Chapter Five – The Billionaire’s Lie

Sienna sat at the edge of the lavish leather sofa, her eyes fixated on the glass of champagne in her hand. The golden liquid swirled lazily as her mind raced. Colson had just left, disappearing into the night like a phantom. His words still echoed in her mind, his touch lingering on her skin. "You're already mine." The thought sent shivers down her spine, and she hated herself for feeling as if she were starting to believe it.

She took a deep breath and pushed the glass away, a wave of nausea sweeping over her. She couldn't afford to lose control, not now. Not when everything was so precariously balanced.

It had been a week since the night they shared in his penthouse, and since then, their interactions had been nothing short of a game—one that she didn’t know if she was winning or losing. Colson played with her like a puppet on strings, and no matter how much she wanted to cut the ties, something kept her tethered to him.

The billionaire's lie, she thought bitterly. It was the perfect mask he wore—charming, calculated, and cold. But behind that mask, Sienna knew there were secrets. Dark, dangerous secrets that could break everything between them.

And she was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the only one hiding something.

The door clicked open, breaking her reverie. She looked up, surprised to see Nico standing there. His broad frame filled the doorway, and for a moment, his eyes met hers with a gaze so intense that it almost seemed as if he could see right through her.

"You're still here?" he asked, his voice a little too sharp, though his expression remained neutral.

Sienna couldn't help the twinge of guilt that crawled under her skin. She didn’t want to explain herself to him. She didn’t want to admit how much Colson’s presence was messing with her head. How much she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

"I was just—thinking," she said, her voice trailing off as she glanced at the floor. The truth was, she was afraid to let Nico into her mind. Not because she didn’t trust him, but because she didn’t even trust herself anymore.

Nico stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "About Colson, I assume?"

Sienna stiffened, not expecting him to bring that up. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I can see it," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You think you're hiding it well, but you’re not. I can tell you’re caught up in his world. That’s not a place you want to be."

His words hit her like a slap, and she flinched. "I don’t want to be caught up in anything," she retorted, though even she knew how hollow the statement sounded.

Nico’s expression softened, and he walked over to where she sat. His large hand came to rest on the back of the sofa as he crouched down to meet her eye level. "Sienna, I get it. I do. He’s powerful, irresistible, but you’re stronger than you think."

"I don't feel strong," she admitted, the vulnerability she’d been hiding creeping into her voice.

"You are," he said gently. "But strength isn’t about keeping everything inside. It's about facing it, even when it feels impossible. Colson, he doesn’t play fair. You need to be careful with him."

Sienna closed her eyes, the weight of his words sinking in. "I’m not sure I can get out of this," she murmured.

Nico took a deep breath, his hand lingering for a moment before he stood up. "You can. But it won’t be easy."

Sienna stayed on the couch, lost in her thoughts as Nico left, the sound of the door shutting behind him offering a temporary comfort. But there was no peace for her—no calm. Her mind was filled with images of Colson, of his icy blue eyes that held a thousand unspoken words, and the way his touch could make her body tremble with just a brush of his fingers.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced up, wondering if it was Nico returning. But when she opened the door, the last person she expected to see stood there, his tall form casting a long shadow in the hallway.

"Colson," she breathed, her heart jumping into her throat. "What are you doing here?"

He didn’t answer immediately, his gaze scanning her face, as though he was reading her thoughts. His jaw clenched, and there was a hardness in his eyes that made her pulse quicken. "I need to talk to you," he said, his voice low and steady.

Sienna stepped aside, her mind racing as she closed the door behind him. "About what?" she asked, trying to sound unaffected, though every part of her was screaming for him to stay away.

"About us," Colson replied, his voice just above a whisper. "About everything."

He moved toward her with the same effortless grace that seemed to make her heart race. Colson was a man of few words, but the intensity of his presence made up for the lack of them. His eyes never left hers, as though trying to gauge her every reaction.

"What do you mean, everything?" she asked, her voice shaky, even though she tried to hold herself steady.

"You’re confused," he said softly. "I can see it. But I’m not going to let you walk away from this, Sienna. Not without telling you the truth."

Her heart skipped a beat. The truth. She had heard that line before, from men who only ever told half of the story, if that.

"You can’t control me, Colson," she said, her voice tinged with defiance.

"I’m not trying to control you," he replied, his voice dropping lower, dangerously so. "I’m trying to protect you. You don’t understand the situation you’re in. You think it’s just me and you. But it’s not. There’s more at stake than you think."

Sienna swallowed hard, the words he spoke cutting through her. She had always known that Colson wasn’t like other men. He was a force, an enigma she could never fully understand. But this… this felt different.

"You're lying," she whispered, barely able to speak the words. "You’re lying to me, Colson."

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped closer, his body inches from hers. "Maybe I am. But what do you want from me, Sienna? The truth is, I’m in deeper than you realize. And if you think you can walk away, you’re wrong."

Sienna felt the air between them crackle with tension, the line between what was real and what was a lie blurring. She had never felt so lost, so exposed.

"Then tell me the truth," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me everything."

Colson’s lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile, but there was no humor in it. "I will," he said softly, "but only when you’re ready to hear it."

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. And as Colson turned to leave, the weight of his presence lingered long after he was gone.

Sienna stood in the doorway, her mind swirling with the storm of emotions that had just been unleashed. She had asked for the truth, but now, she was not sure if she was ready for it.

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