Chapter 439

Kelvin squeezed her hand gently. "Hey, it's all behind us now. You've got everything you need."

Sienna's heart warmed. "I've never been happier."

They stood together in the hallway, watching the snow fall outside. Suddenly, Sienna asked, "Are we still doing the beauty contest? I've been waiting since summer. Now it's winter, the snow's here, Willie's put on a ton of weight, and Ruben doesn't seem keen on coughing up the three grand, does he?"

"This weekend," Kelvin replied. "Ruben said if it gets delayed again, the prize money will double."

"Double?"

Kelvin held up two fingers. "Yep, twice as much."

Sienna thought for a moment. "Maybe we should drag it out a bit longer then."

She had been eagerly anticipating the contest since she first heard about it.

With winter's arrival, Willie, who had been prepping for the contest, finally gave up. It didn't take long for Sienna to notice his face had rounded out, and he couldn't fit into his outfit anymore.

Willie threw in the towel. "No more contest! The outfit's too pricey!"

There were newcomers, though, and Sienna saw them as serious competition.

Especially since the police department had recently transferred in some young officers, each one encouraged by their department to challenge Kelvin.

But when the weekend finally came, Sienna and Travis went to the training center to cheer Kelvin on. They had just finished grappling and taekwondo when Ruben burst in. "Kelvin, there's a case. Your team needs to handle it."

As Kelvin and his team left, Willie ended up winning the police department's beauty contest.

Meanwhile, Sienna and her crew headed to the crime scene. The car ride was calm.

Leroy counted the gift cards in his hand. "Guys, why are we fixated on the three grand? It's tough to split among the five of us, and the contest is a hassle. Don't you think?"

Arnold tucked his card away. "Yeah, Kelvin may be strong, but he hasn't looked great lately. Our chances aren't high."

Travis patted their heads. "Come on, let's thank Sienna."

The three of them straightened up and said in unison, "Thanks, Sienna! Best wishes for you two to tie the knot soon!"

Kelvin frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The three of them replied together, "So we can start planning the gifts!"

Meanwhile, Simon was discharged from the hospital.

Simon had bought a house for Chris years ago, but Chris hadn't spent much time there. The place was nicely decorated, so Simon stayed there after getting out of the hospital.

Chris asked Simon when they were alone, "Why don't we live on the estate?"

Simon replied, "Let's wait until everything is settled."

Chris felt a bit disappointed. "Too bad the flowers have wilted."

Simon laughed. "They'll bloom in spring, summer, and fall. Don't you trust my gardening skills?"

Chris remembered how Simon meticulously cared for the flowers and nodded seriously. "I trust you."

He hesitated before adding, "But the house is a wedding gift for Sienna. Giving it so early would benefit Kelvin."

Simon laughed heartily. "You're silly. Who gives away the house along with the brother-in-law? We're staying there."

Chris brightened up. "My kitchen's safe, then."

"It's always better when the family's together. If you give her an empty house, she'll break your legs."

Chris pondered. "Sienna might not be able to take me down."

Simon chuckled. "You should see how good she is at playing cards now."

Chris suddenly remembered that on the day Finnian was arrested, Sienna didn't get to use her card skills. She regretted it and practiced diligently afterward, using his cooking cucumbers as targets.

"It's all Kelvin's fault," Chris grumbled. "Teaching her that stuff."

"You're just jealous," Simon teased, tossing a paper ball at him. "Don't think I don't know you've been practicing too."

Chris blushed and denied it. "I'm heading to the kitchen!"

Rhett visited Simon twice and liked the location of Chris's house. He hurried back to Maple Village that night.

When he returned, he was determined to buy a house for Benjamin and his wife, even if it meant spending all his savings.

Kelvin was the first to know, so naturally, Sienna knew too.

When they visited Simon, they mentioned it. Simon asked Kelvin, "You know Rhett best. Do you think you can stop him?"

Kelvin shook his head. "It's hard. He's set on doing this, and no one can stop him."

"Spending money for peace of mind, who wouldn't want that?"

Simon agreed. "Let him go through with it. I'll talk to Benjamin and Eris. They're family now, and families don't sweat the small stuff."

The matter was settled quickly with Chris's help.

Rhett spent the night on the phone, picked a date, and happily moved Benjamin and his family.

He invited Veda to help, but Jesse, who was trying to win Veda over, volunteered to be the muscle while waiting outside her house.

Veda ignored him, flipped her hair, and rode off on her motorcycle.

Jesse sighed in the cold wind, pulled at his hair, and prepared to try again when Veda returned.

She parked the motorcycle in front of him, her long legs planted on the ground. "What are you standing there for? The work won't wait."

Jesse looked up at her. Veda was stunning, and he couldn't help but smile. He rubbed his hands and moved to get on the bike.

"What are you doing?" Veda frowned.

Jesse lowered his raised leg. "Getting on the bike."

"You think you can sit on my back seat?"

Veda scoffed and pointed to the old bike by the door. "You, that one."

Jesse looked at the nearly broken bike and nodded reluctantly. "Alright."

As Jesse walked towards the bike, someone rushed out of the building and slapped his hand. "What are you doing? This bike is mine!"

Jesse was pushed aside and looked at Veda in confusion.

The person who pushed him asked Veda, "You promised to sell this bike to me. How can you go back on your word just because he's handsome? That's not fair."

"Handsome?" Veda frowned. "You can't just say things like that."

"How am I wrong?"

The old man protected his bike. "Look at him. He's much better than the guys your grandma introduced to you, especially the one who sang downstairs for you. He's way better than that."

Jesse's mind spun. Since when did Veda have a grandma? Her grandma was his grandma, wasn't she?

His own grandma wasn't helping her grandson chase a wife but introducing men to his wife?