Chapter 8

Zoe burst out laughing on the other end, clearly amused. Meanwhile, Sienna was deep in thought. Based on her observations, she muttered, "He's probably loaded." Zoe pondered her words and replied, "If you say he's rich, he must be filthy rich. Let's think... Rotschire has four powerful families: Lawson, Hall, Sanders, and Lowell. "The 'L' must stand for the last name, right? Is he from the Lowells or the Lawsons? You've met both Lowell sons, so that leaves the mysterious Lawsons. They're old money, massive family tree, but haven't you met their younger members too?" "Yeah," Sienna replied, recalling how many of the Lawson heirs she had encountered at various events. None of them, however, matched L's presence or demeanor. "Maybe he's some underground kingpin?" Zoe speculated, letting her imagination run wild. Sienna ignored her, checking the news instead. Then, she noticed the funeral controversy was trending again. "Zoe, did you leak this to the press?" "Of course! Isn't that my specialty?" Zoe replied proudly. "I hate spending my money, but I love going against the Rhodes family!" Sienna shook her head helplessly, but she knew Carl was not the type to stop there. Feeling drained, she exchanged a few more words with Zoe before heading to the bathroom for a shower. Just as she was about to grab her towel, the door opened, and L walked in. Sienna froze in shock. She had thought they would sleep separately tonight. Her guard immediately went up as she stared at the tall figure in front of her. She asked warily, "Why are you in here?" L calmly undid the diamond buttons on his shirt cuffs, taking in the feminine scent that lingered in the room. He arched his brow and remarked, "You smell too good." "Besides, this is my room," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument. Sienna clutched her pajamas and darted toward the door to escape. But as she bent down to grab her phone from the nightstand, she accidentally opened a video Zoe had sent. It was titled "Research", so Sienna assumed it was jewelry-related. To her horror, strange sounds suddenly blasted from the phone. Her eyes darted to the screen, and her face flushed crimson when she realized what it was. She mentally cursed at Zoe for sending her such a video. As she frantically tried to shut the video off, she ended up increasing the volume. L watched with amused interest as Sienna desperately shoved the phone under the covers. Even so, the explicit noises persisted, filling the room with unbearable awkwardness. The tension was suffocating, and L—naturally—took his time, sauntering closer with a devilish glint in his eye. His Adam's apple bobbed as he leaned slightly forward and asked in a low, teasing voice, "Mrs. L, what are you watching on my bed?" "Nothing! Just... jewelry research!" Sienna lied desperately, clutching the covers like a frightened bird. Her cheeks were burning, her entire demeanor flustered, making her look like a helpless little bird caught in a trap. L's lips curved into a smirk, his sharp brows filled with amusement. "Jewelry research, huh? Well, since it's jewelry, why don't we take a look together?" Sienna looked up with mortified eyes. "It's fine. You probably wouldn't understand the technical aspects..." L froze, finding her serious attempt at deception oddly endearing. "On the contrary, I understand perfectly," he purred, reaching under the covers as he leaned close to her reddened ear. He added, "I see you're taking our discussion from my study seriously. Such dedication." Sienna was speechless at his misunderstanding. Thankfully, he turned off the phone, tossing it aside with casual elegance. His naturally husky voice carried a casual authority as he said, "Since Mom is here tonight, you'll sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch." Sienna glanced reluctantly at his pristine bed, feeling too awkward to sleep there. She grabbed her phone and escaped to the bathroom, determined to confront Zoe. A message from Zoe was waiting. "Did you watch the video? Whether your mystery husband is Prince Charming or not, he's loaded! "I know it's a business arrangement, but girl, you're a socialite who's fallen from grace—you need some 'special skills' up your sleeve. Who knows, maybe he's someone incredible! At worst, he's some gang leader!" "You're impossible," Sienna muttered as she blocked her friend. When she finally crept out, the bedroom was dim except for a small light, and L sat on the couch with his eyes closed, still wearing his mask. She paused, staring at the mask. She suddenly had the urge to reach out and see who he really was, but a noise outside the door startled her. Assuming it was Helen, Sienna quickly climbed into bed to avoid waking L. In the darkness, L's eyes opened, watching the woman in his bed. His condition had been keeping him wide awake. L suffered from a rare disorder—not only was he unable to sleep, but he also experienced hallucinations and sleepwalking episodes. Years ago, someone had saved his life and cured him, though the symptoms had returned. However, he had miraculously fallen asleep on that night she climbed into his car. As he watched her from across the room, his dark eyes filled with intrigue. ... The next morning, Zoe's frantic call woke Sienna. "Sienna, the Rhodes family found out about your pregnancy!" Sienna immediately snapped to attention. If the Rhodes family knew, she could already picture the headlines plastered across every front page. Her phone buzzed as Zoe sent her a link. The moment Sienna opened it, she was met with a barrage of slander. "Sienna Rhodes is two weeks pregnant and was reportedly assaulted while held hostage in the mountains. She is suffering from severe psychological trauma. The statement also alleged that Carl Rhodes had disclosed Sienna's history of mental instability, requiring medication, and claimed she was unfit to work. To further support their story, the family revealed a will supposedly signed by Sienna, transferring her company, Fortuna, to Natalie Rhodes." ... Sienna closed her eyes, silently processing their accusation. After failing to imprison her yesterday, they were painting her as a mentally unfit victim of assault to strip her of her authority over Fortuna. They had even twisted her statements at the funeral into the ramblings of a deranged woman. Moreover, they even posted Natalie and William's courthouse photos, clearing their names. "Sienna, is that really your signature on the Fortuna legal documents?" Zoe asked. Sienna zoomed in on the signature, and her heart sank as a cold realization hit her. "It's genuine. Before everything happened, William tricked me into signing blank sheets of paper. "I trusted him so much back then... I never even suspected he'd use my signature to steal my company!" "Now, the company legally belongs to Natalie. She's the second-largest shareholder, sitting pretty in your empire with your ex, while painting you as a mentally ill woman!" Zoe fumed. Sienna laughed coldly. "They think taking over my empire will be that easy? It's Fortuna's shareholders' meeting today. I'm not dead—so why would my will be in effect?" "That's right!" Zoe's spirit lifted. "Go crash their party!"