CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: REAR-END COLLISION (REVISED)

Gourmet Fusion, the western restaurant, is half an hour’s drive away from Serena Art Museum, but it’s rush hour, and they’re stuck in traffic for over ten minutes.

Caleb Sinclair orders a steak and Boston lobster for Sienna Monroe, along with a serving of cream mushroom soup and dessert.

When the food arrives, he’s considerate enough to cut the steak for Sienna. It’s not too big or too small; just right for her.

For Sienna, who doesn’t eat much, it’s rather a large portion.

She is indeed very tired today, and since she didn’t eat much at lunchtime, her appetite is quite good now.

But she still doesn’t finish the meal.

She leaves several pieces of steak, and half of the lobster and soup.

Caleb notices and asks, "Done eating?"

"Yeah." Sienna takes a sip of water.

Caleb never minds finishing Sienna’s leftovers, and he elegantly cleans the plate.

Sienna frowns slightly; she didn’t mind before.

But now, thinking of him possibly doing the same with Vivian Nash’s leftovers, a sense of bitterness rises in her heart.

It feels painful and nauseating.

Out of sight, out of mind, she lowers her head to eat the strawberry crème brûlée.

Before long, Caleb’s phone rings with a melodious English ringtone from his pocket.

He glances at it and hangs up without a hint of hesitation.

But shortly after, the ringtone sounds again.

Sienna hears it and looks up at him, but doesn’t notice anything unusual in his expression, so she casually asks, "Who’s calling?"

"The company," Caleb says. "From the project management department. Honey, I’ll just take this call; you keep eating."

"Alright."

Sienna withdraws her gaze from his back, and her own phone in her bag suddenly dings.

[The call was from Vivian Nash, saying she has a stomachache and asking Caleb Sinclair to accompany her.]

Sienna freezes and gazes at those words, letting out a soft laugh.

The bitterness amplifies again, corroding her heart and nerves.

She grips her phone tightly, stands up, and walks toward the direction Caleb went.

Caleb is on the phone in a large floor-to-ceiling window corridor of the restaurant; Sienna can only see his back, not his current expression.

She only hears his gentle and soft voice, tinged with a few notes of affection and coaxing.

"I know you’ve been wronged. Don’t cry, darling, okay? My heart is aching for you."

"No problem, it’s not a big deal. Tomorrow, I’ll find someone to pick you up at the museum in front of her; that will dispel her doubt."

Vivian on the other end says something, and he glances at his watch, "Alright, I’ll come to see you later. Be good."

Sienna comes later, only catches these few sentences.

She suddenly remembers a night when he brought her several snacks from Northgate.

At that time, she was a bit touched, but upon hearing him hide in the bathroom, talking to Vivian, that feeling instantly burst like a bubble.

The scene, his tone, incredibly similar.

Just then, a waiter passes by, she conceals her painful expression, quietly turns off the recording, and turns towards the restroom.

It takes four or five minutes before she comes out; Caleb is already back at the table.

Caleb looks up and asks, "Honey, went to the restroom?"

"Yeah." Sienna sits down, "What did the company need you for?"

"There was a snag with coordinating and controlling an engineering project plan; there’s a data discrepancy. Honey, I need to go back to the company. What do you say..."

"Since it’s company business, you should hurry."

Sienna digs her nails into her palms to barely force a smile, "Anyway, we finished eating; business is more important."

"Then I’ll take you home first."

"No need, it takes half an hour to drive back from here, and then an hour from home to the company; it’s a big waste of time. I can take a cab home."

Caleb is serious, "No way! It’s nine o’clock now; I wouldn’t feel safe with you taking a cab back."

He purses his lips, considers, "You’re tired today too. How about I drive home first, and I’ll just take a cab to the company myself."

"Then... how will you come back later?"

"No worries, Assistant Ellison is at the company; he can just bring me back."

"Alright." Sienna hesitantly agrees.

Caleb pays the bill, leaves the restaurant, hails a cab for her, and gives the driver the company address right in front of her.

Watching the taxi merge into traffic, she turns around and gets into the car, starts the engine, heading towards Rippling Crest Estates.

Coincidentally, as her car reaches the left side of that path, the headlights go out, and through a fifty-meter distance, she sees a taxi parked in front of the gate, the back door swings open, and a tall figure steps out.

It’s Caleb Sinclair.

Sienna’s mouth curls into a mocking arc, pulls out her phone to snap pictures of his profile.

To be with Vivian Nash, he invents all kinds of excuses to deceive her.

For a moment, she can’t recall if similar things have happened before.

Even if they have, she cannot discern what’s true or false.

How ridiculous.

Sienna sits in the car for half an hour, her gaze hollow, thoughts like a tangled mess.

Caleb doesn’t come out.

The human heart, it’s too hard to bet on.

A slight mistake, and it shatters completely.

Once, she truly believed herself fortunate and happy.

But what about now?

She lives in what she thought was a beautiful illusion, in the lies Caleb has woven for her.

If not for that text message, when would she discover it again?

For reasons unknown, she thinks of the dream she had some time ago.

Holding her daughter’s body, sitting alone through the night.

Clearly a dream.

Yet it feels real.

Could that be a forewarning of the consequences of her ignorance?

An icy chill rapidly travels down her spine, making her tremble sharply, thoughts quickly gathering back, she starts the engine, turns the car around, and leaves Rippling Crest Estates.

Driving along Maple Leaf Road, a drizzling rain begins falling from the sky.

Sienna turns on the wipers; though the view isn’t obscured, she’s momentarily distracted by the thought of that dream.

Suddenly, the car emits a "bang" sound from the head-on collision.

Sienna’s rationality swiftly returns, but she’s somewhat dazed.

She rear-ended.

The car in front seems to be a gray Bentley; she just thinks it looks familiar as the driver’s door opens, a black umbrella unfolds, stepping out a pair of long, straight legs, followed by a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure.

He walks to the front of her car, the umbrella slightly raised, a familiar cold face unexpectedly entering her view.

Sebastian Prescott?

It’s Sebastian Prescott?!