Chapter 293
Chapter 293:
Janice’s eyebrow arched sharply as she shot Leah a warning glare. What was she thinking, bringing up such a delicate topic? Wasn’t this just an attempt to make Aiden uncomfortable?
But Aiden remained unruffled, his composure perfect as still water. “Ms. Sugden, I never expected the CEO of Freak Design to be such an enthusiastic gossip. I must say, I’m impressed.”
“Come on.” Leah waved her hand dismissively, unfazed. “Even CEOs are human. Show me a woman who doesn’t enjoy a bit of gossip now and then.”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as understanding dawned. Now he could see why Leah and Janice got along so well. They were both masterminds who played by their own rulebook.
“Sierra, come here.” The icy command shattered their pleasant atmosphere like glass.
Sierra’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to the voice, meeting Nellie’s frost-laden stare. “Nellie, why are you here?”
Nellie advanced, her face dark with displeasure. “This is Delgado Jewelry’s celebration banquet. Kenneth extended me an invitation. Is that a problem?”
Sierra flinched as understanding dawned—their mother’s matchmaking schemes between Nellie and Kenneth. “Did Mom come too?” she ventured, forcing a brittle smile.
“So you do remember we have a mother?” Nellie’s words dripped with venom as she crossed her arms, her stance radiating hostility. “She was starting to think all your gallivanting about had wiped her from your memory.”
“Nellie, you—”
“Well, if a mother can be so easily forgotten, perhaps she wasn’t much of a mother to begin with.” Leah’s voice cut through the tension like a silk-wrapped blade. “After all, what kind of mother sends people to drag her daughter back home like some common criminal?”
Nellie’s eyes flared with indignation, but she quickly reined in her temper, reminding herself of Leah’s influential standing. “Ms. Sugden, this is a family matter. Perhaps you’d be better off staying out of it, don’t you think?”
Check the newest chapters on gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s․com
“Meddling in things that aren’t my business is something of a specialty of mine,” Leah quipped, stepping closer to Sierra like a guardian angel in heels. “Besides, Sierra’s my friend. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t have her back?”
“Leah…” Sierra’s eyes brimmed with tears, her heart swelling with gratitude. Leah’s unwavering support was like a balm to her battered spirit.
Yet her joy was tinged with sorrow. How ironic that the warmth she craved from her own sister came instead from someone else.
“Don’t fret, Sierra. And as long as I’m here, no one—not even your sister—gets to push you around.” Leah gently tousled Sierra’s hair, her smile a soft ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
The interplay wasn’t lost on Nellie. She noticed the way Sierra’s eyes shone with trust when they met Leah’s, and it stoked a fire of jealousy and frustration.
“Sierra, I demand you come here this instant.”
“No!” Sierra’s voice trembled at first, but she quickly steadied herself. “I’ve chosen my own path. I refuse to return to that glittering prison you call life. If gilded cages are your preference, so be it, but leave me out of it.”
“You’ve really turned your back on me, haven’t you?” Nellie’s narrowed eyes glinted like ice, her presence exuding an ominous chill that once had the power to reduce Sierra to a quivering mess.
.
.
.