"Curly, do you want Daddy to hold you?"
Upon Adrian Desmond’s words, everyone present was shocked. Kathryn’s gaze unabashedly swept back and forth between Adrian and Curly. If it were any other ti, and soone dared to look at him like that, Adrian would have lost his temper long ago.
Today, Adrian was surprisingly good-tempered.
Heh, so he’d finally let the Johnson family know who he was?
"Sienna, is he really?" Pauline Briggs couldn’t believe her eyes, covering her mouth as she stared at Adrian.
Sienna Johnson was in no mood to explain this matter at the mont. She still had more important things to handle.
Sienna handed her daughter to Adrian and said, "Curly, sleep with Daddy tonight, okay?"
"No!"
"Curly, be good!" Sienna’s tone grew heavier. Curly was smart; the little one was very good at reading expressions and knew this wasn’t the ti to keep pestering her mother, so she reluctantly nodded.
"Mommy, pick up first thing tomorrow morning."
"Very soon."
Sienna touched her daughter’s head, looked at Adrian, and instructed, "Take good care of her."
She’s my daughter too! As if I would mistreat Curly. I obviously dote on our daughter more than she does!
As Adrian left with Curly, Sienna said, "Go through the front door!"
"Oh, I’m used to it."
Who on earth indulged him in this awful habit of constantly climbing walls?
Sienna watched them leave. Once she was sure her daughter was safe, she followed Kathryn to see Old Madam Johnson.
Pauline Briggs followed too. Looking at Sienna’s injured hand, she said, "Sienna, your hand is hurt. Let the doctor look at it first and apply so dicine. It’s not good for a girl to have scars on her skin."
"Madam Johnson, if it weren’t for you, my hand wouldn’t have been hurt!" Sienna said coldly.
Dexter Johnson and Pauline Briggs had a very good relationship. Sienna, however, truly couldn’t appreciate won with Pauline’s kind of temperant. To borrow a term from novels, aside from being a bit older, Pauline’s personality could be perfectly summarized as ’foolish, innocent, sweet.’ If Dexter had married soone with a bit more sense, the Johnson family might have fared better; at the very least, Dexter might still be alive.
"I’m sorry... but, how could you grab it with your hand?"
Sienna didn’t want to say another word to her. It was a complete waste of breath. Not only would communication be fruitless, but it would also feel like lowering her own intelligence.
...
Sienna went to see Old Madam Johnson in this disheveled state. Old Madam Johnson had received a shock. Although she had taken her dicine, her spirits were still low.
Seeing Sienna’s appearance, Old Madam Johnson said unhappily, "Kathryn, how do you manage things? Miss is in such a state! You didn’t have her take a hot bath, change into clean clothes, and treat the wound on her hand, yet you brought her to see an old woman like first?"
"..."
"Do you think an old woman like can’t take a shock and won’t survive tonight?"
Old Madam Johnson was clearly incensed. Kathryn quickly went to her side, rubbing her chest and apologizing, "Yes, yes, it’s all Kathryn’s fault. Kathryn was thoughtless. I’ll call the doctor right away, and then I’ll take Miss to have a hot bath and change into clean clothes."
"Grandma, I just drank so sweet ginger water. I’m fine."
"Old Madam Johnson, I’ll take Miss out now, and I’ll bring her back in a little while."
"Go on, go on. Go and call Dr. Clark."
Dr. Clark is the father of young Dr. Clark and Old Madam Johnson’s personal physician. Dr. Clark had retired long ago but still ca by periodically to give Old Madam Johnson check-ups.
"Yes, I’ll go right now!"
Kathryn ca over and practically had to drag Sienna out.
Outside the room, Kathryn lowered her voice and said, "Miss, Old Madam Johnson genuinely cares about you. Please try to understand her. She’s old and can’t endure much upset; just go along with her this once."
"I know."
Sienna went to her room to change. Kiki, her eyes red, ca over. "Sienna, are you okay?"
"Notify Lucas Robertson to pack up. We’re leaving tonight!"
Kiki stood there, stunned, looking foolishly at Sienna.
Sienna frowned. "Didn’t you hear ?"
Kiki anxiously asked, "Leave? Where to? Is it because Sixth Master found us, so we have to run away again?"
This ti, Sienna’s decision to leave wasn’t because of Adrian Desmond, but because of Pauline Briggs. The day’s events had given Sienna a sense of crisis.
Because Pauline Briggs was present, Sabrina Johnson frequently visited the Johnson ho. The Johnson family still kept Sabrina Johnson’s room, making Pauline Briggs, in effect, Sabrina Johnson’s informant within the family. Crucially, Pauline Briggs had no guard up against Sabrina Johnson and was being exploited by her without even realizing it. Now, Sienna’s relationship with Sabrina Johnson and Frederick Stewart was one of life and death. It was one thing that Pauline Briggs couldn’t help her, but Sienna absolutely could not let this woman drag her down.
She wouldn’t allow what happened today to happen a second ti!
"It’s not that. I just don’t want to live with Madam Johnson anymore."
No one understood Sienna’s relationship with Pauline Briggs better than Kiki. Hearing that Sienna was moving out because of Pauline Briggs, Kiki didn’t ask any more questions.
Kiki asked a very practical question, "Move so suddenly? Where are we moving to?"
"To my adoptive mother’s house!"
"That three-bedroom house won’t fit all of us."
"We’ll squeeze in for now and figure things out later."
Kiki had always listened to Sienna in all matters; whatever Sienna told her to do, she did.
"I’ll go pack now."
"Don’t pack too much. Just a few essential clothing items for now. Once we’ve found a new place, we’ll have the moving company co for the rest," Sienna instructed.
"Okay!"
Pauline Briggs knew she had made a mistake and didn’t dare to face Sienna. Sienna, for her part, couldn’t be bothered with Pauline’s fragile ’glass heart.’
In this world, perhaps only Dexter Johnson could have tolerated her. Unfortunately, Dexter was dead—killed by the adopted daughter Pauline had doted on the most. Would Madam Johnson be able to bear it if she knew this outco? Or, because she doted on Sabrina Johnson so much, would she soften if Sabrina Johnson just cried and offered a few excuses? If Pauline Briggs could truly forgive her adopted daughter for harming Dexter Johnson, Sienna resolved that she would stop supporting Pauline.
"Sienna, I’m sorry..."
Sienna completely ignored Pauline Briggs, as if she were air, and went upstairs to wash up and change her clothes. Her right hand was blackened; the burn was quite severe, though the rest of her seed alright.
By the ti Sienna had changed into clean clothes and co out, Dr. Clark had arrived.
After Dr. Clark examined her wound, he chided, "You silly girl, how can you be so unconcerned? It’s burned this badly, and you still didn’t let Kathryn call a doctor? What if it leaves a scar?"
"So what if it leaves a scar?"
"If it leaves a scar, it’ll be ugly! What man would marry you then?"
Sienna said seriously, "If a man wouldn’t marry because of a scar on my hand, then I wouldn’t want him anyway!"
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