He Thought My Mother Died, but It Was His

I signed the divorce papers without hesitation.

Josiah blinked, clearly not expecting that. Afraid I might change my mind, he immediately sent the papers off to his lawyer to finalize things.

Vivian walked over, her voice soft but laced with cruelty.

"Jo loves me so much that he even turned your mom's body into fireworks for me. Don't you think your mom should be thanking me? Oh, right. She's blown to pieces now. Guess there's nothing left to thank me with."

I looked at her smug face, but my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Back then, when Carina thought I couldn't have children, she had tried to force me into a divorce. She even spread rumors behind my back, claiming my mother was some kind of prostitute and that I was illegitimate.

She made sure everyone heard. Even Josiah had once questioned me about it.

Now it was obvious that he hadn't doubted it at all. He had believed every word Carina said.

Josiah wrapped an arm around Vivian, glaring at me with open disdain. "Sienna, take the hint and get out of here. You're an eyesore."

He let out a cold laugh. "Out of respect for your mom's 'contribution' to Vivian, I'll have security wait ten minutes before throwing you out."

I remained calm. "You can keep the remains. It's yours now. I don't need them."

I paused, then added, "Just make sure when Mr. Broadway Senior gets here that you both remember you were the ones who blew that body to pieces."

Josiah's expression darkened instantly. "Are you trying to scare me with my dad? Let me make one thing clear, Sienna. My family answers to me now. Blowing up your mom's body is nothing. Even if I scattered both you and your mom's ashes, my dad wouldn't be able to do anything to me!"

I let out a laugh. "Josiah, I only told you that 'Mom' was kidnapped. Why are you so sure the one who died was my mother and not yours?"

Josiah burst out laughing and looked at me like I was insane. "My mom? You think those broke kidnappers would dare touch her? Sienna, did that explosion scramble your brain?"

He jabbed a finger against my head.

"If it were my mom, they'd be asking for more than ten million. Your mom's the only one cheap enough for that price. One strand of my mom's hair is worth more than your mom's life."

He continued, "Besides, my mom has tens of millions sitting in her accounts. How could kidnappers possibly kill her? If they only wanted a measly ten million, she could've paid it with a flick of her finger! Try using that waterlogged brain of yours for once!"

I was indeed using my brain.

Last week, on Carina's birthday, I had picked out an expensive bracelet at an auction, planning to buy it as a gift for her.

But Josiah saw the payment slip and completely lost it, accusing me of secretly funneling money back to my "poor and useless" family.

No matter how I tried to explain, he wouldn't listen. Right in front of me, he froze all the secondary cards.

What he didn't realize was that his mother's card was one of them. He had cut off Carina's only way out of the kidnapping situation himself.

Vivian smirked, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

"Sienna, just stop pretending. Her remains are right here. Honestly, someone as low as your mom… This is probably the best ending she could hope for."

Then, unbelievably, her dog lifted its leg, about to pee right in my face.

I dodged instantly.

That was it. I had given them enough respect.

I lunged forward, grabbed Vivian by the hair, and slammed her face straight into the puddle of dog piss. Then I drove my foot into her, sending her crashing to the floor.

She screamed.

"Sienna! Are you out of your damn mind?"

Josiah's eyes turned bloodshot. He charged over, grabbed me, and slammed my head against the wall.

Still not satisfied, he wrapped his hand around my throat and slammed me onto the floor again and again.

"How dare you hurt Vivian? You've got a death wish!"

Vivian clutched her face, sobbing. "Jo… My face hurts… She made me drink dog piss…"

"Vivian, don't cry," Josiah said, his voice full of tenderness. "I'll make her apologize to you right now."

I shot him a cold glare, and his expression turned icy.

"You're not happy about it?" he snapped. "Then don't expect to walk out of here in one piece today."

He grabbed the bag of shredded flesh and, to everyone's horror, dumped it all into the dog's bowl.

The dog wagged its tail excitedly and immediately buried its head in, devouring the flesh.

The sickening crunch of bones being chewed echoed through the room.

"See that, Sienna? To me, you and your mom aren't even worth as much as a dog," Josiah said with a sneer.

Right then, hurried footsteps thundered in.

Josiah's father burst through the door with a group of bodyguards.

"Josiah! Your mother's been murdered by the kidnappers. Her body was dumped into the sea! Yet you're here fooling around with this disgraceful woman like nothing happened?"

The color drained from Josiah's face. His eyes slowly shifted toward the dog bowl in disbelief.