Chapter 59

As soon as the words left his mouth, Josiah startled himself. It was as if he actually thought Sienna was something special. He wondered when he'd begun to believe nobody was good enough for her. It was so strange.

Feeling anxious, Josiah's Adam's apple bobbed intensely, his mouth dry as he hurriedly tried to explain, “I mean, are you really that low? Or just desperate, settling for someone like that?”

Sienna was so taken aback by his earlier words that she didn't even have time to react before hearing this vicious insult. She paused, her clear eyes fixed on him, and chuckled softly.

Tilting her chin up, she said casually, “If you want to put me down, fine, but why drag Ryan into it?”

Josiah regretted it instantly. He'd only wanted to snap her out of it, but realized he’d gone too far.

“Who am I suitable for, anyway?” Sienna's hand hung by her side, her fingers curling into a fist. “Like you said, I’m infamous in Jeiacrity, a twice-divorced woman, and now, a dancer. Being with Ryan is definitely aiming too high for me.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Josiah was truly frustrated because he clearly believed that Ryan wasn't good enough for her.

“So, what do you mean then?” Sienna curved her lips, her smile becoming icy. “Mr. Flynn, I’m begging you, I finally found Ryan, and he’s willing to treat me well. Please, let it go, don’t ruin it for me!”

She gave him a long look and then turned and ran.

“Sienna! Stop right there!” Josiah yelled, completely frustrated.

She didn’t look back. She just kept running, the streetlights casting flickering shadows over her.

Josiah rubbed his temples in frustration. His wife had become his sister, and somehow, she was even more irritating than before.

Since that night, Smith hadn’t come to Maze. Sienna seemed calm outwardly, but inside she felt uneasy. She wondered if Ryan would ever come back.

Even though Smith hadn't appeared, he contacted her. "Sienna, it's me."

“Mr. Jones,” Sienna felt both joy and anxiety. She was happy he hadn’t forgotten her, but also anxious because he hadn’t forgotten her.

“What time will you finish tonight?” Ryan understood her job required evening hours, and her finishing time varied daily.

“As for tonight,” Sienna calculated, “it might be earlier. Henry asked me to open the show.”

“Alright,” Ryan smiled. “Even if it’s late, I’d like to have dinner with you. Would you be interested?”

“Yes,” Sienna readily agreed. “I’d like that.”

“Great. We’ll meet tonight.”

“See you tonight.” After ending the call, Sienna’s phone buzzed with a message from Ryan about the time and place. She put away her phone and, after the evening performance, quickly informed Henry she was leaving, then hurried to the appointment.

What she didn’t know was that someone began watching her as soon as she left.

They had arranged to meet at Tasty Bites. Given Ryan's status, he preferred to keep a low profile, so he booked a private room. When Sienna arrived, Ryan was already waiting.

“Ryan,” Sienna greeted, slightly out of breath after a hurried bike ride and a short jog. “Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“No worries,” Ryan said, standing to shake her hand. “A gentleman should wait for a lady.” He pulled out a chair and helped her sit down, then handed her the menu, saying, “Take a look. What would you like to eat?”

“Okay!” Sienna ordered a meal that was both sophisticated and economical—neither too cheap nor too extravagant. Her calm demeanor didn’t escape Ryan’s notice.

She was different from the dancers he’d encountered before. Henry had mentioned she graduated from Fliraty University of Arts, studying art as an international student, suggesting her family once had a comfortable background.

“Sienna,” Ryan asked tactfully, “do you have any family left?”

Sienna paused, holding her water glass, and gave a bittersweet smile as she shook her head. “No, it’s just me now.”

“What?” Ryan was genuinely surprised.

Thinking he didn’t understand, Sienna added, “All my family has passed away. It’s just me now.”

So that was it. No wonder she ended up dancing at Maze, and now, she was with him. “Sienna,” Ryan felt a pang of sympathy for her. “From now on, I’ll be good to you. Consider me your family.”

“Okay,” Sienna’s eyes turned slightly red. She sniffed and tried her best to smile.

“Oh, by the way,” Ryan fumbled and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, opened it, and handed it to her. “A gift for you.”

“What’s this?” Sienna looked up. Inside the velvet box, under the bright lights, was a huge diamond ring. She had no idea how many carats it was; all she could see was the dazzling sparkle of the diamond. “For me?”

“Yes,” Ryan smiled, taking out the ring, holding her left hand, and slowly sliding it onto her middle finger. “Do you like it?”

Meanwhile, Josiah was at the door. “Mr. Flynn, you’ve walked into the wrong room.”

“How could that be?” Josiah pretended to be confused. “I booked this room myself. Could I really have forgotten? It’s definitely here?” He had followed Sienna, watching her go inside. No matter what, he had to get in and take her away.

“Hey, Mr. Flynn, please don’t—” The waiter couldn’t stop him as Josiah shoved him aside and pushed the room door open. As soon as Josiah looked up, he saw Ryan holding Sienna’s hand, a huge diamond ring shining on her finger.

He hadn’t expected them to reach this point.

“Mr. Flynn?” Ryan was surprised by the sudden entrance of an acquaintance, quickly releasing Sienna. With a smile, he stood. “Mr. Flynn, what brings you here?”

Josiah let out a short laugh, leisurely walking up to them and extending his hand to Ryan. “Oh, Mr. Jones. What a surprise!” He briefly closed his eyes, looking quite annoyed.

“Sorry, I mixed up the room numbers and barged in on you by mistake! I’m really sorry for the trouble,” Josiah’s gaze casually went to Sienna, amusement in his eyes. “And who might this be, Mr. Jones? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Ryan awkwardly smiled and gestured towards Sienna. “This is Sienna. She’s an assistant on… one of our projects, a colleague of sorts.”

“Sienna,” Josiah said as though he didn’t recognize her, his tone teasing. “An assistant? And so beautiful? Just an assistant, really! Mr. Jones, don’t keep secrets from me!”

Ryan began to sweat nervously, shaking his head repeatedly. “No, no, just an assistant.”

“Really?” Josiah squinted, his gaze like a nail pinning down Sienna.