When Sidney returned to Ella’s side, her eyes lit up with anticipation. He had spent so much ti with Serena, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt good about it. And what about Serena? Was she upset with Ella for bringing her here? Ella still didn’t fully grasp what connection Sidney had to Serena, but according to her father, once Serena saw Sidney, Aiden would no longer have the ti or space to ddle in his affairs. This, in turn, would leave him to focus on other things. Ella wasn’t always sure of her father’s sches. He could be wrong, misguided even, but surely Aiden didn’t need to be so harsh with him!
She’d expected Sidney to share sothing—maybe a smile, or a hint of the outco—but instead, he barely spared her a glance. His expression was cold, distant. "You should head back. It’s getting late," he said flatly, his tone sharp enough to slice through the air between them.
Ella blinked, thrown off by his abruptness. She glanced around, searching for Serena, her confusion growing by the second. "Where’s Serena? I ca here with her..." she asked, hoping for so sort of explanation.
Sidney let out a weary sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "She’s already left. I’ll have my driver take you ho," he replied, his words clipped.
Ella’s frown deepened, her heart sinking with confusion and a trace of hurt. Why was he acting like this? What had happened during his ti with Serena to make him so cold? He’d been so charming earlier. She’d even felt that he was attracted to her, but now he seed to be treating her as if she was irritating him.
"Do you want to arrange another eting with her?" she offered, her voice a mix of hope and hesitation.
Sidney’s sharp shake of the head cut her off before she could say more. "No," he said, before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Ella standing there, alone and bewildered. She watched him go, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. What had happened? Had Serena sohow upset Sidney?
Ella shook her head. No. She needed to make things right. If Serena had indeed caused Sidney to react like this, then she would definitely confront Serena.
Hurriedly, she walked behind Sidney, hoping to catch him. What did he an that he would have his driver send her over? How would he go then? It was only as she reached the elevator and found a guard waiting there for her, did she realise just how quickly he had arranged to get rid of her.
***
Serena walked to the cetry quietly, holding a small bouquet of lilies. There were no other visitors at this hour, almost about to be dark, just the soft rustling of the wind through the trees was her companion. When she reached her grandmother’s resting place, she knelt down and bowed her head, feeling the weight of ti and loss all over again. It made her realise that she’d never even had a chance to grieve her properly.
For a mont, she stayed like that, her heart heavy. Then, gently, she reached out to clean the tombstone, wiping away the dirt and dust that had gathered. Her fingers brushed over the engraved na, and a lump ford in her throat.
"I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice soft and filled with regret. "I’m sorry I didn’t co sooner. I’m sorry I broke my promise to never forget you."
She placed the lilies down in front of the grave, smoothing out the leaves before sitting back on her heels. The ache of guilt and sorrow twisted inside her, but she knew she couldn’t let it consu her.
Looking down, she placed her hand on the tomb, letting herself think that she was holding her grandmother’s soft hands.
"I promise, I won’t stay away now. I’ll co visit you, and I’ll make sure you’re never forgotten. Now that my mories have returned, I rember everything. I rember what they did, how they caused your death. And I won’t let them live peacefully anymore. Not after everything they’ve done."
"They thought they could kill and yet, you had return from the dead. They thought that they could use Sidney against but you helped see through them. Tonight, I will return to take my rightful place, grandma. And they will never be able to rise out again."
Within the span of an afternoon, gone was the Serena who had lived a carefree life, with no mories or anything else to worry about. In her place was a woman who only had one thing on her mind- destruction.
As she continued to kneel there, she reminded herself of everything she’d endured in the few months after her grandmother’s death. The weight of grief and anger had settled on her like a heavy cloak almost crushing her.
Just then, her thoughts were broken by the sound of a phone ringing. Startled, she fished the device out of her pocket and saw the na ’honey’ flashing on her screen. A wave of conflicting emotions surged within her, an ache in her heart at the sight of his na.
Shaking her head decisively, she declined the call, her finger hovering for a mont over the screen. She needed to be strong. Aiden Hawk had no place in her life anymore. With a firm resolve, she turned off her cell phone, silencing any further distractions. He was nothing to her anymore. For now, she needed to focus only on the reading of the will tonight.
And then later, she would call off their contract marriage. Even as her heart protested at the thought of breaking things off, her mind was already focused on her next steps. She’d lost precious ti by falling into the hands of these people. She would not do it anymore. Slowly, one by one, she would show them that their biggest mistake had been leaving her alive and being unable to kill her.
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