He had even spent hours rehearsing exactly how magnanimous he would be when he handed her a theatrical escape route later.

Sienna made her entrance precisely on time, looking blindingly radiant and exuding an absolute, commanding aura.

Skipping any hollow pleasantries, she walked straight to the center of the podium and curled her lips into a sharp smile.

"Thank you all for joining me today. I, Sienna Fontaine, have an exceptional announcement to share with everyone."

"And that is..."

Pausing briefly, her gaze swept across the sea of onlookers before locking directly onto Shane's group, "As of today, I am officially returning to singlehood!"

The entire auditorium erupted into an instant, chaotic uproar!

The smug smile froze completely on Shane's face, his expression paralyzing in mid-air.

Completely ignoring the public reaction, Sienna stared directly at Shane, her tone entirely even, "Mr. Vance, please bring your son up to the stage."

Shane's heart skipped a violent beat.

Yet, pinned under the collective gaze of the massive crowd, he had no choice but to steel his nerves, take Nate by the hand, and walk up the stairs step by step.

Stella moved to follow them, but a freezing, lethal glare from Sienna pinned her dead in her tracks.

Standing upon the stage, Shane desperately forced himself to maintain an air of composure.

Even up to this very fraction of a second, a residual trace of delusion lingered deep in his mind.

Perhaps Sienna was merely using this extreme, theatrical stunt to force him to publicly validate her status?

However, Sienna produced two distinct documents, placing them squarely in the center of the podium. She then lifted her eyes to meet Shane's wide, disbelieving stare, pronouncing each word with terrifying finality.

"There is no time like the present. Today, we shall execute both the divorce agreement and the total severance of parental rights right here. I ask everyone in attendance to serve as our official witnesses!"

Chapter 8

Shane stared dead at Sienna, grinding out through his teeth, "Sienna, have you not had enough of this childish tantrum?! Using a divorce agreement to publicly corners me?"

"Do you truly believe this pathetic stunt will make me look at you any differently? Stop dreaming!"

"Once I sign this, don't you dare regret it! When you come crawling back to me in tears later, it is going to look exceptionally ugly!"

Sienna merely turned her head slightly, offering a brief nod to her assistant.

The assistant caught the cue instantly, quickly flipping the agreement to the final page and presenting a luxury fountain pen directly in front of Shane.

"Regret?" Sienna let out a dismissive, mocking laugh. "Shane Vance, your sense of self-worth is truly staggering. Sign the papers, and stop wasting everyone's valuable time."

"You!" Shane trembled so violently with rage that his entire frame shook.

Nate also launched himself forward, pointing a finger at Sienna as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "You bad woman! You're bullying Daddy! I don't want you to be my mommy anymore! Get out of here!"

The child's words were unfiltered, making them cut with an even deeper, more vicious malice.

A wave of low, critical murmuring rippled through the audience below.

Sienna's gaze finally settled upon Nate, her eyes entirely devoid of any warmth, dripping with a terrifying stillness as she stated flatly.

"Perfect, that saves me the breath of explaining things. The agreement to sever our parental relationship shall be executed alongside it. From this moment forth, whether you live or die, Nate Vance, has absolutely nothing to do with Sienna Fontaine."

Staring at this unfolding reality, Shane felt his face burn with an intense, stinging humiliation.

"Fine! Fine! Sienna, you are truly ruthless!" He snatched the fountain pen off the podium, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at her. "I will sign it right now!"

"I am going to watch and see exactly how arrogant you can remain once you lose the title of Mrs. Vance! I shall be waiting for the day you beg me on your knees!"

the exact moment he finished signing, Sienna unhesitatingly pressed her finger into the prepared red ink pad and stamped a brilliant scarlet print right beside her signature.

Following that, she lifted the other document—the Severance of Parental Rights Agreement—and stamped it with the same flawless precision.

"Counselor," she stated evenly.

The legal consultant stepped forward without delay, meticulously auditing the signatures on both documents before turning to face the crowd, announcing in a booming voice, "To Ms. Sienna Fontaine and Mr. Shane Vance, pursuant to the explicit terms executed within these documents, both agreements are officially and legally binding as of this exact second!"

Sienna smoothed down the fabric of her designer gown, offering the massive crowd below a blinding, radiant smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time. Have an exceptional day."

With that, she offered a polite tilt of her head, turned on her heel, and walked out of the auditorium.

Shane froze entirely in place, his fingers curling into a tight, white-knuckle grip.

Seeing his hollow, defeated state, Stella rushed to his side, whispering sweet, fragile comfort.

"Shane, please don't be discouraged. Sienna... she is bound to be acting out of temporary anger, using this extreme method just to force you to show more devotion to her. The moment she cools down, she will undeniably regret this."

Shane nodded frantically, forcefully suppressing the sudden, sickening knot of unease in his gut as he babbled in desperate self-reassurance, "Yes, that must be it! How could she ever truly let me go? This is nothing more than a dangerous new game of playing hard to get! I shall wait for her to come begging!"

However, an entire week bled away, and Sienna did not come begging; she did not afford him a single phone call, nor did she send a single text message.

Furthermore, when he finally returned to his private villa, he discovered a mountain of random belongings piled outside the front gates. Moving closer, his eyes went wide as he realized they were his own personal effects.

Stunned by this reality, he rushed forward and shoved his key into the lock, only to find that the security hardware had been entirely replaced.

That evening, Shane drank until he was thoroughly intoxicated. As the alcohol flooded his senses, the accumulated grievances and volatile rejections from this past week morphed into a towering rage. He hailed a cab and directed it straight to the gates of Sienna's estate.

He slammed his fists violently against the heavy iron gates, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Sienna! Get out here!"

"What on earth are you trying to pull?! Dumping all my things on the street? By what authority?! Open the gates! I know full well you are inside! You have the courage to pull these stunts, but you don't have the guts to face me, is that it?!"

A brief moment later, the side door slowly swung open, but the figure stepping out was a completely unfamiliar security guard.

He forcefully took Shane by the arm to pull him back, stating in a strictly professional tone, "Sir, please remove yourself from the premises immediately. This is a private estate. If you persist with this disturbance, we will contact the police."

"What kind of pathetic creature do you think you are, daring to block my path? I am Shane Vance! Tell Sienna to get out here and face me!" Shane thrashed wildly, attempting to shove the guard away, only to find his limbs entirely devoid of strength.

The guard remained completely immovable, his voice dripping with ice, "Mr. Vance, Miss Fontaine has issued explicit instructions that no unrelated individuals—especially you—are permitted inside these gates. Furthermore, you are legally divorced from Miss Fontaine; this property has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Shane’s eyes stretched wide in sheer fury, but before he could utter another word, the massive front doors of the mansion slowly glided open.

Following that, a tall, slender silhouette stepped out into the night.

It was Sienna.

She appeared to have recently bathed; her hair was slightly damp, and the soft illumination of the courtyard lights traced her flawless,清 delicate features with exquisite precision.

Catching sight of her, a smug, triumphant grin instantly returned to Shane's face.

See?

He knew it; how could she ever truly find the strength to shut him out entirely?

After putting on such an elaborate charade for so long, didn't she ultimately cave just to see him?

Chapter 9

Shane let out a low, arrogant chuckle, pitching his voice into a lazy drawl, "Sienna, you've had your fun with this little tantrum, and that's enough. If you are willing to offer me a proper apology right now, out of respect for our history, I might consider forgiving you."

Before the last syllable could even fade from the air, Sienna swept directly in front of him, her lips curling into a sharp blade of ice.

In the very next fraction of a second.