Sienna was furious.
Not annoyed. Not inconvenienced. Furious.
The audacity of that man—vanishing with nothing but a vague note and leaving her to juggle every moving piece of Evermark like it was her name on the letterhead.
She hadn't slept properly since Monday. She was running on espresso, frustration, and pure spite. It was Friday morning, and her inbox looked like a battlefield.
Luis found her hunched over the third revision of the Everstone pitch deck, muttering under her breath and stabbing at her keyboard like the keys had personally offended her.
"You're going to shatter that laptop," he said, amused.
"Then maybe Cassian can sign the replacement with his ghost," she snapped.
Luis chuckled, sipping his tea. "You're one minor report away from setting this building on fire."
Sienna didn't deny it. "I swear, when he comes back, I'm going to kill him. No trial. Just—dead. In the lobby."
Luis laughed. "Don't forget to demand a salary increase first. That's your last will and testament now."
She paused. "You're not wrong."
Luis softened a little, placing a hand on her desk. "You've done incredible, Sienna. Really. We'd be in chaos without you."
The unexpected gratitude deflated some of her rage. Not all—but enough to keep her from throwing her pen at the wall.
She exhaled slowly. "He better come back with something shaved off. A limb. A strand of dignity. Or his head."
Luis raised an eyebrow. "His head?"
Sienna smiled darkly. "Wishful thinking."
And she dove back into the spreadsheet—angry, exhausted, and very much not in love with her asshole boss.
Or so she told herself.
At exactly 4:23 PM, her inbox pinged.
Cassian Hayes — Subject: [Return Itinerary + Client Meeting]
The message was maddeningly brief.
Sienna, en route. Landing midnight. Meeting with Crane rescheduled for Saturday morning at 10. Need you there.
No greeting. No apology. No explanation.
Just that.
Sienna stared at the email like it had personally slapped her. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
Saturday?
He expected her to come in on a Saturday after abandoning the company for a week and dropping the weight of the world on her shoulders?
The nerve.
The ego.
The unrepentant, casually infuriating audacity of that man.
But even through her rage… something traitorous inside her flickered.
He was coming back.
Alive. Functional. Returning.
She bit her lip, cheeks flushing despite herself. Her heart shouldn't be fluttering. It was stress. Obviously.
Sienna slammed her laptop shut and stood up. "Luis!"
He leaned out of his office.
"What?"
"He's alive."
"Oh good," he said dryly. "I was about to email legal for his presumed death certificate."
"He wants me in for a Saturday meeting."
Luis blinked. "So, uh… you are going, right?"
Sienna glared. "Yes. And when I get there, I'm going to kill him."
Luis raised his tea in salute. "Just make sure you get a raise before the murder."
Saturday morning arrived too soon.
Sienna stepped through the glass doors of Evermark, coffee in hand, the lobby quiet and gleaming under the early sunlight. Her heels clicked across the marble floor as she checked her watch—9:43. She was early.
She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of walking in before her.
Tori, the receptionist, offered a bright smile. "Welcome back, Miss Caldwell."
"Thanks. Is he here yet?"
Tori nodded with a slightly startled expression. "He walked in about ten minutes ago. I almost didn't recognize him."
Sienna's brows furrowed. "Why?"
"You'll see," Tori said, eyes twinkling.
And oh—she saw.
The moment she stepped into the executive wing, Cassian turned from the conference table and—
"Oh my god."
His head.
It was shaved.
Sienna blinked, then laughed. Out loud. She couldn't help it.
"You look like a very expensive monk," she wheezed.
Cassian rolled his eyes but grinned. "Good morning to you too."
"I mean—seriously? What happened?"
"I went to a temple," he said, deadpan.
She stared at him, blinking. "What?"
He gestured loosely, as if it explained everything. "Thailand. Forest temple. Peace. Enlightenment. Accidental shaving."
"You… got shaved?"
"I thought they were offering me a head massage," he said with a grimace. "Turns out it was a full monk-style reset."
Sienna cracked up again. She couldn't stop it. The stress of the week, the madness of seeing him again, the way he looked like a smug Zen egg—it all came pouring out in laughter.
He watched her, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable—until she wiped a tear from her eye and said, "You actually look good. Weirdly."
"Thanks, I think."
They smiled at each other for just a second too long.
Then Cassian cleared his throat. "Crane's due in fifteen. You ready to charm them back into not killing us?"
Her smile faltered just a little.
Because while it was easy to laugh with him again, while the sight of his ridiculous bald head had broken something open in her chest that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding—she hadn't forgotten.
She hadn't forgotten the way he disappeared.
How she held the company together with both hands while he went soul-searching in Thailand.
How angry she'd been. How scared.
How unfair it had all felt.
She shoved the thoughts down. She was here. The meeting was now. The emotions could wait.
"I'll kill you after this meeting."
"Good." He smirked. "Let's go tame the beast."
The meeting started tense—Mr. Crane, the CEO of CraneTech, was clearly pissed. Cassian let him vent for a bit, then smoothly slid in updates, reassurances, and an offer for revised terms. Sienna filled in the blanks, offering seamless support, her voice steady and calm.
Thirty minutes in, the ice cracked.
By the end of the hour, Crane was leaning back in his chair, even cracking jokes.
"Gotta say," he said with a nod toward Sienna, "I see why you keep her around."
Cassian looked at her and smiled faintly. "I'd be lost without her."
Her heart tripped a beat—but she forced a smirk. "He just says that when he's about to dump more work on me."
Crane laughed and stood. "Well, whatever magic you two work—keep it going. Good recovery."
They walked him to the elevators, waved him off, and as the doors slid shut, Cassian turned to her.
"Lunch?"
She gave him a long look.
"Do I get to choose the place?"
"Anywhere you want."
"Even if I make you eat vegan?"
He winced. "I take it back."
She laughed then rolled her eyes on him. She'll make him pay... Preferably with his card for now.