Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 237

He stood beneath the corridor lights, his black dress shirt accentuating his cold, handsome features.

His face was like a masterpiece sculpted by the gods, every angle carved to absolute perfection.

Yet at this moment, a storm of agonizing emotions surged violently in his dark eyes.

It was as if thousands of unspoken words were lodged in his throat, rendering him entirely speechless as he stared intensely at her.

Dr. Vance's gaze flickered, instantly reading the taut, suffocating tension between the two of them.

He discreetly glanced beside him at the still, impassive Sienna.

Sienna's expression was utterly detached. She stared straight ahead, treating the emotionally turbulent man before her as completely invisible, as distant as a total stranger.

Supporting Dr. Vance, she stepped sideways to bypass him, but her wrist was suddenly captured by a forceful, unyielding grip.

A knowing glint flashed through the older man's seasoned eyes.

He chuckled and patted Sienna's hand. "It seems he has something to say to you. My car is right downstairs, I can walk myself. Remember what you promised—come visit me this weekend."

"Dr. Vance..." Sienna tried to insist.

The older man waved his hand, signaling his assistant to help him. He turned and stepped into the elevator, his strides steady and vigorous, completely unlike a man in his seventies.

The air in the corridor froze.

Sienna slowly raised her eyes, her gaze dropping to the wrist trapped in his tight grasp. A cold, mocking smile tugged at her lips.

"Mr. Sterling, what is the meaning of this?"

Endless ripples of emotion churned in Jarred's deep eyes. A thousand feelings crushed down on his throat, tumbling over one another until they condensed into a single, hoarse whisper. "...Sienna."

His hand clamped down painfully tight, refusing to yield even a fraction of an inch.

Sienna looked up slowly, a thin layer of frost settling over her features. "I thought we had made everything perfectly clear between us."

Resting his chin on the crown of her head, his scorching breath dusted her hair. "I didn't know... I swear I didn't know there was such a massive misunderstanding..."

He tightened his hold, as if terrified she would vanish. "I have never felt anything for Celeste. Never.

I had no idea Gideon and the others thought of us like that. No one had ever said those things to my face.

I thought... I thought everyone was just joking around, and that once the joke was over, it meant nothing. I never expected..."

His voice was hoarse and broken, carrying a profound, hidden panic.

Sienna was locked so tightly in his arms that her very bones ached.

She slowly tipped her face up, a mild, polite smile pooling in her eyes, yet entirely devoid of warmth.

"Why are you telling me this? First, I'm not the one you favor, and second, I'm not one of your loyal buddies."

Staring into her absolutely apathetic eyes, a bolt of pure terror struck Jarred's heart.