The car ride back was silent.
I stared out the window, watching the city blur into streaks of gold and shadow, while his words replayed in my head like a broken record.
Be my wife.
"He's crazy," I muttered under my breath.
But then again, crazy people don't usually save your company and know your darkest secrets.
"You can't just throw a proposal at someone and expect a yes," I said, crossing my arms.
Cyrus leaned against the sleek black car like he owned the world — which, to be fair, he almost did. "You said yes, though."
"That was before I realized how suspicious this whole thing sounds," I shot back.
He tilted his head slightly, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. "And yet, you're still here."
I hated that he was right.
"I stayed because you were my only option," I said. "And because I'm not in the habit of backing down from a good deal."
Cyrus chuckled softly, his voice smooth — too smooth. "Oh, come on, Miss Sienna. You make it sound so sinister. It's just business."
"Right. Business." I narrowed my eyes. "Is that what you call knowing everything about my life — my parents, my company, my... finances?"
He didn't answer immediately. His silence said enough.
The air between us thickened — not quite hostile, but charged. I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk away or demand more answers.
"Tell me something," I said, inching closer. "How long have you been "on my case," as you so elegantly put it?"
"Long enough," he replied simply.
"That's not an answer."
He looked at me then — really looked. His eyes weren't cold, just calculating. Like he was trying to decide how much truth I could handle before I ran.
"Let's just say," he began slowly, "you caught my attention long before you started Moon Enterprises."
My heart skipped. "What does that mean?"
"It means you should get some rest, Mrs.—" He paused, smirking. "Future Mrs. Vale."
I blinked, taken off guard. "You're unbelievable."
"And yet, you're still here," he repeated, opening the car door for me.
I hated him a little for being so smug. I hated myself more for not walking away.
"Goodnight, Cyrus."
"Goodnight, Sienna," he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a secret he'd been keeping for years.
ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ ʚ♡ɞ
My villa was dark when I arrived.
I dropped my keys into the bowl by the door and kicked off my heels, the sound echoing in the empty space. I used to like the silence here — it was mine, at least. Now it just felt... loud.
I set my bag down, unbuttoned my blazer, and stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city glittered below, alive and indifferent.
Nine words. That's all it took to scramble everything.
"Insane," I whispered to no one.
I walked into the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and took a long sip — mostly to buy myself time to think.
Cyrus Vale wanted to marry me.
A man who could buy my company twice over.
A man who somehow knew about my father disowning me.
And a man who, apparently, had been watching me for "a very long time."
The glass trembled slightly in my hand.
I wasn't naïve enough to believe in coincidences. Whatever this was, it was planned.
But what did he mean by "timer"?
I grabbed my phone from the counter, checking the screen. Missed calls. A few from my secretary. Two from my mother — of course.
I let out a bitter laugh and tossed the phone back onto the counter. I didn't owe them answers anymore.
The thought should've felt satisfying. It didn't. Or did it?
I turned on the shower and let the steam fill the bathroom. The water was too hot, but I didn't turn it down. I just stood there, trying to rinse away the day — the confusion, the questions, the ridiculous sound of Cyrus Vale asking me to be his wife like he was negotiating a stock trade.
By the time I stepped out, the mirror was fogged. I wiped it with my palm — and froze.
There was a small envelope on the bathroom counter.
I stared at it. I didn't remember leaving anything there.
It wasn't sealed. Just plain white, my name written in neat handwriting across the front: Sienna Moon.
My chest tightened.
I hesitated before opening it, my fingers shaking just slightly.
Inside was a photograph.
A little girl, maybe 3 or 4. Standing beside a man and a woman.
The girl was me.
The man and woman who were they?
As soon as that thought entered my mind, a singing pain pierced my head, and I immediately dropped the picture.
Memories I couldn't place all fighting for a spot in my head.
"Sienna"
"Sienna"
"Mom"
Mom? Who was that I have only ever had one? What was this?
It took some time, but my head finally calmed down, leaving me with a bunch of unanswered question with no one to answer them.