"Explain it to me one more time," Alison Hughes leaned back in her chair and sipped the champagne she was having with brunch, "Why does the wife of the great and wealthy Damon Wright need to start her own company?"
"I don't need to start my own company," Sienna replied, knowing that her friend was just teasing, "I want to."
One of her regrets had been putting her career on hold in order to play the part of a good Mrs Wright. And look where that had gotten her.
It was time to be selfish.
Alison Hughes propped her chin on one slim fist and pursed her red lips. She looked like a movie star and Sienna was honestly surprised she hadn't gotten scouted.
However, she knew that like her, her college friend was too interested in the business industry to get distracted by showbiz. Still, her dark blonde curls and lined hazel eyes were drawing the eyes of everyone in the cafe.
"Okay," She said, grinning brightly.
"That's it?" Sienna raised an eyebrow, "I expected to have to convince you more."
Instead, the heiress had agreed so easily, it was as if she was agreeing to watch a movie rather than co-founding a company from scratch!
"Pfft," Alison waved her hand, "The product and strategy both seem sound and I know your business acumen was one of the sharpest in our faculty."
With a glint in her eye, Alison rubbed her hands together, "Let's do it."
***
That evening, Sienna practically bounced up the steps of the driveway of the Wright mansion. Everything was going according to plan!
It was fairly late but she was starving, having been rushing around to run errands and forgetting to eat. She was planning to see if there was any leftovers from dinner she could heat up.
When she made it to the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks. Sitting in the dim light at the small kitchen table was the great Damon Wright!
For a second, Sienna considered just backtracking and running up to her room but her stomach betrayed her and growled.
Damon looked up, blue eyes met green ones and for a split second, Sienna forgot to breathe. He was painfully handsome in a way that was unlike the perfect image he maintained in public.
After what had clearly been a long day, his jacket and tie were gone and the top few buttons on his shirt were undone. Rolled up sleeves revealed strong arms and his hair was slightly mussed, with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead.
He looked a little tired, but very much like a dashing rogue.
"There's more food there," He gestured and Sienna quickly helped herself to a plate of still warm food.
Awkwardly, she settled in at the opposite end of the table, but given how small it was, she was closer to him than she would have liked.
The house was quiet, the servants likely having retired for the night. Damon could have called for service, but the fact that he had chosen not to warmed her. Despite his cold reputation, he was good to his servants and wasn't above helping himself.
They ate in silence. Sienna concentrated only on her food, eating with gusto and getting sauce on her mouth.
From where he sat, Damon's lips twitched with a contained smile as he watched her inhale her food. She looked brighter than ever, with colour in her cheeks and light in her eyes.
Without thinking, he grabbed a napkin and gently dabbed at the sauce around her mouth.
Sienna froze. Damon was focused on her mouth and still cleaning it when her brain came back online and she hurriedly grabbed the tissue from him, ignoring the way her skin tingled as their hands brushed.
"I can do it myself, thanks," She muttered.
Graciously, he acquiesced the napkin to her and resumed eating.
"Did you enjoy yourself today?" He asked. Sienna blinked at him.
"Mm," Sienna nodded after a while, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to tell him too much but didn't want ignore him after he had directly addressed her.
"Did you not find anything you liked? How come you didn't come back with any bags?" Damon looked at the door as if expecting to see piles of shopping bags heaped there.
Sienna nearly choked. He thought she went shopping!
"I uh, met a friend and ran some errands," Sienna tried to clarify.
Damon nodded, "I understand you like shopping so just let me know if you need more money."
"Huh?" Sienna completely forgot her rule about trying to ignore her husband, "I don't like shopping at all."
Damon frowned, clearly puzzled.
"But they told me you quit your job after the wedding so you could focus on shopping," He said.
Sienna's eyes narrowed, her blood boiled. So this was what her family was going around telling people. What lies!
Unable to contain herself she blurted out the truth.
"I didn't quit my job," She slammed her fork down angrily, "I was working in Astor Corp. but they quietly fired me after our marriage."
They had told her it was so that she could focus on being a good wife to Damon, but Sienna knew they just didn't want her involved in the family business. Vivianne held shares that rightfully belonged to Sienna despite being an actress and having no part in the business.
Damon hadn't responded, his face was expressionless but his eyes were hard and calculating. It was chilling to see.
No wonder they call him the demon of the business world, Sienna realised, he hadn't moved at all but suddenly he looked terrifying.
Subconsciously, she shivered and he must have noticed because his demeanour changed and he stood, done with his meal.
Realizing she might have said too much, Sienna made to wash the dishes. But he stopped her, telling her that someone would tend to it in the morning.
"You should rest," He said gruffly.
With a quick nod, she briskly walked out of the kitchen only to be stopped by a large hand wrapped around her wrist.
Although she tugged at it, she couldn't break free! With one strong pull, she was against Damon's chest, their faces so close she could see the strands of his hair brushing his eyebrow.
Even though she tried not to, her heart skipped a beat.