CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: POWER OUTAGE

She briefly explained the remaining matters to Nora, then grabbed her bag and prepared to leave. At the elevator, she encountered Vivian Nash carrying a pile of documents.

Vivian Nash was somewhat surprised seeing her with a bag, "Sienna, are you leaving work already?"

"I need to visit the Sterling Family this afternoon."

"What are you going there for?"

"My mother-in-law invited me over for afternoon tea and a chat."

"You seem to have such a relaxed job as a museum director; you come and go as you please," Vivian Nash teased in a joking tone, "I’m quite envious."

Sienna Monroe smiled, "I’ll be off then."

"Alright, take care on your way home."

"Okay."

Vivian smiled as she watched her enter the elevator. Once the doors closed, her smile vanished, and she looked at the documents in her hands, her eyes filled with frustration and impatience.

Sienna headed to the underground parking lot and once again her phone beeped with a text alert: "Power will be out at The Sterling Estate at 3:19 PM for 15 minutes and 25 seconds."

A power outage?

That means for those twelve minutes, the surveillance cameras in the hallways will be off.

It’s now 2:08 PM and it takes about half an hour to drive from the art museum.

There’s still time.

When the car arrived at The Sterling Estate, Steward Dawson stepped forward and nodded, "Good afternoon, Third Madam."

"Hello, Uncle Dawson. Is my mother here?"

"Second Madam is waiting for you in the side building."

Sienna nodded and, holding her handbag, headed directly to the side building.

In the flower hall, June Ewing had brewed two pots of premium floral tea. The table was adorned with six exquisite pastries, and she was browsing new arrivals from a brand store on her tablet.

"Mom."

"Ah, Sienna, you’re here." June Ewing smiled and beckoned her over, "Come, tell me how this outfit looks. Does it suit me?"

Sienna walked over to see it was a beige cashmere coat from Chrome Hearts, with detachable pure fox fur on both sleeves.

Price: 136,000.

Since Radiance Beauty Spa was investigated and shut down, June Ewing’s mood hadn’t been affected at all.

She continued to enjoy eating, drinking, and being merry.

The over seven million in taxes wasn’t much of a concern for her, but then, who among the wealthy dislikes more money?

After a thoughtful moment, she said, "This coat would really match the cheongsam you had made some time ago."

Once called a cheongsam beauty, June Ewing loved wearing cheongsams.

Because of this, Isaac Sinclair specially hired a top cheongsam designer just for her.

"Right? I thought so too. I’ll buy it then." June Ewing added it to her cart and pointed to a chair beside her, "Don’t stand there, have a seat. I just saw a sweater; tell me if you like it, and I’ll get it for you too."

It was a cardigan, a simple grey design, priced over 30,000.

Sienna didn’t act awkward or hesitate and raised her eyebrow, "If Mom’s buying it for me, I’m sure to like it."

"Alright, alright, I’ll buy it for you!"

June Ewing added the cardigan to her cart and mentioned, "I’ll add a pair of casual pants for you too, something for spring."

After the purchases, she put down her tablet and asked, "How’s the solo exhibition at the museum on the 6th coming along? Is everything going smoothly?"

"Yes, everything is quite smooth."

"That’s good to hear." June Ewing nodded, "What kind of tea would you like?"

"Mom’s peony tea here is always the best."

"Just a connoisseur, you are." June Ewing called for a servant to brew a pot of floral tea.

Just as Sienna picked up a piece of pastry, June Ewing asked in a suddenly remembered tone, "Oh, by the way, Sienna, do you know Sebastian Prescott?"

Her movements paused.

After all this lead-up, it finally reached the main point.

She knew there was no way she was called back for nothing.

Sienna looked at her blankly, "Hmm, I suppose I know him. We’ve had a meal together."

"How did you meet him?"

"By chance. Last month I accidentally rear-ended his car. He didn’t take my money, so I invited him for a meal. At that time, I wasn’t quite sure of his identity; I only found out afterward."

June Ewing’s eyes glinted slightly, scrutinizing Sienna’s words for their truth.

Sienna let her look; of course, the reason was fabricated.

But since she was still testing the waters, it showed she hadn’t really found anything out.

Otherwise, there would be no need for such probing.

"Was it serious? Was anyone hurt?" June Ewing asked with concern, "Why didn’t you mention such a big event?"

"It’s nothing serious. His car’s light got damaged, and I felt guilty about it. Not wanting to owe a favor, I treated him to a meal."

"As long as everyone’s okay. In such cases, it’s appropriate to treat him to a meal." June Ewing said, "Did you know? It was him who reported our Radiance Beauty Spa for tax issues."

"What?"

Sienna’s surprise was genuine, not an act.

She was truly incredulous.

How... how did it turn out to be Sebastian Prescott?

Shouldn’t it have been her?

She recalled that day when Sebastian mentioned he made some tweaks, which might cause misunderstandings.

Could this... have been what he meant?

Sienna, confused, asked, "Why would he report us? Does he hold a grudge against Radiance Beauty? What gain could he possibly seek?"

June Ewing was observing her expression and could tell she genuinely didn’t know.

She felt somewhat relieved and coldly chuckled, "He has no grudge against Radiance Beauty, but Orchid Beauty Salon and we have a feud. The director of Orchid is Sebastian’s aunt, and he is also Orchid’s legal advisor."

Sienna indeed was not aware of this.

She only knew that Orchid Beauty Salon had been running on Prosperity Avenue for seven years with steady business, but Radiance Beauty Spa stole quite a bit of Orchid’s business after it opened.

With competitive relations, harmony was naturally elusive between the two salons.

Since Radiance Beauty Spa’s opening, there had been several disputes between the two. The director of Orchid, much like The Sterling Family’s Rhonda Garrison, did not approve of June Ewing’s ways.

"I see. Now that Radiance Beauty is closed, Orchid indeed stands to benefit." Sienna feigned indignation, "That’s truly despicable."

June Ewing laughed, "You’re still too young, inexperienced in these matters. This isn’t much, and it’s my own fault for misjudging people and leaving myself exposed."

As she spoke, the lights in the room suddenly went out with a ’click’.

Today was overcast, and this place wasn’t as bright as a sunlit window, needing lights on during the day.

Sienna paused, checked the time on her phone.

3:19.

The power had indeed gone out.

June Ewing called for a servant, "What happened?"

"Second Madam, the power is out."

Just as the words left her mouth, Sienna "accidentally" knocked over her teacup, exclaiming as she hurriedly stood to catch the cup before it hit the ground.

"Oh dear, are you alright, Sienna?" June Ewing called for the servant to bring a towel, scolding, "So earnest! A broken cup is a broken cup. Thankfully, the tea wasn’t too hot, or else would you still have your hand?"

Sienna smiled, "I’m fine, really. I remember Mom loves this set of teacups. It’d be a shame if I broke one."

"You!"

June Ewing sighed helplessly, urging, "Come on, I’ll take you upstairs to change into fresh clothes."