Chapter 17: Her Backup Plan

Splash! Caleb’s face was shoved into a basin of murky, soapy water. Sienna pressed down harder with her boot. “Clean out those disgusting, delusional thoughts!” she mocked. “Ask yourself this—if Vanessa truly cared about you, why did she never push you to be better? Why did she let everyone in this family look down on you?” He thrashed, desperate for air, but her strength was absolute. Water flooded his nose and throat each time he gasped. Only when his struggles grew weak did she finally release him.

Yanking his head back by the hair, Sienna snarled, “Caleb Bennett, stop being a fool. That’s my only advice. Cross me like this again, and blood won’t save you. Family or not.” She released him and walked away. He slumped against the cabinet, heaving and choking. Unbelievable. How did that timid, quiet adopted girl become this? Who breaks ribs with a single, careless kick?

‘She’s pure evil. Trying to turn me against Vanessa after all the pain she’s caused. I will make her pay,’ he vowed silently.

Across the villa, Sienna entered her private bathroom. She was scrubbing off her makeup, rinsing the metallic taste from her mouth, when a man entered and handed her an ice pack. “A DNA test would settle this,” he stated flatly.

“Owen, do you think Vanessa is acting blindly? She owns every hospital and clinic in Kingsport. The results would be falsified before the sample even reached the lab.” She studied her swollen lip in the mirror. “And what if they learn the truth? They’d still choose her over me.”

Owen’s expression tightened.

“Though,” she added, a cold smile touching her lips as she pressed the ice to her mouth, “I do look forward to the day the truth shreds their perfect world apart.”

His frown deepened. He hadn’t expected to find someone whose bitterness rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, his own.

“There’s a more pressing issue.” He passed her a phone.

The screen displayed a Pulse feed exploding with headlines: [Who is Sienna Bennett’s Sugar Daddy?], [Vanessa Bennett: Deepfake Nudes Scandal], [Vanessa Bennett’s Opportunities Stolen!]. The top trending topic: [Vanessa Bennett’s Maison Aurelia audition was sabotaged by explicit deepfakes displayed on screen, costing her the role.]

The comments were a torrent of hate:

[What a scheming witch! Our Vanessa is pure class! She’d never!]

[The timing is so obvious. Dirty tricks to steal the spotlight.]

[She’s pure evil.]

[Who is she sleeping with? A nobody doesn’t land a role like this.]

[Maison Aurelia should be ashamed. Boycott Maison Aurelia!]

[Boycott Maison Aurelia! Boycott Sienna Bennett!]

[Sienna Bennett, get out. You’re not wanted.]

The vitriol was endless. Sienna just scoffed, rolling her eyes. “This is nothing.” Nothing? The entire internet was calling for her head. Her calm was unnerving.

“This is your first public battle, Sienna,” Owen warned. “You need to win it.”

“Making headlines is a victory in itself, isn’t it?” She strolled to the wine cellar, pouring a generous glass of burgundy. She offered one to Owen, who declined.

His gaze darkened. The past five years had carved cynicism into her soul. “Take this seriously,” he insisted. “It’s not a game.” At that moment, Maison Aurelia’s executives were in emergency session. The online fury made hiring Sienna impossible. She simply reclined on the sofa, taking a slow sip. “Relax. Do you think I’d make a move without a backup plan?” Her fingers began flying across her phone screen.