Chapter 185

Chapter 185
Sienna's pov

The smell of gunpowder didn't just appear out of nowhere at an engagement party.

And Julian called me over... was it really just to try on dresses?

As I thought back to what he said to me, it felt like he was deliberately revealing his plan.

Julian wouldn't joke about the lives of all the guests. The only people he wants to kill are me and Harrison .

"What are you thinking about?"

Before I knew it, we had already walked to the parking lot. Julian opened the car door. "Get in, I'll take you home."

At this moment, he was once again the polite and gentlemanly Julian.

I shook my head and walked to the passenger side. "Nothing, just spacing out."

Julian suddenly asked, "Have you been in touch with Luna recently?"

I didn't expect to hear that name again, especially from him.

"No, after I went abroad, I changed my phone number and social media accounts. Unless she sees me in person, she can't find me online."

Was my reunion with Julian a coincidence or the result of his long search?

"That's right, I forgot. She already received the invitation to our engagement party. She called me before I picked you up, asking for your contact information. Can I give it to her?"

The invitation only had Julian's assistant's contact information, so it wasn't surprising that Luna could reach Julian directly.

And me... while avoiding Harrison this past year, wasn't I also avoiding Luna?

"Do you even need to ask? Of course, give it to her. No, wait, I'll contact her myself. It's been a year; she must be worried sick."

Ignoring Julian's presence, I dialed the familiar number.

I could never forget Luna's number.

But Julian stopped me from pressing the call button.

"She changed her number too. She has almost abandoned everything from before and even changed her nationality to Astorian."

Was that so?

I murmured, "We've both been in Astoria for a year and never ran into each other... What's her number now? Tell me quickly!"

The joy of reuniting with Luna had already surpassed my wariness of Julian.

Julian wasn't so bad most of the time.

Whether he was using me or not, he always put on a perfect facade.

No, I reminded myself.

Julian was indirectly responsible for the deaths of her child and Nora.

"Here."

He showed me the contact information on his phone. "This is her number; save it."

After entering it, I finally called Luna.

The first time... she hung up.

I stared at my phone and called again.

She hung up again.

If I had kept calling, would she have blocked me?

"She might not answer an unknown number. She's been getting a lot of spam calls lately. Maybe you should text her first to explain."

That seemed like the best option.

I quickly wrote a text and sent it, but there was no response.

After all that, we had arrived at my apartment.

I tried calling again.

However, I had been blocked. She must have blocked me after the second call, so she never saw my message.

Frustrated, I turned to Julian for help.

"Mr. Vane, can I borrow your phone? Or could you tell Luna to unblock my number?"

Since they had already been in contact, it wouldn't be hard for Julian to explain.

Julian called the number right in front of me.

"What is it?" Luna's tone was curt, but I hadn't heard it in over a year.

"Sienna 's trying to reach you. Don't block her number."

There was a moment of silence before she hung up.

What was that about?

"Go on upstairs. If you still can't reach her, I'll think of something."

I guessed Luna had some resentment about my faked death.

I could imagine how she felt when she heard the news of my death.

"Thanks for your help."

Once I got home, I called the number again, and this time it went through.

"Luna."

She remained silent.

She didn't respond, and I didn't push. We just stayed on the line, aware of each other's presence.

"It's been over a year, almost two years now," Luna said in a low, trembling voice. "You were alive this whole time. Why didn't you tell me? You could hide it from others, but why from me?"

Her voice started to break, and I felt a pang of guilt.

I had my reasons for hiding it from Luna, but I didn't want to explain, as it would sound like I was justifying myself.

"I heard your studio has grown into a company. Business must be good. When can we meet up? I want to celebrate with you."

Luna laughed. "Celebrate what? I'm swamped with work. But I'll come find you soon. I have to attend your engagement party."

In just a few words, Luna seemed less angry.

We were always forgiving of each other, or maybe... she never truly blamed me.

"When are you coming? I really want to see you."

Initially, I hid my identity to avoid being found by Harrison .

But now, he already knew I was here, so there was no point in hiding anymore.

"The day after tomorrow. Your engagement is this weekend, right? I'll make it in time."

Luna had many questions for me and was curious about my current situation.

We would talk about everything when we met.

I didn't know when Harrison left that day. I thought he wouldn't come back for a few days.

When Eleanor returned, she looked upset, and Wilder followed her in.

"Sienna , Harrison is downstairs. How dare he come here?"

My heart skipped a beat. "He's here again?"

What was the point of hanging around my place at night?

"Again? This guy... he's shameless!"

Wilder remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

"Ignore him. He has a wife and kids now. I haven't done anything to provoke him. It has nothing to do with me."

Despite my words, I walked to the window and looked down.

The streetlights in front of the building were still on, but the area was empty.

He must have left.

"Sienna , be careful when you go out. Astoria isn't as safe as your previous country. You could easily be targeted by certain groups."

Normally, I wouldn't think much of such a warning, but today I felt odd.

"Certain groups? What do you mean?"

Every country has its shady forces, and I have never thought Astoria was particularly safe.

But since Wilder mentioned it, I would be more cautious.

"...There are many. I can't explain it all at once."