Chapter 61
Sienna's pov
It felt like every time I saw them together, they were fighting. Julian Vane’s voice stayed level, but it cut. “Mr. Blackwood, if Ms. Price doesn’t want to, why force her?”
He stepped in front of me, blocking Harrison from my view, his tall frame turning into a wall. We were still in the exhibition hall, and people hadn’t left; they hovered, watching, phones half-raised as if waiting for something ugly.
Julian didn’t flinch. I took a small step back, not hiding behind him, but needing air, and I still couldn’t bring myself to look at Harrison’s face. I didn’t have to. His anger filled the space, cold enough to make my skin tighten.
“Our family matters are none of your business, Julian.”
Harrison didn’t come closer. He didn’t need to. His voice crossed the distance and landed on me like a hand on my throat. “Sienna, think about the consequences. This is your last chance.”
A chance.
I went still for a beat, then the meaning clicked, and a laugh slipped out before I could stop it. Only Harrison could wrap a threat in silk and call it a gift.
I didn’t answer. The three of us held our ground while more people drifted closer and the occasional camera flash cut across my vision. Harrison showed no sign of leaving, and I refused to give him what he wanted.
Reputation… why did it matter now?
Julian’s back was to me, and a memory came anyway—my last recording session, the booth too quiet, his promise spoken like a fact.
He’d said he would always stand on my side.
Now he was doing it, right in front of everyone, even though I still hadn’t divorced Harrison.
“Is it worth it?” My voice came out soft, like I was asking Julian, or maybe warning myself.
Whatever his motives, in this moment, I was grateful.
Julian turned his head and looked at me, eyes steady, reassuring without pity. That calm gave me something to hold on to.
Enough.
I stepped to the right, out from behind him, and faced the man across from me. My legs felt unsteady, but I kept my shoulders square and my voice even. “Harrison, leave. I’m not coming back. Our agreement is void. I’ll go through the proper procedures and divorce you.”
If he was determined to protect the murderer, Elena Whitmore, then whatever deal we’d made was meaningless.
Harrison stared at me, his gaze sharpening into something terrifying. We were only about nine feet apart, close enough for me to catch the flicker beneath the fury.
Disappointment.
It hit like a slap.
Why was he looking at me like that?
If anyone had the right to be disappointed, it was me.
“Are you serious?” he sneered, cold hatred aimed straight at my chest. “Fine.”
Before I could breathe, he turned his gaze to Julian. “Julian Vane, we’ll see about this!”
Then he left.
The moment his back disappeared into the crowd, I let myself inhale, but the relief didn’t last. My stomach stayed tight, as if my body already knew this wasn’t over.
“Sienna,” Julian said quietly. “Let’s go.”
He extended his hand, eyes flicking to my stomach. “You’re still pregnant. Don’t exhaust yourself.”
I shook my head and didn’t take his hand. “Thank you. For everything.”
He withdrew his hand without offense and sighed. “Have I still not made myself clear enough? You don’t need to be polite with me.”
People were still close enough to hear. Julian didn’t care.
I forced a small smile. “I’m just expressing gratitude.”
I turned to leave—and someone suddenly hugged me from behind, arms looping around my neck.
“Sienna! I finally found you!” Luna Reed’s voice burst against my ear. “I have good news!”
“What is it?” I asked, and my smile finally came naturally.
“The studio got a lot of investment,” Luna said, eyes shining. “We can finally expand. We can really grow.”
I laughed, then lowered my voice. “Calm down, Luna. Mr. Vane is still here.”
Luna released me at once and gave Julian an embarrassed grin. “Sorry, Mr. Vane. I got too excited.”
“Securing investment is a good thing,” Julian said, polite and measured. “Congratulations, Ms. Reed.”
Then he pivoted smoothly. “Vanya Vane invited us to dinner. Ms. Reed, would you like to join us?”
I couldn’t tell if it was courtesy or calculation, but Luna wouldn’t leave me alone with him.
“Of course,” she said. “Mr. Vane’s invitation is hard to refuse.”
She patted my shoulder, a quiet signal that she had me. Then her gaze sharpened. “Besides, there are some things I’d like to discuss with Mr. Vane alone.”
I blinked, surprised. Luna had warned me to be cautious around Julian, so if she wanted a private conversation now, it wasn’t just business.
Vanya had booked a private room at Golden Harbor. On the way there, Luna filled me in on what she’d secured today.
“Harrison invested quite a bit,” she said, almost laughing. “I’ll give him that—he has decent judgment.”
Then she turned to Julian, testing him. “But Mr. Vane doesn’t seem to think highly of me.”
That Mr. Vane wasn’t Julian. She meant Theodore Vane—his father, the Vane family’s investment representative at today’s event, the current head of the family.
He hadn’t invested for a simple reason: Harrison already had. Two families like that didn’t compete over a small studio unless they wanted to make it a statement.
I leaned back and listened as their words met and slid and struck, and despite myself, my attention drifted to Vanya.
Golden Harbor was restaurant by day and nightclub by night, the kind of place where a single bottle could cost more than most people made in a year. But the money wasn’t what tightened my throat.
When I’d been buried under debt, someone had threatened me, telling me to go there and work it off.
One wrong choice and I would’ve fallen from heiress to hostess.
So why would Vanya invite us there?
“Venture capital relies on strength,” Julian said lightly, “but it also comes down to chemistry. If Ms. Reed has grievances, I can invest in your studio personally, for Ms. Price’s sake.”
I turned my head, a mocking smile tugging at my lips. He never missed a chance to pull me into his leverage.
“Mr. Vane,” Luna said bluntly, “your intentions are too obvious. There’s no need for investment.”
Then she looked at me, protective. “Sienna has chosen you, and I won’t interfere with her decision. But if she suffers because of you, I promise you’ll regret it more than Harrison ever will.”
I pinched her arm, sharp and warning. “What are you talking about? Take care of your own business first!”
Chosen him?
Before I could explain, Julian laughed. “Ms. Reed, let me ask you. What can you do to Harrison Blackwood right now?”
His smile didn’t soften the challenge. “Even if I wronged Ms. Price, what could you do to me?”
That was exactly what Luna feared.
“Luna,” I snapped, heat rising. Then I forced my voice steady and looked at Julian. “Mr. Vane, she’s just worried about me. Don’t dwell on it.”