Chapter 26
Sienna‘s pov
This wasn’t the first time I’d hovered on the edge between life and death. By now, it felt like a doorway I kept stumbling through.
Harrison never showed mercy where I was concerned. There were moments I believed he might tighten his grip just enough to finish it—yet he always let go, always with a cold warning, as if he needed me to remember how thin the line was.
Even so, fear was the last thing I felt.
I held his gaze—dark and bottomless—and found myself smiling.
I probably looked unhinged.
My soft chuckle only fed his fury.
“Sienna,” he growled, low and lethal, “don’t forget that Nora is still lying in a hospital bed.”
His forehead drove into mine and shoved me back into the cold windowpane. His breath skimmed my lips, hot and heavy, carrying nothing but rage.
“One word from me,” he whispered, “and you’ll never see her again.”
It wasn’t the first time Harrison used my mother as a leash.
“You’re disgusting,” I spat.
Using his wrist as leverage, I lunged and slammed my forehead into his with everything I had left.
He didn’t release me, but he staggered back, and the next second we hit the bed. His hands clamped on my shoulders, fingers digging in hard enough to make my skin burn.
“Oh?” His mouth twisted. “Is this your way of throwing yourself into my arms?”
Heat flashed across my cheeks. I braced my arms beside him and tried to push away, but he kept me pinned.
“Let go of me,” I hissed.
I wanted distance—room to breathe, to think—but the headbutt left me dizzy, my vision blurring while he looked untouched, as if I’d barely grazed him.
“When you offer an embrace, how could I turn it down?”
He smirked, flipped us with practiced force, and pressed me into the mattress. Before I could pull in a full breath, his lips crushed down on mine.
His body still radiated heat, but it wasn’t anger anymore.
It was desire.
I didn’t understand how we’d gotten here. One moment we were trying to hurt each other, and the next he was kissing me like he needed my breath to live.
And I couldn’t stop myself from giving in.
My pulse raced, warmth spreading over my face. He pressed his forehead to mine again, covered my hand with his, and threaded our fingers together with quiet pressure.
“Getting turned on in the middle of a fight, Mr. Blackwood?” I breathed. “You should get that checked.”
He didn’t smirk. His eyes searched mine, unreadable.
Then he kissed me again—slower, deeper—and tightened his grip around my fingers as if he refused to let me slip away.
If resisting was pointless, surrendering—just for now—felt dangerously easy.
“Consider this,” Harrison murmured against my lips, “compensation for provoking me.”
I wanted to curse him out, but exhaustion rose like a tide. My protest dissolved as consciousness slid away.
His arm curled around my waist, possessive. His fingers left faint crimson marks on my skin, and as I drifted, I could feel his expression darken.
That weekend, I met up with Luna.
“What? Leaking information? Doesn’t he have any professional ethics?” she snapped as I took a bite of cake.
“Maybe he was working for Harrison from the beginning,” I said.
After Harrison sabotaged my plans, I confronted the private investigator myself. He didn’t deny it.
With an apology that sounded like a shrug, he’d said, “Mr. Blackwood has a wide network, Mrs. Blackwood. You should be sensible. Besides, who wouldn’t want to please Mr. Blackwood?”
I’d walked away shaking with anger, and with the ugly understanding that even asking for help only made me easier to corner.
“That’s totally unreliable,” Luna said, jaw tight. “Let me gather evidence for you.”
I shook my head. “Not until my mom is out of the hospital. He’s using her to control me.”
“Absolutely vile,” she muttered.
I forced a smile. “Forget him. How’s your design coming along? Did Chloe say anything?”
“She had no objections and paid in full. Easy money—dumb and pretentious.” Luna pulled out her phone and flipped to her gallery. “And this is the dress you designed for yourself. It’s almost finished. Want me to send it to Blackwood Estate?”
I hadn’t expected it so soon.
“No. Keep it with you,” I said quietly. “Hopefully I won’t need it.”
I’d asked her for a backup dress just in case. Harrison would provide one for the upcoming event, but with Elena nearby, sabotage felt inevitable.
Luna studied me. “You’re smart. You’re careful. So how did you let Harrison toss you around like this?”
Who would choose suffering if not for love?
I opened my mouth, but Luna jolted upright, nearly knocking her coffee over.
“It’s him,” she whispered, staring toward the entrance. “How could it be…”
Her dazed look made my stomach tighten.
“Luna? What’s wrong?”
She moved fast, and I followed, but she froze at the doorway.
I tracked her gaze.
Harrison.
And the man beside him—familiar in a way I couldn’t place. Luna’s reaction told me she knew him.
“Do you know the man with Harrison?” I asked softly.
She turned, eyes hollow. “No. I was mistaken. It can’t be him.” She forced a smile and pulled me back toward our seats.
And then it clicked.
A face that should’ve stayed buried.
A dead man.
“After all this time, you still haven’t let go,” I said lightly, even as something tightened in my chest.
“It’s nothing,” Luna said, wiping her eyes. “It’s been too long.” She inhaled, steadied herself. “Sienna, I’ll take you to Vane Sound.”
Vane Sound was a dubbing company owned by Julian. Unlike his film company, Julian ran Vane Sound himself; it handled only voice work.
I had to go in to record for the project I was doing with him, and it also helped me avoid running into Elena. Since signing the contract, I’d only recorded twice, but I worked fast, taking on large chunks each time.
“I can go on my own,” I said. “Are you really okay to drive?”
“It’s nothing, Sienna,” she insisted, lifting her chin. “Don’t underestimate me. I spent years in nightclubs—my emotions are stable.”
Yeah. Right.
I still wanted to argue, but she cut me off.
“If you’re working with Mr. Vane, I’m coming with you.” Her expression hardened. “Until the project is over, I’m going to Vane Sound with you every time.”
I knew she was worried about me, and guilt pricked at me for dragging her into my mess with Julian, a man who never did anything without an angle.
“Don’t worry,” I said softly. “I’m not someone who can be easily manipulated.”
If Julian wanted to use me against Harrison, it would still depend on whether I was willing.