Chapter 248
Less than two minutes later, Nora piped up again. "Enna, are you seriously telling me nothing happened between you and Thorn last night? He was completely naked, right? His body must’ve been something else. Didn’t you feel even a little bit tempted?"
Sienna was speechless. ‘Great, all my words went in one ear and out the other,’ she thought.
"Enna, one-night stands have been a thing since forever. Why not just sleep with Wayne tonight?" Nora teased, waggling her eyebrows.
Sienna was floored. "Nora, don’t talk nonsense," she said, her tone sharp.
Amber shrugged. "Oh," she replied flatly.
Later that night, Sienna came downstairs to get a glass of water. As she reached the bottom, she spotted a man sprawled lazily on the sofa, his long legs stretched out over the coffee table, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. Flecks of light kept catching the refined, striking line of his profile; every glimpse underscored how effortlessly elegant he was.
It was Wayne.
"Wayne," Sienna called out.
At the sound of her voice, Wayne jumped in surprise. When he saw it was Sienna, he hurriedly pulled his legs off the table and stubbed out his cigarette, looking a bit flustered. "Sienna, you’re still up?"
"Yeah. Wayne, I smoke, too, so you don’t have to worry about the smoke bothering me," Sienna replied.
Wayne visibly relaxed, handed her a cigarette, and even lit it for her. "Did Nora get on your nerves again? She’s been a little crazy since she was a kid. I have no idea why you still put up with her."
Sienna was speechless. ‘Who talks about their sister like that?’ she thought.
"No, Nora’s not so bad," Sienna replied.
Wayne looked up at her, taking in her stunning, elegant beauty–so noble and out of reach. "When did you start smoking?" he asked.
Sienna gave a faint smile, her eyes deep and distant. "Eight years ago."
Sienna was twenty then, fighting her way through Eastria.
"Will you leave again?" Wayne asked.
"I will, but this is still my home," Sienna replied. "Wayne, have you heard anything about him all these years?"
Wayne knew exactly who she was talking about. He gave a bitter smile. "I’m sorry, but no."
"Okay," Sienna replied.
Just as Sienna was about to head upstairs, Wayne couldn’t hold back and asked, "Sienna, are you and Thorn together?"
Sienna paused mid-step, looked back over her shoulder, and replied, "No."
That clear answer finally let Wayne breathe a sigh of relief.
At the venue of Winifred’s competition, Sienna sat in the VIP box, watching Winifred compete below. A trace of relief flickered in her eyes. Once the competition was over, Sienna would have to arrange surgery for Winifred, and then she’d need to go abroad for a while to find Lana. Something must have happened to Lana.
Just as Rowena’d feared, Winifred really was her strongest rival. The title was up for grabs between the two of them. Rowena glanced up at her mother, sitting in the VIP section glittering with jewels, and her hand tightened around her paintbrush without her even realizing it. She’d always been number one; second place had never even been an option. But the moment Winifred’s painting was unveiled, Rowena knew she’d lost. She just wasn’t as gifted as Winifred.
Winifred’s dark-themed painting, with its indescribable eeriness and horror, sent chills down everyone’s spine. It was aptly titled The Reaper’s Arrival.
Rowena’s piece, Caged Bird, simply couldn’t measure up. Even though the broken legs in her painting helped Rowena score the highest points, anyone with a discerning eye could see it lacked true spirit.
"And the winner of this competition is Winifred Hart," the host announced.
The moment she heard Winifred’s name, Rowena closed her eyes, finally admitting her loss. When she looked up again, her mother was already gone from her seat. A faint ache pricked at Rowena’s chest, like a tiny thorn–nothing worth mentioning, yet it still stung inside.
"Winifred, this trophy is yours. Your painting sold for the highest price ever, 3 million dollars. The buyer would like to meet you," the announcer said.
Before the announcer could finish, Winifred grabbed the trophy and walked away without a word. Too much nonsense, she thought.
With just one painting, Winifred became a household name in the art world. Everyone in the scene knew who she was. People started slapping labels on her left and right—prodigy, genius, one named it.
But Winifred couldn’t care less. She walked right up to Sienna, handed her the trophy, and said, "Sienna, this is for you."
It was solid gold.
Sienna reached out and took it. "Why are you giving this to me?"
Winifred crossed her arms over her chest and said coolly, "I don’t care about this kind of thing."
Doesn’t she love trophies? Winifred wondered, I’ll just fill her whole room with them. This is just the beginning.
Sienna chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Winifred, you’re amazing. Whether you win a trophy or not, you’ll always be the best in my eyes. No one can compare."
Winifred’s cheeks turned red, and she shyly glanced away, her heart feeling all warm and soft inside.
Just then, Rowena’s mother, Yvonne Clare, walked over with her daughter in tow.
"So you’re Miss Enna’s sister. No wonder you’re so talented," Yvonne said with a polite smile.