Chapter 285: The Unexpected Call (1)

Mia frowned in confusion. "Complained?" She stared at her for a second before understanding what Sienna meant.

"Yes. Well, sort of," Sienna gave her a small smile. "She complained to me about me because I hijacked you and Ava."

Sienna couldn’t really blame her for complaining, especially since she had taken not only Mia but also a few of Ava’s staff, who had been helping them with the business from the beginning.

"And encouraged by that," Sienna continued with a hint of sarcasm, "Zoey is now thinking about investing her money here, and she suggested that I should accept it."

Mia immediately laughed. The excuse was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help herself.

Sienna also started laughing, shaking her head as she remembered Zoey’s reaction.

"She really said that?" Mia asked between laughs.

"She did. Apparently, since I have stolen her best people, she has every right to inject her money here and become one of our investors."

Mia laughed even harder, and Sienna couldn’t stop herself from joining her. For a moment, the worries and responsibilities that came with opening a new business seemed much lighter.

They both knew Zoey had only been teasing them. Nevertheless, Sienna also understood that her sister-in-law secretly appreciated having Mia and Ava working in her hotel, and now that they’re gone, she misses them. To Sienna, hijacking good people was one of the small ethical problems that came with starting something new, and she didn’t mind it at all.

As their laughter slowly settled, Sienna picked up her latte again and took another sip. At the same time, Mia continued smiling across from her.

The Secret Garden was finally ready to roll. Her business was beginning to take shape, and she had people she trusted around her. She felt things were moving in the right direction.

...

After Mia excused herself to continue her work outside, Sienna returned her attention to her laptop. As the company’s head, she knew she had a lot to learn about managing the business.

She couldn’t simply rely on Ava or the other employees to handle everything for her. If she wanted The Secret Garden to succeed, she needed to understand how the business worked and gradually become more involved in its daily operations.

However, only a few minutes into her work, her phone suddenly rang.

Sienna glanced at the screen and immediately frowned when she saw the name, Aunty Maya.

She hadn’t spoken to Maya in a long time. The last news she had received was that her father was missing, and after that, Maya had never called her again.

Sienna had wondered about her aunt several times, but she had never tried to contact her either.

’Why was Maya suddenly calling me now?’

She hesitated for a moment before answering. Despite her doubts, she couldn’t completely ignore a call from Maya. Her expression softened slightly as she brought the phone to her ear.

"Aunty Maya—"

"SIENNA ADAMS!"

The furious shout from the other end startled her. Sienna immediately recognized the voice, and her expression changed. It wasn’t Maya but her other aunty. Jenny Adams.

Her hand tightened around the phone as she pulled it slightly away from her ear. For a moment, she looked at the screen again to make sure she had answered the correct number. The name still showed Maya’s contact information.

’Why was Jenny using Maya’s phone?’

"You ungrateful child!" Jenny’s furious voice continued through the speaker. "You finally dare to answer my call! How could you change your number and block your father and me?"

Sienna gritted her teeth.

Even after everything that had happened, Jenny still refused to admit that she had done anything wrong. Instead, she was blaming Sienna as though Sienna were the one who had abandoned the family without reason.

Sienna remained silent as Jenny continued her angry tirade. She had heard enough accusations from that woman to know that arguing with her would accomplish nothing. Jenny had always found a way to twist everything around and make herself look like the victim.

She wanted to hang up immediately, but she stopped herself. Aunty Maya was the only reason she was still listening.

If Jenny had somehow forced Maya to hand her the phone, Sienna needed to ensure her aunt Maya’s safety. She couldn’t simply end the call without understanding what was happening, as she knew Jenny was capable of malicious actions, especially if she believed she could use Maya to reach her.

Eventually, Jenny stopped talking, seemingly waiting for Sienna to respond.

Sienna took a slow breath before speaking in a calm voice. She deliberately sounded as though none of Jenny’s insults had affected her. "Could you say that again? But now, say it articulately... I’ve heard a fifth-grade kid speak better than you."

There was a brief silence before Jenny’s anger exploded again.

"YOU! Sienna, I’m your aunt... How dare you speak to me like that?"

Jenny’s furious voice rang through the speakerphone; Sienna couldn’t help but smile.

Then—

"If I remember correctly, this is Aunty Maya’s cell phone," Sienna said calmly. "Hand the phone to her. Now."

Her tone remained flat and composed, leaving no room for Jenny to misunderstand her.

Jenny suddenly became less confident. "Ma-Maya’s outside."

Sienna narrowed her eyes slightly. Something about Jenny’s answer made her even more suspicious and worried at the same time. Still, she didn’t want to waste any more time listening to her.

"If you still talk in rage, I’ll end the call now—"

"Wait. Wait, Sienna."

Jenny’s voice changed immediately. The anger was still there, but there was also a clear sense of urgency in her tone.

"There’s something important I need to talk to you about. Please don’t cut the call."

Sienna let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Jenny again.

After everything Jenny had done to her, Sienna had already made up her mind to cut ties with her completely. She had no reason to trust the woman who had helped her father attempt to trap her and sell her to the gangster boss.