Their Queen Returns novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 A Gilded Cage No More

Sienna steered Vivian away from the scene, gently dabbing at the lingering tears on her cheeks.

Vivian was not so short, but next to Sienna, amplified by heels, she looked as fragile as a porcelain doll.

"Don't cry, Vivian," Sienna said softly. "Tell me what happened. Tell me everything."

Vivian's shoulders shook with silent sobs. She didn't want to cry, but the injustice of it all was overwhelming. Besides, she had a million questions of her own.

Everyone had told her Sienna was dead, gone for ten years. A full decade of silence.

Sienna took her to a quiet diner and ordered them both a steak. As the hot food arrived, Vivian's storm of emotions began to subside.

"Sienna... where were you these years?" she wiped her face clean and finally asked the question that had been haunting her for years, "They all said you were... "

Sienna's sisters had never believed it, not really. Not the official story about the plane crash. But after ten years without a single word, even the strongest hope begins to wither.

A wave of guilt washed over Sienna. "I thought I was dead, too," she admitted.

"By some miracle, I survived. A kind couple found me, adopted me. But I had amnesia. For ten years, I didn't know who I was. Three days ago, it all came back. The second it did, I booked a flight home to find you."

Amnesia. The single word erased a decade of resentment. All the anger Vivian had harbored—for being abandoned, for being left alone—evaporated into thin air.

"We were so useless, we... " Vivian couldn't tear her eyes away from Sienna's face across the table, terrified that she might dissolve into mist.

"Enough of that," Sienna said gently but firmly. "Now, tell me about this Mason."

"He's my ex, sister. It's over," Vivian said, a little too quickly. "Hey, you should stay with me tonight!"

She couldn't bear for Sienna to know the whole, humiliating story.

Sienna didn't push. If Vivian wouldn't tell her, she'd find out on her own. And anyone who had hurt her family would learn the true meaning of regret.

When they arrived at the address Vivian gave, Sienna stopped dead. The building was a dilapidated walk-up in a grim part of town. "Vivian... this is where you live?"

Their family home was a sprawling villa at No. 1 Southlake. Why would Vivian be here? Was this some kind of misguided attempt at independence? Sienna was confused.

Vivian couldn't meet her eyes. She had been thrown out of her home seven years ago. How could she possibly explain that?

"It's not so bad. Come on, let's go up!" she said, leading Sienna upstairs.

Sienna followed her, a knot forming in her stomach. As Vivian reached for the door, a portly, greasy-looking man blocked their path.

"Vivian! Late on the rent again, I see," he boomed. "You're six months behind! With utilities, you owe me two thousand bucks! And now you're bringing guests? Pay up!"

Vivian froze, her face a mixture of panic and shame as she glanced between the landlord and Sienna. She prayed he would just shut up.

"I've been patient with you, you know, 'cause you're a pretty little thing," the landlord continued. "But you're pushing your luck! A girl who looks like you can't scrape together two grand? What a waste."

His eyes roamed over Vivian's body with a possessive leer that made Sienna's blood run cold. He'd clearly been hoping to collect his rent in ways that didn't involve money.

Vivian's eyes shot open. Sienna was looking down at her, a soft smile on her face that seemed to warm the entire room, chasing away the shadows in Vivian's heart.

"I'll go first, then," Sienna said, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Vivian stood there, dazed, a slow, brilliant smile spreading across her face. She watched the bathroom door, her heart full of a feeling she hadn't known in a decade: hope.

A few minutes later, Sienna emerged, wrapped in a cloud of steam and the scent of peaches.

Her skin glowed, and a silky, moon-white nightgown draped her elegant figure. Her dark, curly hair tumbled over her shoulders. She was breathtaking.

She was toweling her hair dry when she noticed Vivian staring, transfixed. She chuckled and reached out to pinch her sister's cheek affectionately.

"Your turn."

Vivian blushed beet red, wishing she could melt into the floor. "Hey Sienna, I... "

Sienna sat on the edge of the small bed, and in that instant, the shabby room seemed to transform into a palace. It was as if the universe itself was merely a backdrop for her beauty.

Vivian's heart hammered in her chest. Sienna was even more beautiful than she remembered.

'That grace, those curves... even I'm jealous!' she thought. 'I wonder how many men tried to get their hands on her while she was away... '

The thought made her inexplicably angry. She puffed out her cheeks, and when she came out of the shower, she still looked like a cross little pufferfish.