Chapter 5 The Kiss Photo

Sierra lowered her head and apologized, her voice trembling slightly. She didn't dare open her eyes to meet Theo's gaze. Theo's eyes fell to her hands, which were nervously clutching the edge of the blanket. A faint trace of amusement flickered across his face, almost imperceptible. Without warning, he leaned down, closing the distance between them. "I don't like it when people talk to me while looking somewhere else," he said. His cold fingers brushed against her skin as he gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. Faced with his strikingly handsome features now magnified before her, Sierra's body tensed in an instant. Panic flickered in her wide eyes as unease wrapped itself around her. "I said I'm sorry," she stammered. "Sorry for what?" His eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, carried an innate air of arrogance. Beneath his right eye rested a perfectly placed beauty mark that softened the sharpness of his expression. There was no denying it, he was breathtakingly mesmerizing. Sierra swallowed hard, desperate to steady her nerves. "I'm sorry, Uncle Theo. I won't mistake you for someone else again." "Remember your words. If you don't, you'll face the consequences," he said with a deep, icy voice. Then, he gave her a meaningful look before straightening up. Sierra felt the weight of his gaze, her heart pounding uncontrollably against her ribs. She just mistook him for someone else. Did he have to be this angry? "How did you hurt your arm?" His cold voice sliced through the silence, sharp and deliberate. Sierra's eyelashes fluttered as a wave of humiliation from the night before surged back to the surface. Her nose stung with the warning of tears she refused to let fall. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to keep her composure as she steadied her voice. "I fell. It was an accident." Theo's sharp eyes didn't miss the way her lips pressed tightly together, her emotions threatening to spill over. His gaze darkened. "Uncle Theo, thank you for bringing me to the hospital. I'll transfer you the medical expenses. You're busy—I'm fine now, so you don't need to worry about me. Please, go handle your work," Sierra said at last, pasting a polite smile on her face. Theo's lips tightened as he studied her smile—a smile that looked more painful than tears. His jaw flexed, but he said nothing. Without a word, he turned and walked out of the hospital room. The moment the door clicked shut, Sierra's resolve crumbled. She curled up on the hospital bed, her body shaking as soft, stifled sobs escaped her. Outside the room, Theo stood motionless. Through the small window in the door, he watched her curled figure, his jaw clenched and his lips pressed into a thin line. "Mr. Gray—" "Find out what happened to Sierra at the hotel last night," Theo interrupted. Adrian blinked, caught off guard by the sudden command. "So much for the meeting today," he thought. After crying for a while, Sierra finally reached for her phone on the bedside table. As she unlocked the screen, her eyes landed on Benson's messages pinned at the top of her WhatsApp. "Sierra, I've been drinking. Remember to make my special hangover remedy." "Sierra, how dare you ignore my messages? There's a limit to how unreasonable you can be. If you call me now, apologize, and come to my place to make my hangover remedy, I'll forgive you for what you did today!" Sierra stared at the messages, bitterness mingled with mockery as she reread his words. This was the man she had loved for years, a man who twisted every situation to make it her fault. With a decisive motion, Sierra unpinned Benson's chat from the top of her WhatsApp. She didn't bother to reply. Instead, she opened her contacts and called her best friend, Madison Lloyd. “Maddy, I'm at the hospital. Can you come pick me up?" An hour later, Sierra sat in the passenger seat of Madison's car, listening as her friend unleashed a torrent of colorful curses. "I swear to God, Benson is such a trashy piece! How dare he treat you like this? Cee, if you don't break up with him this time, I'm personally dragging you to get your eyes replaced!" Madison's tone was fiery, laced with frustration and exasperation. She had hated Benson for a long time. Sierra kept her head down, looking at Sophie's latest post on her social media story. The newest update was a picture of Sophie's hand, proudly showing off a diamond ring. Beneath it was another photo, a shot of her kissing a man.