I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 121

The private room fell dead silent for a moment.

The affluent wives exchanged bewildered glances. None of them knew exactly what had just happened, but anyone could tell that Yolanda Fletcher’s expression had turned disastrous.

Sienna Sterling!

The very woman Yolanda despised with every fiber of her being had appeared right in front of her without warning.

Yolanda's face drained of color, flushed a furious red, and then shifted to a mottled, sickly pale. Her fingers gripped her teacup so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"What are you doing here?" Yolanda blurted out, nearly abandoning her carefully curated elegance.

"I'm the owner of this establishment," Sienna replied with a natural, impeccably polite smile. "You asked for the boss, so here I am."

The teacup slipped from Yolanda's grasp, shattering into jagged pieces across the floor.

Hot tea splashed onto her dark red designer dress, blooming into an ugly, dark stain.

She didn't even look down, her eyes entirely fixated on Sienna.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I am the owner of Serenity Books," Sienna stood before the table, her posture perfectly straight. "The sole owner."

Yolanda nearly choked on her own breath.

The sophisticated façade she had just built up in front of these wealthy women came crashing down in a single instant.

Sienna stood there in a crisp, clean white blouse, completely devoid of any flashy jewelry. Yet, in that moment, Yolanda felt as though her own pearls, emeralds, and velvet trimmings were incredibly tacky by comparison.

The surrounding women looked at one another in profound discomfort.

The atmosphere grew stiflingly awkward.

Someone quickly stepped in to break the ice.

"Mrs. Fletcher, who is this..."

Yolanda's expression twisted several times before she barely managed to paste on a composed look.

"Oh, she... she's a friend of our Chloe's. You know how it is, Chloe is heavily involved in the calligraphy association and is just too busy, so she has others manage the place for her."

She rushed through her explanation, abruptly standing up and grabbing her handbag.

"Well, since Chloe is clearly unavailable today, we'll be taking our leave now, ladies..."

"Excuse me, valued customer."

Sienna spoke up.

Her voice wasn't loud, but Yolanda's feet stopped as if nailed to the floorboards.

"Seeing your exquisite attire and obvious high status, I assume you are a woman of importance," Sienna looked at her, her gaze terrifyingly calm. "But I'm afraid I don't understand a word you're saying. I am the sole owner of Serenity Books, not managing it for anyone else. And as for this 'Chloe' you mentioned, who is she? I've never even heard of such a person."

Yolanda's face turned a deep, furious crimson.

She opened her mouth, but it felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her throat.

She had spent decades securing her fate through marriage.

This was the first time she had ever faced such utter humiliation!

No one spared Yolanda another glance.

Yolanda stood there like a forgotten statue.

Just moments ago, she had claimed Sienna was "Chloe's friend" who was "managing the shop." Now that the group recognized Sienna as the prominent doctor from the news, Yolanda's blatant lies crumbled before her eyes.

One of the women stood up.

"Mrs. Fletcher, I just remembered I have matters to attend to at home. I'll be going now."

Another quickly followed suit.

"I should get going too. Let's get together another time."

One by one, they filed out.

They practically fled, as if terrified of being dragged into some messy upper-class scandal.

Soon, Yolanda was the only one left in the room.

She stood there, glaring in the direction Sienna had gone, her fists clenched so tight they trembled while her chest heaved violently.

Outside the bookstore, the sunlight was golden and warm.

Sienna stood on the steps, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

The April breeze carried the sweet scent of lilacs, gently lifting the collar of her blouse.

Paxton Zane strolled up beside her.