Chapter 309: That Man Is Sienna Husband

The next day, in one of the apartments, Maya had been busy since morning, preparing the lunch she and her niece, Sienna, had been eagerly looking forward to.

She wanted to make something delicious for Sienna, something she had always wanted to do but had never had the chance to prepare for her before.

Since they moved to the capital, Maya had looked forward to spending more time with her niece, and preparing a proper meal felt like a small but meaningful way to show how much she cared.

"Maya, could you sit with me for a moment?" Jimmy asked, sounding weary as he watched his wife pace back and forth in the kitchen. She had already prepared most of the food, yet she kept checking everything as if the meal might somehow go wrong if she stopped watching it for even a moment.

"Oh dear, I’m busy," Maya replied, barely looking at him as she checked the stew again. She tasted a little of it and considered whether it needed more seasoning before returning the spoon to the counter.

"Let’s have a chat before Sienna arrives. There’s something about her that’s been on my mind."

Maya immediately became more attentive. She walked over to her husband and sat beside him, noticing the serious expression on his face.

"What’s wrong? Why do you look so baffled?" she asked, her concern growing as she studied him.

Jimmy let out a heavy sigh before finally voicing what had been weighing on his mind. "You know exactly what it is," he began. "My niece... how could she afford to give us this house? And how did she even manage to find me a job that’s far better than the one I had before? You know I’m grateful. Still, I wish she would tell us."

Maya’s expression slowly became as thoughtful as her husband’s. She had wondered about the same things, although she had tried not to think too much about it.

After a moment, she offered a possibility. "Jim, I think... Sienna probably doesn’t own this place. She might be renting it for us."

"Could be," Jimmy said with a small nod. "But what about my job?" Before Maya could respond, he continued, "I was only a senior staff member at Sterling Bank in our hometown, but now I work as a branch manager at Cresswell Financial in the capital. That isn’t something that could just happen so fast without someone with powerful authority making it happen."

"Yes. That also makes me curious," Maya admitted.

She folded her hands in her lap and thought about everything that had happened since they moved.

After a few seconds, she added, "It’s only been a few weeks since she asked us to move to the capital, and you already have a decent job at such a big company. Not only that, but she even enrolled our child in a good school. Everything was arranged so quickly and smoothly that I still find it hard to believe."

They suddenly fell silent as both of them thought about it. The more they considered it, the more questions they had. Neither of them wanted to make assumptions about Sienna’s life, but there were simply too many things that didn’t add up.

Maya was the first to break the silence.

"Jim, the man who met us that day, must have been the one who helped Sienna."

"You mean Mr. Arthur Ashford?"

"Yes." Maya nodded. "He’s the one who helped us settle into this place. He also arranged your job and our child’s schooling. So I believe that man..." She paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing. "That man is Sienna’s husband."

A frown slowly formed on Jimmy’s forehead as doubt settled in his mind. He remembered the man they had met and immediately felt uneasy about the possibility.

"But he’s old. He’s almost twice Sienna’s age, isn’t he?" he said, unable to hide his concern.

Maya suddenly laughed when she heard her husband’s worried tone. "Oh dear, age doesn’t matter. What matters is whether he’s kind to her and whether he loves Sienna."

"You’re right, but I still feel bad about it," Jimmy admitted. He leaned back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sienna is pretty and smart. She should be able to choose a young man as her husband, someone closer to her age."

"Stop saying that, Jim," Maya said, giving him a patient look. "We’d better wait and ask Sienna about it ourselves. Subtly, of course. Maybe we’re mistaken, and Mr. Arthur isn’t her husband at all."

Jimmy nodded, although he still looked uncertain.

Maya then continued in a softer voice, "And we should be grateful because we’re finally settled here, far away from—"

She stopped before finishing the sentence. She knew exactly what she had been about to say, but she also knew it would hurt her husband. Their life in their hometown had been difficult because of his family, and there was no reason to bring those painful memories into their new home.

Jimmy understood what she had left unsaid. He lowered his gaze for a moment before nodding.

"My darling wife, there is no need to remember the painful past..." He then leaned back and glanced at the wall clock. "She’s supposed to arrive in a few minutes, right?"

Maya also looked toward the clock and realized how quickly the morning had passed.

"Yes, she said she would arrive before lunch." She stood from her seat, ready to return to the kitchen and check the dishes one more time.

However, before she could walk away, Jimmy called her again. "Dear, what time will our child return?"

Maya stopped and turned to look at him. Her expression became gloomy as she remembered that their child was still at school for an event they couldn’t skip. Since they were new students, they needed to attend and take part in the school’s activities.

"They won’t meet Sienna," Maya explained. "They’ll stay at school until noon."

"What a shame," Jimmy said sympathetically. "But it’s fine. They can see Sienna again later. We’re living in the same city now, so there will be plenty of chances to meet her."

"Hmm, you’re right—" Maya’s words trailed off as the intercom’s echo filled the room.

"It must be Sienna," Jimmy said excitedly.