Chapter 32: Fear
Even after standing there for several long seconds, waiting for the elevator doors to open, Sienna’s mind stubbornly refused to calm down.
Instead, it replayed the same embarrassing memory over and over again, as if determined to ruin her entire morning.
"What the heck did you call him... handsome? Mr. Dangerous-for-my-sanity? What were you thinking!?" she muttered under her breath, her lips pressing into a thin line as she stared at the reflective metal doors.
A deep sigh escaped her as she rubbed her forehead lightly.
"Are you insane, Sienna? Seriously. What kind of name is that?" she continued, her inner voice growing louder and more dramatic with each passing second. "Damn, girl... You really need to stop drinking. Or one day you’re going to wake up married to someone just because you got too confident after one glass of wine."
Sienna shook her head quickly, as if physically trying to throw those thoughts out of her brain. She needed to focus. Today was an important day.
Just as she lifted her gaze toward the floor indicator above the elevator, the soft "ding" finally echoed through the quiet hallway.
At the exact same moment, a familiar voice called out behind her.
"Good morning, Sienna..."
She turned her head slightly and saw Riley walking toward her, his usual relaxed smile already in place. He looked annoyingly fresh, as if the chaos of yesterday had somehow skipped him entirely.
Sienna gave him a small nod before stepping into the elevator without waiting.
Riley followed closely behind, slipping into the space beside her.
"You were talking to yourself just now," he said casually, glancing at her with amusement. "Should I be worried? Or did the elevator insult you before I got here?"
Sienna pressed the button for the tenth floor, then slowly turned her head to look at him.
"You seem to be in a good mood," she said instead of answering his question. "Did something good happen?"
Riley chuckled, clearly pleased. "Wow, you really can read people. I’m impressed."
This time, Sienna leaned slightly closer to him, lowering her voice as if the elevator itself might be listening. "Do you have the evidence?" she whispered.
Riley’s smile widened, but before he could answer, the elevator doors opened with another soft chime.
Without hesitation, Sienna grabbed his sleeve and dragged him out into the empty hallway.
"Tell me, Riley..." she demanded, her patience clearly running thin.
He raised both hands slightly in surrender, though his expression remained calm. "Relax," he said. "I do have a way."
Sienna frowned, clearly unsatisfied with such a vague answer.
"A way?" she repeated. "What kind of way? We don’t have time for mysterious plans right now. We need evidence that bitch and her assistant deliberated and didn’t give Mia the correct data."
Riley leaned casually against the wall, crossed his arms, and looked back at her calmly.
"The kind of way that works better if you don’t panic," he replied. "For now, just act normal. Work like nothing happened. Trust me."
"Trust you?" she echoed, narrowing her eyes. "That sounds exactly like something someone says right before everything goes wrong."
He laughed lightly. "You worry too much. Just leave it to me this time."
Sienna studied him for a few seconds, searching for any sign that he might be bluffing.
But Riley looked unusually confident, and for reasons she couldn’t fully explain, that confidence slowly eased the tight knot in her chest.
"...Fine," she finally said, though her tone still carried doubt. "But if this fails, you will pay for it."
"I’ll accept that," he replied without hesitation. "As long as you don’t make me pay for your meals forever."
"Don’t worry," she shot back dryly. "You can’t afford that."
"I will afford it. But you will become my wife if I pay for your meals forever..." He laughs.
"Tsk, tsk, Mr. Riley Davis, it seems you’re still caught up in your dreams. Wake up..."
"Alright, let’s get started! There’s so much that needs our attention," Riley said.
For a brief moment, the tension between them softened, replaced by a familiar rhythm of teasing that felt almost normal.
Almost.
Because deep down, Sienna knew that nothing about this situation was normal.
...
Two days passed far too quickly and too smoothly.
And that alone made Sienna uneasy.
Everything at the hotel continued as usual. Guests checked in, events ran on schedule, and staff carried out their duties.
On the surface, it looked like the crisis had never existed.
But beneath that calm, Sienna could feel the pressure building.
Like a storm waiting just beyond the horizon.
By the time Thursday arrived—the final day—the air itself seemed heavier.
And then, Riley didn’t show up.
At first, Sienna assumed he was just late. That wasn’t unusual for him.
But as the hours passed, her uneasiness grew.
She called him, but no answer.
She sent messages, but they were undelivered.
’His phone must be off. Did he turn it off on purpose?’ Sienna thought, worried.
Now, sitting in the small meeting room with Mia, the silence felt suffocating.
Mia lowered her phone slowly, her expression pale. "Still nothing," she said quietly. "I tried calling him again... but it’s the same."
Sienna’s fingers were tapping restlessly on the table. "That doesn’t make sense. He said he had a plan. He told us to trust him. But why does he suddenly not be reached..."
Mia let out a shaky breath. "What if something bad happened to him? They silence him?"
"For God’s sake, stop overthinking and don’t jump to conclusions, Mia!" Sienna replied quickly, though her voice lacked its usual certainty.
But the truth was... the same thought had already crossed her mind.
The room fell into silence again.
The ticking of the clock on the wall suddenly sounded louder than usual.
Each second felt heavier than the last.
Mia looked at her again, her eyes filled with worry.
"Sienna... what should we do?" she asked softly. "What if the HR investigator also can’t find any mistakes by Angie and Anna?"
Sienna didn’t answer right away. Her gaze drifted toward the closed door, as if expecting Riley to walk in at any moment with his usual careless smile, ready to say something ridiculous and fix everything.
But the door remained still.
A slow breath left Sienna’s lips as she forced herself to sit up straighter.
"I don’t know," she admitted quietly.
Sienna felt something she had been trying very hard to ignore: fear.