Chapter 199

After leaving the gaming café, Phoebe booked a new hotel—a higher-end one this time. To save money for more fun experiences, they paired up for rooms: Phoebe & Lexie, James & Jimmy, Maddox & Quintus. They headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.

Meanwhile, in the other group, Andrea glanced at the three guys and said, “We barely have enough money for food. We can’t afford the hotel we stayed at yesterday, so we’ll need to earn more cash.” Reece and the others were visibly dejected.

Reece sighed. “At this hour, there probably won’t be many tourists at the attractions. Let’s just grab something cheap to eat and use the rest for a hotel. If money’s still tight, we can find a budget place to stay.”

Andrea stared at them, speechless. ‘Wow. Whoever gets stuck with these three is really out of luck.’ Good thing she wasn’t actually here to win fans—otherwise, their lazy attitudes would have driven her mad.

But this worked in her favor. Since they were the ones giving up, she had no choice but to “reluctantly” go along with it. If she didn’t explode in popularity, well, she couldn’t be blamed. She sighed dramatically and said, “Fine, whatever makes you guys happy.” Then, she booked a hotel a few levels lower than the one from the night before.

After finalizing the reservation, Andrea casually suggested, “Your old teammate is still in the hospital. Since you’re off work today, do you want to go visit her?” She knew that Sienna was definitely watching the livestream. By asking this, she was not only making things awkward for the three guys but also infuriating Sienna.

Jamar, Joshua, and Reece exchanged complicated looks. ‘This woman is seriously evil. She really knows how to stir the pot.’

Reece, however, was straightforward. “I’d rather avoid unnecessary drama. If I go, the media will start spinning new rumors about me and Sienna. I don’t need that kind of trouble.” A clear statement—he had no interest in Sienna and wanted to stay far away from her.

The Jenkins brothers didn’t have it as easy. Joshua hesitated, then put on a pained expression and said, “I still have a lot of unresolved feelings about what happened. I’ll visit her once I’ve sorted things out.” The truth was, he still didn’t know how to face the girl he had adored for years, only to have her throw him under the bus the moment things went south.

Jamar was the last to speak. He clutched his stomach and groaned, “I drank too much last night, and now my stomach hurts. I need to rest at the hotel. Maybe tonight or tomorrow.” He thought, ‘If Reece and Joshua aren’t going, I’m not going either. If they ever had to visit, they’d go together—no way he was going alone.’

Andrea expected this exact response. She smirked and said, “Alright then, if no one’s going, let’s just head back to the hotel.” The three guys breathed a sigh of relief. Then, they quickly left in a taxi.

Back at the hospital, Sienna was furious. She had never expected Andrea to bring up visiting her, only for Reece and the Jenkins brothers to flat-out refuse.

Chapter 199

It was like they were treating her as some kind of plague. The more they distanced themselves from her, the more determined she was to reel them back in. Getting Phoebe back? Dream on. But there was no way she was letting them slip away too. If Reece thought he could cut ties, he was dead wrong. She had backup plans—let’s see how far he could run.

She called Ophelia, crying as soon as the line connected. “Mom, I’m all alone in the hospital… no one’s here to take care of me. It’s so miserable.” She subtly hinted that Reece was avoiding her because of Phoebe. “Ever since I got admitted, he hasn’t visited me once.”

Ophelia hadn’t been watching the livestream, so when she heard Sienna’s pitiful sobs, her heart ached.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make sure Reece takes care of you.”

Sienna sniffled and sweetly thanked Ophelia. Then, she sent Reece’s temporary number to Ophelia.

At the hotel, Reece had just sat down in his room when his phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen. The caller ID was just a string of numbers, but he immediately knew who it was. He had never given Ophelia his number for the show. So it was obvious who had given it to her. He ignored the call, tossing his phone onto the bed. But the calls kept coming—one after another.

Finally, annoyed, he picked up and answered in a neutral tone, “Hello?” He pretended not to recognize the number. His fake politeness only made Ophelia even more displeased. “It’s me.”

Reece acted surprised. “Mom? How did you get this number? Is something wrong?”

Ophelia’s tone sharpened. “You don’t even recognize your own mother’s number?” She was clearly offended that he hadn’t saved her number.

Reece calmly explained, “Your number is saved in my other phone.” Then, out of nowhere, Ophelia asked, “Do you remember Phoebe’s number?”

Reece obviously did. But he lied smoothly, “No, I don’t. I just use my contacts list. I don’t memorize phone numbers.” He knew Ophelia was controlling—if his answer didn’t satisfy her, she’d just get angrier.

Sure enough, her tone softened slightly. Then, she dropped the real bombshell. “Sienna is in the hospital because of Phoebe. Why haven’t you gone to see her?”

Reece’s expression darkened. “Did Sienna tell you that Phoebe was the one who hurt her?”

Ophelia huffed. “I saw it myself. I watched the livestream replay. Sienna is such a kind and innocent girl—she’d never curse Phoebe! She doesn’t even know anything about that superstitious nonsense. Meanwhile, Phoebe is the one who’s obsessed with it! It’s obvious that Phoebe hurt Sienna and then twisted the story in the livestream to make her look bad. She’s absolutely vile.”

Reece was stunned. “Mom… Sienna cursed Phoebe first, and she got backlash for it. That’s why she got hurt. Phoebe even swore on it, but Sienna didn’t dare to. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

Ophelia scoffed, “I watched the footage myself—why would I be mistaken? Swearing on something isn’t proof! Sienna didn’t refuse because she was guilty—she refused because she was afraid Phoebe would use it against her! You and everyone else just keep falling for Phoebe’s lies.”

Then she snapped. “I’ve told you so many times that Phoebe isn’t good for you. Now, not only has she corrupted Sienna, but she’s also ruined both your reputations. Why do you still want to be with her?! I will never allow someone so wicked into the Hill family!”

She had never liked Phoebe. Aside from wanting to push Sienna and Reece together, she hated seeing her son so emotionally invested in a girlfriend. Phoebe hadn’t even married in yet, and she was already messing with his head—what would happen if she actually became part of the Hill family? As a mother, where would she stand in her son’s heart then? Even though she favored her older son, she still expected her younger son to put her first—above all else. That’s why she had always stood in the way of Reece and Phoebe.

Sienna, on the other hand, was obedient, well-mannered, and with a side profile that bore a resemblance to that person. She was far better than Phoebe. Even if Reece wasn’t as taken with her, it wouldn’t matter—because she would have his mother’s full support. She had watched the livestream replay, and after seeing Phoebe’s sharp, domineering attitude, she disliked her even more. To her, Phoebe had brought this all on herself—Sienna wasn’t at fault. Reece stared in disbelief. He never expected his mother to twist the truth so blatantly.

Chapter 200