Sienna's POV

“This isn’t how you write a proposal.”

With Howard’s guidance, I ended up revising the document about ten times before his frown finally softened.

“Go rest for now; we’ll just continue tomorrow.”

He stood up and headed to the bathroom. Suddenly, his phone, lying unlocked on the table, buzzed with a new message.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I peeked at it. Seeing Lance’s name on the screen, I tapped it open after hesitating for a while.

[Lance: Uncle, how’s Sienna? Is she really mad at me? Why hasn’t she tried to contact me these past few days?]

[Howard: Why should she contact you? If you don’t like her, let her go!]

[Lance: Uncle, she’s been clinging to me and refusing to let go. I’m just trying to keep her from causing a scene. Can you help me manage her at my engagement party? As long as Sienna doesn’t disrupt things, I promise to focus on work afterward!]

Lance, a spoiled man, was promising to work hard just so I wouldn’t “cause trouble”?

Scrolling further up, I saw him asking Howard for money to handle the damage his fiancée, Maia, had done to my house. But Howard hadn’t given him a cent. Instead, he had asked for my hospital address.

So, Lance knew I was injured and hospitalized, yet he hadn’t bothered to visit me—not even once.

Driven by a bitter curiosity, I opened Lance’s social media. There, I found out that during my hospital stay, he had been busy with Maia—taking her to amusement parks, riding Ferris wheels, watching sunrises, trying on wedding gowns, and even proposing to her.

But when I checked it in my account, I saw nothing but a blank page. Clearly, he had blocked me.

My heart sank as I quietly blocked Lance in return. I also marked his messages on Howard's phone as unread. Without another word, I headed upstairs to the guest room.

Saying it didn’t hurt would’ve been a lie.

Alone under the covers, tears soaked my pillow as I drifted into a fitful sleep. But even in my dreams, Lance was mocking me, pointing at me and laughing.

“Sienna! You were just a fling. Why would I marry someone like you? A bedmate? An orphan? You think you’re worthy?”

Then the scene shifted with Howard and Maia standing together, then pushed me into an abyss.

I screamed as the dream shattered with the sound of thunder.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here,” a voice soothed.

Clinging desperately to the figure before me, it took a moment for reality to settle in. I had woken from the nightmare, and a thunderstorm was raging outside.

Howard was sitting beside me, his hand gently stroking my back like you’d comfort a frightened child. The clean, woodsy scent of cedar clung to him, fresh and calming, while the warmth of his touch sent my heart racing.

Since my parents passed away, no one had ever held me like this during a thunderstorm.

Even Lance—after five years of a secret relationship—never stayed overnight. He’d always leave after we were done, offering nothing but empty words over the phone: “Sienna, I’ll keep you company… from here.”

But now, at this moment, I found myself selfishly craving Howard’s warmth. His tenderness, so different from the cold, businesslike demeanor he showed others, felt like a fragile treasure.

As my thoughts cleared, I remembered how he had burst into my room at the first clap of thunder.

How did he know I was afraid of storms?

The longer we stayed like this, the more my mind turned to mush. Without thinking, I blurted out, “Howard, would you marry me?”

Unfortunately, a loud crash of thunder drowned my voice, and his response was also muffled due to it, so I couldn’t hear it clearly. But I thought I caught the word “okay.”

When the storm calmed, he finally let go.

Just as I was debating how to ask him to stay longer, he reassured me in a soft voice, “Go to sleep. I’ll stay right here.”

He brought in a blanket and curled up on the small sofa in the corner of the room.

Seeing this six-foot-plus man squeezed into that tiny space, I felt a pang of warmth.

“It’s okay, I can manage on my own—”

But before I could refuse, he cut me off, gently saying, “Goodnight,”

Listening to his even, steady breathing, I fell asleep. For the first time in five years, I felt truly at peace on a stormy night.

Sienna's POV

I woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast. Howard had already prepared everything.

Noticing the dark circles under his eyes, I was about to thank him when a notification from my boss caught my attention.

[Boss: Sienna, the proposal you submitted this time was excellent! The higher-ups are really impressed! And because of that, your performance review for the year has been approved!]

But hadn’t Howard called my draft a disaster just yesterday?

Curious, I opened the email attachment from my boss. That’s when I realized—the version they received wasn’t my final draft.

I checked the timestamp of the email I’d sent. It was during the middle of the night—while I was sound asleep.

So, his dark circles were from staying up late, rewriting my proposal, and even submitting it for me.

I couldn’t figure out why he’d go to such lengths. Was this really all just to help Lance “keep me in check”? The thought didn’t sit right with me, so I asked him directly.

But when our eyes met. I saw his gaze holding a depth I couldn’t quite decipher.

He also didn’t answer my question, so I didn’t press further.

As adults, there were moments when words weren’t necessary. I thought I understood, but I didn’t dare to believe.

While rushing through breakfast, I accidentally tripped on the edge of the table. Quickly, Howard caught me before I fell.

But the way I landed... my lips brushed against his collarbone, and my hand ended up somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have. As such, the air between us shifted immediately.

And to add fuel to the fire, Lance walked in right at that moment. Seeing us in that situation, he froze, taking in the scene before cracking a joke. “Uncle, you’re having quite the morning!”

However, his warm joke was sparred with Howard's cold reply. “Get out.”

Being chased out by the head of their family, Lance immediately bolted without another word.

On the other hand, I quickly pulled away in embarrassment. With my face burning, I dashed upstairs. But I couldn’t help noticing that Howard’s face had turned just as red, all the way to his neck.

By the time I was ready to leave for work, he still hadn’t left.

“Let’s go together,” he offered.

His villa was halfway up a hill, making it nearly impossible to get a cab. Reluctantly, I accepted.

The car ride was painfully quiet. The tension in the air made my skin crawl, but thankfully, the office wasn’t far.

Unfortunately, as I stepped out of his car, I ran straight into Lance.

His eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost. “Sienna, you...” He reached out to grab me, but a single cold glance from Howard stopped him in his tracks. Lance dropped his hand and mumbled awkwardly, “Uncle...”

Between the two of them, I’d rather deal with Lance. The awkwardness from this morning still lingered, making it impossible for me to face Howard.

Luckily, a secretary arrived in the nick of time to discuss work with him, so he disappeared toward the top floor after a quick glance in my direction.

However, I hadn’t even reached my desk when Lance dragged me into the break room.

“Sienna, you’ve got some nerve,” he sneered. “Knowing I won’t marry you, you’ve gone after my uncle instead? You’re not even good enough for me—what makes you think someone like him would want you?”

Before I could respond, he added, “Sure, I’ve agreed to the marriage with the Fowlers, but I never planned on breaking up with you. As long as you stay quiet and behave like you have these past few days, you’ll always be my secret girlfriend. We can keep this going forever!”

I stared at him, stunned by the sheer audacity. Just when I thought Lance couldn’t sink any lower, he proved me wrong.

When you were completely speechless, sometimes all you could do was laugh.

But Lance mistook it as a sign I’d forgiven him. Smiling, he leaned in, trying to pin me against the wall and kiss me.

Struggling, I grabbed the nearest cup of hot coffee and threw it in his face. “What do you take me for?”

For the first time, I didn’t meet his shamelessness with kindness.

Coffee dripped down his face as he wiped at it, his expression darkening like a storm cloud. “Sienna! I’m willing to sneak around behind Maia’s back for you, to promise I’ll see you every week—and you’re still acting out? You never used to be like this!”

“You’re right. But that was before—back when I thought we were in a real relationship,” I said calmly.

“We were, and we still are. We’ll always be together. Why are you acting so unreasonable all of a sudden?” Lance replied, frustration dripping from his voice.

To him, I was nothing more than a shadow—a lover meant to remain hidden, never allowed to step into the light.

Thinking about it, the pain in my heart dulled into numbness.

I pushed him away with all my strength, but he clung to me like a madman, refusing to let go.

Suddenly, the door to the break room burst open. Lance froze and immediately let me go when he saw who had entered.

I realized then that as long as I stayed single, Lance would keep latching onto me in this disgusting, suffocating way.

Gathering my courage, I threw myself into Howard’s arms and called out sweetly, “Honey, what are you doing here?”

Lance’s face twisted with disbelief. He took a cautious step back but then forced himself to step forward, eager to explain himself to Howard.

“Uncle, this woman’s crazy—”

“Enough,” Howard interrupted, his voice cold as ice. “She’s your aunt. Show some respect.”