I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 254

The black leather seat still held the faint indentation of where she had been sitting.

The luxury watch, which had been wrapped in exquisite packaging and presented with such quiet anticipation, now lay abandoned and isolated on the cushion.

The overhead lights of the parking garage spilled through the window, striking the metallic bezel of the watch and fracturing into sharp, jagged glints that reflected in his dark eyes.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed. The sterile light illuminated a gaze that was devastatingly bleak.

For a very long time, he made no move to pick it up.

He simply leaned back into his seat, his fingers slowly, excruciatingly tightening their death grip on the steering wheel.

-

Mr. Vaughn was home incredibly early today.

That was Stella's immediate conclusion.

But the oppressive aura radiating from him was deeply unsettling.

As Jorrod walked through the living room, he casually tossed something toward the trash can. With a smooth arc, a heavy thud echoed from the bottom of the bin.

Stella, who had just put in a fresh bag, was about to take the trash out.

Trailing behind him, she reached into the bin and pulled out the object he had just discarded, intending to throw it away with the rest.

But feeling the substantial weight in her hands, she cautiously opened the box.

"Ah, Mr. Vaughn, there's actually something valuable inside! You must have thrown it away by mistake."

The silhouette ascending the staircase paused, his foot hovering over the next step as if an invisible tether had yanked him backward.

"Mr. Vaughn?" Stella called out again from behind. When he didn't respond, she muttered to herself, "Was it not a mistake? I guess I'll just toss it then. Ugh, what a massive shame."

Out of her earshot, the man let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh. Jorrod finally turned around, descending the steps and walking over to snatch the bag out of Stella's hand.

"Yes. It was a mistake."

-

Sienna had booked a table at a nice restaurant days in advance with her parents and friends.

George Quinn and Lillian Douglas had spent the afternoon preparing her favorite homemade lasagna for the occasion.

She walked over and flipped through the pages. When her eyes caught sight of the clear tape carefully securing the inner binding, she froze.

The taping was done so meticulously and seamlessly that she had almost forgotten the thick reference book had once been completely torn apart from a nasty fall. It must have been that man who, while she was at work, sat down and painstakingly repaired the spine with clear tape.

Sienna lowered her eyes, her gaze lingering on the mended pages for a long time. She could almost picture it—the man sitting at her small desk, his expression entirely serious and utterly focused.

As the memory of his sharp, perfect profile surfaced, she suddenly recalled the moment he kissed her in the parking lot earlier that evening.

At the time, she had been totally shocked.

But more shocking than the suddenness of the kiss was the intense, overwhelming sense of familiarity that had crashed into her the second their lips met. It was the exact same person, with the exact same dominant, punishing style—crushing his mouth against hers and leaving her absolutely no room to breathe.

Sienna didn't consider herself oblivious. Growing up, she had always been perfectly aware when a man was interested in her.

But Jorrod was the sole exception. She could never get a read on him, and she certainly couldn't decipher what was going on in his head.

Pushing the thoughts away, Sienna neatly stacked the books back up.

She climbed into bed and went to sleep.