Chapter 20: Smoke Without Fire
The champagne flute trembled in Sienna Blackwood’s hand, though she forced her expression into something calm, unreadable. The gala hall was bathed in golden light, laughter and the clink of glasses echoing around her like a cruel symphony. But her eyes had frozen on the sight across the room—Daniel’s lips brushing against Eve’s hand.
The gesture was brief, fleeting, perhaps innocent to anyone else. But to Sienna, it was a dagger. It wasn’t the action itself—it was the look. That small, intimate smile Daniel gave her, the soft curve of Eve’s lips as if she had already won.
Her chest tightened. Heat flushed her skin.
Not here. Not in front of everyone.
With every ounce of control she had cultivated over years of being a Blackwood, Sienna turned on her heel and left. Her heels clicked against the polished marble floor, the sound sharp enough to make heads turn, but she didn’t look back.
The cool night air hit her face as she stepped outside, sharp and unforgiving. The doorman moved quickly to open the car door, but Sienna didn’t acknowledge him. Her eyes were on the ground, her throat constricting as she fought back the storm threatening to rise.
Inside the car, silence pressed down on her. The lights of the city blurred against the tinted windows as the driver pulled away. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to steady her breathing, trying to convince herself she had misread what she saw.
But the image replayed relentlessly in her mind.
The mansion loomed like a fortress when she arrived, its windows dark against the night. Sienna let herself in, the soft click of the door echoing through the vast hall. She didn’t switch on the lights. Instead, she moved through the familiar rooms, her gown whispering across the marble floors, until she reached the living room.
She sank into the sofa, her back straight, her fingers laced tightly in her lap. The shadows stretched long across the room, wrapping around her like a cloak. She didn’t want light. She wanted answers.
Minutes passed. Then an hour. The clock on the mantel ticked loudly in the silence.
Finally, the sound of the door unlocking broke the stillness.
Laughter—low, intimate—spilled into the hallway. The lights flicked on.
Daniel entered with Eve beside him, both of them glowing as if the night belonged to them alone. Their hands were entwined. Eve leaned into him just slightly, the way a woman does when she feels safe, claimed.
And then they saw her.
In a heartbeat, the air shifted. Their hands sprang apart. Eve’s lashes fluttered down, her mouth parting in feigned surprise. Daniel’s face froze, and then he quickly covered it with calm irritation.
“Sienna,” he said, walking toward her as if nothing had happened. “Why did you disappear from your own gala? People were asking for you.”
Her voice came out colder than she intended. “I had no reason to stay.”
Daniel tilted his head, studying her. “Because of…?” He let the word dangle, as though daring her to say it aloud.
Sienna stood, her hazel eyes hard as glass. “Because I refuse to stand there and watch my husband parade around with another woman like she belongs to him.”
The silence was deafening.
Daniel’s brows furrowed, and he gave a sharp laugh, though there was no humor in it. “That’s absurd.” He stepped closer, his tone sliding into that infuriating mixture of dismissal and control. “Eve is helping with the company. That’s all. Don’t twist it into something it’s not.”
Sienna’s throat burned. “Helping?” Her voice cracked, though she fought to steady it. “Helping the company—or helping herself to what’s mine?”
Eve gasped softly, as though wounded by the accusation. Her eyes shimmered with tears, her lips trembling. “Mrs. Blackwood…” she whispered, her voice fragile. “I respect you. I would never—” She broke off, lowering her gaze like a victim too innocent to defend herself.
Daniel turned sharply back to Sienna. “Do you hear yourself?” His voice was low, stern, almost scolding. “You sound paranoid. You stormed out of the gala like a jealous child. Everyone saw it, Sienna. Do you realize what people will think? That you’re unstable. That you can’t even keep your emotions in check.”
Her fingernails dug into her palm. Every word was a blade. But the worst part was that flicker of victory in Eve’s eyes when Daniel wasn’t looking.
Sienna swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am not imagining what I see.”
Daniel exhaled sharply, as though exhausted by her. “Then perhaps you need to rest. You’ve been under too much pressure.”
The words were final. A dismissal.
Sienna turned without replying and climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last. She didn’t look back.
That night, the house was silent again. Sienna’s body lay still beneath the sheets, though her mind refused peace. She drifted finally into uneasy slumber, exhaustion pulling her under.
But she wasn’t alone.
At the edge of the bed, Eve stood. The moonlight spilled across her pale face, glinting in her eyes with a darkness that belied the innocent facade she wore by day.
She leaned forward, her breath brushing against Sienna’s ear.
“You have no idea what’s coming.”
The whisper was venom, laced with triumph.
Suddenly, Sienna’s lashes fluttered. Her eyes opened.
Eve froze. For a heartbeat, neither moved.
But Sienna remained still, her breathing steady, her gaze unfocused. As if she were still half-dreaming.
Eve slowly stepped back, slipping into the shadows, though her heart raced.
On the bed, Sienna lay motionless, but her pulse thundered in her ears.
Did I imagine it? Or did she truly say that?
Her instincts screamed the truth. And it chilled her to the bone.
Sienna’s eyes stared into the dark, wide awake now, the echo of Eve’s whisper lodged deep in her chest. She didn’t know yet what game was being played—but for the first time, she feared it was already too late.
What price is she going to pay for helping someone?
Noah, please come back!