Chapter 201

Soren was at his office, going through documents when his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he was a bit puzzled but quickly answered, “Mom.” Ophelia’s tone was noticeably softer and gentler than when she spoke to Reece. “Soren, are you busy right now?”

Soren replied, “I’m reviewing some documents, but nothing urgent. Mom, what’s up?” Ophelia immediately launched into a dramatic rant, complaining about how Reece had disrespected her because of Phoebe. However, knowing that Soren and Reece were never particularly close, she didn’t bother asking Soren to discipline his younger brother.

Soren was genuinely surprised after hearing her story. So Reece actually wised up after getting dumped by Phoebe? It seemed like he had finally figured out how fake Ophelia’s “love” was. Soren went along with it, saying, “Yeah, Reece is really out of line. When Dad gets back, he should definitely have a talk with him.”

As for convincing Ophelia to treat Reece better? That was pointless—he had tried before and failed miserably. Ophelia had a pathological need for control. She treated them like possessions rather than children, meddling in everything. The real reason she hated Phoebe wasn’t because she thought she was bad for Reece—it was because Reece cared too much about her. Ophelia couldn’t stand the idea that another woman might be more important to her son than she was. She didn’t want a daughter-in-law she couldn’t manipulate, which was why she worked so hard to tear them apart. And while she favored Soren on the surface, she would still interfere with his romantic life too.

That was why he had never seriously dated anyone—not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t want his mother ruining some poor woman’s life. It was pathetic, really. Brenda had been smart enough to see through it early on, which was why she never craved Ophelia’s affection. And since Ophelia didn’t care much about daughters, Brenda had escaped her control. Now, even Reece had broken free from the toxicity. Leaving only him, still stuck in this mess.

Ophelia, unaware of Soren’s thoughts, was pleased by his agreement. “Soren, I actually called you because I need you to do something for me.” Soren couldn’t guess what she wanted, so he simply said, “Go ahead.” Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t about dealing with Reece.

Ophelia said, “Sienna is in the hospital in Darmechia. She’s all alone—it’s so pitiful. I want you to take the day off and fly there to take care of her.”

Soren was speechless. ‘She actually wants to dump that walking disaster on me? Mom is the real homewrecker here. She just doesn’t get it.’ He politely declined, “Mom, I have a very important meeting tomorrow. I really can’t leave right now.” Like hell he was going to deal with that mess. He had no interest in ending up like Reece or the Jenkins brothers, constantly dragged into Sienna’s nonsense.

Ophelia frowned. “Can’t someone else handle the meeting? Sienna is all alone in a foreign country—I just don’t feel comfortable.” Since he was technically Sienna’s biological brother, it was only right that he took care of her and bonded with her.

Soren resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Mom, she has actual family. Why would it be my responsibility to take care of her? The Jenkins family is right there. If I go, they might misunderstand our relationship. She’s a public figure—if paparazzi catch me visiting her, people will start rumors. She already made headlines recently for her ‘ambiguous’ situation with Reece. Do you really want her reputation to take another hit?”

He knew exactly how to manipulate Ophelia. As expected, she immediately dropped the idea. A scandal between biological siblings would be disastrous.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Fine. Then I’ll talk to Lydia and ask her to take care of Sienna.” Soren was even more speechless. Why the hell are you meddling in the Jenkins family’s affairs? This was just going to make Lydia dislike Sienna even more, but instead of warning her, he encouraged it. “That’s a great idea, Mom. Lydia and you have always been close. She’ll definitely listen to you. Sienna will be so grateful.”

Ophelia, pleased with his approval, smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll call her now.” She actually went through with it, dialing Lydia and explaining how Sienna had called her, crying about being all alone and miserable in the hospital. She also took the opportunity to badmouth Phoebe, implying that she was responsible for Sienna’s injuries.

Lydia already knew the truth. She had found out that Sienna had cursed Phoebe first and suffered backlash, and that she had thrown Joshua under the bus to take the blame. This had shocked and disappointed Lydia. She was beginning to doubt everything—was the obedient, well-mannered daughter she had raised all just an act? Hearing Ophelia’s twisted version of events, she didn’t even know how to respond. If this had been years ago, she might have believed it. But after watching the livestream replay, getting scolded by her husband and parents, and learning the real story… She knew exactly what kind of person Sienna was now.

And what bothered her most? She was Sienna’s adoptive mother—she had raised her, loved her like a real daughter. She had even driven her own biological daughter away because of Sienna. But when Sienna was in trouble, the first person she called wasn’t her—it was Ophelia. It was as if Lydia didn’t even exist. Now, she had to pretend to be a good mother, as if Ophelia was reminding her of her responsibilities. It was humiliating. Still, she kept up appearances, agreeing to help. But after hanging up, her expression turned ice cold. She called Sienna’s personal assistant and ordered them to fly to Darmechia to take care of her. And if possible—bring her back home.

Sienna was waiting for news when she suddenly felt a chill run through her body. It felt as though something had been drained from her. Then she noticed something on the back of her hand and gasped in horror. “What the hell?! Why is this happening!!” Her skin had started to develop dark spots. She instantly remembered Reynard’s warning—this was the backlash of losing luck.

But why? Just then, her phone rang. Seeing Ophelia’s name, she quickly suppressed her panic and answered. “Ophelia.”

Ophelia spoke gently, “Sienna, I contacted Reece, but he’s still filming the reality show and can’t come take care of you.” Then, in a sickeningly sweet voice, she added, “So I called Lydia, and she said she’d send someone to look after you.”

Sienna’s expression froze. ‘Why the hell did she contact Lydia?! This woman is such an idiot!’ She immediately realized what had happened. Her luck had been drained—most likely because of Reece’s decision to cut ties. Suppressing her rage, she forced a grateful tone. “Thank you so much, Ophelia.” Then, testing the waters, she asked, “Ophelia… was Reece upset?”

Ophelia’s voice darkened with anger. “He’s completely arrogant now. Even I can’t control him anymore! Just thinking about him makes me furious!” Sienna’s heart sank. ‘So it was Reece after all.’