Chapter 189

Soren knew Reynard was testing him. So he simply replied, “Not exactly likable.” That was his honest impression of Sienna. Even after learning that she was his half-sister, his opinion hadn’t changed. In fact, he found the Hill family’s twin siblings far more tolerable.

Reynard studied Soren’s face, seemingly reassured that Soren didn’t know about his blood ties to Sienna. Relaxing, he said, “Well, I guess that means you two aren’t fated to cross paths.”

Soren let out a low chuckle. “Trust me, I have zero interest in being ‘fated’ to Sienna. In fact, I’d rather not be associated with her at all—bad luck seems to follow her everywhere. Just look at you.”

Reynard was momentarily speechless. Well, that conversation was dead. With nothing more to say, he closed his eyes, pretending to rest. But in reality, he was using a secret technique to imprint the day’s events onto his ring—sealing away the information for later. Soren glanced at the gemstone, its surface gleaming with an eerie light, but made no move to stop him.

Meanwhile, Sienna was still fuming. Reynard had run off so suddenly—how unlike him. Wasn’t he usually ruthless and arrogant? What could possibly make him retreat? She wasn’t worried about his safety. Instead, she was dwelling on his words—and what she needed to do next.

Sienna absently rubbed the obsidian beads on her wrist. The pain in her face had completely disappeared, and even her fractured limbs barely ached anymore. So these things really do work. Still, she couldn’t help but resent Reynard. ‘Why is it that he’s so skilled in horoscope and metaphysics, yet he refuses to teach me?’ If he had, she wouldn’t have to struggle so much against Phoebe. Just thinking about Phoebe made her seethe. She could feel her luck waning again. That meant she had lost even more fans. She couldn’t let this continue.

Remembering Reynard’s instructions, she pulled out her phone and sent messages to Joshua and Jamar. “I’m all alone in the hospital… I’m so scared. Will you come keep me company?” She also sent Joshua a pitiful apology.

At the bar, it was already late. Though Joshua and Jamar were still drinking, the livestream had ended for the night. Their phones buzzed with notifications. After checking their messages, they exchanged looks. Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Sienna messaged you too?”

Chapter 159

Jamar nodded. “Yeah.” Then he asked, “Are you going?”

Joshua scoffed, still simmering with anger. “Hell no. You?”

Jamar hesitated for a second, then shook his head. “Me neither.” After everything that had happened today, he didn’t know how to face Sienna anymore. He definitely couldn’t treat her with the same unconditional love and indulgence as before.

Joshua let out a heavy sigh. “Women… you can never figure them out. I can’t believe how calculating Sienna turned out to be. And what’s worse—she threw me under the bus without hesitation.” He didn’t care about the online backlash. What stung was realizing that the sister he had loved and protected for years had used him and discarded him without a second thought.

Jamar sighed as well. “Yeah… who would’ve thought? We should probably keep our distance from her from now on.”

Joshua nodded. “Yeah. It’s the only way.”

Sienna waited and waited, but no reply came. Frustrated, she called Joshua. He saw the incoming call but neither answered nor declined it. He just did not want to face her right now. After a few missed calls, Sienna switched to Jamar. Jamar ignored it too, pretending he hadn’t seen it.

She was furious. But more than that—she was uneasy. For the first time, a flicker of fear crept into her heart. Her entire confidence had always rested on her brothers’ unwavering love and support. If they stopped treating her like their precious princess… She would have nothing. That couldn’t happen.

Desperation rising, she kept dialing over and over. But at the bar, both men had put their phones on silent, ignoring her completely. Sienna spent the entire night wide awake, consumed with anxiety over how to win back their affection.

The next morning, in Soren’s hotel suite, just as they were about to leave, Reynard suddenly clutched his stomach. “Ugh, I don’t feel so good. Need to hit the restroom.” Soren watched as he disappeared into the bathroom. When he finally emerged, Soren’s gaze flickered to the trash bin.

Jaden was about to head in, but Soren glanced at his watch and casually remarked, “We’re running late. If we hit traffic, we’ll miss the flight.” Jaden glanced at the time—if they hit traffic, they’d miss the flight. Deciding against any delays, he followed Soren, escorting Reynard to the airport for his flight home.

Not long after they left, a figure dressed as a hotel janitor slipped into the room. Moving swiftly, they rummaged through the bathroom trash can, retrieved a ring, and disappeared as quickly as they had come. Almost an hour later, an actual hotel cleaning staff member arrived with a cart to tidy up the suite.

At that moment, Phoebe had just returned from breakfast. Spotting the cleaner, she greeted them warmly. After learning they were about to clean the room, she casually inquired about taking a look at the suite, mentioning she might book it for the night. Since the previous guests had already checked out, the cleaner saw no reason to refuse.

Phoebe stepped inside, scanning the space before pausing in the bathroom. A faint trace of a lingering artifact aura clung to the trash can, barely detectable but undeniable. A realization clicked—she had noticed another janitor entering this room earlier, right when she left for breakfast. Something was off.

Reynard had found a way to leak the news of his capture by the special department. And worse—he had likely spread information about her as well. There was no doubt now. Soren had let it happen.

Phoebe’s mind churned. ‘Was Soren trying to save himself? Or was he fully involved in this mess? And why had he joined the special department in the first place?’ A gut feeling told her—Soren was the key to everything. The situation was getting increasingly tangled, but at least she was finally finding loose threads to pull. This was a good start.

As for her identity being exposed? She wasn’t worried. After all, you can’t catch a big fish without casting a long line.

Thanks to the generous prize money from the racing competition, Phoebe’s group decided to skip work for the day. Instead, they took their livestream audience on a tour of Darmechia’s most famous landmarks, indulging in some of the city’s best local cuisine. That night, they regrouped with the other team for another round of gaming.

Meanwhile, Sienna, still injured, had no choice but to withdraw from the show entirely. Reece and his group, lacking any enthusiasm for the competition, returned to their usual gig—playing music at a restaurant for extra cash.

The next morning, Sebastian gathered all three teams at a public square. He had an announcement. A new guest was joining them. Right on cue, a young woman with delicate features and a charming, sweet demeanor approached alongside him. Sebastian smiled at the group and introduced her. “This is our new guest—Andrea Morse.”