CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83: ONE WANTS TO STAY, ONE WANTS TO ESCAPE

The next day, after Adrian Desmond left, Melanie Carpenter came to visit Sienna Johnson again. Sienna was tending to her lotus flowers and, seeing Melanie, felt very displeased.

"Mrs. Desmond, you are not welcome here. Could you please do me a favor and not appear before me again?" Sienna had no interest in feigning politeness with her and wasting her precious time.

Since that bastard Adrian wanted to marry Melanie, and Melanie insisted on marrying no one but that bastard, she would let them have their way. However, they shouldn’t expect her to play along. They might not find it disgusting, but she certainly had no interest.

Melanie Carpenter knew Sienna Johnson wasn’t easy to talk to, so she didn’t waste words and asked directly, "Can you do me a favor?"

"No!"

Melanie’s eyes immediately reddened. Looking at Sienna’s unfriendly attitude, she asked aggrievedly, "It was my fault the other day. I apologize. You can treat me however you want, but you mustn’t hurt Sixth Brother."

Only then did Sienna Johnson shift her gaze from the pure white lotus flowers to this woman, Melanie Carpenter. Melanie wasn’t as strikingly beautiful as Sienna. At first glance, she looked like the type to be a man’s primary wife—gentle, virtuous, and demure.

A woman like Melanie, who lived by depending on a man—obedient, magnanimous, and sensible—was exactly what Adrian Desmond wanted. Honestly, Adrian and Melanie were a really good match.

"...You don’t have to worry that Sixth Brother marrying me will pose any threat to you. His heart is entirely with you. Even if he marries me, you’ll still be doted on by him." As Melanie Carpenter finished speaking, she burst into tears. Even the most magnanimous woman longed to be cherished by a man. Adrian Desmond did have feelings for her; she had no doubt that he would treat her well and take good care of her. But she wanted Adrian to love her the way he loved Sienna Johnson.

"Our life experiences are different; I can’t get through to you. But I cannot accept Adrian Desmond marrying another woman. Not you, not any other woman!"

"Why? What did I do wrong?" Melanie Carpenter asked aggrievedly, unable to understand why Sienna Johnson just couldn’t tolerate her.

Sienna Johnson sat down, while Melanie Carpenter remained standing. Though Melanie now stood taller than the seated Sienna, it was Sienna who exuded an air of superiority.

"Men and toothbrushes cannot be shared! If Adrian Desmond marries you, I absolutely will not be his concubine..." Sienna’s voice trailed off as her thoughts raced. Her stunningly beautiful eyes gleamed with a foxy cunning. She stood up and walked towards Melanie.

"What are you doing?" Melanie Carpenter involuntarily took a step back, actually somewhat afraid of the woman before her.

Sienna Johnson walked up to Melanie and stopped. Sienna was slightly taller, but as Melanie was wearing high heels, they appeared to be about the same height.

"Adrian Desmond dotes on me very much. Are you jealous?"

A struggle flashed in Melanie Carpenter’s eyes. "No! You’re Sixth Brother’s woman... We’re good sisters..."

"HA HA..." Sienna Johnson suddenly burst out laughing as if she had heard an incredibly funny joke.

Melanie looked completely baffled. "What... what are you laughing at?"

"I’m laughing at your hypocrisy!" Sienna stated, her laughter ceasing.

Sienna Johnson caressed her belly. "This is Adrian Desmond’s child, his first child. He’s really fond of him. Aren’t you jealous? Don’t you want to kill him?"

Melanie Carpenter was horrified, looking at Sienna as if she were a monster. She suddenly realized that Sienna, at this moment, was actually very similar to Adrian. Facing Sienna was like facing Adrian—that year, when her uncle and aunt had passed away, Adrian had worn this very same kind of smile.

"You... What do you want to do?" Melanie Carpenter was afraid of Sienna Johnson.

"What are you afraid of? It’s not like I’m going to eat you."

Seeing Melanie’s panicked state, Sienna felt extremely disappointed in her. Yesterday, she had fought so fiercely; I thought she was a formidable woman. Who knew...

Sienna Johnson looked Melanie Carpenter up and down, wondering if this was her true nature or an act. If it was an act, then she was remarkably good at it; even Sienna, who was skilled at observing people and understanding social intricacies, hadn’t detected any flaws.

"...I came to ask you to speak with Sixth Brother, to ask him not to send me abroad..." Melanie Carpenter stood there, her hand on her chest, her heart pounding. This Sienna Johnson woman is terrifying, she thought.

Sienna Johnson remained silent. Thinking Sienna was unwilling to help, Melanie Carpenter quickly added, "If you don’t like me, I can go to the island."

Her aggrieved look gave Sienna a strange feeling; how did she end up feeling like the villainess side character from a TV show? She clearly had no desire to play such a role.

"Adrian Desmond won’t agree."

"Adrian Desmond listens to you. If you go and speak to him, maybe he’ll agree," Melanie Carpenter said, her voice full of hopeful expectation.

Sienna Johnson snorted coldly, as if she’d heard the biggest joke in the world. "He listens to me? Where did you hear such rubbish? If he really listened to me, do you think I’d still be here?"

Melanie Carpenter completely failed to understand Sienna Johnson. She had also heard quite a bit about Sienna’s situation. "Many women want to marry Sixth Brother. Why don’t you?"

Sienna couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "Other women are other women. I am me." Sienna found it impossible to communicate with this woman whose thinking had been so corrupted. She said bluntly, "Do you really not want to go abroad?"

Melanie Carpenter shook her head. "No! I want to stay by Sixth Brother’s side. Even if there’s danger, I’m not afraid."

So loyal and devoted, indeed, Sienna thought, then said, "Alright then, let’s switch. You stay here, and I’ll go abroad."

"Huh?"

Sienna Johnson beckoned to Melanie Carpenter. After a moment’s hesitation, Melanie approached. Sienna leaned close to her ear and whispered a stream of words. When Sienna finished, Melanie clapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head vigorously. "No, no, that won’t work."

"Why not?"

"Sixth Brother will be angry."

"You don’t want to go abroad, so you want me to speak for you. Do you think Adrian Desmond wouldn’t be angry then?"

"How could that be the same?" Melanie Carpenter bit her lower lip, her brow tightly furrowed. Sienna Johnson’s proposal put her in a very difficult position. "No! That won’t work!"

"In that case, I can’t help you." Sienna adopted a posture of seeing a guest out. Regardless of whether Melanie left or not, Sienna began to busy herself with her own things.

Seeing that Sienna Johnson wouldn’t relent, Melanie Carpenter eventually left, disappointed.

"Still, thank you..."

"You don’t need to thank me. I didn’t help you at all."

Hearing the door close, Sienna Johnson looked up; the hospital ward was now empty. Sienna gazed at the brilliantly blooming lotus flowers, her face devoid of any smile.

...How can there be such a woman in this world? she muttered to herself.

Adrian Desmond knew she liked lotus flowers and had found these somewhere for her. Sienna stared at the lotuses and sighed. One wants to stay, and the other wants to flee...