Chapter 45

“What’s this?” The soft, slimy feeling on his foot sent shivers up Josiah’s spine. He used his phone for light and realized he had stepped in some sticky food—it seemed like some kind of soup. Josiah moved his foot away in disgust, stomping it twice, and walked off with a scowl.

Behind him, Sienna flung open the door. She had just realized her pumpkin soup might have been thrown out earlier. Using her phone’s flashlight, she finally found it in the corner, unfortunately smashed, with the soup spilled everywhere. Sienna sighed regretfully. “I can’t have it now.” Turning around, she picked up a broom and dustpan. Since it was her item and she had made the mess, it was only right for her to clean it up. This little mishap with the pumpkin soup didn’t bother Sienna much.

Early the next morning, following the address sent by Derek, Sienna arrived on time at the location, along with several other dance stand-ins. To her surprise, Charles was there too, along with the choreographer.

Charles said, “I’ll keep it simple. I’ve already told the choreographer my expectations for the dance. I want everyone to practice the movements they’ve designed thoroughly, making sure everything flows perfectly during filming. No stops allowed.” Charles was famous for his one-take shots, holding even dance stand-ins to the standards of actors.

“Understood,” Sienna quietly motivated herself. She wasn’t afraid; a dancer just needed to dance well. That was their job.

All morning, the stand-in dancers practiced tirelessly with the choreographer, sweating profusely. There was no doubt that Charles’s standards were very high. And that was just one segment; apparently, it was for the opening part.

It wasn’t until a little after 2 p.m. that the choreographer clapped her hands, dismissing them. “Keep practicing at home. You all know Mr. Carter’s standards,” she reminded them.

“Got it.” “Okay.”

Sienna packed her things and rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit hungry. They had provided packed lunches earlier, but she had danced it all off by now. She wondered if she should grab a burger or go home to cook some pasta. Cooking meant going back, and she couldn’t wait that long.

Sienna stopped by a nearby burger joint, bought a burger, and started eating while walking.

“Sienna!” Suddenly, someone called her name. Sienna paused, looked up, and saw a middle-aged man standing just a few steps ahead. The middle-aged man stared at her, not daring to blink, as if she’d disappear if he did.

“Sienna,” he said, taking a few steps closer, his face lighting up with joy. “It’s really you. You’ve grown up so much. I can hardly recognize you…” He stopped speaking suddenly.

Sienna gave a slight smirk with a hint of sarcasm. “Excuse me, could you move aside, please?”

The middle-aged man was taken aback. “Sienna, don’t you recognize me?”

“Oh!” Sienna raised an eyebrow. “Should we know each other?”

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if she genuinely didn’t recognize him or was just annoyed. He could only point to himself and explain, “It’s been a long time since we last met. The last time I saw you was five years ago. You’ve changed a lot, but I haven’t. You should remember…”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sienna said impatiently. “I don’t know you. Please step aside and stop blocking the way.”

With that, she tried to walk past him.

“Sienna.” Suddenly, the middle-aged man reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait…” He didn’t expect this would set her off.

Like a frightened little animal, Sienna stared at him with wide eyes, panicking and trying hard to break free. “Let go! Let go now!”

“What’s wrong?” The middle-aged man was confused. Why was she resisting him so much? It was as if he was going to hurt her!

The middle-aged man tried to explain, “Sienna, I won’t hurt you. I am…”

“No, no. Let go! Let go!” Sienna shook her head, the fear in her eyes increasing, but her strength was no match for the man’s. The more she struggled, the tighter he held. “Sienna, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Let her go!” Someone stepped in before Sienna could start to sweat and things got any worse.

It was Josiah. The afternoon sun was blazing, highlighting his handsome, deep-set features, making Sienna feel a bit dazed. He grabbed the middle-aged man’s wrist. The cuff of his nice shirt was showing from under his jacket, with a really fancy silver cufflink. Even when being rough, he still looked classy.

“Josiah…” Sienna murmured, surprised that it was really him.

“I’m here,” she spoke softly, but Josiah heard her. Her quiet tone carried a hint of dependence on him. A strange softness touched his heart, as if something inside had suddenly melted.

Josiah glanced over at the middle-aged man. “Didn’t you hear me say let go?”

“You…” The middle-aged man got a good look at him and let go, startled. “Mr. Flynn?”

Josiah let out a snort and shook off the man’s hand. “You know who I am, yet you dare to touch Mrs. Flynn? Get lost.”

He ignored the man and rushed to Sienna’s side. She looked terrified, her face completely pale, and even her lips had no color at all. Josiah frowned. “Sienna?” He thought, Is she really unwell?

It wasn’t the first time this had happened. When touched by him or other men, she’d react like this. But, as far as he remembered, she never used to have this problem. Back when they first got married, they had sex, though it wasn’t all that harmonious… But she used to be really clingy with him. How could things be like this?

Seeing that she couldn’t even stand properly, Josiah wanted to help her, but just as he raised his hand, Sienna took a step back. Josiah paused, his frown deepening. “I won’t touch you. Just tell me. Are you okay? Can you still walk?”

“Yeah,” Sienna nodded weakly, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m okay. Thanks.”

Her politeness didn’t sit well with Josiah. She never used to be like this around him before… Back then, she didn’t know the meaning of holding back when it came to him.

Josiah pointed to the side of the road. “My car’s parked over there. Where do you need to go? I’ll take you.”

“No,” Sienna shook her head.

“Don’t refuse,” Josiah firmly interrupted, knowing what she was going to say. “I promised Grandma I’d look after you, and I’m going to keep that promise. In your condition, how could I leave you?”

Sienna stared at him in a daze. Can’t I…? There were times when I was in even worse condition, and he didn’t care at all.

“Okay,” Sienna was too tired to argue and just nodded. “Thank you, then.”

Josiah’s expression softened slightly. “Let’s go.”

“Alright.” They walked side by side, keeping an arm’s length distance between them.

Not far away, the middle-aged man watched them quietly, his brow furrowed. He had left earlier but hadn’t gone far. Watching Josiah and Sienna’s figures disappear into the distance, he was puzzled. He knew they were once married but also knew they didn’t get along. Four years ago, Josiah had sent Sienna abroad. He thought, So, Sienna has already come back. Are they still together now?