The pearl brooch hit the bottom of the trash can with a sharp clatter, sounding exactly like something breaking.
Sienna watched it fall, feeling as if someone had just carved a massive hole in her chest, letting the freezing wind howl straight through.
She slowly lifted her head to look at Silas.
His eyes were filled with pity, concern, and just a hint of reprimand, as if silently scolding her for wearing such a cheap trinket.
But looking closer, his gaze was completely hollow.
The pity and concern looked like cheap stage makeup—peel it back, and there was absolutely nothing underneath.
A sudden, chilling realization hit Sienna. Maybe Silas throwing the brooch away wasn't just him making a fashion choice for her. He was sending a clear message: from now on, he would arrange every single aspect of her life.
And her past wasn't even worth mentioning.
Sienna didn't utter a single word.
Silas treated her too well—so well that she couldn't possibly justify throwing a fit over a cheap piece of jewelry.
It would make her look totally unhinged.
The more intense her emotions grew, the deeper she forced them down.
If she couldn't fight back right now, she had to play along.
She needed to see exactly what kind of monster Silas Hayes truly was.
Once she knew for sure, she would make her move.
Silas had booked a private dining room on the sixty-sixth floor of the Metropolis Trade Center.
The room was impeccably quiet, isolated from the world below. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning panoramic view of the city's skyline, with the endless stream of traffic looking like glowing rivers in the dusk.
Director Cross had greying hair and wore silver-rimmed glasses, exuding the distinguished aura of an academic.
Sienna noticed that the usually arrogant, commanding Silas was acting incredibly humble and low-key, taking on the demeanor of a respectful student.
When Silas introduced her, he didn't mention they were dating. He simply said:
"This is a doctor from Mercy International, the lead investigator on the multi-center research project."
Director Cross opened Sienna's portfolio, slowly turning the pages one by one.
With every page he finished, he gave an approving nod.
Finally, he closed the folder and took off his glasses.
"The data is incredibly solid, and your follow-up methodology is excellent. This research direction has a very bright future."


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There are so many more chapters, why did you discontinue updating it n marked as complete Requesting you to kindly undate...