Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 184

The anonymous text glaring from the screen pierced Sienna's eyes like a venomous thorn.

[We know you're Jarred's weakness. If you want your brother alive, come to the abandoned suburban warehouse alone. Swap yourself for him. Don't try anything clever, or we won't show mercy.]

Sienna stared at the message, a storm of suspicion instantly brewing in her mind.

Her marriage to Jarred was a fiercely guarded secret.

Even within the Sterling family, only a handful of people knew the truth. The general public had absolutely no idea she existed.

If these kidnappers were truly coming after Jarred, any basic background check would have shown that she and her brother, Owen, were terrible leverage.

The entire world believed Celeste—his beloved foster sister—was the woman Jarred cherished above all else.

When it came to importance in Jarred's life, ten Siennas couldn't compare to one Celeste.

If the kidnappers genuinely wanted to destroy Jarred, why bypass the obvious target to kidnap her sick brother?

Sienna stood completely still, her mind racing as she pieced the glaring inconsistencies together.

The more she analyzed it, the more it felt like a meticulously orchestrated trap designed specifically for her.

Just then, the rhythmic squeak of a wheelchair rolling over the wooden floorboards approached from behind.

Before Sienna could even turn around, a hand reached past her shoulder, casually bumping into her wrist.

The impact knocked her phone out of her grip. It landed face-up on the ground, the sinister text message fully exposed for both of them to see.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

Celeste offered a soft apology, and before Sienna could even bend down, Celeste reached out and scooped up the phone.

Her eyes swept over the glowing screen. She looked up, her face a perfect mask of shock and panic.

"What... what is this? The kidnappers texted you? What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Jarred and ask for his help, or are you actually going to follow their orders and go alone?"

Take off all your accessories right now. Put on clothes without pockets. Do not bring a single item with you. Disobey, and you can prepare a coffin for your brother.]

Those last few words shattered whatever fragments of logic Sienna had left.

Trembling violently, she pushed every other thought from her mind.

She shoved the phone away, spun around, and sprinted back to her bedroom.

Frantically tearing through her luggage, she found a long dress with no pockets and threw it on.

She quickly stripped off all her jewelry.

But the moment her fingers brushed against the pocket watch she carried everywhere, the chaotic haze in her mind vanished, replaced by an unsettling clarity.

Only someone from back home would know she used hypnosis. Only someone who knew her intimately would know about this specific pocket watch.