The following morning in Silver City was unusually peaceful.
Too peaceful for Sienna's morning.
There was no loud alarm ringing beside the bed.
No vibration from incoming messages.
No calls demanding attention.
Not even the familiar buzz of email notifications reminding someone that life was waiting outside the blanket.
Instead, soft sunlight slipped quietly through the small gaps in the curtains and slowly filled the bedroom with warm light.
In the middle of the bed, Sienna slept peacefully. Her breathing was slow and deep, the kind of sleep that only came after someone had been thoroughly exhausted both mentally and physically.
Last night had been… a lot.
The betrayal.
The escape.
The chase.
The mysterious driver.
The train ride back to Silver City.
Her brain had clearly decided it deserved a vacation.
Eventually, the sunlight reached her face.
Sienna squinted slightly.
Then she stretched one arm lazily above her head and slowly opened one eye, staring up at the bright ceiling like someone who had temporarily forgotten where she lived.
For a few seconds, she simply lay there.
Then a small frown formed between her brows.
'Huh…'
Something felt wrong.
Her sleepy brain tried to figure out the problem while she continued staring blankly at the ceiling.
The room felt… quiet.
Sienna turned her head slightly and looked toward the digital clock sitting on the bedside table.
Her brain processed the numbers slowly.
7:45 AM
Her eyes widened instantly.
"What the heck... I'm late!" The words burst out of her mouth as she threw the blanket aside and jumped out of bed, as if the mattress had suddenly caught fire.
Evelyn grabbed a hair tie from the table and twisted it into a messy bun as she hurried to the bathroom.
"I'm dead," she muttered as she stumbled toward the sink, staring at her sleepy, pale face.
Her morning meeting started at eight thirty. And she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet.
The cold splash of water against her face helped wake her up, but it also reminded her of the reality she was facing.
"Congratulations, Sienna," she mumbled to her reflection while brushing her teeth. "You just personally delivered a punishment proposal to your boss. Good job!"
She stared at herself in the mirror and felt helpless.
Her boss, Angie Feliz, was not famous for her patience. In fact, patience might actually be her natural enemy.
"This is how your career ends," she continued, trying to humor herself between mouthfuls of toothpaste. "One peaceful morning nap and suddenly you're unemployed."
Usually, at this hour, she would already be halfway to the metro station near her apartment.
Her mornings were normally precise and organized. Wake up. Shower. Coffee. Metro. Work.
Repeat five times a week.
Today, however, the schedule had entirely fallen apart.
Still, she couldn't entirely blame herself.
After all, she had returned to her apartment close to midnight last night.
The terrifying incident in Evercrest had drained every bit of energy she had left. Her father's betrayal to sell her to the gangster boss, the chase through the hospital, and the long train ride back had left her body and mind completely exhausted.
Her brain had simply decided to shut down. Unfortunately, real life didn't pause just because someone needed time to recover mentally and emotionally.
Within ten minutes, Sienna was fully dressed.
She finished tying her running shoes while hopping toward the door of her apartment, grabbing her bag at the same time.
Her apartment door closed behind her at exactly 8.00.
There was no way she could take the metro now.
If she tried, she would definitely arrive late.
Sienna hurried down the street while silently praying to every traffic god that might exist.
Luckily, a taxi appeared at the corner faster than expected.
"Thank you, universe," she whispered as she quickly opened the door and slipped inside.
The moment she settled into the seat, another thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Since she left her hometown yesterday, she has had her cell phone turned off.
Not because she was scared. Well… maybe a little.
But mostly because she was simply too tired to deal with whatever chaos might appear on the screen.
Her father and aunt will definitely try calling her.
Probably repeatedly.
Possibly hundreds of times.
They might even have their whole family contact her and send someone to find her in the capital city.
Sienna stared at the black screen of her phone.
'Should I turn it on?'
The debate began immediately inside her head.
'Turn it on and face the chaos.' She sighs deeply, hearing her own thoughts. 'Or... pretend phones don't exist and live peacefully for another day.'
"Miss, where are you going?"
The taxi driver's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Sienna looked up quickly. "Oh...sorry," she said. "Sir, please take me to the Imperial Hotel."
"Sure, Miss."
"And… please drive faster," she added politely. "I'm late for my morning meeting."
The driver glanced at the clock on his dashboard and gave a small understanding nod.
Then he pressed the gas pedal deeper. The taxi moved quickly into the morning traffic.
Sienna leaned back in her seat and let out a quiet sigh.
Now everything depended on the kindness of the city roads.
If the traffic was light, she might still make it.
If not…
'Well,' she thought, 'Maybe today is my last day working at the Imperial Hotel.'
Sienna smiled sourly while lowering her gaze to the phone resting quietly in her hands.
The screen remained dark, reflecting only the faint outline of her fingers and the passing shadows from the city outside the taxi window.
For a moment, she only stared at it. Her thumb hovered over the power button, but she didn't press it right away.
Turning on the phone felt a little like opening the door to a room full of people shouting her name.
She already knew what she would find: her father, her aunt, and probably half of her extended family. Calls, messages, guilt, blame, and excuses, all packed neatly in glowing notifications.
Sienna let out a quiet breath and leaned back against the taxi seat.
'Alright,' she murmured softly to herself. 'Let's get this over with.'
Slowly, she pressed the power button.
The phone lit up.
And almost immediately, it began vibrating.
Sienna watched the screen fill with notifications without much surprise. Missed calls stacked one after another, followed by message alerts, emails, and even a few social media notifications she hadn't expected.
The phone vibrated so much that it almost felt alive in her palm.
'Well,' she glanced at the list of missed calls, 'it looks like the entire Adams family held a meeting about me last night.'
Her father's number appeared repeatedly on the screen. Right below it were several calls from her aunt Jenny.
A few cousins had also tried to reach her, which meant the news had probably spread quickly through the family.
Sienna was not interested in participating in that discussion.
Without hesitation, she opened the contact list and began blocking them one by one.
First, her father.
Then her aunt and uncle.
Then the cousins.
Her fingers moved calmly across the screen as she selected each number and pressed the block option. There was something strangely satisfying about watching those names disappear from her recent call list.
This was something she should have done years ago.
Maybe then she wouldn't have spent so many nights dealing with endless requests for money, apologies that meant nothing, and promises that never lasted longer than a week.
Blocking them now felt less like revenge and more like basic self-care.
However, just as she finished blocking them, a text message caught her attention.
It was from her father.
The message arrived last night.
Sienna hesitated for a brief moment before opening it.
"Sienna, I know I haven't always been the perfect father. But everything I've done has always been for your own good. A father only wants to protect his daughter's future."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
The message continued.
"You misunderstood what happened yesterday. You ran away before we could explain things properly. You embarrassed me in front of important people, and now the situation has become very difficult for me."
Sienna stared at the screen for a moment, feeling a mixture of disbelief and irritation. Her father had tried to sell her to a gangster boss… and now he was talking about embarrassment?
The level of shamelessness was almost impressive.
Just as she was about to delete the message, another text message caught her attention.
"Sienna, my daughter, this might be the last message you ever receive from your father. Boss Juan is extremely angry now. He said if you don't come back, he will kill me."
Her fingers tightened around the phone.