Chapter 166
Sienna's pov
We walked into the villa and plopped down on the couch, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
I was pretty ticked off at Milo's approach.
He could've just told me straight up. I wouldn't have said no to getting stronger, but he had to shove his ideas down my throat in a way that was hard to swallow.
It made me feel tricked like I was being played.
Of course, I wasn't going to turn down his proposal.
"I think we need to talk."
Before I could say anything more, Eleanor jumped in, "No way, Sienna . You're a girl, why do you have to push yourself so hard? The training is brutal, and you're still recovering. You need rest and some peace..."
"The more you rest, the worse it gets," Milo cut in. "So what if she's a girl? Josephine's a girl too. At her age, Josephine had already won a bunch of research awards. And now? She's a nobody!"
"Milo! That's too much!" Eleanor shot up, slamming the table, and pointed at him furiously. "You had way more advantages than her. How dare you criticize her? If she had grown up in the Moretti family, alongside Josephine, she wouldn't be any less than any of you!"
"That doesn't change the fact that she's a nobody!"
The word nobody echoed in my mind.
It was the first time someone had nailed it by calling me that.
Compared to Josephine, I was definitely lacking, which was why Milo had always been so cold towards me since we met.
I couldn't deny his accusations.
"Eleanor," I shook my head at her. "This is between him and me."
I appreciated Eleanor standing up for me, but now, I needed to talk to Milo myself.
"From your tone, it seems you have a lot of issues with me. Let's clear the air now. Tell me everything you're unhappy about, and I'll do my best to improve."
Of course, only if I truly fell short. I wouldn't accept any deliberate belittling.
Milo just stood up, crossed his arms, and headed towards the stairs without looking back. "Follow me."
As I was about to follow, Eleanor shook her head at me and whispered, "Sienna , we don't have to put up with this. We can go to Theo, he'll help you."
I knew I'd have to endure Milo's attitude, but since Theo trusted him, I had no reason to doubt him either.
To get stronger, sacrifices must be made.
This was just the beginning. What reason did I have to give up now?
"Eleanor, if I leave now, it would put Theo in a tough spot."
I still wasn't used to calling him that.
"I trust him, don't worry."
Eleanor let go of me, but the worry in her eyes didn't lessen.
"It's not that I doubt him, it's just..."
She shook her head again. "Forget it, go ahead. If I find out he's being too harsh on you, I'll have Mr. Elias Moretti deal with him!"
I chuckled, "Milo is Mr. Elias Moretti' brother."
Who would end up teaching whom a lesson?
By now, Milo had disappeared. I went upstairs and saw an open door. As I approached, I saw Milo standing in front of a bookshelf, not moving.
When I entered the room, I realized the bookshelf didn't hold books but various framed photos.
Milo was so engrossed that he didn't notice me coming in.
Each frame held a photo.
I recognized the people in the photos.
Kai, other members of the Moretti family, and a young Josephine.
Seeing that photo, I understood why Theo recognized me immediately.
I looked almost identical to a young Josephine.
People always said that daughters tend to take after their fathers, but all my features came from Josephine. So, I always wondered—what part of me actually resembled my dad?
"Other than looks, you two are nothing alike."
Milo's sudden comment startled me. "Your personality must come from your father."
He knew I was there.
I asked, "Who is my father? None of you have told me."
Giving me the last name Reed, was it really just a random choice?
"Because we don't know who your father is."
Milo's matter-of-fact tone made me doubt my hearing.
"What do you mean? You don't know who my father is, but you're sure I'm Josephine's daughter?"
It sounded absurd.
"Is it strange? We care about Josephine, but that irresponsible father who abandoned his wife and daughter, we don't care if he's dead or alive."
Clearly, they had some guesses about who my father might be.
"You say I resemble my father in personality, as if you know him well."
I muttered, and Milo shot me a glance. "If you don't resemble your mother, then you must resemble your father. Who else could you resemble?"
Milo turned around and asked bluntly, "Do you want to stay?"
I didn't understand the point of his question.
"Do I have a choice? To get stronger, I have to stay."
Milo's attitude towards me had softened a bit.
"I'm asking if you want to, not if you can. If you don't want to, I won't keep you here for long."
I still didn't get it. "Can't you be clearer? This is so confusing. If I want to be an actor, I should follow Mr. Theo Moretti to the film incubation base and become a trainee, not train in combat with you. I don't need to fight every day."
Milo had guns and ammo. He might even make me learn to shoot.
He arranged all this for me but never mentioned anything about himself.
"You don't need to care about what I think. What's important is what you think."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"You called me a nobody and now tell me not to care about your opinion. I'm not that thick-skinned."
Milo unexpectedly joined the conversation.
"Verbal attacks don't matter. If you don't care, how can anyone hurt you? I just called you a nobody. Harrison has said worse things to you, right?"
He picked up a wooden ruler from the table and lightly tapped my chest.
"Whose words are more dangerous, his or my bullets? Which one hurts you more, which one can kill you? Can't you tell?"
I vaguely understood his point, frowning deeper. "So, you want me to not care about your opinion?"
"You can ignore anyone's opinion."
His expression softened slightly, seemingly satisfied with my response.
"Some arguments are just a waste of time. Your relationship with Harrison seems childish to me. No, most people's love and hate are absurd."
He suddenly laughed, but it was just a laugh.
I even considered agreeing with Eleanor's suspicion.
Could Milo have some psychological trauma to say such disjointed things?
"But you have no right to judge my relationship with Harrison ."