Chapter 70

Grandmal Josiah was more than worried. Among the elite, marriage arrangements were quite common. He had seen many marriages lacking affection, driven solely by family interests. He worried someone might marry Sienna merely for her position.

"Enough," Miranda said calmly. "Who is responsible for the rumors and gossip she faced today?"

Josiah was momentarily speechless.

Miranda sighed. "What's done is done, and this kind of gossip is unavoidable," she continued. "I can't believe that in all of Jeiacrity, there isn't a single decent young man who genuinely cares for her and doesn't mind her past?"

Miranda was optimistic. "Let me tell you, matters of the heart are hard to predict." Seeing Miranda's persistence, Josiah could do nothing. Just then, he looked around. "Where's Sienna?"

"Oh, I told her to wander around," Miranda said with a smile. "I'll make the big decisions, but she should make her own connections too. Maybe fate will bring someone to her."

Despite Miranda's kind intentions, Sienna couldn't embrace them. Having been away from Jeiacrity for so long, she wasn't used to large gatherings. Holding her plate, she found a quiet corner to sit.

She was supposed to perform tonight. Josiah called Henry and said he was taking her out, and Henry agreed without hesitation. Sienna looked down at the food on her plate, muttering softly, "Eat more, practice more tonight. Don't worry about gaining weight."

A low chuckle came from beside her. She looked up. "Cedric?"

"Yeah," Cedric said, his smile unwavering as he pointed to her plate. "You're really skinny. Eat more, don't worry about gaining weight." He then pointed to the seat next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all."

Cedric sat down beside her, so close she could smell his subtle fragrance. "You—" Cedric was nervous, his Adam's apple bobbing. "So you're the adopted daughter of the Flynn family."

Sienna gave him a gentle smile and nodded. "Yes, when I was fifteen, I lost all my family, and Grandma adopted me." Curious, she asked, "You didn't… see me?" After all, back in the day, with her bad reputation, everyone in Jeiacrity knew about her.

"No," Cedric shook his head and said honestly, "I went abroad in middle school and just returned to Jeiacrity not long ago." That was why. "I see," Sienna lowered her head and continued eating.

"Ahem," Cedric cleared his throat nervously, mustering up the courage. "You and Josiah—are you two doing well?"

Sienna was surprised, wondering what he wanted to ask. Cedric immediately realized that asking such a question to someone he had just met was quite abrupt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your personal life. I'm just—"

Miranda guessed he probably wanted to know her relationship with Josiah and whether she still had feelings for him. Cedric blushed, unable to bring himself to ask.

"It's fine," Sienna chuckled softly, signaling him to relax. "Don't worry, you've been abroad for years, so being curious is normal," she said. "Everyone in Jeiacrity knows that he doesn't like me. Or rather, he hates me." It seemed Cedric had heard a bit about them from Yosef. So today's birthday banquet was truly Miranda's idea to find Sienna a match. Cedric recalled, "Did Mrs. Flynn say that you just came back from studying overseas, too? Where did you study?"

"Faraty."

"Krally?" Cedric was delighted. "Me too! Which school were you at? Maybe we were classmates!"

Sienna chuckled, "I don't think so. I majored in dance at Fliraty University of the Arts."

"Oh," Cedric sounded a bit disappointed. "I went to another university. Both schools are in Fliraty, but I never ran into you."

"Is that so!" Sienna ignored the latter part and gave him a thumbs-up. "Truly elite!"

Cedric smiled sheepishly. "It's a great school, but I'm far from being elite." "Um," Cedric had another question. "Do you mind if I ask why you're dancing at Maze?" With the Flynn family supporting her, she shouldn't need to put herself out there like that. His heart pounded as he asked, afraid she might be offended.

But Sienna didn't seem to mind. She answered honestly, "I need to work to support myself. I studied dance, so tell me, where else in Jeiserity can I earn more from dancing than at Maze! Right!"

"Right," Cedric nodded with a smile. She needed to earn money at Maze to support herself, which meant she wasn't relying on Josiah anymore.

"You have a lot of questions. Are you curious about me? Did what they told you spark your curiosity?" Sienna squinted slightly and pointed to the bustling crowd. Among them were many familiar faces. Back when she was "notorious," she still knew quite a few of Jetacrity's young talents. "What did they say about me?"

Cedric froze, unsure of what to say.

Sienna chuckled, shaking her head with indifference. "Why are you nervous? You don't need to tell me, I already know. They're probably saying I'm arrogant, overbearing, acting all fierce—" She took a deep breath, her smile widening. "It's true."

"No, you're not," Cedric interrupted her quickly before she could finish, his earnestness showing in his furrowed brow.

"Hmm," Sienna was stunned, momentarily taken aback.

"I said, you're not," Cedric's honest face was filled with sincerity. "The Sienna I know is a girl who dances beautifully, shines on stage, smiles at strangers she passes, and hides in a quiet corner to eat at a crowded party."

This was how he saw Sienna. No arrogance, no bossiness, and certainly not malicious. Sienna was taken aback, feeling a warm and misty sensation rising in her eyes. After enduring long and unfair times, aside from Hannah, he was another person who gave her both praise and trust.

Not far away, Josiah and Miranda stood side by side, watching them from a distance.

"That kid?" Miranda squinted, pondering. "He seems to be a Browne? Is he Cedric? Yes, it's Cedric." Miranda couldn't stop praising him. "Hmm, I think he's quite nice, a good match for Sienna."

She pulled Josiah aside. "Look at them chatting away, let's not interrupt them. Give them some time. Maybe they can get along."

"Alright," Josiah turned around reluctantly, feeling like his chest was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.