Chapter 35: Block Wyatt Everett

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Block Wyatt Everett

Sienna’s heart skipped a beat, her long, curly lashes trembling.

When she was little, she’d been a real handful, always ordering Julian Forrester around.

One day it was a demand for Julian to rub her shoulders, the next for him to massage her legs, and the day after that for him to do her homework.

Thinking back on it now was actually rather embarrassing.

Sienna gave a soft, guilty cough and decided to play dumb, staying silent.

She was determined not to admit she’d constantly bossed him around as a child.

Seeing her feign ignorance, Julian Forrester raised a playful eyebrow. In a lazy drawl, he asked, "Does Sierra truly not remember?"

He paused for a second, his voice low and alluring. "Alright then. Let me help you remember."

Sienna’s earlobes instantly flushed red.

’That cloyingly sweet nickname, "Sierra"...’

He used to call her that all the time when they were kids, but after their falling out, she rarely heard it.

Sienna uneasily raised a hand to her ear. The lobe was burning hot. Half shy, half annoyed, she snapped, "Don’t call me that!"

The man continued to massage her shoulders without complaint and drawled, "When you want to order me around, it’s all sweetness and light, but when you don’t, you just snap at me. Why so fickle, Sierra?"

Sienna: "..."

’He said it again!’

Sienna’s cheeks flushed. She slapped his hand away and puffed out her cheeks. "I’ll do it myself. I don’t need you!"

Julian Forrester glanced at the hand she had slapped away. A distinct red mark was on it, proving she had used some force.

He wasn’t angry, though. On the contrary, he found it a form of flirtatious fun.

He looked up to see her massaging her own shoulders, her movements clumsy and awkward in a way that was surprisingly cute.

The man suddenly let out a soft laugh, tinged with lazy amusement. "Here, let me, Your Highness."

Sienna, full of pride, huffed. "I told you I don’t need you."

He arched an eyebrow, his eyes full of indulgence. "But *I’m* the one insisting. Grant me the opportunity, Your Highness, hm?"

Sienna shot him a look, then conceded with feigned haughtiness. "Fine. I’ll bestow this opportunity upon you."

The man chuckled softly, adoration written in the corners of his eyes.

He raised his hands to continue massaging her shoulders. His slender, fair fingers gently kneaded her slim shoulders through the thin fabric of her clothes.

Sienna had to admit, he was quite good at it. The pressure was just right—not too light, not too heavy—and it effectively eased her fatigue.

"Do you give people shoulder rubs often? How did you get so good at it?" she asked, suddenly curious.

Julian Forrester almost laughed in exasperation at her question. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sienna Everett, who else have you ever seen me give a shoulder rub to?"

Sienna thought back. She really couldn’t recall ever seeing him do that for anyone else.

The man shot her a deliberate glance, his thin lips parting to utter in a low, husky voice, "I’ve only ever served you."

Sienna’s breath hitched, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She suddenly had no idea how to respond.

Julian Forrester didn’t seem to need an answer, casually changing the subject. "I haven’t congratulated you yet on winning first place in the finale."

Sienna immediately seized the offered escape. "You watched the livestream?"

He grunted in affirmation, his gaze turning sharp. "That Wyatt Everett..."

The name alone was enough to make Sienna’s stomach turn. She waved a hand dismissively, clearly not wanting to discuss him. "He’s just..."

She had only gotten two words out when her phone rang.

Someone was calling her.

The caller ID read: Wyatt Everett.

Speak of the devil.

’My apologies, that’s an insult to the devil.’

Her expression blank, Sienna immediately declined the call.

Past experience told her that a call from Wyatt Everett was sure to be a tirade. He would yell at her for not yielding to Shannon Everett, accuse her of being ungrateful to the Everett Family, and call her a cruel, heartless monster.

In Wyatt Everett’s eyes, she wasn’t his real sister, just a tool he could verbally abuse whenever he was displeased.

In the eyes of the Everetts, she probably ranked lower than a homeless stray on the side of the road.

Sienna didn’t want to hear it, and she refused to give Wyatt Everett another chance to berate her, so she simply declined the call.

She had just set her phone down when it rang again.

It was Wyatt Everett again.

Sienna declined it again and, annoyed, blocked his number.

On the other end, Wyatt Everett’s brow furrowed in frustration after she hung up on him. He patiently dialed again, only to get a notification that he’d been blocked.

Wyatt Everett stared at his phone in utter disbelief, as if he’d just seen a ghost.

’Sienna didn’t just ignore his call—she blocked him?’

’Sienna actually dared to block him?!’

’She’s gotten bold, has she!’

...

「Veridian Gardens.」

Tonight’s dinner was personally cooked by Julian Forrester to celebrate Sienna winning first place in the *Dancing National Style* finale.

Seeing the table laden with all her favorite dishes, a wave of warmth washed over Sienna. "Thank you."

The man’s lips curved into a slight smile. "If you’re so thankful, how about you do me a favor?"

Sienna blinked. "What favor?"

Julian Forrester: "Help me take off my clothes."

Sienna: "???"

Sienna was so shocked her pupils dilated.

He raised his arms and calmly amended, "Help me take off my apron."

Sienna: "..."

Seeing him in the apron, looking for all the world like a perfect househusband, Sienna rubbed her nose and walked behind him.

Her slender, pale fingers reached for the ties of his apron.

Her long lashes were cast downward, and the overhead light of the living room cast a soft shadow beneath her eyes.

With her eyes lowered, Sienna’s gaze landed on the man’s trim, narrow waist.

He wore a white dress shirt and black trousers, the shirt tucked in to delineate his narrow waistline. The effect was both alluring and tantalizingly ascetic.

’It made one inexplicably want to wrap their hands around his waist just to measure it.’

Sienna suppressed the impulse stirring within her and finished untying the apron. "There, it’s undone."

Julian Forrester didn’t move. His voice was lazy, laced with a smile. "Sierra, I said help me take it *off*."

Sienna’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to retort, but a glance at the table laden with her favorite dishes made her hold her tongue.

’Oh, whatever,’ she thought. ’Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’

Besides, he had personally cooked all this to celebrate with her.

Standing behind him, Sienna made a face at his back before reluctantly pulling the apron off him. "There. Happy now?"

He chuckled, his eyes downcast. "Since Sienna herself took it off for me, how could I dare be anything but satisfied?"

Sienna blinked. For some reason, his words sounded a little off.

But she had to admit, Julian Forrester really knew the way to her heart was through her stomach. She ate so much that before she knew it, her little tummy was starting to bulge.

Sienna rubbed her round little belly. To aid her digestion, she went for a walk outside after dinner.

Once her stomach had settled, Sienna returned to her room for a shower.

She had just stepped out of the bathroom when a knock sounded at the door.

Sienna went to open it.

Julian Forrester was standing outside. "I came to get something."

Sienna nodded and stepped aside to let him in.

Many of his belongings were still in the master bedroom. She had offered to move them out for him before, but he’d refused, saying he would just come get things as he needed them.

Noticing Sienna’s hair was still wet from her shower, Julian Forrester picked up the nearby hairdryer. "Want me to dry your hair for you?"

Sienna was just about to refuse.

But he had already switched on the hairdryer, its low HUM filling the quiet room.

Julian Forrester stood before Sienna. He held the hairdryer in one hand, aiming the warm air at the crown of her head, while his other hand combed through her dark tresses, his cool, pale, slender fingers weaving between the strands.

The faint, sweet scent of her shampoo drifted up, lingering around him.

Having just showered, Sienna was wearing a black silk slip dress. It revealed her fair, jade-like shoulders and the wide expanse of snowy skin across her chest.

It was an arresting sight.

The thin straps resting on her snowy shoulders created an indescribable sense of allure.

Julian Forrester’s gaze suddenly darkened, becoming as deep and dense as the night outside the window.