Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 23

Sienna couldn't fathom why Jarred was glaring at her like that, considering he was the one entirely in the wrong.

It wasn't the first time she had been confronted with their affair. She was completely numb to the overwhelming flood of gossip columns back home.

But seeing it unfold right in front of her still sent a vicious, involuntary pang through her chest.

And with Celeste's pointed comment just now, it was clear they couldn't even be bothered to maintain the barest shred of decency anymore.

Jarred's gaze never wavered from Sienna.

She sat bathed in the warm, ambient glow, the soft lines of her profile illuminated as Maloney gently placed a piece of lamb on her plate with tender consideration.

He was suddenly thrust back to the memory of Sienna's first visit to the Sterling Manor.

His grandfather had told her to choose one of his three grandsons. She had kept her head down, cheeks flushed with pink, and hesitantly pointed her finger toward Maloney.

Of course.

After all these years... the man she truly wanted had always been Maloney.

The last trace of warmth vanished from Jarred's eyes. His stare grew as dark and suffocating as the ocean floor, fixed entirely on Sienna.

Celeste was the first to slice through the heavy silence.

"Well, well. Maloney, Sienna... you two hid this quite well. Sneaking off behind everyone's backs to fly all the way out here... for a dinner date?"

The words sounded innocent enough on the surface, but paired with her earlier comment, the insinuations about their relationship were glaringly obvious.

Celeste never respected her enough to use her given name in front of others. Even within the Sterling household, she only maintained politeness out of fear of the family patriarch.

Hearing her say her name now felt like nails on a chalkboard.

Before Sienna could utter a word, Jarred had already drawn his brows together.

Maloney didn't even spare Celeste a glance. His sharp, calculating eyes remained entirely fixed on Jarred. "I wasn't originally meant to take this trip. You were too busy, so I stepped in.

As for why we're staying at this specific hotel, you're welcome to look into it yourself."

Jarred's brow twitched slightly at the underlying challenge.

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