"What is the meaning of this?" Shane walked up with hurried steps, his voice dropping into a heavy tone.

Catching sight of him, the landlord let out a cold snort, "Mr. Vance, you've returned at the perfect moment."

"Your lease has officially expired, and the new rent has consistently gone unpaid. Pursuant to our contract, I reserve the absolute right to evict you. I suggest you pack up and leave immediately, or I will contact the police!"

Witnessing Shane's arrival, Stella immediately threw herself forward, grabbing his arm with tear-filled eyes.

"Shane, please speak to Mr. King... He is dumping all of our things onto the street... Where are we supposed to sleep tonight?"

"This is all Sienna's doing! She is the one who reduced us to this pathetic state! How can a woman be so utterly venomous?"

Shane's brows drew together, a wave of profound irritation and absolute exhaustion washing over him.

Completely ignoring Stella's frantic weeping, he silently retrieved his wallet from his pocket.

There were only a few thin bills left inside; without even counting them, he stuffed the cash directly into the landlord’s palm, his voice raw and gravelly.

"Mr. King, take this as a partial payment for now. As for the rest... I will find a solution as quickly as possible. Please grant us just one final night. I promise we will be moved out first thing tomorrow morning."

The landlord weighed the bills in his hand, curling his lips before ultimately choosing not to evict them immediately, though he issued a harsh warning.

"Just one night! The exact second I return tomorrow morning, if I catch sight of you still lingering here, do not blame me for treating you with absolute hostility!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

The laborers followed suit, leaving nothing behind but the mountain of baggage piled on the curb and three souls staring at one another in hollow despair.

Chapter 11

"Shane..." Stella murmured tentatively, moving close to his side once more.

Yet Shane instinctively took a step back, stating in a voice thick with exhaustion.

"Gather the belongings, and take Nate inside to get some rest."

Stella froze, a flicker of stunned hurt flashing across her features before she quickly masked it. Offering a low murmur of compliance, she took the still-sobbing Nate by the hand and walked into the house, glancing back three times with every step.

Shane did not follow them inside immediately.

He stood entirely alone in the vacant courtyard, suddenly remembering that in the past, no matter how late he returned, a warm light had always been left burning for him inside his home.

Yet at this exact second, that faint glimmer of warmth had become a hopelessly remote luxury.

In the dead of night, Shane tossed and turned in a state of absolute unrest. Guided by some inexplicable fixation, he retrieved his phone once more and dialed that sequence etched deep into his mind.

Yet the only response echoing from the receiver was the same frozen, automated message.

"We're sorry, the number you are dialing is a non-working number. Please check the sequence and try again."

Shane closed his eyes, his grip tightening against the phone with a white-knuckled intensity.

Severing the call, he mechanically scrolled through his social feeds, until his eyes suddenly caught a fresh update shared by a mutual companion.

Opening the post, it revealed a brief video clip spanning roughly fifteen seconds.

Inside a premier high-society lounge, several remarkably handsome young male models were surrounding Sienna, executing a synchronized, rhythmic dance.

Draped in a magnificent black sequined slip dress that perfectly traced the exquisite contours of her figure, her loose, voluminous curls cascaded carelessly over her shoulders. The absolute, unadulterated happiness and liberating freedom radiating from her caused Shane’s eyes to stretch wide in sheer shock.

An uninvited, volatile fury ignited from the soles of his feet and rushed straight to his head. He forcefully threw on his coat, completely intent on storming out.

"Shane? It's so late, where exactly are you going?"

Stella had been jolted awake by the commotion, stepping out of her quarters as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Shane's footsteps halted completely, his voice rigid and defensive as he deflected, "An urgent business crisis has manifested at work and requires my immediate attention. Stay here and take care of Nate."

"Business?" Stella's brows knitted tightly, her face a mask of absolute disbelief.

Staring at his volatile, fury-tinged expression, a sharp alarm instantly blared within her mind.

Could this sudden departure be connected to Sienna once more?

Yet her features smoothed back into a fragile, obedient persona, "Alright. Please return early, and stay safe."

Shane offered a distracted, hollow "Mmh," before quickly vanishing out the front door.

Listening to the rapid retreat of his footsteps fading into the night, the softness instantly drained from Stella's face, her expression darkening into a menacing scowl.

Gnash her teeth in bitter resentment, she quietly slipped out of the house to shadow him.

A short while later, Shane arrived at the luxury establishment, his sharp gaze frantically scouring the grand space for that familiar silhouette.

It didn't take long before he located Sienna lounging at the center of a premier VIP booth.

She was tilting her head back in radiant laughter, while an exceptionally attractive model leaned down, gracefully pouring spirits into her glass with an intimate, effortless familiarity.

Shane felt a sudden rush of blood explode in his chest.

Forcing his way through the bustling crowd, he swept directly in front of her booth in a few volatile strides, lunging forward to seize Sienna fiercely by the wrist, "Sienna! What on earth do you think you are doing?!"

Startled by the abrupt, violent friction, Sienna snapped her head around. The exact moment her eyes landed on him, her brows drew together in profound disgust, her voice dropping into an arctic chill, "Release me."

The lively, electric atmosphere of the surrounding lounge instantly froze under the weight of this sudden confrontation, drawing the mocking attention of everyone nearby.

Shane refused to let go, his grip tightening with an even more desperate intensity.

Staring directly into her eyes, he ground out through his teeth, "Come with me! We need to talk!"

With that, he moved to forcefully drag her out of the luxury booth.

Sienna violently wrenched her hand from his grasp, her tone dripping with absolute, mocking disdain, "Shane Vance, what kind of pathetic creature do you think you are, daring to interrogate me regarding my personal affairs?"

"What right do I have?" Shane's eyes stretched wide in sheer fury. "Take a good look at yourself right now! Associating with these low, disreputable people!"

"Sienna, stop dragging your own dignity through the dirt like this! If all of this theatrical nonsense is merely because you are bitter... fine, I admit my faults! I am willing to take you back! Just stop degrading yourself this way!"

Chapter 12

Sienna let out a dismissive, mocking laugh, her sharp gaze sweeping up and down his frame with absolute contempt.

"Shane Vance, your sense of self-importance is truly staggering. I am simply spending my own capital to secure my own entertainment; it is called enjoying life."

"On the other hand, you’ve dragged yourself to a lounge in the dead of night just to persistently harass your ex-wife—exactly who is the one dragging their dignity through the dirt here?"

She lifted another crystal glass from the table, taking a slow, elegant sip of her drink with an air of immense,慵懒 superiority, "Back when I was willing to bankroll you, you were nothing more than a pampered pet. Now that I am done, you constitute absolutely nothing to me. Do you understand?"

"You!" Shane's face contorted into a volatile mask of flushed humiliation and burning rage.

Staring at her absolute, frigid detachment, a sudden wave of frantic panic rushed into his heart.

He took a deep breath, desperately forcing his temper down as he pitched his voice into a soft, imploring murmur, "Sienna, is there truly not a single thread of sentiment left between us? Have you entirely forgotten..."

Before the last syllable could even fade from the air, a familiar female voice pierced the space, "Shane?!"

Following that, Stella came rushing forward, her eyes instantly streaming with tears as her gaze darted between the two of them, ultimately locking onto Sienna with raw malice.

"Sienna! You've already reduced Shane to such a pathetic state! You've driven us out of our home, leaving even little Nate to suffer through absolute misery alongside us! Why must you persist in haunting our lives like an absolute demon?!"

She deliberately pitched her voice into a piercing shriek, instantly capturing the amused attention of the entire lounge.

Sienna watched Stella's theatrical performance with an icy, unbothered detachment, before stepping directly in front of her, her arm swinging back with absolute swiftness.

Slap!

A fierce, resounding slap cracked cleanly across Stella’s cheek.

Stunned into absolute silence by the impact, Stella clutched her burning face, staring at Sienna with wide, disbelieving eyes.