The Envelope

Chapter 6:

Sienna’s pov

“Goodbye, I love each and every one of you. Even you, Amy,” I said hugging Beth. Amy, of course, wouldn’t give me a hug, we weren’t that close and both of us were always at loggerheads with each other.

I hadn’t told them I would be standing trial. And just like I’d known, none of them knew where I was. I couldn’t blame them though. It was a normal thing for someone who did what I did. Strip dancing.

What I told Beth was that I was moving in with a good friend of mine. It just felt weird explaining all the details of my relationship with Greyson, and more than that there was no way in hell I would introduce him as my husband-to-be just yet or anything in between. If it were possible I would love to leave this part of my life a secret till it was over. I didn’t want to get their hopes high for nothing

With my duffel bag of clothes, I slipped into the car waving one last goodbye to my siblings.

“Ready?” he asked from the driver’s seat.

I turned to him with a forced smile and nodded. “Ready.”

We drove up the upper side of the city. A clear distinction between where I lived and the neighborhood here. He took a turn, through a black gate and down a winding path until we reached the end.

My jaw dropped at the mansion in view. Massive and looming with hectares of land and a garden in front.

“Are you sure you're a lawyer——or a mobster?” I asked just to be sure. It was never wrong to be too sure.

“A lawyer,” he answered with a hint of a smile in his tone as he parked the car. He came down and opened the door for me. Lost in awe, I had forgotten to open it myself.

“So you acquired all this from being a lawyer?” I asked, stepping out to breathe the air here. It was just different.

“I’m a famous lawyer.”

There was another note of smile and arrogance in his voice. I nodded. Fair enough. I would be so fucking arrogant if I lived in such an environment.

He made an attempt to take my duffel bag but I quickly yanked it away and hugged it. “Thank you but I can carry my own bag——and open my own door as well. You see, I have hands.” He quirked a brow and hummed at me.

I trailed behind him and tried not to gawk at the place as he led me into the house. The servant who opened the door immediately greeted him.

“Again, all this from being a lawyer?” I asked, standing in the living room, eye on the chandelier, the long length windows, the stairs, light. Every fucking thing.

“Well, my family is rich.” His tone hinted that he didn’t like associating his wealth and accomplishments with those of his family.

“Ah,” I nodded.

“However, everything here is obtained from my hard work.” He gave a curt reply that let me know that I’d asked too much already.

“Maybe I should have done law in school. I knew the prestigious courses paid off. I just didn't know how. Wow?”

I was led to my room by a servant named Martha, old enough to be my mother—— an unusual weight settled in my chest as I remembered her, the bills, and then the hospital.

Closing my eyes, I imagined what she'd say if she knew I took this deal to make their lives better.

‘Sienna my angel there is more to life than money. Seeing you every day, seeing you smile and complain is wealth in itself. There’s honor in poverty, my sweet child.”

Her hand, wrinkled and calloused wound rub against mine, savoring the softness and the youthfulness while I relished her touch and the warmth.

But there was no honor in being poor. And she was not here to hold my hands and tell me words that were half true but warmth-filled. She was on the hospital bed, death hovering like vultures on rotten meat.

Setting my duffel bag down, I stepped inside the bathroom to have a quick bath but all that welcomed me was warmth and the astonishment of the decor in the bathroom. It was even more fancy than our whole house combined. I took more time than I’d intended. Letting the heat engulf me. Loosening the tight tension in my muscles. It was the best bath I’d had in all my life.

“Oh to have money,” I groaned and relaxed further, forgetting all my troubles——for now.

When I stepped out I rummaged through my old clothes and put on grey free pants and a sweatshirt. After that, I met with Greyson, who asked me to sign a waiver because of our complicated relationship.

Food was served on the dining table. Never in my life have I seen this much food without going broke. I turned to him. “You have your own personal chef?”

He arched a brow at me like it was a normal thing and I scoffed. This wasn’t normal. I assumed he wasn’t going to give me an explanation since it was obvious until I heard him speak.

“It is tedious coming back home at night and cooking. Chefs are necessary.”

“Hmm,” I hummed and allowed my eyes to feast on the food before me. There were so many I could barely finish. I wondered if Amy and Beth would have anything to eat tonight, or if they would have to stretch out a dollar bill to serve till the next day.

The servants left, leaving just the two of us in the dining room, alone. I took this chance to peek at him and I tsked my tongue at his creator.

No wonder there were so many ugly-looking men out there, they gave the best looking features to him. Sharp jawline, grey eyes, full eye brow, perfect lips, tan skin with physique that would compete with the greek gods, Adonis.

“Here. The PIN is 4444,” he said, passing me a matte black metal card over the table that broke my focus from his body. I eyed the card then back to him.

“What for?”

He paused on his food and lifted his head to me. “You’ll use that for now till our deal is over.”

Instantly cold engulfed me. “A black card? You do see well, right?” I didn’t mean to be a ghetto babe, but that was where I was from and I was just confirming for my brain that it wasn’t a dream.

“Yes.”

I stopped eating, suddenly filled. “What if I ran away with it? Better, what if I withdrew all the money and left the city or I went into hiding?” I shifted closer to the table with our gaze locked together, “don’t you think?”

The side of his lips curved into a smile, a glint in his eyes with a slight raise of his brow. “You have an ankle monitor,” he said, pointing. “How exactly do you plan to run?”

I slumped over the chair. He was right, I couldn’t do any of the above I listed with this on my leg. “I see. but it’s still too much.”

“We have a deal, Sienna. I’m upholding my side of the bargain. It’s nothing serious.”

If I weren’t so stoned, I’d think this was a dream. A fucking crazy one. Slowly my fingers crept on the cold metal table and wrapped around the card, sliding it over to me. When I lifted the card. It felt heavy on my fingers then I looked back at him.

Then I looked back at him—— and screamed, jumping and raising the card. A black card. A black fucking card in my hand!

I never thought I’d see one of these, let more of touching it before I died. I get to have this for two years! Oh, I was screaming at the top of my lungs from joy then I ran over to him, without a flicker of thought wrapped my arms around him, and kissed his head.

“You are my sweet, sweet husband!! I can even carry three children. Or four. Name it!”

“Sir,” Martha walked in with an envelope in her hand whilst I froze with my arms wrapped around Greyson, my lips on his head.

I cleared my throat and stepped back from him. My character wasn’t very ladylike.

He took the envelope from her and thanked her then he unwrapped it just as I was walking back to my chair. But then the energy in the room changed to ice cold, breath hitched with clenched fist.

“What is it?” I asked, already moving towards him when he handed me the envelope. The black card I was holding felt weightless now in my hand as I read the message.

‘Drop the case and do not proceed for your good.’