Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 36

"Jarred, I already moved out. Wasn't leaving Sterling Manor to the two of you enough? Why did you have to bring her here just to make me sick?"

Jarred was just bracing himself against the sofa to head toward the bathroom. Hearing her accusation, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He glanced at her, a careless smirk playing on his lips. "Is this place some kind of sacred sanctuary? Why shouldn't she come here?"

Without sparing her another look, he pushed open the bathroom door. The moment it clicked shut, Sienna's entire body shook.

She stood rooted to the spot, her knuckles turning white.

The knocking at the door was relentless, each strike more deliberate than the last.

Unable to take it anymore, Sienna stormed over and yanked the door open, her voice ice-cold. "You're loud as hell! Knock one more time, and I'm calling the cops for harassment."

Celeste stood there, dressed in seasonal haute couture, her makeup flawless.

Seeing the fury blazing in Sienna's eyes, she didn't get angry. Instead, she curled her lips into a mocking sneer.

Her gaze swept the apartment. Not spotting Jarred anywhere, she arched an eyebrow. "I didn't think you actually moved out. So you're really determined to divorce him?"

The smugness in her eyes practically overflowed, as if she were flaunting that she was about to take Sienna's place.

Sienna sneered inwardly and effortlessly struck her right where it hurt, her tone light but lethal: "What's wrong? Hasn't he confessed his love to you yet?"

Celeste's face instantly dropped.

Sienna knew she had hit the bullseye. "That doesn't make sense. A dominant guy like him is all action when he's obsessed."

She casually pushed back a lock of hair near her temple, exposing a faint pink mark on her neck.

It was just a scratch she had accidentally given herself yesterday, but under the dim, suggestive lighting, it looked exactly like a hickey.

Celeste took the bait instantly. Her eyes locked onto the red mark, then flicked to the closed bathroom door, suddenly realizing what must have been happening right before she arrived.

But she quickly slapped her smug mask back on. "Why should I stoop to arguing with a pathetic loser? It's bad enough you were kicked out, but now you're unemployed too. So, Dr. Sloan, how are you enjoying all this free time?"

He was banking on the fact that this apartment was her grandfather's legacy—her only weakness.

But Sienna didn't back down an inch. "My grandfather's dying wish was for me to be happy. If he knew this apartment would become a shackle tying me down, he'd want me to let it go."

She glared at the two of them with absolute disgust. "Get the hell out. I don't run a garbage dump, and I certainly don't want either of you here."

With a resounding slam, the door shut firmly in their faces.

Jarred stood in the hallway, his brow furrowed deeply.

The look in her eyes when she said she'd willingly abandon her grandfather's inheritance made his chest inexplicably tight.

"Jarred, what did she mean by that? Did she just call us trash?" Celeste whined in dissatisfaction.

Jarred finally turned to look at her, a profound irritation in his eyes that she had never seen before. "How did you even find this place?"