Sienna Johnson was sleeping soundly. Her expression, unlike the coldness she wore when awake, held a touch of innocence and lovability. Her breathing was soft and shallow, much like her quiet nature. Why are you pushing yourself so hard, you foolish girl? Adrian Desmond thought, his heart aching for her. He felt sorry for Sienna now and thought about taking some of the burden off her. Then, she wouldn’t always have to stand her daughter up, and she wouldn’t have to tire herself out . Now that he was here, he wouldn’t let her suffer any more harm. Adrian’s phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. Few people knew his private number, so Adrian guessed it was Yao Junhan—Melanie Carpenter. The day he discovered that she and Jule were plotting to kill him, Adrian had completely given up on Melanie. "Hello..." Adrian answered, curious to hear what this woman had to say. "Why aren’t you answering my calls?" Melanie shrieked, her voice hysterical and tinged with hoarseness. "Because I’m afraid I might break the promise I made to Uncle and kill you!" "Do you even remember my father? Adrian, if you remembered my father, you wouldn’t treat me !" Melanie retorted unreasonably. "Melanie, I’ve done everything I possibly could for you." "Adrian, are you abandoning me? You’re not going to care about me anymore, are you?" He couldn’t afford to manage her anymore. If it were merely a matter of providing for her, and even for that little misbegotten child, Adrian wouldn’t have cared; he could certainly afford it. But Melanie wanted to kill him. Perhaps it wasn’t her true intention, but she had participated. She knew about it and had tacitly allowed it. His gaze swept over Sienna’s face, then to their daughter playing on the slide. His heart was now filled with things to cherish, making him more cautious. He couldn’t afford to take such a risk. "Adrian, you’ve found that woman, haven’t you?" "Melanie, live a good life with Jule. This is the last time... If there’s a next time, don’t blame me for not considering our past ties!" A murderous intent towards Melanie flickered in Adrian’s mind. Adrian had never been soft-hearted towards his enemies. Because mercy towards an enemy was cruelty to oneself. If he softened, his opponent would not. "Sixth Brother, don’t abandon me. I know I was wrong, and I won’t do it again... Please forgive me, just this once? I don’t want to be without you. I don’t know how to live without you." "Sixth Brother, I was wrong." Sienna seemed disturbed by the crying; her brow furrowed. Afraid of waking Sienna, Adrian hung up and blacklisted the unknown number. "Sleep, I’m here." He gently stroked Sienna’s hair. Soothed, Sienna drifted back into a deep sleep. Still drowsy, Sienna Johnson opened her eyes to find herself in a man’s embrace. The scent was very familiar, making her heart race, yet also feel secure. That familiar scent wafted from the mists of her memory... A man stood in that mist. Although Sienna still couldn’t see his face clearly even now, she knew that person was Adrian. Her memories were resurfacing because of Adrian’s arrival. She didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing for her. Opening her eyes, Sienna saw Adrian’s face reflected in her dark pupils. Not yet fully conscious, she reached out, caressed his face, and murmured softly, "Desmond..." "I hate you!" Fresh chapters posted on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net Adrian was stunned. "You remember?" But Sienna closed her eyes and fell asleep again. It turned out to be mere sleep-talking. In her dream, she still remembered him—or more accurately, she remembered her hatred for him. Adrian tightened his embrace, holding her snugly against his chest. Only when he held her did his heart feel full. "Sienna, I will make you fall in love with me again!" At the Stewart residence, "Young Mistress, you’re back." The servant was rather surprised to see Sabrina Johnson, who was supposed to be at her beauty appointment, suddenly return. "Where is Frederick?" "He’s in the study with the Old Master, discussing matters." Sabrina Johnson changed into a pair of soft-soled slippers and went upstairs. Just as she reached the landing, she heard voices from the study. It was her mother-in-law, Alana Harris, speaking. "You need to quickly divorce that barren woman, Sabrina Johnson! You’re almost thirty. Do you really intend for our Stewart family to have no heir?" It’s about children again. After an abortion in high school, Sabrina had tried many methods over the years but still couldn’t conceive. Her mother-in-law had initially treated her quite well, but her attitude changed when she saw Sabrina remained unable to conceive. The once kind and affable mother-in-law had become sharp-tongued and harsh, frequently using words to belittle her and make her uncomfortable. "...For now, I still need to use Sabrina Johnson’s status to interact with the Johnson family..." Frederick Stewart said. Alana Harris asked suspiciously, "Frederick, you haven’t actually fallen in love with Sabrina Johnson, have you?" "Mom, I have never loved her!" Hearing this, Sabrina Johnson felt as if she’d been pushed from a tall building, plunging into an abyss. How could this man utter such heartless words? William Stewart said, "It was truly a miscalculation back then. I never expected that quiet girl to be so capable. In just a few years, the Eastminster Group has flourished under her management. Back then, our Stewart family should have married Sienna Johnson!" Her father-in-law’s words were like the last straw, crushing Sabrina Johnson. She hadn’t imagined that even her father-in-law, who usually seemed quite fond of her, thought this way in his heart. "I was against it from the start! A little bastard born from a prostitute—even if raised in the Johnson family, she couldn’t change her inherently inferior makeup!" Alana Harris said sharply, each word a knife twisting in Sabrina Johnson’s heart. They knew. They all knew. The fact that Yvette Harris was her biological mother—she had thought she’d hidden it so well, but they actually all knew. Sabrina Johnson felt as if she had been stripped naked and paraded through the streets for public shaming. Her face alternated between pale and flushed. She hated fate! Why did she have to be that woman Yvette’s biological daughter? Why couldn’t Sienna Johnson be Yvette’s biological daughter instead? "We really misjudged," William Stewart said. "Never mind that she can’t make money; she can’t even bear a child!" Alana Harris was still most concerned about Sabrina Johnson’s inability to have children. Others of her son’s age already had children old enough to run errands, but because of Sabrina Johnson, Frederick was still childless. This was all that Sabrina Johnson’s fault! Back then, she had seen that Sabrina Johnson had a devious nature. However, seeing that she was lively, well-favored in the Johnson family, and with Sienna Johnson missing and her whereabouts unknown, Alana had only then reluctantly agreed to let Sabrina Johnson marry into the Stewart family. Otherwise, how could she have let that Sabrina Johnson get off so easily! "Frederick, I think Sienna really enjoys tea. Take those few boxes of good tea we have at home and send them over to her," Alana Harris said.