Half-Hearted: Mr. Sinclair, Stop the Act!-Chapter 88: The Fight Breaks Out

A shadow of ruthlessness flickered in Caleb Sinclair’s eyes, but his expression paused slightly when he heard her mention calling the police.

Seeing her helpless gaze, searching for an anchor, his heart softened completely.

He raised his hand to gently caress her cheek, his voice tender and patient, "Of course we can call the police, but... isn’t your art museum about to hold a joint exhibition for Audrey and Faye Irving?

If this issue comes to light, it will definitely harm the museum’s image and affect the exhibition."

He paused and then asked, "Your fruit tea is a crucial piece of evidence, fingerprints can be extracted from it. Do you still have the fruit tea?"

Sienna Monroe could see the care, the consideration for her, and... the weighing of pros and cons in his expression.

To put it bluntly, he was just worried that the person who drugged her was indeed Vivian Nash, and feared that it would be hard to manage if the police got involved, so he wanted to dissuade her from calling them.

Even when it concerned the lives of her and the child, he chose to protect Vivian Nash.

How ridiculous, how pathetic.

Vivian Nash was more important to him than her and the child in her belly.

So what was the meaning of the care and concern he showed?

Six years of feelings gone to waste, leaving her somewhat dazed and her eyes slightly burning with heat.

It was fortunate it was a false pregnancy, otherwise she might have really steeled her heart to abort the child.

Even if it meant suffering a loss, she would have made that choice.

She tried hard to suppress her emotions, covering her face with worry. "After I sent the fruit tea to the testing center that day, I didn’t take it back..."

She then sighed, "You’re right, if this blows up now, it’s not good for the museum’s reputation. But without knowing who it was,

I feel uneasy. This time I noticed, but what about next time? I’m afraid..."

Caleb Sinclair frowned, thoughtfully saying, "Copy the surveillance footage for me. I’ll investigate this for you. Until there’s a lead, don’t eat anything from others at the museum.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll have Auntie Miller prepare meals and send them to you at noon every day."

With such thorough consideration from him, Sienna had no reason not to agree.

Noticing her unease, Caleb gently patted her head, softly reassuring her, "Honey, don’t be afraid, I’m always here for you. You can rely on me anytime."

His words were so sincere and heartfelt.

If not for the lingering pain in her heart, she might have been a little moved.

Rely on him?

Perhaps it would only lead to an even more terrible end for her.

She stared at his expression, unable to discern any trace of guilt or remorse.

Did he really not feel guilty saying these things?

Maybe this realization caused her emotions to split and collapse, as she tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to sleep.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but she plunged into a dream, surrounded by darkness. No matter how she ran, how she called, there was no light or response.

The oppressive, panicky, even despairing emotions approached her step by step, like the Reaper trying to bind her forever in this dark world.

Suddenly, she seemed to hear a voice calling her, "Sienna! Sienna!"

That deep, mellow voice was laced with urgency.

But the more she listened, the fainter it became. As her awareness completely faded, she heard a "splash" of water.

Someone had fallen into the water? 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She couldn’t explore further, as her tightly shut eyes wouldn’t open, and she was finally awakened by the sound of a phone ringing.

Nora Joyce was calling.

She sat up, bewildered and lost.

This dream felt very real, but it was somewhat different from the previous two.

But what did it mean?

She furrowed her brows for a bit, answering the call just as it was about to be cut off.

There was an issue with a material needed for the exhibition setup, prompting her to curtly say, "I’m coming over now," before hanging up.

After resolving the issue at the museum and returning to the third floor with Nora, she saw Vivian Nash animatedly discussing the latest fashion industry trends with two colleagues.

Looking in high spirits, it seemed Caleb hadn’t used the fruit tea test report to confront Vivian Nash.

But it didn’t matter, what she wanted was for Caleb to already harbor suspicions about Vivian Nash.

That was enough.

Vivian Nash, sensing her gaze, looked over and raised an eyebrow, joyfully greeting her.

Vivian’s provocations towards her had become increasingly obvious these days.

She averted her eyes indifferently and returned to her office.

Ding!

Her phone beeped with a message notification.

[June Ewing has bribed a girl named Cheryl Talbot from the museum’s operations department, instructing her to spread rumors tomorrow at the museum about Vivian Nash being a homewrecker.]

Sienna Monroe frowned.

In just two days, June Ewing not only dug up everything about Vivian Nash, but also managed to bribe some people at the art gallery.

The feeling was quite subtle.

But more definitively, it was uncomfortable.

It was like having your own cake, only for someone else to take a piece.

She suddenly recalled a previous text that warned her June Ewing had also set her sights on the Serena Art Museum.

However, in the time since, apart from during the period right after her mother’s death, she had only subtly hinted a few times, suggesting to get someone to manage the museum for her.

Back then, her mother’s death was a severe blow to her, but she understood that the Serena Art Museum was her mother’s life’s work.

She had no reason to hand over her mother’s hard work to someone else.

She never considered her art museum as an impregnable fortress, but now the thought of having June Ewing’s mole inside, constantly under surveillance, gave her the creeps.

Setting an example to deter others had always been a cliché yet effective tactic.

At half-past ten the next morning, Sienna Monroe returned from the art association to find the museum’s staff gossiping about something.

She narrowed her gaze, guessing that the rumors about Vivian Nash had likely spread throughout the museum.

She stared into the distance, momentarily losing focus. Suddenly, a young employee approached, "Director, Assistant Joyce, you’d better go upstairs and have a look. Vivian Nash from Curatorial Group A and Cheryl Talbot from the Operations Department have gotten into a fight!"

Sienna was taken aback and furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

A fight?

That truly caught her off guard.

Nora Joyce was also puzzled, "What happened?"

"More than half an hour ago, Vivian Nash had a package delivered, and Cheryl Talbot happened to be on the first floor, so she signed for it. But the envelope slipped from her grasp, and a bunch of photos fell out... All of them were intimate photos of her and some man, the extremely intimate kind, and there was even a magenta piece of paper saying that she could be taken as a concubine.

Cheryl Talbot took the photos to her, asking if she was being the other woman and someone wanted to make her a concubine. Vivian Nash, with tears in her eyes, started throwing punches. Director Dawson couldn’t even pull them apart; there was hair all over the floor."

Sienna raised her eyebrow slightly, almost imperceptibly.

June Ewing really was ruthless.

Using explicit photos and the concubine proposal — she didn’t plan on leaving Vivian Nash any room to escape.

She blocked all avenues for Vivian to explain herself.

She chuckled inwardly but remained expressionless on the surface, speaking in a calm tone, "Let’s go have a look."

They took the elevator to the third floor, and as soon as they stepped out, Sienna heard a cacophony of noises through the corridor.

As they passed through, the sight that met her eyes was the Curatorial Group A’s area surrounded by layers of people. Even through the crowd, the curses and yelling inside were clear.

"Director."

The people on the outskirts saw her, immediately wiped off their entertained expressions, and nodded.

The others heard as well, and soon everyone was greeting her, and the originally noisy place gradually quieted down.

The onlookers automatically made way for her, revealing Vivian Nash and Cheryl Talbot wrestling on the ground.

Both of them were in bad shape, looking quite disheveled.

Their hair was messy, faces had scratches, and Cheryl’s sweater was unraveled.

In all the years she’s known Vivian Nash, she had never seen her in such a sorry state.

Scattered on the ground were numerous indecent photos, each with shockingly bold content.

Her gaze landed on that magenta piece of paper. Bending down, she picked it up, and it indeed had a line printed on it: No need to sneak around, openly take the lowly woman as a concubine.

Alright then.

The dowry list was there, and the photos stayed as dowry gifts.

Should she, as the legitimate wife, gracefully welcome her into the household?

Sienna raised her hand to rub her nose, hiding the smile on her lips, before reprimanding, "Still not stopping? Want to keep fighting in the police station?"

Hearing this, both Vivian and Cheryl paused their actions, looked up at Sienna’s indifferent eyes, gritted their teeth, and forcefully pushed each other away.

Sienna’s gaze swept over the surrounding people, "Don’t you all have work to do?"

Hearing her words, the crowd instantly dispersed, returning to their respective stations.

Director Dawson and Nora Joyce stepped forward and started to pick up those vulgar photos.

Vivian Nash walked up to Sienna, her face full of grievance and misery, "Sienna, I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I started it, but Cheryl Talbot defamed me as someone’s mistress, ruining my reputation..."

Cheryl understood Vivian’s lousy character all too well.

She hurried to interrupt, "Is there still any need for me to slander or ruin you? The wife had already mailed those intimate photos, and wants to take you as a concubine..."

Sienna cut her off, "Enough, isn’t it embarrassing already? Come with me, don’t disrupt others’ work!"

With that, she turned and walked in the direction of the office.

Vivian Nash bit her lip hard, then followed her.

Who was it?

Who the hell sent these photos?