Chapter 191
Sienna called her mother, Maria, and the call was answered almost immediately. Mariaโs voice was soft and warm, filled with concern. โSienna, are you alright? I saw your injury on the livestream and was so worried. But with your phone taken away, I couldnโt reach you.โ
Hearing those words, Siennaโs cold expression softened slightly. โMom, I got my phone back since I wonโt be filming the rest of the show due to my injury. Reynard already visited me. Itโs nothing too seriousโI just need some time to recover.โ
Maria let out a sigh of relief. โIโm glad to hear that. We were so worried about you. Thatโs why we sent Andrea abroadโto take care of you under the guise of joining the show.โ
Sienna froze for a moment. โAndrea became a guest on the showโฆ because you sent her?โ
Maria replied matter-of-factly, โOf course.โ
Siennaโs tone sharpened. โWho arranged it?โ
Getting a guest spot on this show wasnโt easy. โCesar helped. He was worried about you too, so he arranged for Andrea to join.โ
Siennaโs grip on her phone tightened. Cesarโฆ She knew who Maria was talking aboutโa powerful, wealthy, and mysterious man. Mariaโs former lover. They had never officially been together, but their connection had never truly ended. And because of that, Cesar had always taken great care of Mariaโs children. It was thanks to his influence that Sienna had been able to enter the Jenkins family as an adopted daughter. Yet, despite all these years, Sienna had never met him in person.
The sharp words she had initially prepared to throw at Maria vanished. After Sienna had joined the Jenkins family, Maria had secretly favored her over Andrea, far more than she ever had before. Over the years, their mother-daughter bond had remained strong. And every year, Sienna would send Maria a generous amount of moneyโsomething the Jenkins family had no clue about. They had no idea how deeply she was still connected to her biological family.
Siennaโs lips curled into a sweet, affectionate smile. โI knew it. Mom and Cesar always spoil me the most.โ
Then, she put on a sad, wounded tone and sighed. โBut Andreaโฆ all she cares about is performing on the show. She hasnโt even come to the hospital to see me. Let alone take care of me.โ
Just as expected, Mariaโs voice turned sharp with anger. โThat girl! Unbelievable! She only sent me one text after getting her new phone. Iโll call her right now and tell her to visit you.โ
Siennaโs eyes flickered with satisfaction. She sweetly murmured, โThank you, Mommy.โ
After exchanging a few more words, they ended the call. What Sienna didnโt know was that the call had been automatically recorded and sent to a designated email address. The recording and the email log then erased themselves completely after being sent.
Meanwhile, after dinner, Phoebeโs group headed to an internet cafรฉ for some gaming practice. Reeceโs group, on the other hand, returned to their hotel. Just as they reached the entrance, Reece turned to Joshua and Jamar. โAre we going to the bar for another live gig tonight?โ
Whenever he sat alone in silence, his mind would be flooded with memories of Phoebeโthe beautiful moments they had shared. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. And the more lonely he felt.
So he didnโt want to sit around doing nothing. He needed distractionsโanother night of singing for drinks would do.
Jamar shrugged. โIโm in. Better than doing nothing.โ
Without the option to download games, sitting alone in a hotel room was boring. But Joshua shook his head. โI canโt. My throat hurts like hell.โ The aftereffects of last nightโs drunken singing had hit him hardโhis throat was not only hoarse, but painfully inflamed.
Jamar scoffed. โI told you not to overdo it. Did you even take the medicine I got you?โ
Joshua sighed. โI did. Twice today. But itโs not working.โ After a momentโs thought, he hesitated before asking, โDo you thinkโฆ if I ask Phoebe to make me some herbal throat lozenges, sheโd agree?โ
Jamar raised an eyebrow. โYou cannot be serious.โ Joshua actually thought he had a chance?
Joshua rolled his eyes. โWhy not? Itโs not like Iโd ask for free. Maybe itโd even help smooth things over between us.โ The more he reflected on the past, the guilt weighed heavier on him. If Phoebe hadnโt been able to prove her innocence, she would have been ruined because of his impulsive accusation.
Jamar gave him a deadpan look. โJoshua, I only have one thing to say to you.โ
Joshua blinked. โWhat?โ
Jamar stared straight at him and said, โWhere do you get the audacity?โ
Joshua was speechless. โThis is my own brotherโwhy does he always go straight for the heart?โ Still, he stubbornly muttered, โHow would you know if you donโt try?โ He really couldnโt take the pain anymore. During the afternoon tour, he had barely spoken at all. Even swallowing hurt like hell. This wasnโt a new problemโhe knew from experience that hospital meds were too slow. The only thing that had ever truly helped was Phoebeโs homemade lozenges.
He sighed. โShe used to be softhearted with us.โ
Jamar snorted. โThat was before. Now? Sheโs ice-cold.โ
โLast time I had food poisoning and asked her to make herbal soup for me, she ignored me completely.โ Jamar brought it up deliberatelyโhoping Joshua would drop his delusional idea.
But instead, Joshua smirked. โThat was you. Maybe sheโll treat me differently.โ
Jamar gave him an exasperated look. โWhere do you get this confidence?โ
Joshua scoffed. โHow would you know if you donโt try?โ Then he changed the topic. โBesides, whatโs the point of going to the bar every night? Letโs go to the internet cafรฉ instead.โ He didnโt want to admit it, but the idea of facing Phoebe alone made him a little nervous.
Jamar thought it over and nodded. โYeah, fine. My stomachโs getting tired of all the alcohol anyway.โ Honestly, he missed Phoebeโs oatmeal and herbal soups. And if Joshua somehow managed to get Phoebe to be kind again, Jamar wasnโt against mooching off the benefits.
Besidesโafter everything that happened, Jamar had started to suspect they had truly misjudged Phoebe. If Sienลa had been manipulating them all along, then they owed Phoebe a lot more than just an apology.
Turning to Reece, he asked, โReece, you in?โ
Reece didnโt hesitate. โSure. Iโll go with you guys.โ Even if Phoebe wouldnโt forgive him, just being near her made him feel closer to her.
As the three wrapped up their plan, they suddenly rememberedโthey had one more teammate now. Turning in unison, they looked at Andrea. โWhat about you? Coming with us?โ
Andrea smiled sweetly. โSure, Iโll join you.โ
The group agreed to meet in half an hour at the hotel lobby. Andrea returned to her room to change, but as soon as she picked up her phone, the screen lit up with an incoming call. Seeing the number, her expression hardened. Still, she answered. โMom.โ
Mariaโs voice was sharp with displeasure. โWhy havenโt you gone to see Sienna?โ
Andreaโs lips curled into a mocking smirk. Ever since Sienna had entered the Jenkins family, growing to resemble Cesar more and more, Mariaโs attitude had completely flipped. Sienna became her precious treasure. Andrea? A burden. But Andrea knew exactly how to deal with Maria.
Chapter 192