CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: DREAM

Sienna Monroe received a video from the private detective two hours after making that phone call.

One minute and seventeen seconds long.

But the footage was very clear, the door opened, and Caleb Sinclair walked out from inside, wearing a white bathrobe, chest exposed, the faint scratches and red marks on his collarbone were clearly visible.

The clothes thrown on the floor inside the room were also in the shot.

Her mind was instantly overwhelmed by this direct impact.

Caleb and Vivian Nash had been together for over a year, strawberries, they would do those intimate things, Sienna Monroe knew.

It’s just, now seeing it with her own eyes, her heart still couldn’t stop hurting, as if bleeding from a thousand wounds.

Various realities gradually wore down her affection for him over the years.

Her chest was now filled with disappointment.

Slowly, her once clear and tranquil phoenix eyes now turned hollow and lifeless, a faint mist of water gleamed within.

She watched the one-minute-plus video over and over again, not knowing how many times, as if self-torturing, executing her heart within the love for Caleb Sinclair.

She didn’t know how she fell asleep, but that night Caleb didn’t call or video chat.

In the dream, she saw Caleb holding Vivian Nash in their marital home doing all sorts of intimate things, then dreamed of having a daughter with Caleb, a joyful family of three, but the scene changed to her holding the corpse of her daughter, while Vivian Nash leaned coyly into Caleb’s arms, flaunting a two-carat diamond ring on her finger.

Finally, she was in the depths of darkness, countless hands pulling at her, she struggled fiercely but to no avail.

When Sienna Monroe woke up, her pillow was soaked with sweat.

She sat up in terror, looking at the familiar layout in front of her, momentarily dazed.

The dream was too chaotic, so chaotic she couldn’t remember the details clearly.

But the despair, overwhelming grief, and heart-wrenching pain remained, tears fell from her eyes.

She paused for a moment, slowly raised her hand to touch the tear streaks on her cheek, her thoughts gradually returning to reality, a strong lingering fear engulfed her instantly.

Finally, it was the familiar sound of the phone ringing that pulled her out of that emotional abyss.

It was Caleb Sinclair calling.

Her heart tightened, she instinctively clenched her fist, then relaxed, picked up the phone and answered it, Caleb’s gentle and affectionate voice came through the receiver, "Honey, awake?"

"Mm."

She snorted heavily.

Caleb’s voice carried a smile, "Just woke up?"

"Mm."

"Last night was too busy, drank some, by the time I got back to the hotel it was past eleven, afraid to wake you up, so I didn’t call. Sorry, honey."

"It’s okay." Sienna wiped away the tear streaks on her face, "Did you drink some hangover soup this morning? Is your head hurting?"

Caleb on the other end of the call was silent for a few seconds, then his voice carried a bit of tenderness, "Didn’t drink much, not hurting now. Honey, I love you."

Sienna froze, throat dry, "Why suddenly say this out of the blue."

"Didn’t say it last night. Had to make up for it, honey, I really do love you."

Oh, so what?

Wasn’t it you who were with Vivian Nash last night?

How do you have the audacity to say that?

For a moment, Sienna really wanted to shout at him, but ultimately a shred of rationality suppressed her breakdown.

"Mm, I know."

Sienna licked her lips, ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say ’I love you too.’

Caleb asked, "By the way, honey, did that person who called last time contact you?"

"What call?"

"The one saying I was with another woman at a hotel."

Sienna was slightly stunned, heart skipping, "No, did you find out who it was?"

"No, couldn’t find them."

"How could it be impossible to find?"

"I also find it strange, even asked a friend who knows IT to check, still no result, that number doesn’t exist, did you copy it wrong?"

"Shouldn’t be, I carefully checked after copying it down."

She vaguely guessed, that private detective last night pretended to be a delivery man, initially just testing her, seeing her same concern for him, then suspected the owner of that number.

"Alright, if we can’t find it, let it go."

"Mm."

"Then you quickly get up for breakfast, I have a meeting here, will hang up now."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Sienna breathed a long sigh of relief, got out of bed for a shower, changed the sheets, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Today Audrey was going to the art gallery to work on the process for the solo exhibition on the 6th.

She deliberately put on a makeup that looked like she was in good spirits, but upon arriving at the gallery, compared to the radiant and glowing Vivian Nash, her energy still seemed lacking.

"Sienna, good morning."

"Morning."

At the elevator, two colleagues arrived, after exchanging greetings, someone noticed Vivian Nash occasionally touching her waist, jokingly teased, "Oh, sore waist?"

The other colleague immediately played along, also teasing, "Seems like overtime last night, huh? Your boyfriend is so hardworking."

Vivian Nash blushed and shyly glared at them, "Stop joking, no such thing."

Her last two words were spoken with extreme shyness and embarrassment, full of happiness.

"Oh my, oh my, saying no, yet getting shy."

Vivian Nash, under their joint teasing, eventually fled to Sienna’s side, playfully pouted, "Sienna, see, help me tell them not to bully me like this."

All their conversation just now, and Vivian Nash’s current shyness and liveliness, was a humiliation to Sienna Monroe.

But she had to act casual and smile, "Your boyfriend could still let you come to work on time today, seems like not hardworking enough."

"Why are you teasing me too?" Vivian Nash pretended to be annoyed, "Annoying!"

The other two colleagues laughed, "Director has a point."

The group teased Vivian Nash while heading to the office area on the second floor.

Upon entering the office, Sienna’s face lost its smile, her eyes turned icy.

Audrey arrived at 10:30, sorted the process until past noon, during lunch with Sienna, seeing she didn’t ask Vivian Nash to join, didn’t even inquire.

On the second day of Caleb’s "business trip," she received another text message.

[Radiance Beauty Spa’s underground industry account books are divided into three volumes, located in June Ewing’s study, behind the desk in the password cabinet, containing client lists and transaction amounts, including an underground industry proposal. Cabinet password 089361.]

Sienna was slightly stunned, eyes freezing, very surprised.

This text message...

Even knows this?

But how to obtain them?

She remembered June Ewing’s study was at the end of the left side on the third floor, the elevator is nearby, there’s surveillance there.

As she was contemplating, a call suddenly came through.

It was June Ewing.

She quickly answered, stabilizing her voice, "Hello, mom."

"Hey, Sienna, have you had lunch?"

"Yes." Sienna, "Mom, what’s up?"

"Hey, Radiance Beauty Spa is still closed indefinitely, not much to do, wanted to ask if you have time to come for afternoon tea, chat with me."

Sienna was just worried about not having a reason to go back, this was a stroke of luck.

She quickly agreed, "I’ll come over to see you later."