5 Still In Love
She froze in Adrian’s arms, stiffening like a statue. Adrian stopped, lips just a breath away from her collarbone.
Her hand flew up to his mouth, palm pressing against it to stop him from kissing her again as he leaned in. But he tried anyway, his lips brushing against her palm as he attempted to kiss her neck once more. His eyes, burning with need, narrowed in frustration.
“Sienna? Are you alright?” Theo called again, probably standing outside the ladies’ restroom now, searching for her.
Her heart pounded as she tried to catch her breath. “Ye—” she began, about to answer when Adrian grabbed her wrist and yanked her hand away from his mouth.
Even now, with her breathless and trembling in his arms, she dared to answer that bastard?
With a dark glare, Adrian crushed his lips against hers in a rough kiss, silencing her. His large hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, while the other arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her effortlessly off the ground. She dangled on her tiptoes as his mouth ravaged hers, tongue claiming every inch.
She gripped his arm for support, unable to keep herself upright under the weight of his hunger. He tilted her head back, deepening the kiss, licking into her mouth like he owned her.
“Sienna, where are you?” Theo’s voice came again, louder this time.
But Adrian didn’t stop. His kiss grew hungrier, harsher. Sienna could barely breathe, let alone respond.
The footsteps outside faded, retreating, and then there was only silence.
Finally, he let her go. Her feet dropped back to the floor, her legs trembling, and her forehead collapsed against his chest. The only thing holding her up was Adrian’s arm still firm around her waist. She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling against his.
An announcement echoed from outside, booming through the speakers: “The charity gala is about to begin. Dear guests, please take your seats.”
Sienna pulled away, her entire body trembling. Her skin still burned from his touch. Every inch of her felt singed with heat. She turned away from him, her cheeks flushed red as she fumbled through her purse.
She pulled out a compact mirror with shaky fingers and dabbed concealer over her neck, blindly trying to cover his marks in the dim light. Her lipstick was a mess—she reapplied it quickly, but her hands wouldn’t stop trembling.
“I need to go now,” she whispered, finally turning to face him. Her voice was steadier now. She had put herself back together—barely. “The event’s about to start.” She shoved her makeup back into her purse.
She tilted her head slightly, revealing her neck and collarbone. “Is it all covered up?” she asked, lips parted, eyes searching his.
Adrian’s eyes locked onto her lips. Hunger flared in them again. The way his dark gaze flicked to her throat made her regret asking. His hands clenched at his sides, jaw tense. Then, without warning, his thirsty lips parted, aching to taste her again and he quickly reached for her nape and leaned in.
She shoved a hand to his chest. “No. I have to go out!”
Seeing her scowl, he swallowed hard and gave a tense nod. His voice was gravelly. “Yeah. It’s covered.”
His thumb reached up, gently brushing the corners of her lips to wipe off a smudge of lipstick.
She turned to go, stepping away, but he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her back. Reaching into his pocket, he slipped a hotel card into her palm.
“Room number fifteen,” he said, his voice low and rough. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek, lips trailing to her ear with delicate, soft kisses. “I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”
He let go of her hand and stepped back, his eyes never leaving hers.
Sienna stared at the card for a moment— Presidential Suite, Ritzwood Hotel —before slipping it into her clutch. Then, she turned and slipped out of the room.
As she adjusted her hair, she pulled a few strands forward to cover one shoulder, hoping it would hide anything she’d missed. The rest cascaded down her back as she quickly made her way to the VIP seating area beside Theo. Almost everyone was already seated.
A minute later, from the corner of her eye, she saw Adrian enter, calm and composed, and take a seat across from her, just a few chairs away. His presence wrapped around her like an invisible rope, making her nervous.
And even though she sat next to Theo, it was Adrian's gaze that she felt on her skin the entire time.
Theo turned to her as she took a seat, sighing in relief. “You’re back. I was looking for you.”
“Sorry, had an emergency... girl thing,” she replied, flashing a quick smile.
Theo nodded, but his eyes drifted down to her neck. His brows furrowed.
“There are red spots on your neck.” He turned slightly to glance toward the restroom, confusion lining his face. “Were there mosquitoes in there?”
Sienna froze.
Her body went rigid, and her eyes widened in panic. Her hand flew up to cover her neck as she fumbled to open her purse, her fingers trembling.
“Y-Yes,” she stammered with an awkward laugh. “There were a few. I couldn’t believe it either.”
“This is a luxury hotel. How the hell can this happen? I’ll have someone check it out,” Theo muttered, pulling out his phone and sending a quick message to his assistant.
Sienna snatched a compact out of her purse and stared at the reflection. Though she had already covered most of the marks, a few angry red bites still peeked through. The worst part? Adrian hadn’t left just one or two. He’d made a mess of her neck, and he knew it.
She dabbed on concealer again, her heart racing, until everything was covered up. She snapped the compact shut and shoved it back into her purse.
When Theo turned away, she dared a glance at Adrian—and sure enough, Adrian was staring right at her. He was seated across the room, legs spread, one arm resting lazily on the back of the chair, and the other lifting a crystal glass to his lips. His eyes were locked on her.
There was a smirk on his lips.
“Adrian Vaughn, you did it on purpose!” she mouthed, gritting her teeth.
He read her lips, and that smirk twisted into a full, unapologetic grin—shameless, cocky, and completely self-satisfied.
Just then, a woman suddenly rushed in from behind and plopped down next to him. Her hands curled around his arm like a viper coiling around prey, and her voice chimed with sickening cheer.
“Mr. Vaughn! I didn’t think I’d see you here! What a wonderful surprise!”
Sienna’s expression went blank. ‘Isn’t that Ella?’ Her heart dropped a little colder.
She knew that girl. Ella—young, flashy, daughter of a prominent family. Bright-eyed, always overdressed, and once the center of gossip for supposedly dating Adrian. Back then, Sienna had brushed it off. The girl had been a naive nineteen-year-old who threw his name around for clout.
But everything shattered the day Sienna learned the truth. When she found out that the woman Adrian was getting married to was none other than the same Ella. An arrangement between the two families.
She remembered staring into the mirror that day, watching the cracks run deeper than the glass. Because even though she knew Adrian had never truly been involved with Ella, knowing he had agreed to marry Ella while telling Sienna that he would never marry her—something inside her shattered beyond repair.
Now, here that same girl was, clinging to Adrian like a trophy.
Ella glanced over at Sienna, smirking as she tightened her grip on Adrian’s arm and leaned into him. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Adrian’s jaw clenched. Without a second of hesitation, he got up and yanked his arm free, shoving her off with an effortless flick of strength.
His voice dropped into a dangerous growl. “I have nothing to do with you. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Ella gasped, stunned by the rejection. But she wasn’t done saving face. Her eyes darted to Sienna, then back to Adrian, and she made her move again—this time louder, more dramatic, like a scene from a bad soap opera.
“Why are you acting like this?” she whined, grabbing his hand. Don’t push me like that.”
Before Adrian could throw her off again, she tugged Adrian’s arm and suddenly dragged herself closer to Theo and Sienna, plastering on a fake smile before addressing her target.
“Oh! Sienna! Didn’t you used to work with Mr. Vaughn not long ago? What a surprise!”
Sienna didn’t return the smile. Her gaze flicked to Theo, who raised a brow at her but said nothing, then offered his arm to her and they both got up to walk away.
She moved to take Theo’s arm—but Ella also jumped to her feet, closing the distance between them. Her hand shot out, grabbing Sienna’s wrist and yanking her back toward herself with a high-pitched laugh that was anything but sweet.
“It’s been so long since we hung out!” Ella announced loudly, drawing attention from the people nearby. “You and Mr. Montgomery got married not long ago, but now you’re acting like we’re not good enough for you? That’s not very nice, right, Sienna?”
Sienna blinked, her face unreadable.
Ella pouted, her red lipstick smeared like a clown mask. “Let’s have dinner tonight! You, me, Mr. Vaughn—and maybe Mr. Montgomery, too. You two look adorable together.” She smirked between Theo and her, tightening her grip on Adrian’s arm like she owned it.
Adrian looked down at her hand in disgust.
His jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, and the fury flashing through them was unmistakable. His eyes snapped to Sienna immediately after, concern flickering in his expression. He could feel the shift in her energy, the tension behind her calm eyes. His jaw ticked. His whole body was coiled with rage—rage that someone dared try to humiliate his woman in front of him. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel embarrassed or cornered.
Sienna, however, didn’t flinch.
But Sienna turned that fake smile right back at Ella, cool and composed. “Sorry, I’m too busy,” she said sweetly. “Having dinner with you would be a waste of my time. And I hate wasting my time.”
With that, she slid her hand into Theo’s and turned her back on Ella without another word.
Ella’s face turned red, her jaw trembling with embarrassment. She huffed and tried to recover, twirling toward Adrian like nothing happened.
“Adrian! You and I can go to eat. I’ll book a great restaurant and we can—"
“Enough.”
Adrian snapped abruptly, towering over her. His eyes were thunder, his presence electrifying. He grabbed her wrist and shoved it off himself, making her stumble.
“I told you to stop showing up in front of me.” His tone dropped, lethal and cold. “I’ve been saying the same fucking thing for years . Are you really that slow, or do you just not understand the goddamn language?””
“But Adrian! You cancelled the engagement over a text message back then! That was unbelievably disrespectful.” Ella whined, pouting. “My dad said you and I should spend more time together. A date. That would be so romantic…”
Adrian’s jaw clenched, and his stormy gaze narrowed on her. His tall frame radiated tension as he growled, “If your father wants you to spend time with someone, he can take you on a damn date himself.”
With a rough push, he shoved her off himself. Then he turned on his heel, his tailored suit shifting with his broad, powerful strides as he walked away without a second glance.
Ella stood frozen, cheeks burning with humiliation. Her eyes flicked around, desperate to see if anyone had noticed. She’d wanted to humiliate Sienna, but now, it was her they were watching, their eyes laced with amusement and barely hidden laughter. Panic rising, she rushed after Adrian, her heels clattering frantically against the marble floor.
Theo had watched everything closely. His attention wasn’t just on Ella or Adrian—it was especially on Sienna. He noticed how Adrian’s eyes stayed locked on her. Intense. Like she was the only person in the room.
Sienna avoided Adrian’s eyes, pretending not to notice. But Theo caught it. The way her gaze had flicked toward Adrian earlier when they were sitting together. The tension in her shoulders. The momentary softness in her expression. It was with a flicker of something Theo didn’t like. His brows pulled together in a frown.
“Are you still in love with him?” Theo asked bluntly.