From Exile To Queen Of Everything - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

At the police station, the chief dropped the evidence like a bomb. Chloe's face went sheet-white, her manicured nails digging into her knees. Lily sat frozen, mouth slightly open like a broken doll. Ron just kept swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing like a fishing float in rough waters.
Mason had assumed he would get off clean until the surveillance footage showed him dragging Vivian into a car. Now he was facing charges as Chloe's partner in crime. Mason couldn't believe his ears. He grabbed the officer's sleeve and shouted, "Chloe's healthy? That's bullshit! She is obviously sick!"
The officer shook him off. "Drop the act. You're in this up to your neck."
Only then did Mason realize Chloe had played him like a fiddle. She had been perfectly fine all along. A bitter laugh escaped him. Then his mind flashed to Vivian. Guilt twisted in his gut. He knew he had wronged her, and secretly decided he would spend the rest of his life making things right.
The Quinns couldn't get Mason out, so they rushed to the Hart house mad as hell. But the guards locked them out, making Mrs. Quinn scream and shout like a crazy woman for hours. The police finally took her away for causing a public nuisance.
Linda tugged hard on Aiden's arm, her voice shrill with panic. "Do something! If we don't fix this now, we're screwed! The Quinns are not to be messed with. Sienna's just a clueless kid, but you're her dad. Grow a spine and handle this!"
Aiden rubbed his temples, his patience wearing thin. He never found Linda so annoying before. Her constant yapping was driving him up the wall. "Then what the hell do you want me to do?" he barked.
"Make Vivian go to the station and get Mason released. Then we'll apologize to the Quinns. It's the only way!"
Aiden turned, ready to agree. But then he froze. Sienna stood at the top of the stairs, her icy smirk locking him in place like a deer in headlights. His breath hitched, fingers twitching at his sides. Then he forced out the words. "I can't make that call."
Linda's face darkened. "Like hell you can't! They're your daughters. If talking won't work, knock some sense into them. Since when do you fear your own daughter? You're the head of this family. Then act like it!"
Aiden's jaw clenched, his ribs still aching from Sienna's last kick. Linda clearly had no idea what Sienna was capable of. Before he could say anything, the temperature in the room dropped as Sienna descended the stairs, her every step like frost creeping across glass.
Linda still kept shaking him like a faulty vending machine, demanding he man up and put Sienna in her place. Aiden's patience finally snapped. "Oh please, enlighten me. Who's the head of the family?"
Linda's blood ran cold at his words. She spun around and there stood Sienna. Her stomach dropped. "Sienna." Her voice came out thin. "Since when were you there?"
Sienna's lips curled in a frosty smirk, her eyes like chips of ice. Pearl slippers, beaded cape, silk-spun hair—Sienna looked untouchable, like an ice queen carved from winter itself. She stood a full head taller than Linda, arms locked across her chest in unyielding command.
"Guards," she commanded. "Lock her up. No food, no water, no mercy. Let her rot for poisoning our family vibe."
The guards sprang into action at her command. Linda panicked, shrieking as they grabbed her. "Sienna, have you lost your mind? I'm your stepmother! This is madness, absolute madness!"
Sienna didn't bat an eyelid. "Elisa, she's too noisy."
Elisa caught on in a flash and slapped Linda square across the face. "Shut your mouth. You're disturbing Miss Sienna."
Linda shot daggers at Elisa, furious that a lowly servant would dare to lay a hand on her. She knew full well they would toss her in the cellar, where she had once shut Vivian and those other brats up. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would wind up there herself. She seethed, cursing Sienna up a storm in her head.
Aiden started to chime in, but Sienna's gaze flicked to the butler, who whipped out an exquisite box and plopped it on the table.
"Father, a man of your status deserves proper adornment. This is Junova's newest, worth 3 million. It's all yours." Sienna said.
Aiden's anger fizzled out the second he clapped eyes on the watch. "I love it. Truly. It's so thoughtful of you." Since the Hart family fell on hard times, he had hardly laid hands on anything so luxurious.
As Sienna turned to leave, the butler muttered, "Miss Sienna, why waste this on him? He's not even good enough to shine your shoes. Might as well chuck it in the bin."
Sienna smirked, "For peace of mind." She had no illusions about her father, fully aware what she did was just the calm before the storm. "Oh, and Linda. Make sure she doesn't get a moment's peace."
The butler took the hint. "Don't worry, Miss Sienna. She'll beg for silence."
Wearing the new watch, Aiden stared out the window at the dark sky. He thought, 'Have I really failed as a father to let Vivian suffer like this? Today, the Quinns crossed the line first, kidnapping Vivian and making her give blood to a perfectly healthy girl.' Thinking that, he called Mason's dad.
The second the line connected, a roar exploded, "Aiden, you bastard! Tell your bitch daughter to get my son out of the cops' hands now!"
Aiden snapped. "Go to hell! Your son kidnapped my daughter. Let him rot in jail, you Quinn dogs!" He then slammed the phone down. Once the words were out, his chest heaved, then a sharp breath escaped, like a weight lifting. The knot in his gut loosened, and a light, clean rush spread through him.
Sienna slipped into the room, tucked Vivian up nice and tight and gave her little sister a little pat on the shoulder. Just then, her phone lit up. She grabbed it and trotted off to the study, "It's me."
"Miss Enna," Lana's voice crackled. "Aiden just lost it with the Quinns. Sophie Quinn also reached out to me. What's the next move?"
"She wants a deal, doesn't she? Give her the chance."
"Got it, Miss Enna. The Quinns are pulling strings to free Mason. Sophie is strong-arming Hart Corporation's suppliers too. They're gunning for us."
Sienna drummed her fingers. "No rush. Tell Reno to come tomorrow. I'll head to Hart Corporation myself." Reno was her second-in-command, under Lana. If Lana showed her face at Hart Corporation, it would raise too many eyebrows. Reno was the safer play.
Lana replied, "Yes, Miss Enna. I'll let Reno know right away."
"Good. Turn up the heat on Sophie. Junior Quinn Group is our first target."
Lana's voice buzzed with excitement, "On it, Miss Enna!"
Lana's eyes lit up at their next move. She thought to herself, 'Another company's about to bite the dust. Miss Enna never misses. That bastard Mason has it coming. Nobody messes with Miss Vivian. One word from Miss Enna, and the Quinn family will crumble. Let's see how long their smug grins last.'
Hanging up, Sienna cracked open the door and peered towards Aiden's room. 'Have we really come to this?' she mused. But then her heart hardened. 'Late coming affection is as worthless as weeds. We don't need any fake kindness.'
She pushed the door open a bit more. Vivian was standing there, pillow hugged tight to her chest, eyes still heavy with sleep. The second she saw Sienna, she dropped the pillow and lunged forward, burying her warm cheek in Sienna's shoulder with a little whimper. "Sienna, where did you go?"