The ride home felt endless.
Sienna sat pressed against the taxi door, her head lowered so deeply that the curtain of her auburn hair hid almost every inch of her face. Outside, the city of Dilrik moved normally beneath the warm morning sunlight, but to her, every passing second felt painfully slow.
She lived far from the crowded heart of the city, in one of Dilrik's most private residential districts, a place reserved for important people, and usually, the drive there took barely forty minutes, but today it felt like years.
Every time the taxi stopped at a signal, paranoia gripped her chest. She imagined strangers peering through the windows, noticing her wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and exhausted appearance. Even the driver's occasional glances into the rearview mirror made her nerves tighten.
She kept her gaze fixed downward the entire ride.
By the time the car finally rolled to a stop before the massive iron gates leading into her estate, she felt mentally drained.
Then reality struck again.
Money.
Sienna froze. Her bag was gone; her phone too, meaning she had absolutely no way to pay the fare.
For several seconds, she simply stood there beside the taxi, looking utterly defeated.
Then she took a quiet breath and reluctantly walked around to the driver's side window.
"Kind sir…" she began carefully, keeping her voice intentionally low so it wouldn't be recognized. "I was robbed last night, and I currently don't have any money on me."
The driver frowned immediately.
Sienna resisted the urge to die on the spot from embarrassment.
"But I live here," she added quickly, gesturing faintly toward the distant estate behind her. "If you give me a few minutes, I'll bring your payment I promise."
The driver scanned her suspiciously from head to toe. His gaze lingered on the expensive but disheveled gown, then shifted toward the towering gates in the distance.
Even from here, wealth was obvious, and in a moment, his expression eased slightly; he convinced himself that someone who lived here wouldn't risk their reputation over a T-fare.
"Five minutes," he warned gruffly. "If you don't come back, I'm entering that estate myself."
Sienna nodded quickly.
"Thank you."
Without wasting another second, she hurried away with her head still lowered, almost like a fugitive escaping a crime scene.
The estate gates opened automatically after recognizing her identity.
The moment she reached the door of her apartment, relief nearly overwhelmed her.
But before she could properly breathe—the apartment door swung open.
And Sienna nearly got hit by the door; at the entrance of the house stood a broad-shouldered woman who had seen the unkempt Sienna from the door cam.
"Dr. Rivers." The woman called, and her deep voice immediately made Sienna stiffen.
Ava. Her personal bodyguard.
A woman built like a fortress.
Dark-skinned, intimidating, and perpetually expressionless to outsiders, Ava carried the aura of someone capable of snapping bones without effort. Yet beneath that frightening exterior was someone Sienna trusted completely.
Unfortunately…That trust made lying feel even worse.
Sienna quickly adjusted her hair to reveal her face and forced out an awkward smile.
"Good morning, Ava."
The second Ava properly saw her, her expression darkened with concern, shock, and anger all at once.
"What happened?"
She asked, her voice dangerously cold.
Sienna instantly looked away.
"Nothing serious," she lied smoothly while walking deeper into the apartment. "A client drugged me during a meeting. I escaped, but I got robbed afterward."
Ava followed closely behind her, brows furrowed tightly.
"Who would dare do something like that to you?"
"I don't know," Sienna answered quickly. "And I honestly don't care anymore. Please just help me settle the taxi fare outside."
Ava's jaw tightened visibly; she wanted to know more, but she had to stop for now.
"Yes, Doctor."
Sienna practically fled into her bedroom before further questions could come.
The door shut behind her with a soft click.
And she got silence, finally.
She exhaled deeply and leaned against the door.
Only then did exhaustion truly settle into her bones.
Slowly, she removed her clothes and walked toward the bathroom.
The moment she stood before the mirror, she regretted looking.
Her body looked like evidence of sin.
Red fingerprints decorated her waist and thighs. Bruises bloomed across her pale skin in scattered shades of crimson and purple. Faint bite marks lingered around sensitive areas she absolutely refused to think about.
Heat rushed straight to her face again.
"How rough was that man…?"
She immediately covered her face in horror.
The memory fragments alone were humiliating enough.
Unable to endure staring any longer, she quickly filled the bathtub with hot water and submerged herself completely.
For nearly two hours, she scrubbed relentlessly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Yet the marks remained stubbornly visible.
All she accomplished was turning her skin soft pink from irritation.
Sienna sank deeper into the water with pure frustration.
"What a disaster…"
Eventually, she gave up and stepped out.
If the marks refused to disappear, then concealer would have to do the job.
Another hour vanished as she carefully covered every visible bruise before finally dressing herself in one of her usual professional outfits, a deep blue suit that restored some of her dignity.
By the time she stepped out of her room, her expression had already returned to calm perfection.
Ava still waited outside.
The concern in her eyes softened slightly upon seeing Sienna looking more composed.
"I'm fine," Sienna assured her immediately. "It was unpleasant, but it's over now."
Ava clearly wasn't convinced.
Sienna could practically see the questions gathering in her eyes.
So before they could surface…
"Come on," Sienna interrupted smoothly while grabbing her keys. "We're heading to the hospital."
As she walked toward the garage, she silently repeated the same thought to herself over and over.
It was a one-time mistake.
Nothing more.
They would never meet again.
And this would never happen again either.
That thought comforted her enough to survive the drive.
At the hospital, Sienna quietly stopped by the pharmacy first and got emergency contraceptives.
Just in case.
Only after that did she bury herself completely in work.
By lunchtime, the chaos from the morning had finally begun fading into the background of her thoughts.
Then her office door opened.
Rowan Crawford stepped inside, a young, nerdy, and quite handsome man.
He was the youngest hospital director in the institution's history.
Sienna knew he liked her.
Anyone with eyes could tell.
The problem was that she had never once viewed him as anything beyond her superior.
Today, however, Rowan's usual composed demeanor was missing.
He didn't sit or even greet her immediately like usual.
Instead, he stood there silently, carefully scanning her appearance with obvious concern.
Sienna's heartbeat instantly spiked.
Had he noticed something?
"Good afternoon, Director," she greeted quickly, hoping to divert attention.
And Rowan asked.
"Are you alright, Sienna?"
His tone carried genuine worry.
"Ava told me what happened last night."
Sienna cursed internally.
"I'm fine," she replied calmly. "I realized the situation early and escaped before anything serious happened."
Rowan still looked unconvinced.
"Then why didn't you report it immediately?" he asked. "The Prime Minister would've handled it personally."
Sienna forced out a small smile.
"You're both already busy enough, especially the prime minister who is preparing for the border situation. Since I wasn't harmed, I didn't want to create unnecessary trouble."
After several long seconds, Rowan's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said quietly.
Then, after a pause…
"Would you have lunch with me? I already reserved a spot in your favorite restaurant."
Sienna almost sighed.
Honestly, she didn't want to go; it would seem like she was giving Rowan hope.
"You really didn't need to do that," she said politely.
"But I wanted to," Rowan replied immediately. "Otherwise I'll spend the entire day worrying."
Seeing refusal clearly wouldn't work, Sienna eventually stood up.
"Fine."
As they left the office together, the memories from the morning slowly drifted further away.
At least temporarily.
—
Meanwhile, in another district of Dilrik—
A loud gunshot shattered the silence inside a luxurious hotel suite.
A middle-aged man collapsed instantly onto the floor, blood spreading rapidly across his chest.
The room smelled faintly of smoke and expensive cigarettes.
Several men dressed in black stood silently around the room, each armed and emotionless.
At the center of it all sat Leon relaxed and elegant.
One leg rested casually over the other as he held a cigarette loosely between his fingers.
At his feet lay the corpse of the man who had drugged Sienna the previous night.
The man had begged to be forgiven and pitied, and Leon had listened patiently.
Then shot him anyway.
"I truly hate disgusting people," Leon muttered.
"Dispose of the trash," Leon added, and two armed men stepped forward immediately and dragged the body away without expression.
The room fell quiet afterward.
Leon took another slow drag from his cigarette before glancing toward the window thoughtfully.
"Sienna Rivers…"
He tested the name slowly.
Then frowned.
"What an ugly name." He said in irritation.
"They couldn't even give our princess something cuter?"
The air around him suddenly turned colder.
"They're really starting to annoy me."