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The Tired Bird Rests

After four years of devotion to the distant CEO Zayden Scott, Sienna Lewis realizes she will never break through his emotional walls. Tired of being a shadow in his life while he remains obsessed with another, she decides to reclaim her identity. By contacting her mother to arrange a pilot interview in Helmswick, Sienna abandons her stagnant life in Sea City. She chooses to trade a suffocating, forbidden affair for the skies, finally prioritizing her career and freedom over a one-sided love.
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Chapter 5

In the end, the post was deleted.

The Scott family held too much power in Sea City, and Sienna’s friend had no choice but to back down.

But as compensation, Zayden made Riley apologize to Sienna.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lewis. I didn’t mean to.”

Looking at the smug, taunting smile on Riley’s face, Sienna clenched her fists.

Did they really think a simple “sorry” could erase everything she had suffered?

What did they take her for?

“I don’t accept your apology,” Sienna said.

Zayden frowned. Just as he was about to say something, Riley stopped him.

She smiled sweetly and said, “That’s fine, Ms. Lewis. Of course, you’re upset. Let’s have a drink, okay? Alcohol fixes everything!”

Without waiting for a response, she started drinking on her own.

Riley had a poor tolerance for alcohol.

Zayden stood by her side and held her with care. He looked like he was afraid she might bump into something and get hurt.

The scene made Sienna’s chest tighten, but she said nothing.

She got up and walked to the bathroom. Out of sight, out of mind.

By the time they got home, Riley was passed out drunk.

“Riley will stay here tonight,” Zayden said.

Then, he walked into the kitchen.

He tied on an apron and began making her some hangover soup.

He moved with such focus and care that he looked like a loving husband taking care of his wife.

Sienna remembered the time she drank too much and landed in the hospital.

He did not even call to ask if she was okay.

She would never have a place in his heart like Riley did.

She turned away and went upstairs.

When she reached her room, she realized that she had left her phone in the living room.

As she opened her door to go back down and retrieve it, she saw something that almost suffocated her.

She saw Riley with her arms around Zayden’s neck. Their faces were so close that their lips were only inches apart.

“Zayden, I’m wearing the lipstick you bought for me. Don’t you want to know if it tastes sweet?”

Riley leaned in close. Zayden froze for a moment.

Then, all of a sudden, he pulled her into his arms.

The kiss was fiery and desperate. Their bodies soon pressed tightly together.

“Riley…”

He whispered her name before pinning her beneath him.

Sienna could not hold back anymore. She turned and fled back to her room.

The moment she shut the door behind her, the strength she had been clinging to crumbled all at once.

She broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

All the pain and humiliation she had endured over the past five years came flooding back at once.

She recalled accidentally cutting her finger while learning to cook for him.

She remembered drinking so much that she ended up puking blood all over the hospital floor.

Every moment and memory was nothing more than a cruel joke.

That night, Sienna could not sleep.

Early the next morning, she packed her things.

When she opened her door to carry her luggage out, she saw Riley leaning casually against the doorframe.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Sienna shot her an icy glance. “None of your business.”

She lifted her luggage and was ready to head downstairs. But just as she stepped forward, Riley stuck out her foot.

Sienna could not dodge in time and was sent tumbling down the stairs.

She struggled to get up. Blood was already seeping from a cut on her forehead.

Riley walked down the stairs slowly and stopped in front of her.

She grabbed Sienna by her hair. “How dare you talk to me like that? Zayden spoils me. Even if I kill you, he’ll take my side.”

Then, she stomped down hard on Sienna’s injured hand.

“Didn’t you love flying? I’ll make sure you never touch a joystick again!”

Crack!

Sienna could hear her bones shattering.

She struggled desperately, but Riley refused to lift her foot.

It was not until a man’s furious shout came from the doorway that Riley finally stopped. “Enough!”

Sienna’s vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she was in a sterile white hospital room.

As soon as she woke up, she grabbed her phone and called Helen. “Mom, help me sort out my flying documents. I can’t stay here another day!”

She did not want to stay in Sea City any longer.

Just then, the door swung open.

Zayden walked in.

“What flying documents? Didn’t you give up flying?”