I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 114

Isaac massaged his temples.

"Mr. Zane, the board might still push back on this proposal."

"On what grounds?"

"The budget. Your usual commission rate is astronomical. We'll never get it approved."

"I'm not charging you."

"If you do it for free, it's going to spark rumors. The moment your name is attached, everyone will know. You are, after all, one of the most famous young contemporary artists in the country."

Paxton laughed.

"Director Holloway, people gossiped plenty when I lost millions on my last exhibition. If I cared about rumors, I would've quit the art world years ago."

Isaac studied him, then looked over at Sienna. Finally, he nodded.

"Leave the designs with me. I'll pitch them to the board."

Sienna breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

But things didn't go as smoothly as she had hoped.

Paxton's proposal was stuck in bureaucratic limbo for three agonizing days.

Board members questioned Paxton's qualifications, some debated the mural's necessity, and one executive even openly accused Isaac of "using his position to stroke his own ego."

Sienna heard all the brutal gossip through Penny. Sitting in the breakroom, she gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

On the fourth day, Paxton called her.

"Dr. Sterling, did that mural project hit a wall?"

Sienna didn't answer.

"How did you know?"

"I have my sources. Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes, deliberately trying to sink Isaac's project."

Sienna's grip tightened. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I've already drafted a formal letter to your hospital directors, clearly outlining the project's philanthropic value, my artistic credentials, and the zero-cost commitment. I've also reached out to a few friends in the media. If they run a positive feature on the initiative, it'll force the board's hand."

Sienna fell silent for a long moment.

"Paxton, why are you going to such lengths for this?"

The line went quiet for a few seconds.

"Because it involves you. If it matters to you, it matters to me."

Sienna was rendered speechless.

"Don't feel pressured," Paxton added hastily. "It's honestly no big deal. Don't overthink it."

"I'm not overthinking it," Sienna replied softly. "Thank you."

She hung up, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

In the beginning, she had found Paxton utterly insufferable.

He had humiliated her publicly at his exhibition, relentlessly stalked her to apologize, and now, he was moving mountains to help her without asking for a dime.

She simply didn't know how to deal with him anymore.

A week later, the project was officially greenlit.

Isaac came looking for Sienna just as she finished stabilizing a critical patient in the ER.

She had just changed into a fresh lab coat and scrubbed out.

She found Isaac standing by the door, holding the approved documents.

With that, he scooped up a hefty portion of his braised pork and dumped it directly onto her plate.

Sienna stared at the sudden mountain of meat on her plate, completely speechless.

Paxton was a chatterbox, effortlessly keeping the conversation flowing without a hint of awkwardness.

"I have eight cats, by the way!"

Sienna's eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?"

The two of them quickly fell into an easy, animated conversation.

They looked like old, familiar friends.

Near the cafeteria entrance, Finn stood frozen.

He was dressed in a sharp, navy-blue trench coat, clutching a medical report in his hand.

He had passed. He was finally cleared to fly again.

But as he stood there, watching those two laughing together, he couldn't feel a single ounce of joy.

Sienna was actually smiling.

She could act so friendly and completely unguarded around a man like Paxton.

Why was he the only one shut out?

Gripping his own tray, Finn marched over.

"What a coincidence," he stated, setting his tray down right beside Sienna. "You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

The smile instantly vanished from Sienna's face.