Chapter 6

Sienna POV

As I reached the main gate of the estate, two beefy security guards blocked my way. "An expensive item has been reported stolen. The venue is on lockdown. Please return to the hall."

I was "escorted" back into the bright, suffocating ballroom.

The moment I stepped in, I saw Melanie crying softly against Sebastian's chest.

Serena stood on the stage, holding a microphone. "Melanie's diamond necklace is missing. It was a gift from her father, worth five million dollars!"

The crowd gasped and murmured.

Julian's voice drifted from a corner. "It must have been stolen. And we all know who the only convicted thief in this room is..." He raised his finger, pointing directly at me in the back.

Every single eye in the room locked onto me.

I kept my head down. The nightmare from three years ago was happening all over again.

My dress was torn from my escape, and I was desperately clutching the fabric to cover my chest.

"Sienna, what are you hiding?" Serena stormed over, grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand down.

I fought back. If I let go, my torn dress would expose me to the entire high-society crowd.

"Enough!" Sebastian strode over, slipping his designer suit jacket over my shivering shoulders.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Melanie's face contort with rage.

"Sebastian! Why are you protecting this trash? She clearly stole it!"

Serena snatched my clutch from my hand, shook it violently, and a sparkling diamond necklace fell onto the marble floor. "See! I knew it!"

It finally clicked. Julian must have slipped it into my bag while I was unconscious. They didn't just want to ruin me physically; they wanted to throw me back into a prison cell. Those disgusting monsters.

"Once a criminal, always a criminal."

"I heard her grandmother was a beggar. No wonder she has sticky fingers."

Sebastian placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice perfectly comforting. "Sienna, I know you didn't do it."

I gently pushed his hand away. I had trusted him too many times. Every single time, it was just another act.

"Someone call the cops!" someone yelled.

"No need," I said, stepping back. "I already called them."

The grand double doors of the ballroom were pushed open, and two police officers walked in.

Serena grabbed an officer's arm. "This woman, Sienna, stole a five-million-dollar necklace! We caught her red-handed!"

I clenched my fists.

My grandmother always taught me to endure. But endurance had only brought me endless abuse.

Not this time.

"It wasn't me. Check the security cameras."

Melanie laughed mockingly. "You clueless peasant, there are no cameras in Rosewood Manor. We value our privacy."

Indeed, everyone knew the estate bragged about having zero cameras to protect the privacy of the elite.

I pointed to the massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "There is one right there."

While in prison, an older cellmate once told me that the elite hid pinhole cameras inside the light fixtures of Rosewood Manor to keep tabs on their guests.

The police called the manor manager to pull the footage. Within ten minutes, the video showed Melanie handing the necklace to Julian, who then slipped it into my bag.

The police immediately escorted a pale Melanie and a cursing Julian out of the hall.

Sebastian looked at me, his lips parted as if to say something, but he ultimately remained silent and followed the police out to handle the press.

Back in my room at the Sterling estate.

I lay in bed, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.

I looked at my phone screen again and again. "I'll pick you up in a month."

Just two more weeks, and I would be free from this hell.

Buddy jumped onto the bed, his warm tongue licking the tears from my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his thick fur.

"Buddy," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Just a little longer. We are leaving together."