The Bigshot Married Himself to the Heiress
Chapter 53 - 053: Discovering the Scandal

Chapter 53: Chapter 053: Discovering the Scandal

"Sixth Brother..." Melanie hesitated as she glanced at Adrian Desmond, who had already left. Strangely, he walked in the direction of the mountain peak instead of the Castle.

Being no fool, Melanie guessed that Adrian was heading to Sienna.

"Cousin..." Bella Ford steadied Melanie, whispering something in her ear. Upon hearing this, Melanie’s complexion changed.

...

Adrian headed to the mountain to find Sienna. His heart filled with urgency, he walked briskly. When no one could see him anymore, he abandoned all pretense and sprinted ahead.

He had been away for a month and wasn’t sure what Sienna looked like now. He heard that she practiced close quarter combat every day at the mountain peak. She must have tanned. He yearned to see her sooner!

Adrian’s anticipation of seeing Sienna was met with an unexpected "surprise"—indeed, a "big surprise"!

...

With a blue sky overhead and the sea breeze brushing their faces, the view from the mountain peak was beautiful.

After training with Xavier Young for a while, Xavier offered Sienna some wine he had brought.

"What is this for?"

"Miss Carpenter is here. You must be upset. Come, let’s drown your sorrows in drink." Xavier still took every opportunity to twist the knife.

The view from the mountaintop was expansive. Earlier, Sienna had seen two women down at the pier, one of whom she assumed was Adrian’s Fiancee. Though she couldn’t see her face clearly, the woman had an elegant figure and was undoubtedly beautiful.

"Don’t you still believe me?"

Seeing that woman, her heart only stung a little, nothing more. Actually, it was good that Adrian’s Fiancee had arrived. It allowed her to see her own standing clearly, now that she was developing feelings for Adrian but hadn’t completely fallen for him yet.

"Women always say one thing and mean another."

"And men don’t?" Sienna gave Xavier a meaningful glance, and he seemed flustered by her gaze.

"Good liquor!"

It was strong. Sienna took a sip, her expression unchanging. Xavier couldn’t help but look at her in a new light, then immediately quipped, "So, you’re a lush."

"My adoptive father liked to drink, but back then, our family wasn’t well-off, so we couldn’t afford good liquor. We could only buy that cheap, high-proof stuff... Even then, he couldn’t bear to drink much. He’d use a very small cup and drink only half each day, just two or three sips and it would be gone... But he was always smiling and cheerful..."

Sienna’s memories of her adoptive parents were filled with happiness. If given the choice, she would rather stay with them than return to the Johnson family.

"Don’t tell me you drank too."

"I sneaked sips," Sienna said, taking another gulp, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "...Once, I sneaked a bit too much, got drunk, and my adoptive mother found out."

"Did your adoptive mother hit you?"

Sienna shook her head. "My adoptive mother beat up my adoptive father instead. After that, my adoptive father never had anything to drink again. My adoptive mother was a very feisty woman."

"No wonder you turned out the way you are!" Xavier remarked pointedly.

Her adoptive parents were a taboo subject in the Johnson family; no one ever wanted to hear about them. It was rare to find someone willing to listen to her stories about them.

"My adoptive parents loved me very much. I also had a brother. Even though we were poor, the best things in the house were always given to me. My adoptive parents doted on me more than my biological parents ever did..."

So, even after returning to the Johnson family, she still felt it was all a mistake, that she didn’t belong to the Johnson family at all.

Sienna probably wouldn’t say these things even to Adrian, Xavier thought, a thrill of excitement stirring within him. "One day, I’ll take you to see your adoptive parents."

"...I want to see them, but... I don’t think they want to see me..." Sienna’s expression dimmed, sadness washing over her.

When the Johnson family came for her, her adoptive mother had taken the child support money they offered and told her, "Never come back!"

"If they loved you so much, how could they not want to see you?"

"Who knows..."

Sienna felt a wave of melancholy. She clinked her bottle with Xavier’s, and they both drank straight from them, Sienna drinking heartily.

Despite his many dissatisfactions with Sienna, Xavier liked the way she drank: straightforward and hearty, without any affectation.

"Miss Carpenter is gentle and soft-spoken. You should rein in your personality a bit... Otherwise, you’ll be the one to suffer in the end," Xavier advised kindly.

Sienna leaned against Xavier, feeling his body instantly tense up. This man likes me, she thought.

"My personality is just this unlikable; even my own mother doesn’t like me... Xavier, I can’t change it..."

"No... it’s not like that. The Sixth Master... he likes you..."

"HAHA..." As if she’d heard a hilarious joke, Sienna burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking. "The Sixth Master only likes my face and body..." It’s just a superficial attraction, she thought.

"No, it’s not like that..." Xavier protested softly.

Adrian was back, and his Fiancee too. Everyone must be busy celebrating. She’d also noticed many ships at the pier. This was a good chance to escape.

If she could get this man on her side, her chances of escaping would be much higher. Feigning drunkenness, Sienna began to entice him. She playfully poked his nose with her finger. The scent of alcohol mixed with her own fragrance was like an intoxicating potion, making Xavier feel lightheaded.

"Will you help me escape?"

Xavier looked shocked. "What are you saying?"

"You like me, don’t you?"

"No, no, no..." Xavier quickly denied it.

"Xavier, let’s elope..."

Xavier was aghast; he never expected Sienna to say such things. "You... you’ve had too much to drink..."

That secret hope stirring in his heart made him unable to even look at Sienna’s face. He felt so conflicted, so torn.

Sienna didn’t give him a chance to retreat. She took his face in her hands, aimed for his lips, and kissed him. She had only ever kissed two men in her life: Adrian... and now Xavier...

Adrian’s kisses were domineering, just like him—impossible to ignore. Xavier’s kiss... Sienna felt nothing... His lips lacked the heat to move her stone-cold heart.

"Xavier, take me away with you..."

"..."

"Let’s run away together, far away, okay?"

Xavier’s body tensed. He suddenly tackled her to the ground. Sienna’s mind went blank for a moment, and then she heard a gunshot.

The first shot was followed by a volley. Bullets struck the ground, kicking up dust. Xavier, holding Sienna, rolled down the slope. He arched his body, shielding her beneath him as they tumbled, doing his best to minimize her injuries.

"Mai!" Adrian bellowed in fury!