Semua Bab Hate You, Love You: Bab 31 - Bab 40

 The following morning was unbearable.Sienna moved through the mansion like a ghost, her presence acknowledged but not truly seen. Grayson was colder than ever, his interactions with her reduced to clipped sentences and avoiding even the smallest of glances.And it drove her insane.He was running from her. From them. From whatever that kiss had ignited between them.Fine. Two could play that game.At breakfast, she made a point of chatting with Lily as if nothing had changed, ignoring the brooding man sitting at the head of the table.Lily grinned up at her. “Miss Sienna, can we go to the park today?”Sienna smiled warmly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, sweetheart.”“No.”The sharp, deep voice cut through the room like ice.Sienna looked up, her expression carefully neutral. Grayson hadn’t even looked at them. He was focused on his coffee, his finge

 Sienna had had enough.Enough of the push and pull. Enough of the way Grayson looked at her like she was the only woman in the world, only to turn cold the next moment. Enough of pretending she wasn’t affected when she very much was.After the kitchen encounter, she made a promise to herself: she would not let Grayson Pierce get under her skin.But it was easier said than done.The following morning, she was in the playroom with Lily, setting up an art station when she felt his presence before she even saw him. A rush of awareness prickled along her skin, and she straightened her shoulders, refusing to acknowledge him first.Lily, however, had no such reservations.“Daddy!” she called out, waving a tiny paintbrush in excitement.Grayson stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping over the scene. His eyes softened—just barely—when they landed on Lily, but whe

 Sienna wasn’t sure how much sleep she got, but it wasn’t enough.Her mind had been a whirlwind ever since last night’s conversation in the kitchen. She kept replaying Grayson’s words—his confession, his raw vulnerability, and the way he had shut down as soon as he realized how much he had let slip.The man was impossible.One minute, he was letting her in, and the next, he was slamming the door in her face.By the time she made her way downstairs the next morning, she expected things to be back to normal—meaning Grayson would pretend last night never happened.She wasn’t wrong.She found him in the dining room, reading the morning paper while sipping his coffee. His expression was unreadable, his posture stiff, as if the man from last night had been a figment of her imagination.Lily sat at the table too, idly stirring her cereal, humming soft

Grayson sat in his office, his fingers steepled together as he stared at the untouched glass of whiskey in front of him. His mind was a storm—one he had been trying to contain for days.It wasn’t working.Sienna’s words still echoed in his head, haunting him like a melody he couldn’t shake."Only if you keep pretending it doesn’t exist."He clenched his jaw, gripping the glass and taking a slow sip, as if the burn of alcohol could drown out the fire she had ignited in him. It didn’t.She had gotten under his skin in a way no one ever had.And that was the problem.Grayson Pierce didn’t lose control. He didn’t allow himself to want things he couldn’t have.Yet, here he was, craving her like an addiction.The way her eyes flashed with defiance when she challenged him. The softness in her voice when she spoke to Lily. The way she looked at him, like she saw through all his walls and wasn’t afraid.He exhaled sharply, setting his glass down with more force than necessary.This needed to

Grayson had spent years perfecting the art of control.Discipline, precision, and emotional distance had built his empire. They had kept him sane after his wife’s death, ensuring that no one could ever get too close, that no one could touch the raw, broken pieces of him.But Sienna was chipping away at that foundation, and he didn’t know how to stop her.And worse—he wasn’t sure he wanted to anymore.The house was quiet that evening, save for the soft hum of classical music drifting from the speakers in the living room. Lily had gone to bed hours ago, and Sienna was curled up on the couch, flipping through a book she had found in the library.Grayson had been watching her for the past ten minutes.He told himself he had just happened to pass by. That he wasn’t here because of her.But he knew better.She was wearing one of those oversized sweaters that always seemed to swallow her frame, her legs tucked under her. A strand of hair had fallen over her cheek, and she absentmindedly tuck