CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND

Sienna Monroe’s expression froze, and she quickly waved her hand, "It’s fine, Mom. I can go up by myself. There’s no need to trouble you."

"What trouble? Why are you being so polite with me?"

June Ewing grabbed her hand and headed towards the stairs. After a few steps, Steward Dawson came in and nodded, "Second Madam, the First Madam wants to see you and says she has something to discuss with you."

June Ewing paused, "She’s looking for me?"

That is really unusual.

Everyone knows Rhonda Garrison doesn’t like June Ewing. For so many years, she’s avoided her, and now she’s actively calling her over; the sun must be rising from the west and it might rain red.

June Ewing instinctively glanced at the sky outside.

Hmm, it looks like it’s going to rain.

The smile on her face was gentle and graceful, "Did the First Madam say what it’s about?"

Steward Dawson shook his head, "The First Madam didn’t say, just asked you to go quickly."

June Ewing frowned, clearly not wanting to go, "Go back and ask the First Madam what it’s about, then come and tell me."

As she said this, she intended to continue leading Sienna Monroe upstairs.

"Second Madam, please... don’t make it difficult for me. I’m just passing on the First Madam’s message." Steward Dawson raised his voice and shouted.

June Ewing stopped again and turned to look at Steward Dawson.

Seeing this, Sienna Monroe knew June Ewing might need a way out, so she persuaded, "Mom, you should go. Maybe the First Madam has something important to discuss with you. I can just go upstairs and change clothes."

"Alright, I’ll go over then. You can go to you and Caleb’s room to change. The clothes you brought last time are inside, and I’ve had them washed."

"Okay."

Seeing June Ewing leave, Sienna Monroe looked at the time and hurried up to the third floor.

The third floor housed Isaac Sinclair and June Ewing’s bedroom study, where Sienna Monroe and Caleb Sinclair were also staying when they returned.

So, unless June Ewing instructed otherwise, the servants wouldn’t voluntarily come up here.

The study door wasn’t locked. Sienna Monroe turned the doorknob and easily went inside.

This was her first time in June Ewing’s study. Although it was a small study, it was quite spacious, and the decor matched June Ewing’s elegant taste.

Sienna Monroe wasn’t in the mood to scrutinize these details. She felt tense, but steady amidst panic, heading straight for the safe mentioned in the text message, putting on the disposable gloves she had prepared, and inputting 089361.

Click.

The safe made a slight unlocking sound, and the door opened.

Sienna Monroe was taken aback. The first and second levels contained two large jewelry boxes, the third had cash and small gold bars, and the very bottom held several documents.

She picked one up; the cover page had "Radiance Beauty Spa Account Books" written on it.

Flipping through it, as expected, everything was clearly recorded, including the year, month, client names, and the frequency and amount of each transaction.

The client names matched the list sent to her in a message.

The highest amounts were connected to Maeve Sherman and another woman surnamed Qian. Maeve Sherman was a sponsor, while the woman named Qian was quite extravagant, requesting services every three to five days and never the same one.

She was generous, giving substantial tips each time.

Sienna Monroe took individual photos with her phone, and when she reached the third account book at the bottom, she had just opened it to the business development plan for Radiance Beauty Spa’s underground operations when her phone dinged.

A text message.

[Leave now! June Ewing is back and heading this way!]

Startled, Sienna Monroe set aside reading, quickly flipping through and photographing pages, tidied up, returned everything to the safe, closed the door, reset the password, and quietly exited the study, returning to her and Caleb’s room.

She randomly chose an outfit from the wardrobe, changed quickly, and dug out a compact and lipstick from her bag to touch up her makeup in front of the mirror.

About a minute later, there was a knock on the door, and June Ewing’s voice came from outside, "Sienna, did you finish changing?"

Sienna Monroe took a deep breath in front of the mirror.

She felt that her nerves were indeed not as strong as June Ewing’s and Caleb Sinclair’s; they acted so naturally and effortlessly.

Unlike her, always tense, like now, her hands trembled.

Calming the fast-beating and slightly chaotic heart, she steadied her slightly shaking hands, stepped over, opened the door, and smiled, "I’m ready."

June Ewing saw the lipstick in her hand, "Putting on your makeup?"

"Already done." Sienna Monroe capped the lipstick and asked, "What did the First Madam want?"

Upon speaking, she noticed the red mark on June Ewing’s cheek, shockingly lifted a hand to touch it, "Mom, what happened to your face? Did the First Madam hit you?"

Speaking of this, June Ewing was a bit helpless and somewhat aggrieved, "She misunderstood me. Kian Sinclair made a mistake, and his father called him into the office today for a scolding, told him to go home and reflect, but didn’t mention when he could return to the company."

The First Madam thought June Ewing had complained to Isaac Sinclair about Kian Sinclair.

Her straightforward nature didn’t like those twists and turns, and she clearly knew June Ewing’s disposition; as soon as June Ewing arrived, she slapped her without a word.

The mistake Kian Sinclair made was both significant and trivial. It was a lapse on his part, and though Isaac Sinclair was angry, it wasn’t enough to strip Kian Sinclair of his CEO dignity, humiliating him in front of the company’s subordinates.

In fact, June Ewing claimed her grievance, but she was not wronged in the slightest.

She dreamed of ousting Kian Sinclair from the CEO position at The Sinclair Group.

Rhonda Garrison might not approve of June Ewing, but she knew Isaac Sinclair isn’t a good man either.

If he weren’t interested, even if June Ewing stood before him stark naked, it would be useless.

Men are the least reliable.

Her tolerance of June Ewing staying with The Sterling Family was premised on her controlling the family’s finances and her two sons holding the reins of The Sinclair Group.

June Ewing now wanted to use whispered truths to remove Kian Sinclair, which jeopardized her interests.

The slap was lightly dealt.

Pointing at June Ewing’s face, she yelled, "Even if Kian goes down, there’s Hayes. Your son won’t get in! Stop using those dirty tricks. All these years, I’ve ignored you, thinking you’d believe I feared you? I’m just afraid of dirtying my hands and eyes!"

Sienna Monroe could already picture the scene.

Rhonda Garrison furious, while June Ewing always looked pitiful as if she’d suffered a great injustice and grievance.

Such things have happened before.

It’s just that previously, she’d been deeply misled by June Ewing’s sweetness and soft elegance.

Adding to that, her deep affection for Caleb Sinclair; these reasons have put a veil over her perception of June Ewing.

However, now she seemed to clearly perceive Rhonda Garrison’s angry and helpless response to June Ewing’s green tea-like persona.

June Ewing had always been adept at playing human emotions.

Whoever met her always praised her dignified elegance and generosity.

Even though knowing she’s a mistress, most people still chose to associate with her, and this was why her Radiance Beauty Spa could be established so successfully.

At this moment, Sienna Monroe felt three parts indignation and seven parts compassion, "What can we do? Quickly apply an ice pack, otherwise, it’ll swell up. The First Madam is really something; how could she do that? If it was a misunderstanding, she shouldn’t have hit without hearing you out."

"Forget it, Kian was scolded, and the First Madam, as his mother, feels uncomfortable and wants to vent her anger on someone."

June Ewing raised a hand to gently wipe her eyes, her voice soft, "The First Madam has always disliked me, sigh."

The sentiment in Sienna Monroe’s eyes deepened, "Mom, you’ve suffered."

"Oh, why am I telling you this? Come on, the kitchen made two new types of desserts; see if you like them. If you do, take some home this evening to share with Caleb."

"Mom, Caleb went on a business trip to Glenmore City."

"Glenmore City?" June Ewing frowned, "Why did he go there? Didn’t the project with Ryan end in September?"

"Really?" Sienna Monroe shook her head, "I’m not familiar with his company’s affairs, so I didn’t ask much."

"I didn’t inquire too much either. Occasionally when Caleb Sinclair has doubts, he’ll talk to me about them. He went there for his own business, I’m sure."

"Yeah."

Sienna Monroe had dinner at The Sterling Family before returning.

As she was leaving the side building, she ran into Susan Sinclair.

Susan Sinclair, this young girl, had inherited Rhonda Garrison’s pride, attractive and cute, especially her almond-shaped eyes, which were lively and spirited.

Because she didn’t like June Ewing and Caleb Sinclair, the little girl didn’t like her either.

Now she snorted, rolled her eyes, and prepared to walk past her.

Sienna Monroe initiated the conversation, "Going out so late?"

"None of your business," Susan Sinclair frowned, glaring at her unhappily, and turned to leave.

"Are you going to see Audrey’s art exhibition on the 6th?"

Susan Sinclair paused in her steps.

She also studied art and greatly admired Audrey’s free and unrestrained style.

Previously, she attended several of Audrey’s exhibitions in Elysia, but this was the first solo exhibition in the country, held at Sienna Monroe’s gallery, so she hadn’t even tried to get a ticket.

"No!" she said firmly.

Sienna Monroe smiled but didn’t respond, walking with her to the parking lot. Seeing her open the car door and prepare to bend down to get in, she called out, "Susan."

"What now?!" Susan Sinclair asked impatiently.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

Susan Sinclair looked surprised, then turned wary, "What favor?"

Sienna Monroe handed her a business card, "If you don’t trust me, you can pass this card to the First Madam and ask her to call me."

Susan Sinclair looked at the card in her hand, "What do you want?"

"I want to collaborate with her on something, but... it can’t be known by the one in the side building."

It is said that the enemy of an enemy is a friend.

Sienna Monroe thought, surely she’s not the only one who wants to bring down June Ewing.

The straightforward and proud First Madam Rhonda Garrison was undoubtedly the first choice.

Besides, she’s in The Sterling Family, and on a day like today, although Rhonda Garrison coincidentally called June Ewing over, there was another account book and a planning document that she hadn’t fully photographed.

She couldn’t take it away, so she could only take photos for evidence.

If someone cooperated with her, it wouldn’t be so dangerous.

Moreover, should things fall through in the future, Rhonda Garrison could become her witness.

The one in the side building?

Susan Sinclair found it curious how she referred to June Ewing.

She asked suspiciously, "What thing?"

Sienna Monroe smiled gently, "I can’t tell you, but it’s beneficial for the First Madam. Make sure to pass it on. On the 6th, if you want to come to the exhibition, you can call this number. I’m off now."

With that said, she turned and got into her car.

Back home, without bothering to shower, she opened the photos she took today and checked one by one.

All the photos were quite clear, but they weren’t complete.

The planning document was at least a dozen or twenty pages, but she only took pictures of six or seven pages.

It covered industry descriptions, industry targets, how to develop clientele, how to attract talent, service analysis, customer analysis, with some key points highlighted by June Ewing in red pen, circled.

The last page was about crafting exclusive male models and socialites, with a short description followed by a one-on-one target list.

But it just started with the list that Sienna Monroe hadn’t photographed.

Radiance Beauty Spa, being a high-end beauty salon, primarily interacted with society’s upper-class ladies.

And June Ewing, being part of this circle herself, had a deep understanding of the men in affluent families.

Ding!

[June Ewing is inviting Maeve Sherman to invest, specifically in the underground industry. They’ll meet at Radiance Beauty Spa at ten o’clock tomorrow morning for detailed discussions and signing. There are two other shareholders in the underground industry, namely Mrs. Hanson from Eastwood and Mrs. Vaughn from Northgate, both June Ewing’s alumnae from the socialite training class. Their underground industry will relocate for expansion again next March.]

Sienna Monroe’s heart skipped a beat.

She wanted to say that the underground industry developed so rapidly in less than a year; could June Ewing manage it alone?

Could there be helpers?

As expected.

However, what surprised her was that June Ewing’s two helpers also came from the so-called socialite training class.

How many people were in that socialite training class attended by June Ewing and the others?

Sienna Monroe’s mind was a chaotic mess, too many things to think about.

Just then, an email notification sounded on her phone.

She rubbed her temples, opened the email, and saw it was from the private investigator, containing nearly twenty photos and three videos.

She opened them one by one, familiar with the people in the photos.

Caleb Sinclair and Vivian Nash.

Oh, today was the weekend, the planning team didn’t have to work overtime today.

The two seemed to be at an aquarium, like a couple, carefree, without worries.

The three videos showed them kissing in the car, Vivian Nash hopping onto Caleb Sinclair’s back, shouting "charge" while Caleb Sinclair obliged, carrying her as he ran forward.

The last video was at night, probably during a fireworks show, the footage was a bit shaky but seemed very close to them. Amidst the noise, Vivian Nash leaned close to Caleb Sinclair’s ear and shouted, "Caleb Sinclair, thank you for making me so happy, I love you so much."

Fireworks bloomed in the sky, muffling her voice hazily.

The image focused on Caleb Sinclair’s face, his lips moving slightly, saying a few words, but the sound was low, covered by the fireworks, nothing could be heard in the video.

Sienna Monroe matched his lip movements several times but couldn’t make out his words.

However, seeing Vivian Nash’s excited and jubilant demeanor, it was surely something she didn’t want to hear.

Sienna Monroe saved all the photos and videos and replied to the email: [Where did they go today?]

The private investigator quickly replied: [Glenmore City.]

Sienna Monroe’s pupils contracted; they really went to Glenmore City on a business trip.

But not for work, for personal reasons.

She bitterly curled her lips.

How could this be?

It’s too ridiculous.

She collapsed weakly onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, tears blurring her vision.

She remembered... this year, her birthday wish was to go to the aquarium, yet he had already taken Vivian Nash.