KNOCK, KNOCK...
A knock sounded at the door. Sienna Johnson was startled; through the door, it felt as if a man-eating beast lurked on the other side.
Her hand on her chest, she listened to the insistent knocking, her heart thundering. "Who is it?" she asked, forcing calm into her voice.
"It’s ."
Her breath caught. Xavier Young!
"What’s wrong?"
"Open the door!"
"I’m tired. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it tomorrow."
At this ti, in a closed room with a man clearly having ulterior motives, letting him in would be foolish. It would be like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den, she thought.
KNOCK, KNOCK... The knocking resud, each rap like a summons from death itself, making Sienna’s heart pound. She clutched the fabric over her chest, fear consuming her.
Her body had been branded by Adrian Desmond; she found that, apart from him, she couldn’t accept any other man.
Even a simple touch like holding hands with another man made Sienna feel nauseated.
"Goodnight, Sienna!"
The knocking finally ceased. Sienna stood there, her rigid body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
Sienna had managed to rescue Elliot Carpenter as she wished, but now she was trapped here. She had only seen 001 once; when she tried to find him again, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.
Could 001 have been discovered and killed by Xavier? she wondered.
Sienna thus found herself living in Xavier Young’s lair—a sinful, impoverished, and dangerous place.
At this mont, Sienna sat with her head bowed, watching people laboring in the poppy fields. They used small blades to score the poppy pods; the gummy sap that oozed out, once dried, would beco drugs.
They harvested this sap as ticulously as if it were a common crop.
"What are you doing here?"
An important shipnt had required Xavier Young’s personal attention. Worried about Sienna, he had rushed back imdiately after completing the delivery.
"Just bored, so I ca to have a look," she said listlessly.
Xavier stood beside her, watching the farmhands work. What would have been a boring scene beca interesting simply because Sienna was there.
She wore a large, wide-brimd hat that concealed most of her beautiful face, revealing only a glimpse. Xavier gazed at Sienna, his expression smitten, like a teenager experiencing his first crush.
His eyes were only for her, while hers were on the farmhands, who seed as humble and insignificant as ants.
Sienna saw that the blades, used for a long ti to score the poppy pods, beca sticky and dull. The farmhands would then lick them clean before continuing their work.
"Licking the blades like that," Sienna asked, "wouldn’t they get addicted over ti?"
"Everyone here is addicted to so extent; so mildly, so severely."
Everything here far exceeded Sienna’s comprehension. She found herself unable to apply her usual moral compass to anything in this place; a place like this, she felt, shouldn’t even exist.
"Let’s go back," Xavier said. "The sun is too strong; you’ll get heatstroke."
"Alright."
Sienna had been standing for a while and was indeed feeling a little dizzy. She walked beside Xavier, heading towards the opulent house nearby.
The contrast between extre wealth and abject poverty was stark.
Sienna suddenly felt it was actually better to work for Adrian Desmond. Although Adrian wasn’t the kindest person and had a terrible temper, at least he wouldn’t treat her unfairly regarding material comforts. This place is different, she mused, where the poor are like ants, and a simple severe cold could be a death sentence.
"You must have made a lot of money over the years, haven’t you?" Sienna suddenly asked.
"Yes."
"You could use a small portion of it to set up a Primary School, hire a doctor, and pay them better wages... It’s too impoverished here. Even the most destitute parts of Orienta are more prosperous than this place."
Xavier looked at Sienna with a strange expression. "When did you beco such a saint?"
"Perhaps it’s because I have a child now," she replied. "I can’t bear to see others suffer."
"I may have made a lot of money, but I’ve risked my life for every single penny. I could die at any mont. Why should I share the money I’ve risked my life for with others?"
In Sienna’s world, wealthy people might donate to charity, whether for show or to cultivate a good reputation. Here, however, Xavier clearly cared little for such vanities.
"Since I’ll just be idle anyway," Sienna said, "I might as well open a Clinic. But you’ll have to provide with dicine."
Xavier’s face lit up, his previous attitude vanishing. "I’d forgotten you studied dicine! Opening a Clinic is a good idea. There aren’t any doctors here anyway."
"I’ll list the dicines I need and give it to you tomorrow."
"Good."
"Do you use drugs?"
"No!" After a pause, Xavier added, "And no one working for is allowed to, either. If I find out they’re using, I kick them out imdiately! Drugs can control a person’s mind and lead to their downfall. Sienna, you mustn’t use them either."
"So you do understand how evil drugs are."
"Of course, I do."
"If you know that, why do you deal in them?"
"Because it’s the fastest way to make money!"
"But that kind of money isn’t clean."
"Clean, not clean—what does it matter? Money is money! I want to be powerful, I want to be wealthy, just like Adrian Desmond! Only when I’m like him can I have you!" he declared, his voice laced with obsession.
"What am I in your eyes? A commodity? To be sold to the highest bidder? Whoever is strong and wealthy gets to possess ?"
"..."
"Did either of you ever ask if I was willing?"
Sienna quickened her pace, putting distance between herself and Xavier.
Xavier watched Sienna’s retreating figure, his gaze dimming. She’s not a commodity, he longed to tell her. She’s my hope, my love.
Inside the house, the air conditioning ran constantly. While the scorching heat outside felt like midsumr, the temperature indoors was as pleasant as South River in March.
When Sally, the servant, saw Sienna arrive, she quickly handed her a damp towel. Sienna wiped her face, instantly feeling much cooler.
"Bring Madam so fruit," Xavier ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Sienna sat on the sofa in the living room, not going to her own room. Being in the living room with Xavier is at least better than being alone with him in the bedroom, she reasoned.
Things were spiraling far beyond her expectations. She had initially agreed to co to Xavier’s side purely to spite Adrian. Because Adrian had nearly died for Elliot Carpenter, she, already lacking a sense of security, felt utterly betrayed by him. Whether it was love or affection, if she couldn’t have all of it, she would rather have none. She had to admit, her approach to relationships was pathological, even paranoid...
"Madam, please have so fruit."
"Thank you."
Sienna looked up, and upon seeing Rosie Cooper’s face, she froze for a mont. Why is Rosie Cooper here? she wondered, startled. Could Adrian have woken up?
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