Chapter 18
Before Thomas and Yosef could say anything. Cedric sprayed bi champagne everywhere. Embarrassed, he quickly apologized, “Sorry, but Josiah, that’s such a cliche. Using lines like that to impress girls these days will definitely get you
turned down.”
Josiah looked at him, confused.
Thomas and Yosef exchanged glances and burst into laughter,
“Oh man.” Thomas patted Josiah on the shoulder. “You got roastell by a kid, huh?”
Josiah laughed helplessly, brushing Thomas’s hand away. He then lifted his gaze back to the stage–it felt so familiar, but he just couldn’t place it.
As the song ended, Sienna removed her hat, placed it over her chest, and gave a slight bow to the audience.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“Hey, don’t just take off the hat. What about that mask too?”
“Yeah, that dance was amazing, and what a body! I wonder what the looks like.”
“Come on!”
No matter how loud the crowd got, Sienna just smiled, dipped into a slight knee bend, and twirled her way back to the
wings.
“Hey, why did you leave?”
“Don’t go! If you won’t take off the mask, at least give us another dance.
Sienna didn’t glance back, leaving the buzzing crowd in her wake as she made her way to her dressing room.
Soon, Henry walked in with a big grin on his face. “Sienna, your jazz performance was amazing!
Sienna stood up, smiling humbly. “You’re flattering me, Mr. White. I was just doing my normal dance.”
“No need to be modest Henry waved his hand dramatically. Just like I expected, everyone outside is talking about you. I told you, you’re going to be a star.”
“So, Mr. White, I really don’t have to perform again tonight?” Sienna asked.
Earlier, Henry had said she only needed to prepare one piece. But he had also mentioned he wasn’t sure how it would play out on stage, so they’d have to play it by ear.
Now that her performance was over, he still hadn’t sent over a second outfit. She figured they were sticking to the original plan, but she wasn’t entirely sure.
“Yep, no more dancing tonight,” Henry confirmed. “If you go out there again, all that mystery you’ve built will disappear. People want what they can’t have. You know what that’s called?”
“Hunger marketing, Sienna replied.
“Bingo!” Henry clapped his hands and laughed. “You’re good to head home for the night. There’s nothing more on the agenda.”
Sienna was surprised and a bit embarrassed. “But I only performed one dance.”
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Chapter 18
“That’s plenty,” Henry reassured her. “It’s just the start, and one performance keeps the mystery alive, Later, as you make more appearances, there will be more work and social events. Ce ready for that.
“Of course, on top of your base salary from the contract, you’ll ao earn bonuses and commissions later on. Just hangin
there
Sienna nodded, “I understand. Thanks, Mr. White”
Henry chuckled. “No need to be so formal. It’s all on your talent Keep up the good work.”
“Yes, Mr. White,” Sienna replied as she saw him out, then sat down to take off her makeup.
She mused to herself, ‘So, I’ll only be at the clubs for about four hours each night, just for one dance routine. Even with rehearsals, it’s not that tiring. It looks like I can find a part–time job during the day. More money never hurts.
After wiping off her makeup and slipping back into her regular clothes, Sienna left the dressing room. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out of Maze.
“Wait! Miss, up there!” a young guy called out from behind her.
Confused, Sienna turned around to see Cedric a few steps away. He was nearly six–foot–three, slim, young, and really handsome–a total sunny guy.
Sienna pointed at herself, unsure. “Are you calling me?”
“Yep, Cedric replied, stepping closer and holding out a key pouch. “Is this yours?”
Sienna glanced down and realized it was indeed hers. She felt her backpack, puzzled. “How did it fall out?”
“Here you go,” Cedric smiled as he handed it to her. “Just watch out and make sure it doesn’t slip away again”
“Thanks a lot, Sienna smiled back, her voice sincere. If the key pouch were lost, she couldn’t get into her house tonight, and hiring someone to unlock it would be pretty expensive.
“You’re welcome.” Cedric stared at her, feeling like he knew her from somewhere. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Haven’t we met before? You look really familiar.”
Sienna paused, a smile playing on her lips before she let out a light chuckle. “Isn’t that a bit of a cliché pickup line?”
“I… Cedric froze, his face turning red. He shook his head and hands, insisting, “No, you’ve got it wrong. I really just think you look familiar.”
Sienna didn’t need him to explain. Clutching the key pouch, she said, “Thanks again, goodbye.” She smiled and turned to walk away.
Cedric watched her leave, tapping his forehead. “Why did I have to be so blunt? Who’s gonna buy that? I just called Josiah old–fashioned, and now I’m acting the same way.”
He sighed, deep and heavy. “What a pity. That girl is stunning. I wonder if she’s just passing through or if she works around here. Will I ever run into her again?”
Before dawn the next day, Sienna woke up–it was that time of the month, and her stomach hurt so much it pulled her from sleep.
She had never experienced this kind of pain before she had the baby. But after giving birth, she couldn’t even afford to catch her breath. Struggling to cover her basic needs, she was worn out to the bone.
Chapter 18
Ever since then, she’d been dealing with a lot of pain every month. As the years went by, she had times, she’d avoid dancing and just tough it out until it was over
got used to it. During those
Sienna got up and attached a heating pad inside her clothes to case the pain a bit. Even though she didn’t have to dance today, she had some important errands to run.
Today was Fiona’s memorial day. Sienna had just returned to Jejar rity and had been really busy, so she hadn’t had a chance to visit Fiona’s grave. With the memorial day upon her, it seemed like the perfect chance to finally do so.
By the time Sienna left the house, it wasn’t even eight o’clock. Just as she got into her car, her phone rang, and it was Josiah, She frowned and answered, “What’s up?”
“Usually, she’s the one always reaching out to me, but now it sounds like I’m the clingy one, Josiah thought, feeling a pang of irritation. “Well, can’t I call you just because?”
“I didn’t mean that. So, do you need anything?” Sienna asked, putting up with his bad temper. She couldn’t help but wonder how she ever liked someone like him–a total hothead.
“Meet me at the courthouse at 3 PM today,” Josiah said, his voicecy.
Sienna realized it was about the divorce. But today? She hesitated and asked, “Could we do it another day?”
“What? Another day? Which day exactly? Josiah snapped back, his tone sarcastic.
Realizing he misunderstood, Sienna quickly added, “How about tomorrow? Would that work? Just one day delay.”
Josiah, convinced it was one of her maneuvers, sneered, “Postpone it by a day, then another? You just don’t want to go to the courthouse, do you?”
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