Isla Prescott ran all the way out of the restaurant.
At the restaurant entrance, Shane Sterling was smoking and talking with a few other men. Catching sight of her darting out like a startled rabbit, he stubbed out his cigarette on a public ashtray and strode toward her.
"Ma'am, even if the blind date wasn't to your liking, you don't have to flee so quickly. Have some consideration for the man's feelings in there." He reached out, just managing to block her path. "Which way are you running? I can give you a ride."
"Sean, please move." Isla Prescott had no time to trade barbs with him. "My sister's in trouble. I have to go."
Hearing this, Shane Sterling's smile vanished. "What happened?"
"I don't know the specifics yet. The police just called and told me to come over immediately."
"Let's go. I'll drive you."
Shane Sterling didn't hesitate for a second, which, in turn, made Isla Prescott hesitate.
Easton was in the suburbs of Meritopia, over an hour's drive away. The round trip would take up a lot of his time.
She owed him more and more favors, and she was afraid she'd never be able to repay them.
"It's okay, Sean. I'll get a cab."
"It's rush hour in Meritopia. Getting a cab is next to impossible."
Isla Prescott was surprised this young master even knew how hard it was to get a cab. But Shane Sterling was right; it was extremely difficult to hail one in Meritopia during rush hour, especially in this area.
"Let's go."
In the few seconds Isla Prescott hesitated, Shane Sterling had already pulled his car keys from his trench coat pocket. With a soft press of a button, a car in the outdoor parking lot lit up.
In the end, her worry for her sister won out over reason, and Isla Prescott no longer refused Shane Sterling's kind offer.
She followed Shane Sterling to the car.
Shane Sterling had switched cars. The previous one, a black Maybach G650 that looked like a colossal beast, had been replaced with a less ostentatious white Continental GT.
"Sean, why did you change cars?"
"This one isn't so high. I was afraid you might fall."
His choice of words was enough to make one's imagination run wild, but Isla Prescott knew his flippant way of talking and didn't take it to heart. She knew her own place. 'He wouldn't really mothball a multi-million dollar car over a single comment from me,' she thought. 'My words aren't worth that much.'
After they got in the car, Isla Prescott received another call, this time from her sister Sienna Prescott's homeroom teacher. From the teacher, Isla Prescott learned the gist of what had happened.
Her sister, Sienna Prescott, had met a rich man outside of school, and they had started a relationship. But today, a woman had suddenly shown up at the school, claiming to be the man's wife. She verbally abused and physically assaulted Sienna. When Sienna couldn't take it anymore and fought back, the woman called the police, threatening to have her thrown in jail.
Isla Prescott never imagined her sister would get into trouble over a relationship. In her memory, although Sienna Prescott was quiet and reserved, she was a good student, sensible, and knew her limits. 'How could she possibly get entangled with a married man?'
Shane Sterling overheard her phone call, but he had a strong sense of boundaries and didn't ask any questions.
A little over an hour later, the car pulled up in front of the Easton Police Department.
The moment Isla Prescott got out of the car, she heard a woman's roar coming from the station lobby.
She didn't have time to say anything to Shane Sterling and rushed inside.
In the police station lobby, her sister Sienna Prescott was pinned to the floor by a middle-aged woman who was slapping her left and right. Seeing this, several police officers rushed over to stop her.
"Autumn Wyatt, this is a police station! Don't act recklessly!"
"I can't let this go! I'm going to kill this bitch who wrecked my family!"
The middle-aged woman, Autumn Wyatt, shook off the officers' hands and lunged at Sienna Prescott again.
Sienna Prescott lay on the floor with her hair in disarray, looking as if her soul had been sucked out of her. Her eyes were lifeless, and she didn't resist, letting Autumn Wyatt punch and kick her.
When Isla Prescott saw this, her blood boiled. She rushed over and shielded her sister with her body.
"Stop! I'm Sienna Prescott's sister. If you have a problem, talk to me!"
--
Isla Prescott was actually only a year older than Sienna Prescott. Just by looking at their faces, it was impossible to tell who was older.
But in that moment, she summoned the presence of an older sister, standing before Sienna like a mountain.
"Oh, great. Another seductive vixen. I see you're a whole den of them!"
Autumn Wyatt was seeing red. All she wanted now was to destroy the "other woman" and everyone associated with her to vent the frustration her husband had caused.
She swiftly raised her hand to slap Isla Prescott, but Isla caught her wrist and forcefully threw it back.
"Getting involved with a married man—my sister was definitely in the wrong. She made a mistake, and I apologize on her behalf! But it takes two to tango. May I ask where the cheating man is right now?"
"Why are you looking for my husband? He already said this little bitch seduced him for money! This little bitch crawled out of some backwater hole, poor as a church mouse. She saw a designer bag and started treating my husband like a sugar daddy, hitting him up with flirty texts every day!"
Hearing this, the last glimmer of light in Sienna Prescott's eyes faded away with her tears. 'So that's how vile I was in his words.'
"He couldn't resist temptation, which just shows how little responsibility he feels toward your marriage. After this blew up, he conveniently vanished and pinned all the blame on the woman. Your husband is a coward! And you're still protecting this spineless coward like he's some treasure? How is that any different from knowing something is shit but deciding to eat it anyway? I guarantee my sister will have nothing to do with this scumbag from now on. If you like him so much, you can go on trying to stop him from cheating while staying shackled to him forever!"
With that, Isla Prescott helped Sienna Prescott up from the floor.
Autumn Wyatt, who was already fuming, found herself choking on even more rage. She lunged forward, claws out, wanting to tear into the sisters, but was grabbed by Shane Sterling, who had just walked in.
"Get your sister to the car first." Shane Sterling pressed the car keys into Isla Prescott's hand.
Isla Prescott seized the opportunity, pulling her sister Sienna Prescott and quickly leaving the police station.
Outside, the wind was cold and bleak. Sienna Prescott's white knit sweater had been stretched out of shape by Autumn Wyatt, hanging loosely on her frame and making her look even more frail.
Isla Prescott wanted to take off her own coat for her sister, but Sienna Prescott pushed her away and walked quickly in the opposite direction of the parking lot.
"Sienna!" Isla Prescott chased after her. "Where are you going?"
Sienna Prescott didn't speak, just kept walking forward, utterly dejected.
Past the park next to the police station was the Easton River Bridge. It was brightly lit with a constant stream of traffic. Sienna Prescott quickly made her way onto it.
Isla Prescott ran in front of her to block her path.
"Where on earth are you going?"
"It's none of your business."
On the way to Easton, Isla Prescott had mentally prepared herself. She told herself that no matter what, she had to hear her sister's side of the story before judging the situation.
She didn't want to stand against her sister when she was isolated and helpless, but now, seeing Sienna so self-destructive, she couldn't contain her anger.
"Do you think he's going to feel bad for you if you stand out here in the cold, torturing yourself? You heard what his wife said. He's not worth a single one of your emotions!"
Sienna Prescott looked up and silently sized up Isla Prescott.
"Miss Lockwood, you're in no position to lecture me."
"What Miss Lockwood? I'm your sister!"
"I don't have a sister who wears head-to-toe designer brands. I'm just a bug from some backwater hole. My very existence is a waste of air."
Isla Prescott was stung by her sister's words. She was about to explain when she saw her sister suddenly vault over the bridge railing and jump into the Easton River without a moment's hesitation.
"Sienna!"
Isla Prescott's face went pale with horror. She lunged forward to grab her sister, but Sienna was determined to die. The entire motion was as smooth as flowing water, and Isla couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes.
"Sienna! Sienna!"
Isla Prescott clung to the railing, watching her sister fall. In that instant, her own heart plummeted into an abyss.
Sienna Prescott quickly hit the water and disappeared from sight.
Isla Prescott broke down. She desperately wanted to jump in after her sister, but she couldn't swim. All she could do was stand there and scream for help, praying that some god would hear her cries, save her sister, and save her from the brink of despair.
SPLASH!
A lithe figure suddenly appeared behind her. The person quickly shed their trench coat, leaped over the bridge railing, and dove straight into the river.
It was Shane Sterling!