Oops! I Hired a CEO

Chapter 9

Sienna’s POV

The rug still smelled of alcohol. Every time I passed through the living room, the scent clung to the air rich, sharp, and utterly infuriating. I swear I could almost hear that cork pop again in my head, the glug of my three-thousand-dollar wine spilling across cream-colored fabric.

I pressed my fingertips to my temples and tried to breathe, but the more I thought about it, the more my pulse raced. A maid who disinfected rugs with Bordeaux? A PR team convinced he was the key to saving my image? My entire life had turned into some kind of absurd comedy, only it was not funny.

I needed space. Away from the rug.... Away from Joe’s pathetic attempt at his job.... Away from Louis’s piercing glares and the PR team’s ridiculous fake-dating plan.

If I stayed here any longer, I would lose my f*****g mind.

So I grabbed my sunglasses, my handbag, and my jacket, and slipped out before anyone could stop me. The paparazzi had been camped outside my building for weeks, but I had my own tricks. A side exit, a long scarf pulled low, and an Uber called under a fake name. By the time I slid into the backseat of the car, the tension in my chest had already eased a fraction.

Not much but enough to breathe again.

I was going to see Yvette.

~~~

The hospital smelled faintly of antiseptic, clean but not unwelcoming. I signed in at the front desk, tugging my sunglasses down further to cover most of my face. The receptionist gave me a polite smile that said she knew exactly who I was but would not say it out loud.

The elevator ride to the pediatric ward was quiet, only the soft hum of the machine filling the space. I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly.

Visiting Yvette always grounded me. Reminded me that there were things in the world far more important than roles, directors, and whatever petty game Claire was playing.

When I reached her room, I knocked lightly before pushing the door open.

“Guess who brought contraband?” I said softly, waving a small bag of chocolates I had tucked into my purse.

The girl in the bed turned her head, her eyes lighting up the second she saw me.

“Sienna!” Yvette’s voice was weak but filled with more warmth than I had heard in weeks. She pushed herself up against the pillows, her short, thinning hair catching the light from the window. “You came back!”

“Of course I came.” I set the bag on her bedside table and leaned in to hug her gently. “I told you I would be back. Did you really think I would break a promise?”

She giggled, her tiny frame trembling slightly. “No, but you are always so busy, though. Movies, interviews, scandals…”

I grimaced, sitting back in the chair beside her bed. “Don’t remind me about the scandals.”

Yvette tilted her head, studying me with the kind of honesty only teenagers and saints possessed. “You look tired.”

“Because I am exhausted.” I laughed softly, rubbing at my face. “I needed to see you. You are the only person who does not expect me to be someone I am not.”

Her expression softened. She reached for my hand, her small fingers curling around mine. “Awwww... You do not have to be an actress here. You are just Sienna to me.... Sienna that i love so much.”

Those words pierced me deeper than any headline could. Just Sienna.... No glamorous makeup..... no flashing cameras....., no biting comebacks,..... no armour. Just plain old me.

We talked for a while about everything and nothing. Yvette told me about the new nurse who mispronounced her name as ‘Yvettee’ and how she corrected her with a dramatic flair that would have impressed even my old acting coach. I told her about a disastrous attempt at cooking that ended in a fire alarm, not mentioning Joe’s part in a different culinary catastrophe, of course.

For an hour, I laughed. For an hour, I was not angry anymore about wine, rugs, or fake boyfriends. I was just… human again.

~~~

But outside, in the corridor, I did not notice the shadow.

A man leaned casually against the far wall, pretending to scroll through his phone. His clothes were nondescript, his face forgettable the kind of person you would never give a second glance. But his eyes were sharp, flicking up every few seconds to the door I had just walked through.

When I hugged Yvette goodbye, promising to return in a few days, he pushed himself off the wall and walked briskly toward the exit.

By the time I reached the lobby, slipping my sunglasses back on, he was already outside. Already dialling a number on his phone.

~~~

“Boss,” he said when the line connected. “You are not going to believe this.”

Claire’s voice crackled on the other end, smooth and cool as ice. “Go on.”

“She is here at the hospital visiting a girl, a cancer patient. They looked close. Like family close.”

There was a pause, then a faint laugh. “Interesting very, very interesting.”

The informant glanced back through the glass doors, watching as I slid into another waiting car. “Should I keep following her?”

“No,” Claire said, her tone laced with amusement. “You have given me what I need. Leave the rest to me.”

~~~

Back in the car, I stared out the window, my chest still warm from Yvette’s smile. For the first time in days, I felt like myself again.

I had no idea that my brief escape from chaos had only created another secret for Claire to weaponize.