Chapter 15
Suppressing her discomfort, Natalie added a tinge of urgency to her voice. It was as if she were on the verge of tears. "Sienna, I'm so sorry for taking credit for your work yesterday. I don't want to compete with you anymore. I know how capable you are.
"We're family, after all. Let's make peace with Daniel. I've heard he'll be here for a meeting soon. If you can convince him to give me the big House of Noir deal, I'll gain William's favor. In return, I'll agree to let you return to Fortuna as the deputy general manager. How does that sound?"
Natalie dangled the bait enticingly.
Sienna narrowed her eyes, and there was a faintly mocking smile playing on her lips. Yesterday, Natalie had done everything in her power to drive her out of the company. Now, just for the sake of one deal, she was suddenly offering her a way back?
It was clear that Natalie feared the competition but would never openly admit her inadequacies. Sienna found the situation suspicious and refused to trust her, so she stayed silent.
When Sienna remained unmoved, Natalie became anxious, grabbing her arm with feigned desperation. "Sienna, please, can't you help me?"
At that moment, Natalie heard the familiar sound of leather shoes approaching. Perfect. Lily must have everything ready by now.
A sinister gleam flickered in Natalie's eyes, and she abruptly yanked Sienna by the arm. Sienna frowned and instinctively pulled away, but Natalie suddenly staggered backward, toppling a table and crashing heavily to the ground.
Natalie's face turned pale as she looked toward the corner, crying out in pain, "Ah! My baby! Sienna, why did you push me?"
Sienna froze. She sure as hell hadn't pushed her!
But then she noticed blood pooling beneath Natalie's dress. Alarmed, she squatted to check, even grabbing Natalie's wrist to feel her pulse.
Natalie, however, clutched Sienna's hand tightly, refusing to let go. She screamed toward the figure now approaching behind Sienna, "Will! Help me!"
"Oh my god! Natalie!" Lily's voice rang out, followed by William, who rushed over with a thunderous expression.
In the lobby, countless people turned to watch the commotion.
"Sienna, what are you doing?" William roared as he shoved Sienna aside and scooped Natalie into his arms. His gaze was ice-cold, piercing her like a blade.
While leaning pitifully against William's chest, Natalie sobbed in agony. "Will, I only wanted to ask Sienna to help me persuade the CEO of House of Noir. I couldn't resist sharing news about our baby because she's my sister, but she…
"She was overcome with jealousy and pushed me! Will, it hurts so much. Do you think our baby's gone?"
"Don't cry," William said, his voice thick with anguish as he gently stroked her face. His eyes landed on the blood staining the floor, and his face turned ashen.
The crowd, too, became indignant. They were all glaring at Sienna.
"What a horrible woman! She even hurt her own sister's baby!"
"She's a murderer!"
Amid the growing accusations, William's face twisted in rage. He stormed toward Sienna, grabbed her by the throat, and growled, "You vile woman! How dare you harm my child? I'll make you pay with your life!"
Sienna shoved him off. Her face was calm, though her heart bled coldly at his words.
His child… The way he seethed with fury, and his desire to crush her—he truly cared for Natalie, didn't he?
Her gaze dropped to Natalie's towering ten-inch heels, and a low chuckle escaped her lips.
"What are you laughing at?" William demanded, his eyes sharp as daggers. He turned to Lily. "Call the police. She caused Natalie to miscarry—she belongs in prison!"
Sienna remained composed. Her fingers brushed the camera pinned near her chest as she connected the dots. With a cold smile, she turned to Natalie and said, "You'd better be sure it was me who pushed you."
"If it wasn't you, why would I have fallen?" Natalie cried hysterically with tears streaming down her face. "Sienna, you're cruel! I've always yielded to you, and yet you couldn't even spare my innocent child!"
William's gaze grew even darker as he tightened his hold on Natalie protectively. "Don't waste words on her. Somebody, detain her!"
Lily immediately went to call security, while the onlookers pointed and murmured about Sienna.
Sienna, however, was unshaken. She calmly pulled out her phone and said, smirking, "Why don't we all take a good look at how your delicate Natalie fell?"
In her head, she silently thanked Zoe for not letting her take off the tiny camera earlier.
William couldn't make sense of it at first, but when he lowered his head and watched the surveillance footage, his expression stiffened.
The recording showed Natalie reaching to grab Sienna, who quickly stepped aside. Sienna clearly hadn't pushed Natalie.
Natalie also saw the footage, and her face turned ashen. She couldn't understand—why did Sienna have a tiny camera on her?
Sienna's lips curled into a cold smile as her gaze flickered to the pool of blood on the floor. Squatting down, she grabbed Natalie's wrist and suddenly lifted her skirt, pulling out a hidden bag.
The sight of the item left everyone around them stunned.
Sienna held up the bag in front of William and gave it a sharp shake. A mocking laugh escaped her lips. "Here's your dear baby, William. Take a good look now. It's a bag of blood!"
William stared at the bag in disbelief before his gaze darted to Natalie's pale and guilty face. His own expression hardened, and it went dark as soot.
Sienna smirked at the panicked Natalie. "Addicted to blood bags, are you? Leftover stock from when you framed me at the Rhodes residence, perhaps? At least you're resourceful."
Natalie trembled with rage but couldn't utter a single word.
Sienna glanced at William. His frozen posture was both pitiful and laughable to her. She sneered. "Have you ever seen a pregnant woman in ten-inch heels? I checked her pulse earlier—there's no baby.
"So, what is it? Is it a miscarriage from before, or was there never a pregnancy to begin with? Framing me was just an easy way to kill two birds with one stone, wasn't it? But don't be too heartbroken—your precious 'child' might not even have been yours in the first place."
William's face darkened as he felt the weight of her words sinking in.
Natalie, who was shaking with fury and fear, suddenly cried weakly. Her voice was full of pain. "Will, what does she mean by that? I've only ever been with you! Sienna is publicly slandering me—I don't want to live anymore!"
William, who was soft-hearted as ever when it came to her tears, immediately faltered. His gaze which was full of anger immediately shifted back to Sienna's cold, indifferent expression.
"That's enough, Sienna! I know how pure Natalie is! As for you, someone who's carrying some thug's bastard child, you're the dirtiest one here!"
Sienna's icy gaze pierced him as she calmly retrieved her phone. She raised it high and displayed a photo she had taken the previous day. "Natalie, if you want proof, here it is. And William—maybe try harder next time not to raise another man's child."
William stared at the photo and staggered back a step. It showed Natalie in a hotel room, embracing another man. He turned around and glared at Natalie. His handsome face looked dark and stormy.
Natalie was already trembling visibly, and she shook her head desperately. "Will…"
"How do you explain this?" William demanded, his face now ashen with fury. The murmurs from the surrounding crowd only deepened his humiliation.
"So, she's the real liar here? And we felt sorry for her earlier? She used us to ruin an innocent person!"
"That guy's a fool, too. He actually believed her fake pregnancy, and she's even cheating with another man!"
"She's resorted to framing her own sister, too. How malicious can she get?"
Sienna's fingers clenched tightly as she listened to the scornful remarks. With a cold laugh, she turned and walked away.
William's conflicted gaze followed her retreating figure, and his eyes flashed with a mix of emotions. Suddenly, he stood and stormed after her.
…
Outside the hotel, William grabbed Sienna's wrist tightly. She turned back with a frosty glare. "What do you want now?"
"Sienna, are you still mad at me?" William softened his tone slightly. His eyes fixed on her as a flicker of realization passed through them. "You've been stirring up so much trouble, constantly targeting Natalie. Isn't it because you want to come back to me?"
William's gaze lingered on Sienna, and he couldn't help but admit to himself how beautiful she was. If it hadn't been for the power she held back then, he wouldn't have treated her the way he did.
Natalie's child was fake, and Sienna clearly had the ability to land major deals. Perhaps he could…
His eyes darkened with thought. He then reached out, trying to pull Sienna's slender body into his arms.
His breath was hot as he said, "If you still love me, I'll give you a chance. I don't care that you're carrying some other man's child. As long as you listen to me and help me secure more deals…"