Chapter 001

‎Sienna’s POV

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The number Twenty-five stared back at me from the glittering gold candles resting on top of my birthday cake, their tiny flames dancing beneath the dim lights of the VIP lounge while my friends sang terribly off-key.

‎“You two sound like dying cats,” I teased, covering my ears as Zara deliberately sang louder just to annoy me.

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‎April clapped her hands dramatically. “Excuse me? This is premium-quality singing.”

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‎“It sounds like attempted murder.”

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‎The three of us burst into laughter, drawing curious glances from people at neighboring tables before returning to our own celebration.

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‎I leaned back against the velvet couch and allowed myself to breathe.

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‎Turning Twenty-five for most people was simply another birthday. For me, it marked the beginning of a completely different life.

‎As the only daughter of one of the country’s most influential businessmen, birthdays had never just been birthdays. Every age came with another expectation, another responsibility, another milestone that had already been planned years before I was even old enough to understand them.

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‎My father believed emotions complicated business and children should earn their place rather than inherit it.

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‎Which was exactly why today mattered.

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‎The moment I turned twenty-five, I would officially begin working at Ashford Holdings. A partner company managed by his best friend, Dylan Ashford.

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‎Tomorrow morning, I would walk into my father’s best friend's company and everyone would expect me to prove I deserved my last name.

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‎Honestly, I wasn’t afraid of the job. ‎I had spent years preparing for it. I was only afraid of disappointing the one man whose approval always felt just out of reach.

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‎“You’ve gone quiet.” April nudged my shoulder gently.

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‎“What are you thinking about?”

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‎“My funeral.” I said, and she frowned.

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‎“What?”

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‎“My corporate funeral,” I corrected dramatically. “Starting tomorrow, my father's best friend owns my soul.”

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‎Zara snorted into her drink.

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‎“I give you exactly three days before you start terrorizing the board members.”

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‎“I would never.”

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‎“You absolutely would.”

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‎“I’d only terrorize the sexist ones.”

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‎“There it is.”

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‎We laughed again, and for a moment, everything felt wonderfully normal.

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‎I reached for my phone instinctively. No calls or messages from my boyfriend. Jason. He‎ hadn’t even sent a simple birthday message.

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‎I stared at our chat, the last conversation still sitting unread from six hours ago. The message was me asking if he was coming to my birthday celebration tonight but there was no reply.

‎I swallowed the tiny knot forming in my throat.

‎“He still hasn’t answered?” Zara asked quietly.

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‎I forced a quick smile. ‎“Maybe he’s planning a surprise.”

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‎The moment the words left my mouth, I knew how pathetic they sounded. ‎Neither Zara nor April responded.

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‎Their silence said everything. ‎Jason and I had been together for almost four years.

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‎Four years of believing we were building a future together and defending him every time my father reminded me that love didn’t pay bills. And I kept insisting that Jason wasn’t after my money.

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‎I had paid his university fees after he lost his scholarship. ‎Bought him his first car because he couldn’t afford transportation to work.

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‎Helped him rent an apartment. Invested in the business idea he abandoned six months later. ‎Covered hospital bills for his mother without ever expecting repayment.

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‎Every single time he promised me. ‎“When I make it, Sienna, I’ll repay every penny.”

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‎I never wanted repayment, ‎I only wanted him.

‎

The club doors swung open just as another burst of laughter escaped our table, and a group of people strolled inside like they owned the place.

I barely spared them a glance, my attention still fixed on the half-empty glass in front of me, until Zara suddenly grabbed my forearm with enough force to make me look up.

"Sienna..." she whispered, her voice unusually tight. "Don't react immediately, okay? Just... look."

Something in her tone made my stomach tighten before I even followed the direction of her gaze.

My eyes landed on Jason standing by the entrance with his arm wrapped comfortably around a woman, holding her so naturally that it was obvious this wasn't the first time he'd done it.

It wasn't just any woman but Vanessa.

The very same Vanessa he'd spent years complaining about. The same woman he'd called manipulative, arrogant, and obsessed with him since high school.

The same Vanessa he'd laughed about whenever I jokingly teased him over her.

She threw her head back laughing at something he whispered into her ear before he leaned down and kissed her.

Everything around me disappeared. The music faded into nothing but distant noise, conversations blurred together until I couldn't make out a single word, and for one terrifying second, I wasn't even sure my heart was still beating.

April frowned when she noticed my expression before following my line of sight.

The second she saw them, her eyes widened.

"Oh my God..."

A curse slipped from her lips under her breath while Zara's grip on my arm tightened.

"I swear I'm going to kill him."

"No."

The word left my mouth so calmly that even I was surprised by it.

"I'll handle it."

Before either of them could stop me, I stood.

Every step toward Jason felt impossibly heavy, like someone had tied weights around my ankles, but I forced myself to keep walking with my head held high.

If my heart wanted to shatter, it could do that later. Jason noticed me when I was only a few steps away. "S-Sienna..."

His eyes darted toward Vanessa before returning to me.

"Babe, I can explain."

I looked from him to the woman standing beside him before a quiet laugh escaped my lips.

"Really?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks pretty self-explanatory."

He rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to meet my eyes. "It isn't what it looks like."

I folded my arms across my chest. "You've got exactly one chance, Jason."

He instinctively reached for my hand and I took a step back before he could touch me.

"We were just talking." He said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Including the kissing? My voice remained steady despite the storm raging inside me.

"Do you think that I'm stupid?” I yelled.

By then, people had already started paying attention. The music continued playing, but conversations around us slowly died down as curious eyes turned in our direction.

Whispers spread through the crowd, and suddenly I could feel dozens of strangers watching the collapse of a relationship that had taken me four years to build.

Jason looked embarrassed.

“Let's not do this here, Sienna.” His shoulders slumped as though I were making things difficult for him.

“Jason” I almost yelled.

“Accept it, you and I live in completely different worlds." Jason retorted.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" I asked him immediately.

He sighed dramatically before running a hand through his hair. "It means you're always acting like you're better than everyone else."

For a second, I honestly thought I'd misheard him. “I'm acting better?"

"Yes, Sienna. You solve every problem by throwing money at it."

My heart tightened at his words. Jason was so fucking ungrateful. "Are we talking about the same money that paid your university tuition?"

Jason's jaw tightened and he clenched his fist.

"The same money that bought your first car because yours broke down?. The apartment you've been living in for the last two years?"

"Sienna..." He tried to speak.

"The business you begged me to invest in before abandoning it six months later?"

"Enough, Sienna.”

"No." I replied, shaking my head. "I'm not finished." I declared.

"I never once made you feel inferior because you didn't have money. I never kept score. I never asked you to repay me. I stood beside you every single time someone, including my own father, warned me that you were only with me because of what I could give you."

My throat tightened painfully, but I refused to let the tears forming in my eyes fall.

"And this..." I gestured between him and Vanessa. "This is how you choose to thank me?"

Jason scoffed at my statement

"You know what your problem is?"

"No, Jason. Tell me." I laughed hysterically.

"You're a spoiled daddy's girl. You've never had to fight for anything in your life.". He looked at me as though I were the one who had betrayed him.

"You think buying things means you understand people."

Beside him, Vanessa crossed her arms and watched with a smug little smile that made my stomach churn.

Then Jason looked me straight in the eye.

"I got tired of pretending."

"You know what? I'm actually grateful." I said to Jason and he paused. I watched his eyebrows pull together.

"If you'd broken up with me honestly..." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I probably would've begged you to stay."

Jason frowned and his expression hardened.

I glanced at Vanessa before looking back at him. "You've made letting go a lot easier."

Slowly, I slipped the promise ring from my finger.

The ring he'd placed there two years ago while promising we'd spend the rest of our lives together.

I placed it in his palm before gently closing his fingers around it.

"Happy freedom, Jason."

Without waiting for another word, I turned around and walked away. I wouldn't cry in front of him, he didn't deserve that.

The second I reached Zara and April, they wrapped their arms around me without saying a word. Together, we returned to our table, and only then did the first tear finally escape.

"I hate him," Zara muttered.

"So do I," April said quietly.

I wiped my eyes, picked up the strongest drink on the table, and emptied the glass in one burning gulp. When I finally set the empty glass down, I looked at my friends and managed a small smile.

"I'm done crying over him."

"Sienna..." April said cautiously.

I shook my head.

"No. If Jason thinks I'm some sheltered princess who can't survive without him, then he's about to be proven very, very wrong."

Both of them exchanged glances briefly.

"What exactly are you planning?" Zara asked.

I pushed myself to my feet with a broad smile on my face. "I'm going to do something completely out of character tonight."

Before either of them could question me further, the atmosphere inside the club shifted and heads turned toward the entrance as people instinctively stepped aside.

Several men dressed in black entered first, their sharp eyes sweeping across the room with practiced precision before taking their positions.

Then another man walked in. Tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit.

The club manager hurried over personally, greeting him with obvious respect before leading him toward one of the private sections.

I'd never seen him before. Still, there was something about him that made looking away impossible.

As if sensing my stare, he lifted his head.

Across the crowded club, our eyes met, and for a single heartbeat, everything else disappeared.

I had no idea who he was, but one reckless thought slipped into my mind.

Maybe he could help me end this disastrous birthday on my own terms.

Before I could lose my nerve, I took a slow breath, straightened my dress, and started walking toward the most intimidating man in the room.