CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10: A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Sienna Monroe’s heart suddenly sank.

It turned out that his extra business trips were spent with Vivian Nash, living a married life.

The pain upon confirming her suspicions was far greater than she imagined.

The phone screen went dark, and her gaze fell outside the car window, watching the vibrant neon lights and tall buildings pass by one by one. The brightness and radiance from the past had vanished without a trace, leaving a faint ripple like water.

The next morning she went to the bank to sort out her private assets, as well as the money and funds they jointly held as a couple.

In the afternoon, she returned to the art museum and received a call from Caleb Sinclair a little past two, "Sienna, I need to go to Veridian City this afternoon."

Veridian City is about a five-hour drive from Imperial City.

The Suncrest Construction Group he managed had a subsidiary in Veridian City, and there were two steel and textile company partners there as well.

He would often travel there for business trips in the past, but in the past year or so, it had indeed been more frequent.

Using Veridian City as an excuse was both logical and reasonable.

This was how he deceived her, step by step.

If it weren’t for the text messages, if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have suspected a thing.

Out of all the times he said he was on a business trip to Veridian, how many were true, and how many were to see Vivian Nash?

"A business trip, huh."

Sienna’s lips curved in a sarcastic smile, drawing out the last word.

"Yes, there are some issues with the project materials at Sentis Plaza that I need to check on. I won’t be long; if everything goes well, I’ll be back tomorrow night, otherwise by the morning after."

His excuses were so flawless, what could Sienna say?

"Okay, what time are you leaving?"

"I’m on my way home now; I’ll pack a couple of clothes and head straight out," Caleb’s voice was gentle with a smile, "Anything you want or want to eat? I’ll bring it back for you."

Sienna pursed her lips, unable to distinguish the truth in his words.

She just said, "I don’t lack anything, and Veridian City is too far, things will be bad by the time they get here."

"Then I’ll take you there next time."

"Yes, safe travels."

After hanging up, Sienna’s hands hung powerlessly on her lap, her gaze vacant as she stared at the computer screen. It was only Nora Joyce’s knocking that finally brought her back to reality.

After signing several documents, Nora asked worriedly, "Ms. Monroe, are you okay?"

"What’s up?"

"I noticed you’ve looked really unwell these past few days..."

Sienna could be considered a workaholic, especially after her mother’s death. She was diligent with the Serena Art Museum, being the first to arrive and last to leave every day.

Lately, she hadn’t spent as much time at the museum as she used to in a day.

Sienna smiled, "Haven’t rested well... also too tired."

Indeed.

Just after hanging up with Caleb, she felt a sense of exhaustion from this marriage for the first time.

It wasn’t just physical fatigue, but her heart was utterly weary.

In just a few days, it felt as though it had suffered years, even decades, of torment, reduced to a bloody mess almost indiscernible to the naked eye.

Nora didn’t catch the underlying meaning and said sympathetically, "Ms. Monroe, you should go home and rest well; the exhibition on the 6th is only half a month away. You need to take care of yourself; you can’t miss it."

Sienna pondered for a moment, "You’ll need to handle more museum matters recently. If I’m not around and there’s anything, call me promptly."

"Alright," Nora nodded, "The acrylic panels for the four exhibition areas will arrive the morning after tomorrow. Ms. Monroe, you’ll need to inspect them then."

Sienna nodded in acknowledgment.

Soon after, she left the museum and went directly to the sales office of Rippling Crest Estates, retrieving the contract and record for Villa 11.

As expected, on the last page, there was Caleb Sinclair’s flowing signature and Vivian Nash listed as the property owner.

Her handwriting was delicate, the strokes gentle.

Whether in the past or the future, these two names should never be on the same page, yet now they appeared together.

Sienna felt momentarily dazed, but oddly, laughter escaped her.

After a while, she slowly retrieved her phone from her purse and took photos of the record information.

The next step was to find the transaction records of Caleb Sinclair buying that property for Vivian Nash.

It wasn’t easy to track his personal records at the bank without raising suspicions; mobile banking was the best option.

Around ten in the evening, as soon as Sienna lay down, Caleb Sinclair’s call came, specially wishing her goodnight.

This was a habit they had formed since dating, also a promise.

Whenever they were apart, they would text and call morning and night.

Over the years, he had done it well, never missing a day.

Whenever Sienna thought of him saying goodnight and "I love you" while Vivian Nash lay in his arms, she felt only disgust and nausea.

Even hearing his voice felt like pollution to her ears.

She didn’t want to answer the call, closed her eyes, and ignored it.

After a dozen seconds, the ringtone stopped, and just as the phone screen dimmed, a message from Caleb came through on WeChat, which Sienna only read the next morning: "Honey, are you asleep? I called, but you didn’t answer, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Goodnight, I love you."

She typed back: I was a bit tired yesterday, took some melatonin, and slept early. The phone was on silent. Good morning.

Sienna still wasn’t feeling very well; she only had a bowl of bird’s nest for breakfast. Just as she grabbed her bag to head out, her phone beeped with a text notification: [Caleb Sinclair and Vivian Nash will have dinner at the Crescent Moon Chinese Restaurant at 7 pm.]

Her steps paused slightly, her fingers turning a bit white as she gripped the phone.

By 6:30 in the evening, she left the museum and headed straight to the Crescent Moon Chinese Restaurant.

She timed it just right.

Before she could get out of the car, she saw Caleb Sinclair and Vivian Nash stepping out of a white BMW.

Vivian waited for Caleb to approach and tightly embraced his arm, smiling sweetly as they walked into the restaurant.

Sienna’s breath hitched for an instant, instinctively pulling out her phone to take several photos of their silhouettes from the side.

Once they were out of sight, she repressed the sorrow swelling in her chest, took a deep breath, and pushed open the car door to get out.

As she entered the restaurant, a waiter approached her, "Hello, miss, how many of you? Do you have a reservation?"

"One, with no reservation."

Sienna watched their figures move forward in the distance.

Not waiting for the waiter to speak, she casually said, "Bring a few of your restaurant’s signature dishes."

With that, she quickly followed.

The restaurant was divided into two floors, and as Caleb and Vivian entered the elevator, Sienna took the stairs on the right.

From the stairs’ upper landing, she had a view directly opposite the elevator. Sienna slowed her steps to avoid them and heard the ’ding’ as the elevator doors opened, watching as a waiter led them out.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before unexpectedly encountering a familiar figure. That person recognized her too, "Sienna?"

Perhaps the name was just too sensitive, as Caleb ahead of her froze for a moment, stiffly turning back slowly.