Chapter 71

At that moment, Cedric’s phone rang. It was a friend.

“Go on ahead,” Sienna smiled, noticing the call.

“Yeah, okay,” Cedric stood, and before leaving, mustered the courage to ask, “Sienna, can we exchange contact details?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request. “Sure,” Sienna nodded with a smile, taking out her phone to exchange numbers and connect on social media.

“Great!” Cedric’s face lit up with joy. He waved at Sienna as he left, saying, “Tim’s heading off now, see you later.”

“Okay, see you,” Sienna replied.

The birthday party was lively and bustling. With Miranda holding the fort, everyone enjoyed themselves. As the party wound down, Josiah, along with Sienna, saw the guests off.

Cedric, with his family, watched from afar. As their eyes met, he grinned and gestured with his phone, indicating they’d stay in touch. Sienna gave a slight smile and nod in response. Little did they know, their subtle exchange was entirely noticed by the man standing beside them.

With all the guests gone, Sienna let out a sigh of relief, massaging her neck as she turned to head upstairs. She thought the evening had been tiring enough. A thirty-minute practice session should suffice before showering and going to bed.

As she reached the second floor, a cold laugh suddenly came from beside her. Sienna lifted her head, looking at Josiah in confusion. Josiah lowered his gaze slightly, obviously mocking her. “Are you happy?”

“Huh!” Sienna was stunned.

“What’s got you so happy?” She didn’t answer, but Josiah insisted, “Come on, tell me, so I can be happy too.”

His mocking tone made Sienna frown. “It’s my birthday today, can’t I be happy? Should I be sad instead?”

“Sienna!” Josiah exclaimed, grabbing her waist and pinning her against the wall. He even lifted her off her feet. Sienna felt herself pinned, her feet leaving the ground.

Before she could react, his face moved close. His warm lips pressed against hers, followed by an intense kiss, their breaths mingling. Sienna’s eyes widened in shock; her mind went blank, and her clenched hands trembled. What is he doing? she thought. She froze, her body tense as she struggled.

However, Josiah’s strength was too much, and she couldn’t break free. In a panic, she bit down hard.

Josiah groaned in pain and released her. “Sienna, are you part dog or something?”

Shock didn’t begin to describe how Sienna felt. Her lipstick was smeared, her lips red and swollen from the kiss, glistening with moisture under the light. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” she exclaimed. She’d never expected Josiah to kiss her.

“What did you say?” Josiah was stunned, squinting his eyes. He didn’t think kissing her was crazy at all. Suddenly, fire sparked in his eyes, and he reached out towards her.

“Don’t come any closer!” Sienna’s rigid body trembled uncontrollably. She took two steps back, turned, and ran. She didn’t intend to; she dashed to the door, yanked it open, and quickly shut it behind her.

Josiah quickly caught up but was stopped at the door. He wanted to knock, but it would wake Miranda. He let out an almost silent chuckle, his half-closed eyes giving off a sharp glint. He was confident he would have her.

Inside the room, the moment Sienna entered, she collapsed onto the floor. She lifted her hand, fiercely rubbing her lips, and murmured softly, “No.” Her entire body trembled uncontrollably as fear slowly spread through her heart.

She couldn’t believe Josiah had actually kissed her. She didn’t know what he wanted. She shrunk back, got up from the floor, and stumbled into the bathroom to start brushing her teeth, again and again. She wanted to wash away all traces of Josiah, make it completely gone.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Hannah. “Hello?” Sienna tried to stay calm as she answered.

“Hi, Mommy,” a sweet voice came from the other end.

“Joyce!” Instantly, Sienna’s eyes turned red, tears welling up uncontrollably. “Joyce, my sweet baby…”

“Mommy,” Joyce sounded cheerful. “Is it dark over there now? Are you getting ready for bed?” It was past eleven at night in Jelacrity, while in Flirty, it was around ten in the morning.

“That’s right,” Sienna replied with a smile. “Joyce is so smart. Did you just wake up? Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah, I did. I’ve been up for a little while now. Hannah came to see me, and I wanted to call Mommy.”

“Really!” Listening to the child’s voice made Sienna’s heart melt. “Did you want to call Mommy because you miss me?”

“Yes, I did,” Joyce’s voice was soft and sweet. “Today is Mommy’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mommy.”

Sienna was taken aback. Her eyes brimmed with tears instantly. She hadn’t expected Joyce to call for this reason. Her voice was nearly breaking with emotion. “Thank you, my dear Joyce.”

“No need to thank me, Mommy. Without you, there wouldn’t be me.”

Sienna couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her face. Even Joyce could tell. “Mommy, don’t cry. I love you!”

“Mmm,” Sienna was choking back her tears. “I love you too.”

“Mommy,” Joyce whined, “I really, really miss you. When are you coming to get me?”

Sienna paused, feeling a wave of bitterness. It was her lack of ability that prevented her from bringing Joyce back now.

“Soon,” she comforted Joyce, holding back her emotions. “Joyce, be a good girl, listen to William and Hannah. Mommy is working hard, and I’ll come get you soon.”

“Okay,” Joyce sounded a bit disappointed, but as she’d grown up dependent on Sienna, she was a well-behaved girl. “Okay, I’ll be good. Mommy, I’m giving the phone to Hannah now.”

“Good girl, Joyce.”

“Sienna,” the phone was handed to Hannah.

“Thank you, Hannah,” Sienna said, her voice choked with emotion. No doubt this call was arranged by Hannah. Joyce was only three, hadn’t been to school due to poor health, and couldn’t even remember her own birthday.

“Why thank me? No need to be so distant,” Hannah said casually, then asked, “For Joyce’s surgery, do you have…