Chapter 25: The Bad News
For a handful of seconds, Sienna didn’t say a word. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
Inside her mind, her thoughts were anything but calm.
’Oh, wow... so this is how villains talk in real life,’ she mocked inwardly. ’Should I clap? Or should I throw a chair?’
But on the outside, she remained composed, cold, and controlled. She can’t let this evil woman see her anger.
Without another word, she turned around.
"Mia," she said quietly, "let’s go."
Mia nodded quickly, still shaken, and followed her out of the room.
The moment the door closed behind them, Sienna’s expression didn’t change.
But inside, she was already burning.
’Angie Feliz, you really picked the wrong person this time,’ she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Because if this were a game, she would no longer just be defending. She was ready to fight back.
By the time Sienna and Mia returned to their office, the air felt different.
Heavier.
Riley was already there, standing near Sienna’s desk with his arms crossed.
The moment he saw them, his posture straightened, his expression tightening further.
If curiosity could take physical form, it would probably look exactly like him at that moment: restless, impatient, and one step away from exploding.
"How was the result?" he asked immediately, not even bothering to hide his urgency.
Mia let out a slow breath, as if the question itself weighed too much on her.
"Not good," she replied quietly. Then she glanced at Sienna, her eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion and worry. "You tell him. I need to handle something."
Sienna nodded without asking further. She understood. Mia needed space before she broke down in front of everyone.
As Mia walked away, Sienna turned to Riley. "Follow me," she said calmly. "There’s something I need to discuss with you."
Without waiting for his response, she headed toward the small meeting room in the corner.
Riley followed closely behind, his steps quick, like a man walking toward his own trial.
The moment the door closed behind them, Sienna felt a slight release in her chest. Not much, but enough to breathe.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, placing her notebook on the table. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back slightly before lifting her gaze toward Riley.
He was already staring at her, eyes filled with concern and a dangerous level of curiosity.
"Sienna," he said, his voice lower now but still tense, "can you tell me what really happened in there? Stop torturing me, or I might die of curiosity."
Sienna couldn’t help it. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Even in a situation like this, Riley still managed to sound dramatic.
"Well," she said slowly, "I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Riley opened his mouth instantly, then stopped.
His brows furrowed as he actually considered it, as if choosing the wrong option might somehow make things worse.
A few seconds passed.
Sienna watched him with quiet amusement, even though her eyes still carried traces of high-level stress.
"Bad news," he finally said, his voice firm but slightly hesitant.
Of course.
People always choose the bad news first.
Sienna’s smile didn’t disappear, but her eyes softened just a little.
"Mia and I... might be fired."
For a second—
Silence.
Riley blinked repeatedly. Then his eyes widened as if someone had just told him aliens had invaded this peaceful world.
"What the fuck!?" he burst out, his hand slamming onto the table with a loud thud. "How could they fire you both?!"
His reaction was so immediate, so full of anger, that Sienna almost felt guilty for delivering the news so calmly.
"Well," she said, her tone still controlled, though a flicker of anger passed through her eyes, "that’s what that bitch Angie wishes for."
Riley froze for a split second, then his face turned red. Not slightly red, but completely red. He looked like a human warning signal.
"That bitch," he repeated, his voice rising. "She didn’t even try to protect you and Mia?"
Sienna gave a small, humorless shrug. "Nope. In fact, I think she’s the one who set us up. She targeted me!"
Riley stared at her, disbelief written all over his face. "Are you serious?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, yes."
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Wow... she’s really something. I used to think she was just strict. Turns out, she’s just... shameless."
"Correction," Sienna added calmly, "very shameless."
For a brief moment, the two of them sat there in silence.
Then Riley let out a long breath, shaking his head. "This is insane. There has to be something we can do."
"There is," Sienna replied.
His head snapped up immediately.
"What?"
She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table. "The good news is, the HR agreed to do an investigation."
Riley blinked again, trying to process it. "That’s... good, right?"
"It is," she said. "But it won’t be handled by us. They’ll assign their own team."
Riley frowned. "So we just sit, wait, and see?"
"Pretty much."
He groaned angrily. "Great. My favorite activity... waiting while my friends get framed for something they didn’t do."
"And the verdict will be announced on Thursday," she continued. "After the event."
Riley rubbed his face, clearly trying to calm himself down. "So until then, we act like everything is normal?"
"Yes."
"That sounds illegal."
"It’s not," she replied dryly. "Just emotionally exhausting."
That finally earned a short, breathless laugh from him.
But it didn’t last long.
His expression softened as he looked at her again. "Hey... are you okay?"
Sienna paused.
For a brief second, the strong, composed mask slipped.
Then she leaned back again, smiling at him.
"I’m fine," she said.
Then, after a short pause, she added, "I mean... I’m not fired yet. So technically, I’m still winning."
Riley stared at her. Then shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Alright, no need to worry. I will try to help you and Mia."
"Thank you," she replied softly. "But, how could you help us?"
Riley didn’t answer right away.
He smiled, got up from his seat, and then said casually, "You will see..."