6 Gifts From My Husband
Sienna’s eyes widened, shocked. Then immediately, she laughed, brushing her hair over one shoulder as if it was nothing. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw the way he looked at you,” Theo muttered, sipping from a glass of champagne. He ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it back as he locked eyes with her. “Sienna, tell me the truth.”
Sienna inhaled, smile faltering. “I’m not,” she said quietly. “I already left him behind two years ago. You’re overthinking it.”
Theo took a slow sip, his forehead lined with tension. He took another sip before leaning closer.
“Don’t get involved with him again,” he said, calm but firm. “Don’t fall in love with him again. You know that asshole isn’t good for you. Don’t repeat the past. He’s dangerous.”
She nodded and forced a smile. “I know, Theo—”
“I didn’t know Mr. Montgomery kept such a close watch on me.”
The deep, velvety voice came from behind. It made Sienna freeze.
She turned. Adrian was standing there, hands in his pockets, his dark eyes locked on hers before sliding coolly to Theo. There was a mocking curve on his lips, but his gaze burned.
“You came back?” Sienna asked, brows furrowing. She had assumed he’d left with Ella already.
“What? Not happy to see me?” Adrian’s lips lifted into a smirk, but there was a tension in his stance, a storm behind his gaze.
Theo cut in with a scoff. “Did you dump your girlfriend again just now? That seems to be your thing, Vaughn. Rotate one, grab another.”
Adrian’s smile faded into something colder. “You should worry less about my relationships, Theo. This is exactly why you’re never invited to my events—you can’t keep your nose out of places it doesn’t belong.”
Theo raised his brows, unfazed. “At least my nose stays in one place. Yours? You’re looking at one woman while talking to another. Maybe you should focus on that romantic evening with Ella. She might actually teach you a thing or two about loyalty, considering she’s been nursing that crush on you for years and still hasn’t let it go.”
Adrian’s jaw flexed. He lifted his glass to his mouth, the champagne catching the chandelier light as he sipped with icy sharpness.
“I already have a date tonight. A very important one,” Adrian muttered, voice low but cutting. He looked directly at Sienna. His stare burned into her, saying everything his words didn’t.
Theo noticed. He followed Adrian’s gaze and looked at Sienna, his jaw tensing. But before the tension could thicken further, the announcer’s voice rang out:
“We will now begin the auction with our first item of the evening...”
The crowd quieted, turning their attention to the stage.
Theo sighed, ignoring Adrian, and leaned toward Sienna. “Let’s go. It’s starting.”
Sienna exhaled sharply, breaking eye contact with Adrian. Theo gently slipped his arm around her waist, guiding her toward the couches. They took their seats, and a few moments later, Adrian followed and settled in not far from them.
As the auction progressed, excitement buzzed in the air. Items were being sold at lightning speed. Then, a luxury car appeared on the screen—a 1963 Aston Martin—and Sienna leaned toward Theo, eyes sparkling.
“That one,” she whispered. “I’ve been wanting that one forever. Dad’s been pushing to add it to our collection before the new store launch. He said if we manage to get it, I can keep it afterward.” She grinned proudly.
“Nice ride,” Theo said, smirking. “I’ll be expecting a late-night drive.”
“You’ll be the first one,” she said with a wink, her eyes locked on the car being projected as it rolled in further for viewing.
The announcer stepped up to the mic, but his expression changed. He looked down at the tablet in his hand, a crease forming on his forehead.
Sienna’s heart sank. Something wasn’t right.
The auctioneers were trained to stay neutral and emotionless. His expression said something was off.
Then, cold and composed again, he spoke.
“Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. We’ve just received word that this vehicle has already been privately purchased by an anonymous buyer for a price that left even us speechless.As such, it will no longer be available for today’s bidding. However, the generous donor has offered a Ferrari SF90 Stradale in its place, so that will be our new item up for auction.”
“Shit,” Sienna hissed under her breath, turning to Theo. “That car was important. My dad’s counting on it for the launch.”
“Someone bought it before the auction?” Theo said, confused. “What kind of insane offer could’ve made them pull it from the lineup at the very last moment?”
“It must’ve been a shitload of money,” Sienna whispered, eyes narrowing. “There’s no way they’d cancel an auction bid unless the deal was astronomical.”
She met Theo’s eyes. “I want to know who bought it.”
Theo was already pulling out his phone. “I’ll ask around. I’ve got a few friends who might know. But honestly, if it’s already out of the auction, the price they paid is probably way beyond anything we could offer.”
“You’re right,” Sienna sighed, huffing a little, her shoulders slumping as her face turned sullen. “But let’s try. Give it a shot.”
The announcer moved on to the next car. Quietly, Sienna slipped out of the hall and stepped into the corridor, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. She quickly texted ‘Jane’:
‘Hey, can you come out for a second?’
A minute later, Jane responded: ‘Sure.’
Sienna waited patiently, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her clutch until a stunning woman with glossy black hair stepped out into the corridor. She wore a black dress that hugged her figure and stopped at her thighs. Her hair was pulled into a sleek bun, with soft fringes falling over her forehead.
“Jane! Over here!” Sienna called out, her face lighting up.
Jane grinned and rushed into her arms, embracing her tightly. Jane ran a high-stakes cargo and shipping business and was known for her no-nonsense attitude, but right now, she looked just like a girl excited to see her friend. It had been a while since they’d last met.
“Did you come alone today?” Sienna asked with a smile. “I was looking for you but didn’t spot you until I saw you in the audience.”
“I came a bit late,” Jane muttered, her hand flying up to her neck instinctively.
Sienna’s gaze followed—and paused. A red mark peeked out from beneath Jane’s choker, one that looked suspiciously similar to the one she herself had. Sienna had to force her smile into hiding, but Jane caught the flicker and immediately hissed, “Stop it!”
Sienna burst out laughing. “Let me guess—Raiden didn’t let you leave again?”
Jane groaned. “He never does! Every time I get dressed for a party, he rips something. I’ve learned my lesson. From now on, I won’t even put on the main dress until I’m about to step out of the house.”
She dramatically sobbed into Sienna’s shoulder. “The makeup, too. I had to do everything all over again. That’s why I was late.”
Sienna laughed harder as Jane buried her head in her shoulder, sobbing like it was a tragedy.
Sienna laughed harder at the ridiculousness of her expression. When Jane finally lifted her face, Sienna glanced around and asked, “Where is he, by the way? Raiden?”
Jane stepped back slightly, glancing through the hall doors. “There. Sitting inside. I told him I’d be back in five, so we gotta hurry. What’s up?”
As Jane peeked in, Raiden turned his head—a dark, chiseled man in a sharply tailored suit—and shot her a glance. He raised his hand in a subtle gesture, silently beckoning her back. Jane grinned and lifted two fingers to say she'd be a minute.
“Alright, let’s meet up properly in a few days,” Sienna said. “We haven’t caught up since last month. Drinks?”
“Deal.” Jane smiled.
Sienna's smile faded slightly, replaced with concern. “I actually wanted to ask you something. It’s about the car that was just pulled off the display. The Aston Martin.”
“You wanted to buy it?” Jane asked, brows rising.
“Yes! It was really important to me. I literally arranged this whole gala to get that car. And then I saw it got taken before the auction even started. Since they didn’t announce the buyer’s name, I figured it won’t be easy to find out.”
“Yeah. If it was some showoff, we’d already know. Usually, the ones who buy cars love to brag even if it's just a BMW,” Jane muttered with a roll of her eyes.
“Exactly. So I need to find out who bought it. Do you think you can help?”
Jane bit her lip, thinking. Then nodded quickly. “I’ll ask Raiden, and maybe check in with a few other people. Give me a minute.”
She dialed a number and waited. “Raiden, that Aston Martin, do you know who bought it?”
There was a pause, and then Jane’s eyes widened. “How much? Are you fucking serious?”
She looked at Sienna with disbelief. “Forty Nine million,” she mouthed silently.
Then she snapped her attention back to the call. “Who bought it?”
Her eyes went wide again. Her mouth dropped open. She looked at Sienna like she’d just seen a ghost.
“What?” Sienna frowned.
Jane ended the call. “You are not going to believe this! That car was bought by—”
“I bought it,” a deep voice interrupted from behind.
Both women turned sharply.
Adrian stood there, tall and imposing, dressed in a suit that hugged his broad frame like it was stitched just for him. His jaw was sharp, his stubble meticulously kept, and his eyes were fixed directly on Sienna.
Jane blinked, taking a step back in shock. She leaned close to Sienna and whispered, not-so-quietly, “Yeah! Adrian Vaughn bought it! Isn’t he the ex-boyfriend you had to keep in a box and never tell anyone about?”
Sienna stiffened. “Don’t say anything,” she muttered through clenched teeth, shooting Jane a warning glare.
Adrian approached, confident and unhurried, the corners of his mouth lifting into a knowing smirk. “What are you two doing, hiding out in a corner like this?”
Jane gave him a cold once-over, then leaned closer to Sienna and whispered again, “Do you want me to get a few guys to beat him up and steal that car?”
Sienna gave her a deadpan look.
“I can do it. Just say the word.” Jane looked at Sienna seriously, nodding confidently.
Sienna quickly grabbed Jane’s shoulders, and spun her around, pushing her back toward the hall. “Go. I’ll meet you later.”
“Should I send Theo?” Jane hissed over her shoulder.
“No,” Sienna said instantly. “I’ll take care of it. Go.”
Once Jane was gone, Sienna turned toward Adrian, her expression carefully blank—uninterested.
Adrian didn’t waste a second. He walked straight over, took her hand, and gently pulled her aside, into a darker corner of the corridor—hidden from the main floor.
His hand brushed against hers, opening his palm to reveal a set of car keys.
“Here.”
Sienna’s brows furrowed. His hand held the keys to the Aston Martin she’d wanted.
Then her gaze flicked back to his face. “Why did you buy this? You only deal in ultra-luxury cars. This one wasn’t even close to your standards.”
“You told me you liked this one,” Adrian said, his fingers reaching up to caress her face—but she pulled back.
“When? I don’t remember—”
“When we were together. Three years ago,” he said, his tone thick with something that sounded a lot like regret. “You saw it in a magazine. Said you loved the car.”
Sienna’s mind reeled back to that moment.
She remembered now—just a flicker of that day. She had been flipping through a magazine, sitting across from him as he typed away on his laptop. She had been showing him things from a magazine that she liked.
“Adrian, look,” she had said, her voice cheerful, youthful hope dancing in her tone. “For my birthday, I want pink roses.” She had grinned and held the magazine up across the table.
He never even looked up.
“And I love this color!” She had added. “This car caught my eye the moment I saw it. I think—”
Before she could finish, Adrian had pulled a card from his wallet and tossed it at her without a glance.
“Here,” he muttered, slamming his laptop shut. “Buy whatever you want. Then, go back to your house. I need some privacy.”
And just like that, he had walked away.
The magazine had fallen to the floor, the card left untouched.
She had stared at the card like it was a slap, her heart shattering in silence as he walked away.
The card had never been used. The car had never been bought. And Adrian had never mentioned it again.
She had thought he hadn’t even heard her. But clearly, she had been wrong.
Back then he just didn’t care.
Now, he grabbed her hand, lifting it gently, and slid the car keys onto her ring finger. “I bought it for you. Because you loved it so much.”
Sienna immediately yanked her hand back, her gaze dropping to the keys, then lifting to meet his eyes coldly. “I only accept gifts from my husband.”