novelraw Chapter 337 - 338: Sheltering Her from the Wind and Rain
Chapter 337 - 338: Sheltering Her from the Wind and Rain
Chapter 337: Chapter 338: Sheltering Her from the Wind and Rain
Adrian Desmond paced the room like an agitated beast, lips clamped tight, fists clenched as he fought to control the inferno of rage building within him.
A broken cell phone lay on the ground. Sienna Johnson walked over, took his clenched fist, and sighed softly. "Is it about Melanie Carpenter’s issue?"
Indeed, only matters concerning Melanie Carpenter could trouble Adrian this much.
"That man, Jule, has actually stopped caring for Melanie Carpenter and Devin Desmond!" Adrian yelled, his voice laced with fury.
"Why?"
"He’s a spineless coward! Melanie Carpenter—if he wants to abandon her, fine. But what about Devin? Devin is his son! He’s even stopped caring for his own son!" Adrian ranted, his anger making him irrational. "If he never intended to take responsibility for this son, why did he bring him into the world in the first place?"
"Calm down." Sienna gently pulled Adrian to sit beside her on the couch, trying to soothe him as his chest heaved with rage. "Why are you so upset? It takes all sorts to make a world. It’s not worth ruining your health over someone like him."
Sienna’s impression of Jule was still rooted in events from four years prior, when Jule harbored a secret love for Melanie Carpenter and, as a result, had always treated Sienna coldly. Sienna didn’t know what could have happened between Jule and Melanie to make him abandon both her and Devin.
Was it true that once a man got what he wanted, his sincerity vanished?
"Damn it! I’ve raised his son for all these years, and now he wants to dump him entirely on me!"
"..."
"If it weren’t for Uncle’s sake, I would’ve thrown his son into an orphanage long ago!"
"So, what are your plans? To continue supporting Melanie Carpenter and Devin Desmond?"
Adrian said, his head aching, "It’s not like I’m short on money. If Melanie can behave herself, I don’t mind supporting them indefinitely... but..." There were many things he couldn’t bring himself to tell Sienna.
Sienna was unsure how to address the situation. Truthfully, the best course of action was not to interfere, yet Adrian clearly couldn’t ignore his connection to Melanie.
"Adrian, you saw it yourself today. Melanie can be ruthless even to herself, let alone to others. I don’t care how you deal with her, but she absolutely cannot remain in Sileria City. Who knows if she’ll have another breakdown one day and hurt my Curly."
"..."
"Adrian, let me be perfectly clear: if Melanie dares to harm my Curly, I will never forgive you. If that happens, even if you try to drown me in a swimming pool, I will not yield!"
Sienna spoke so harshly because she feared Adrian might be too lenient with Melanie.
Adrian gently patted her hand, reassuring her, "Don’t worry. She won’t be able to harm you or Curly."
Sienna scoffed. "You also said nothing would go wrong at the wedding, yet Melanie showed up and caused such a scene. I still have to navigate the social circles in Sileria City. How am I supposed to do that when I’m labeled as the other woman?"
"You don’t have to worry. I’ll handle it," Adrian said, clearly agitated.
"I expect you to keep your word! If you can’t, then take your Melanie Carpenter back to Abyanabad and don’t bother me and Curly anymore!"
"What are you saying? We just got married, and you’re already trying to chase me away?"
"Well, who can blame them? Sixth Master’s charm is apparently so irresistible that women are willing to die for you."
"Please, don’t be angry. I’ll take care of everything."
Sienna stood up. "Cancel the honeymoon. You need to focus on resolving this situation with Melanie Carpenter first," she said.
Adrian was dumbstruck. "No way! We just got married; how can we not go on a honeymoon?"
"After Melanie’s outburst today, I need to go to the company tomorrow and coordinate with the Crisis Public Relations Department on how to manage this. I can’t just abandon my responsibilities at the company and leave now."
Adrian rubbed his face, looking utterly distressed. Sienna, already preoccupied with the inevitable gossip tomorrow, knew she needed to conserve her energy. She simply didn’t have the capacity to deal with Adrian’s troubles as well.
In any case, Melanie was a romantic complication of his own making; it was his responsibility to resolve it.
Sienna was up early the next morning. Master Lewis, the driver, was already waiting outside. Adrian stood behind Sienna, watching as she put on her stockings. The simple act was unexpectedly captivating to him.
"Three days. Let’s both handle our respective affairs in three days, and then we’ll go on our honeymoon!" Adrian declared.
"We’ll see."
Adrian took a breath, then gently touched the shoulder of the woman whose lips were pursed, offering comfort. "Things aren’t as bad as you imagine, and you don’t need to worry. Just like when we make love, you don’t have to fret or exert yourself; just lie back and enjoy. I’ll shield you from the storms outside..."
Only someone as shameless as Adrian could conjure such a comparison. Her myriad frustrations left her speechless.
"I really don’t want to let you go!"
Adrian handed Sienna a pair of black high heels and knelt to help her put them on. Her feet were small and delicate. He leaned in to kiss her foot, but Sienna pulled away.
"Stop messing around. Master Lewis is waiting for me."
"I’ll pick you up after work!" He watched her, his gaze lingering on her, full of reluctance. Sienna leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips, then rose and walked out of the dressing room.
Adrian sighed, then began to change, preparing to deal with his own mountain of problems.
When Sienna emerged, Master Lewis approached her. "Miss, Madam Johnson has requested you visit the old residence immediately."
"Did Madam Johnson say anything to my grandmother?"
Master Lewis remained silent, but Sienna had already guessed. After being rebuffed by Sienna yesterday, Pauline Briggs had likely gone straight to their grandmother to complain. And Sienna knew she couldn’t ignore her grandmother’s summons.
"Very well, let’s head to the old residence first then."
「Johnson Family.」
Sienna closed her eyes to rest during the drive, which seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. When the car stopped, she stepped out and immediately noticed the servants looking at her strangely. Clearly, news of yesterday’s incident had spread rapidly; even the Johnson family servants were aware.
"Kathryn, where’s my grandmother?"
"She’s in the dining room, having her meal." Kathryn, who had heard the car arrive, came out to greet her. She was observing Sienna carefully, and when their eyes met, Kathryn quickly averted her gaze.
"So, what did Madam Johnson tell her about me?" Sienna asked, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"She said that Miss has gotten involved with another scumbag," Kathryn replied succinctly, which Sienna found rather amusing.
"With Madam Johnson’s track record in judging people, can she even recognize a scumbag when she sees one?" Sienna quipped.
Kathryn offered a strained smile, unsure how to respond.