Chapter 4

Dinner ended sooner than expected.

Sienna rose and reached for her purse, but Rowan picked it up before she could.

“I’ll drive you home.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a decision.

Rowan had always been like that.

Sienna didn’t bother refusing. It wouldn’t change the outcome. It never had, not even when they were younger.

If Grant was a dictator, Rowan wasn’t much better.

Sometimes, she genuinely wondered what would happen if the two of them ever faced off.

As it turned out, Oakhaven was a much smaller city than it seemed.

The hallway was even colder than the private suite, and Sienna instinctively rubbed her arms as they stepped outside.

Then she spotted someone around the corner and stopped dead.

A familiar figure stood outside another private suite about thirty feet away, talking on the phone. He wore a gray suit, his tall frame impossible to mistake.

Grant’s executive assistant.

Caleb.

If Caleb was here, Grant had to be here too.

Sienna froze, her mind going blank.

She didn’t want Grant to see her.

She didn’t want to explain herself, and she certainly didn’t want to hear him demand, “Who is this man?”

Throughout their three-year marriage, she’d explained herself far too many times.

Each explanation had felt like a desperate attempt to prove she hadn’t done anything wrong.

She didn’t want to explain anymore.

She didn’t even want to see Grant again.

Sienna took half a step back, nearly bumping into Rowan’s chest.

“Let’s go the other way,” she whispered. “There’s another elevator over there.”

Until the divorce was finalized, she didn’t want to create any unnecessary conflict.

Rowan glanced toward the end of the hallway and immediately understood why she was acting this way.

His hand closed around her wrist.

“Sisi.”

His voice came from above her, carrying an emotion she couldn’t identify.

“What are you hiding from?”

Sienna didn’t know.

She’d already asked for a divorce.

She’d already moved out.

Soon, their marriage would be over for good.

Yet the instant she saw Caleb, her heart still lurched.

It was as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.

Or perhaps she was afraid.

But afraid of what?

That Grant would see her with another man?

It was ridiculous.

What exactly was she afraid of?

She quickly found an excuse for herself.

If Grant saw her with Rowan, the divorce could become far more complicated.

He might accuse her of cheating, claim the moral high ground, and use it against her during the property settlement.

She tried to pull her wrist free, but Rowan’s grip only tightened.

He started walking toward Caleb with an almost leisurely expression.

Sienna stumbled as he pulled her along.

“Rowan,” she hissed. “Let go of me.”

He ignored her.

He didn’t even slow down. Every step was measured, firm, and utterly uncompromising.

Caleb finished his call and looked up.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Mrs. Sullivan?”

When he saw how close Sienna and Rowan were, the color drained from his face. He instinctively glanced at the door behind him.

Sienna tried to pull her hand free again, but Rowan had no intention of releasing her.

She turned to glare at him.

The amusement in his eyes was unmistakable.

Sienna gritted her teeth.

He was doing this on purpose.

The next second, the door to the private suite opened.

Grant stepped into the hallway with his phone in his hand, apparently replying to a message.

He glanced at Caleb first.

Then he followed Caleb’s gaze and saw Sienna.

Next, he saw Rowan.

Finally, his eyes landed on Rowan’s hand wrapped around Sienna’s wrist.

The air froze.

Grant narrowed his eyes, slipped his phone into his pocket, and stared at Sienna with a questioning look.

Wasn’t she going to explain herself?

Sienna stood rooted to the spot.

Rowan still hadn’t released her.

The tension in the hallway was suffocating. Caleb quietly backed into the private suite, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe.

Rowan’s gaze moved between Sienna and Grant.

After a moment, he laughed.

“Small world, Mr. Sullivan.”

Grant didn’t even look at him.

His eyes remained fixed on Sienna, and a faint smile touched his lips. But when he spoke, his voice was cold enough to freeze the air.

“Come here.”

The words came out through clenched teeth.

Rowan released her wrist.

Sienna had just started to relax when her heart leaped into her throat again.

Rowan calmly walked toward Grant, his tone light and casual.

“Long time no see, Mr. Sullivan.”

Grant finally tore his gaze away from Sienna and looked at the man standing before him.

They were almost exactly the same height.

Grant recognized him.

Rowan Reed, CEO of Riverton Group.

He was an enigmatic rising star who had burst onto the international business scene three years ago. No one seemed to know where he’d come from, but his ruthless methods had quickly made him impossible to ignore.

Grant had met him once at an international business forum.

Rowan had been just as calm and self-assured then. As they passed each other, he’d said without explanation, “We’ll meet again.”

At the time, Rowan had only been a regional director at Riverton.

In just three years, he’d risen to become the company’s CEO.

Clearly, his ambition and cunning weren’t to be underestimated.

What Grant hadn’t expected was to see the man standing before him with his hand around his wife’s wrist.

“Mr. Reed?” Grant slipped his hands into his pockets, his gaze openly hostile. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for another man to escort my wife around.”

“Your wife?”

Rowan repeated the words slowly, a smile curving his lips.

“As far as I know, Sisi already had the divorce papers delivered to your office.”

Divorce papers?

Grant’s chest tightened.

His hand clenched into a fist inside his pocket, but his expression didn’t change.

He spoke slowly and calmly.

“It’s nothing more than a minor disagreement between husband and wife. It’s none of your concern.”

Grant moved to step around him, but Rowan shifted sideways and blocked his path.

“A minor disagreement?”

His voice remained calm.

“You reassigned the specialist her father was counting on to another woman’s family. Then you disappeared without a word and left her alone in Oakhaven. Is that what you call a minor disagreement?”

Grant went still.

His eyes locked on Sienna, mockery creeping into his expression.

“My wife certainly tells you everything. I didn’t realize she was so eager to share our private affairs with outsiders.”

Sienna’s hands clenched tightly as she stared at Rowan, her expression conflicted.

He knew she’d been searching for suppliers.

He knew she’d sent the divorce papers to Sullivan Corporation.

He even knew exactly what had driven her to ask for a divorce.

Had he investigated her again?

What exactly was he trying to do?

Rowan glanced back at her with a faint smile.

“My relationship with Sisi isn’t nearly as simple as you seem to think.”

It was a challenge.

A blatant one.

The smile on Grant’s face nearly vanished.

Anger clouded his judgment so completely that he misread the look Sienna was giving Rowan.

“Sisi?”

Grant planted a hand firmly on Rowan’s shoulder, his icy stare sharp enough to cut through him.

“We’ll be leaving now, Mr. Reed. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

With that, he grabbed Sienna’s arm without giving her any chance to object.

She tried to pull free, but his tightly controlled voice sounded beside her ear.

“Don’t look back.”

Rowan watched until they disappeared around the end of the hallway.

Only then did the smile fade completely from his face.

He idly turned the ring around his index finger and murmured under his breath.

“Long time no see, Grant Sullivan.”