. “Sienna didn’t want to, and you and Josiah worked together to force her or set her up.” If that was true, he’d been a jerk.

Xenia shook her head vigorously. “No, I didn’t collude with Mr. Flynn. I found someone from Flirty, but I don’t know why Sienna ended up with…”

She sneered, “If you ask me, she’s just shameless, juggling you and Josiah.”

“Mom!” Cedric roared, his face pale, veins bulging on his forehead. He looked at his mother with sadness and disappointment. “Stop it, just stop.” A wave of pain shot through his heart. His mother had harmed the girl he loved. How scared and desperate Sienna must have been.

“No,” Xenia denied. “I just asked that person to frighten her…”

“Enough,” Cedric said, utterly disappointed, his eyes bloodshot. “Mom, do you love me?”

“Cedric…” Xenia’s heart skipped a beat. “Of course, I do—”

“No,” Cedric shook his head, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. “You destroyed my love with your own hands. Can’t you see? Sienna is the first person I’ve ever loved in my twenty-five years.”

Xenia’s heart sank. She was shocked and angry. “I only did it for your own good. A woman like Sienna isn’t worthy of you.”

Cedric was taken aback, then burst into laughter. He couldn’t stop for a while. Xenia and Evan exchanged worried glances. “Cedric…” they called.

Cedric stopped laughing and raised his eyebrows sarcastically. “So, Sienna isn’t good enough for me, and instead, you chose someone like Reyna?”