Chapter 3
The table went quiet for a second.
Julian smiled smoothly. “She’s young. I’m holding onto it for her.”
“I let her use it for a while before. She supposedly went on an unbelievable spree in just three days. I was worried she’d get taken advantage of, so I kept it safe.”
Sienna looked up.
Her eyes were frosted over. “When did I ever spend that much in three days?”
Julian’s expression didn’t change. His voice just softened. “Sienna, I’m not blaming you.”
“But you can’t pretend things never happened just because you’re upset.”
Sloane finally closed her tablet.
She looked at Sienna with cold eyes. “Enough. Your dad manages things for your own good.”
Sienna’s shoulders tensed. Her mouth stayed hard. “Then keep managing.”
But inside, she felt like something small and wounded being shoved back down.
[For my own good.]
[Taking away my choices is for my own good.]
[Keeping me with almost nothing is for my own good.]
[Telling everyone I waste everything I’m given—also for my own good.]
[Lucky me. What a blessed life.]
The atmosphere at the table had already soured.
Julian kept that same pleasant expression. He even fixed her a bowl of soup.
“Come on, let’s just eat.”
“Grandma doesn’t need to sit through all this.”
Sienna didn’t touch the soup.
Cole looked at her, his voice soft. “Sienna, stop treating everyone’s kindness like an attack.”
“Dad’s given up so much for you.”
“Mom works herself to exhaustion out there, and she still has to come home and deal with your drama.”
“You really need to grow up.”
Sienna let out a hollow laugh. “My mess?”
Cole stopped there, like he was being the bigger person.
“Didn’t the school call again last week?”
Sloane’s brow furrowed. “What call?”
Julian lowered his voice. “It’s really not a big deal.”
“She’s had an issue with her school materials for almost two months. I got a call from her teacher about it.”
“But that same week, someone had ordered an expensive custom outfit in her name.”
“I kept it from you because I didn’t want to add to your stress.”
Sloane’s face turned to stone. “Sienna Kensington. What exactly do you want?”
Sienna stared at the bowl of soup in front of her.
[What do I want?]
[I just want this school issue settled so I don’t have to keep begging for extensions.]
[I don’t want the whole class seeing another notice from the office.]
[And I desperately wanted to know who was actually wearing that outfit.]
My temples were pounding. I built everything from nothing. There are two kinds of people I despise most.
Those who twist the truth behind closed doors. And those who step on the weak while playing the saint.
Right now, both were sitting at my table.
Sloane was still staring at her daughter. “Say something.”
Sienna raised her eyes. “Would you believe me if I did?”
Her voice was sharp. But there was no anger left inside her. Just exhaustion.
[Don’t bother.]
[She’s never even looked me in the eye. Not really.]
[She only ever asks Julian what to do.]
[She’s not my mom. Not really. And this family was never mine.]
Sloane let out a cold laugh. “Oh, so now you won’t even call me Mom?”
Sienna’s lips moved. Finally, two words came out.
“Ms. Kensington.”
The moment those words landed, Sloane’s face turned to ice.
Julian immediately tried to smooth things over. “Sloane, don’t take it personally.”
“She’s just being stubborn. She still cares about you.”
Cole added, “Mom, she’s just jealous, that’s all.”
“She’s convinced you love me more. But it’s not about favoritism. She’s the one who never tries.”
Sienna’s head whipped toward him. “Jealous of you for what?”
Cole paused, then sighed. “Sienna, don’t fight in front of Grandma.”
The more he acted like that, the more unreasonable Sienna seemed.
Sloane picked up her tablet again. As if this argument wasn’t worth another second of her time.
“Julian, handle it.”
She went back to reading her video conference invitation.
I looked at her and suddenly felt like I didn’t know her at all.
This was the heir I trained myself.
She could spot the trap in a business proposal within three minutes.
But she couldn’t see the frayed cuffs on her own daughter’s sleeves.
