The message continues, lacking any shame.
"You have always been a kind daughter. I know you won't let something happen to me. If you come back and meet him, everything can still be solved. A daughter should help her father when he is in trouble. Don't let your father die because of your stubbornness."
Sienna read the message twice.
A long breath slowly escaped her lips.
If she hadn't overheard the conversation in the hospital room yesterday, she might have believed every word of his text.
She might have rushed back to Evercrest immediately, terrified that something terrible would happen to her father.
That was exactly the reaction he expected.
But things are different now.
Yesterday had changed something inside her.
The image of her father laughing casually about selling her to settle his gambling debt was still clear in her mind. That single moment had erased years of excuses she had made for him.
Sienna locked the phone and slipped it back into her bag.
Her gaze drifted toward the window as the taxi continued moving through the hectic streets of Silver City.
Morning traffic had begun to fill the roads, and people hurried along the sidewalks with the usual rhythm of the new workday.
For a moment, she simply watched the city pass by.
'Jacob Adams, I don't consider you my family anymore. So, I don't care whether Boss Juan kills you or lets you live...'
The words felt strange in her mind, but they also brought a sense of relief she hadn't expected.
She exhaled slowly and pushed the entire matter aside.
Right now, she has a much more urgent problem.
Sienna leaned slightly forward and glanced at the digital clock displayed on the taxi's dashboard.
Her eyes widened.
'Damn it! I'm definitely late...'
She straightened in her seat and looked toward the driver with renewed urgency.
"Sir," she said politely but quickly, "if you could drive a little faster, I would be extremely grateful."
Being chased by gangsters the previous night had certainly been stressful.
But arriving late to her morning meeting?
For some reason, that felt like a disaster on a different level.
...
By the time Sienna reached the office door, she was slightly out of breath. She was standing in the corridor of the Imperial Hotel's administrative floor, one hand reaching for the door handle of the booking department.
Just as her fingers were about to push the door open, a familiar male voice sounded from behind her.
"Good morning, Big Boss…"
Sienna froze. Her hand stopped mid-air before she slowly turned around and saw Riley walking down the corridor toward her with a relaxed smile on his face.
Riley Davis worked in the same department as Sienna and was also her best friend. He was two years younger than her, cheerful, talkative, and had a talent for cracking jokes at the worst possible moments.
He held two cups of coffee carefully in both hands, moving like a man who had mastered the delicate art of carrying caffeine without spilling a single drop.
Sienna narrowed her eyes at him when she heard him call her that.
She begins to worry that if Angie, their actual big boss in the division, finds out about it, she might flip out.
"Stop calling me that," she said flatly. "Or someone might punish you."
Riley grinned even wider, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"Well, you are indeed my boss..." he corrected playfully, placing extra emphasis on the title. "I'm simply showing respect for my superior."
"Respect?" Sienna shook her head, "You only remember respect when you want something in return."
Riley laughed softly and held one of the cups out toward her.
"Your favorite," he said, ignoring her annoyance.
Sienna accepted the latte without hesitation. "Thank you," she replied, taking a small sip.
The warm taste of coffee immediately eased the tension in her shoulders. It felt like her brain had finally received the fuel it desperately needed to function normally.
She glanced at the wall clock in the corridor and realized she had arrived just in time.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips.
'Good,' she thought. 'My career survives another day.'
She turned back toward Riley, who was now leaning casually against the wall while sipping his own coffee. He looks so handsome in his white slim-fit shirt, with sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Let's not waste time standing here," she said, pushing the office door open. "We should go to the meeting room."
Riley followed her inside.
But the moment Sienna stepped into the office, she immediately stopped.
Her brows slowly drew together in confusion.
A few of their colleagues were still inside the room, sitting at their desks or chatting quietly near the windows.
Sienna frowned.
Then she looked at the clock again.
"Huh?" Her voice carried clear confusion. "Why are you guys still here?"
The meeting was supposed to start in a few minutes.
At this hour, everyone should already be in the meeting room upstairs. Instead, the entire Front Office department looked suspiciously relaxed.
Before anyone could answer, Sienna hurried toward her desk at the end of the room.
She dropped her bag on the chair and quickly bent down to switch her sneakers for the pair of black high heels she kept under the desk.
If there was one thing she had learned from working at the Imperial Hotel, it was that appearances mattered.
A lot.
Sneakers were comfortable. But they were not exactly "professional meeting" material.
She slipped into the heels quickly and stood up, adjusting her balance.
Then she reached up and unfastened the hair tie from her messy bun. Her long, wavy ginger-brown hair spilled down her back, slightly tangled from the hurried morning.
Sienna ran her fingers through it a few times, trying to make it look presentable without the help of a mirror.
She had just taken a step away from the desk when Riley spoke behind her.
"You don't need to go upstairs... the meeting is canceled."
Sienna's foot stopped mid-step.
For a moment, she thought she had heard him wrong.
Slowly, she turned around.
"What?"
Riley took another calm sip of his coffee. The other hand rests in his trouser pocket.
"The meeting," he repeated casually. "Canceled."
Sienna stared at him. Her brain needed a few seconds to process the sentence.
'The meeting was canceled?'
She had rushed to arrive on time, only to find out the meeting was canceled.
She looked down at the cup of coffee on the table.
Then back at Riley.
"You're joking, right?" she said.
Riley shook his head, still looking far too relaxed for someone delivering such devastating news. "Nope."
Sienna nearly laughed, "I rushed here..."
He nodded sympathetically. "I noticed."
"I spent money on a taxi," she continued.
"Very tragic," Riley agreed.
Sienna sighed and stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"And you're only telling me this now?"
Riley raised both hands defensively.
"In my defense," he said with a grin, "you looked very passionate and determined when you walked in. I didn't want to ruin your dramatic entrance."