Chapter 9: The Phone Call

Sienna’s Point Of View

The clock on the wall of the waiting room kept ticking. Each second felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. Leo and Toby were still sleeping on the wide chairs, wrapped in soft warm blankets. I stood near the glass window, looking down at the quiet garden below, holding my hands together so tightly my fingers felt cold. On the small table in the corner, the television screen was turned on with the sound turned down low. A news reporter stood outside the high glass building of Sterling Enterprises. A massive crowd of reporters, cameras, and microphones was packed around the main entrance. Suddenly, the screen changed to show the big stage inside the company building. Damon walked out onto the stage. He looked tall, calm, and imposing in his dark suit. He did not look nervous or upset by the news stories spreading across the city. He walked straight to the small stand in the center of the stage, surrounded by flashlights and loud shouting from the reporters. A loud voice from a reporter filled the room. "Mr. Sterling! Is it true that you married a former house cleaner? Is this marriage a cover for a private legal deal?" "Mr. Sterling!" another reporter shouted. "Miss Montclair says the three children are not yours! Are you being lied to?"

Damon raised one hand, and the entire room fell dead silent instantly. His power was absolute. "Five years ago," Damon began, his deep voice carrying clearly through the television speakers, "a crime was committed against my family. Sienna Mercer was drugged at the Grand Regency Hotel. The people involved tried to ruin her life and keep us apart." The reporters gasped loud enough to be heard through the broadcast. Damon did not pause. "Sienna Mercer raised my three children Leo, Toby, and Mia all by herself for five long years without taking a single dollar from anyone. She protected them, fed them, and loved them through hardship. Yesterday, a DNA test proved beyond any doubt that I am their biological father." He pressed a button on the stand, and a giant screen behind him lit up. It displayed the official hospital legal papers showing the 99.9% DNA match, along with old bank records and security videos from five years ago. "To Clarissa Montclair and anyone else spreading lies about my family," Damon continued, his light-brown eyes turning icy cold on screen, "my legal team has already filed lawsuit papers for lying and defamation. Starting today, Sterling Enterprises will cut off all business connections with the Montclair family and any company that supports them." He leaned closer to the microphone, looking straight into the camera lens looking straight at me?

"Sienna Mercer is my legal wife. Leo, Toby, and Mia are my legal children and sole heirs. Anyone who disrespects my wife or my children from this day forward will answer to me directly!" Without taking a single question, Damon turned on his heel and walked off the stage, leaving the room of reporters in absolute shock. My hand went up to my mouth. My chest was heaving, tears filling my eyes. He hadn't just protected his own name he had stood up in front of the entire world and given me and my children back the dignity that had been stolen from us five years ago. Before I could clear the tears from my eyes, the door to the waiting room swung open. Dr. Vance walked in, taking off his blue surgical mask. His face looked tired, but a broad, bright smile was spread across his lips. "Mrs. Sterling," Dr. Vance said happily. "The heart surgery was a complete success. Mia’s new heart valve is working perfectly. She is resting in the recovery room right now." A huge sob escaped my throat, and relief washed over me so fast my knees gave out. I held onto the back of the couch to stay on my feet. "She's... she's okay?" "She is completely out of danger," Dr. Vance assured me, smiling softly. "She is a very strong little girl." Just as the doctor finished speaking, quick footsteps echoed down the hallway outside. Damon stepped into the room. His tie was slightly loosened, his dark hair a little messy as if he had run all the way from his car. He looked past the doctor, straight at me, his chest moving up and down fast. "Is she alright?" Damon asked, his voice rough and laced with deep concern. "She made it through, Damon," I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks. "The doctor said the surgery was a complete success." Damon let out a long, heavy breath. The cold, unyielding mask he wore for the world completely melted away. He crossed the room in two big steps, reached out, and pulled me tightly into his arms. I didn't push him away this time. I buried my face in his chest, clutching his suit jacket as I cried tears of pure relief. His large, warm hand rested on the back of his head, holding me close against him while he buried his face in my hair. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to her," Damon murmured softly near my ear, his arms holding me so securely that I finally felt safe for the first time in five years. "I told you, Sienna." I pulled back just enough to look up into his face. His light-brown eyes were soft and full of an emotion so deep it made my heart skip a beat. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice trembling. "For saving her... and for what you said at the news meeting." Damon wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb, his touch surprisingly gentle. "I meant every word, Sienna. You and the kids are my family now. And I protect what is mine".

Before I could say another word, the sharp, persistent buzzing of a phone shattered the soft moment between us. Damon reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked at the caller ID on the screen, and I watched the warmth instantly drain from his face. His jaw went hard as stone, his light-brown eyes turning back into ice.

He slid his thumb across the screen and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello, Mother," Damon said in a low, dangerous voice. The matriarch of the Sterling family was calling and it sounded like she was definitely not happy about the news....