Chapter 189: Chapter 189

"Don’t stand on ceremony with me. If you need any help, just let me know. I’m still your Brother Drew," Noah said.

Noah knew Sienna Johnson would report good news but not bad. When he took over the company, his grandfather and father had personally mentored him for a while. Sienna, on the other hand, had suddenly taken over the company; the difficulties she must have encountered were immense.

She had grown up and become distant from him, no longer the little girl who acted willfully and spoiled around him.

Thinking of this, Noah was filled with melancholy and loneliness. This text is hosted at nοvelfire.net

"I will," Sienna said, moved.

"Noah, I knew you were in there..." A woman’s voice suddenly came through the phone, breaking the subtle warmth between them.

"Miss Powell, President Phillips said not to disturb him."

"I’m sorry, President Phillips, but Miss Powell insisted on coming in. I couldn’t stop her..."

"I’m not just anyone. Noah, you agree, right?" The woman spoke to Noah in a coquettish tone and with a distinct familiarity.

"Noah, all you do is work, work, work. You’re not a robot; you can’t work 24 hours a day. I don’t care anymore; you’re coming with me to the concert. It’s the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. You promised you would take me..."

Upon hearing this, Sienna felt a chill run down her spine. She had always hoped that Noah would marry a woman of comparable family status with whom he shared mutual affection. She hadn’t expected that when such a woman actually appeared, her heart would ache with such bitterness.

She silently hung up the phone, unable to listen any further.

The office was so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat—a disorderly, arrhythmic thumping.

Sienna Johnson, you are so hypocritical!

She said one thing but thought another. Sienna despised herself at that moment.

Her phone suddenly rang, making Sienna jump. She thought it was Noah calling, but when she saw the caller ID, her racing heart calmed down. It wasn’t Noah; it was Kenneth Brown.

Sienna steadied her emotions and answered, "Hello..." As long as it wasn’t Noah, she wouldn’t lose her composure or her train of thought.

"President Johnson, it’s Kenneth Brown. I’m downstairs at the Group’s building, and it’s about to rain. Did you bring an umbrella?" Kenneth’s voice was gentle, like a warm sunbeam in winter.

Sienna looked at the gloomy sky outside. It was indeed about to rain.

Sienna questioned him, "Manager Brown, isn’t it still working hours?"

"HAHA!" Kenneth laughed heartily, showing no fear of Sienna. Sienna felt troubled; she massaged her forehead, not knowing what to say.

"I just came back from the TV station, and I have some business to discuss with President Johnson. There are ten minutes until the end of the workday. Could President Johnson come down a bit early? We can discuss it on the way."

Sienna gave some instructions and went downstairs.

In the first-floor lobby, Kenneth was holding a black umbrella, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the elevator. As soon as Sienna stepped out, he approached her.

"President Johnson..."

Sienna asked, "What did you want to discuss with me?"

Instead of discussing business right away, Kenneth said, "It’s dinnertime. How about we find a place to eat while we talk?"

Sienna raised her eyebrows at him. Kenneth met her gaze with a smile, his expression open and candid, his eyes unwavering. "My treat!"

Sienna stared at Kenneth for a moment and said, "I’m sorry, but I have to go home tonight to be with my daughter."

"Alright then, let’s talk in the car," Kenneth said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

Sienna called her driver, Mr. Leonard, and her Mercedes-Benz Business Car drove over. As the two of them walked out, it began to rain.

The rain was heavy, and the wind carried the scent of damp earth.

A large black umbrella opened over Sienna’s head. She followed the arm holding the umbrella up to Kenneth, their eyes meeting for a few seconds.

"Miss." Mr. Leonard opened the car door for her. Sienna walked over, with Kenneth holding the umbrella entirely over her head, heedless of his own clothes getting wet.

The business car was spacious and well-sealed; almost no noise from outside could be heard. Kenneth found himself enveloped in Sienna’s scent, his heart pounding, nearly losing his composure.

"What’s the matter? You can tell me now," Sienna said in a business-like tone.

"President Johnson, are you unhappy today?" he keenly sensed her low spirits.

"Not at all." Sienna glanced at Kenneth, surprised that he had noticed her mood.

Her phone suddenly rang; it was Noah calling. Sienna let the phone continue to ring, unsure whether to answer or not.

"President Johnson, your phone is ringing," Kenneth Brown said.

"Mm," Sienna finally answered. "Brother..."

"Why did you hang up earlier?"

"I saw you were busy, so I hung up." Sienna didn’t want to talk to Noah at that moment. Her chest felt tight, and her mood plunged uncontrollably.

She had loved Noah since she was a little girl, and her childhood dream was to marry him. But now, given her status, there was no future between her and Noah.

"Sienna, she’s the daughter of an old family friend. I’ve always treated her like a sister," Noah explained, afraid she would misunderstand.

"What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?" Noah also noticed her low spirits.

Sienna needed some time to heal and said, "Brother, I’m fine, just a little tired."

"A young woman like you shouldn’t work so hard."

Sienna chuckled softly. Even if she didn’t work herself to exhaustion, what could she do? She had no one to rely on. Though she thought this, she said aloud, "I know. You too."

They hung up, and Sienna remained immersed in her negative emotions, even forgetting there was another person in the car.

"President Johnson, you have a brother?" Kenneth asked.

Sienna looked up and met Kenneth’s inquisitive gaze, realizing she had been lost in thought. She touched her forehead; it felt hot. Was she getting sick?

"Not your biological brother, right?" Kenneth said with a smile.

The Johnson family only had two daughters, plus an adopted daughter who had married into the Stewart family. It was precisely because they had no son that Sienna had inherited the company and would have to find a husband to marry into the family.

Sienna didn’t want to discuss her private life with the man in front of her, so she steered the conversation back, "What was it you wanted to see me about?"

Feeling a slight discomfort in his throat, Kenneth lowered his gaze slightly and said, "The TV station wants to interview President Johnson. What are your thoughts on that?"