From Exile To Queen Of Everything - Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Amber saw Vivian dodge, and she kept charging at her, yelling, "Vivian, how dare you bully Mom and Jocelyn? I'll make you pay for this."
Sienna's eyes darkened at those words, her expression freezing for an instant, a change Jocelyn didn't miss. Jocelyn curled her lips into a smug smile, thinking, 'So what if you're strong? Amber only acknowledges me as her sister.'
Vivian gritted her teeth and snapped, "Amber, you backstabbing traitor, calling them your family? You must be blind."
Amber shot back, "You're the blind one. You don't know what's good for you, always picking on Jocelyn. And you even hit Mom. How could you? Punishment will get you. Vivian, I hate you the most."
Jocelyn cut in with feigned understanding, "Amber, don't say that. Vivian is your sister. You and I aren't actually related. I totally get why they don't accept me."
Amber shouted angrily, "She's not my sister. I don't have a crazy sister like her. Jocelyn, you're the only one I acknowledge as my sister."
Vivian clenched her fists, her face flushed crimson with rage as she ground her teeth and shouted, "You think I'd ever want a sister like you? You backstabbing snake.
"Amber, you're nothing but trash—blind, stupid trash who can't even tell right from wrong. What a complete moron."
Amber shouted, "How dare you insult me, Vivian? You're the real psycho here, just a used-up slut. And you have the nerve to call me trash? You filthy, low-life bitch, dirtier than a sewage ditch.
"Just standing next to you makes me sick. Who knows how many men have fucked you? Ah—"
Before Amber could finish, Sienna's hand shot out in a swift slap across her face. She held back most of her strength. Had she used her full force, that slap could have drawn blood or even knocked out a tooth.
The short-haired girl was momentarily stunned by the slap. Though it didn't hurt physically, Amber's heart ached with a crushing sense of injustice. In that instant, she felt so wronged she almost burst into tears.
Staring at Sienna before her, Amber parted her lips but couldn't find any words. She bit down hard on her lower lip, and large teardrops welled up in her aggrieved eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
Sienna gazed at the young, adorable girl before her, her short bob and tear-reddened eyes making her look all the more innocent.
For a moment, Sienna couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt tug at her heart.
However, Sienna remained stern, her noble yet icy demeanor unwavering as she gazed at Amber. Her crimson lips parted slightly as she commanded, "Apologize."
Amber's eyes widened as the realization hit her. 'She did it for Vivian?' she wondered.
"I won't," Amber shouted, shoving Sienna away forcefully before turning and running out.
"Oh, Sienna, what's this about? You just came back and already slapped Amber. You're her sister. How could you do that to her?" Jocelyn said with feigned concern, barely able to contain her glee.
Jocelyn put on a concerned look and said, "I will go check on Amber. She's just a young girl, all by herself—"
Sienna shot her an icy glare. "Shut your mouth, Jocelyn Turner."
At the mention of it, Jocelyn's face froze. Hatred flashed in her eyes as she clenched her empty fist.
Vivian clung to Sienna's arm. "Come on, Sienna. Let's head upstairs."
Sienna didn't refuse, but her heart ached with remorse. She hated to raise her hand, yet she knew that slap was necessary.
Reno saw Amber running out and immediately followed. 'So, she was Miss Amber, the same girl from last time,' she wondered.
"Hey Sienna, just get some sleep. Don't mind Amber. She doesn't like me, and I don't like her either. She's such a traitor, Jocelyn, and Linda's pet lackey," said Vivian.
Sienna was about to scold Vivian when it suddenly hit her. 'What right do I have? It was my sudden disappearance that made Amber turn out like this,' she wondered.
Sienna said gently, "Vivian, she's your sister. No matter what happens, that will never change."
Vivian lowered her gaze without a word, pressing closer to Sienna as she muttered under her breath, "I only want you, Sienna."
Vivian didn't give a damn about anyone else. With Sienna by her side, she had a home, she'd never be alone again.
Fatigue weighed heavily on Sienna after a sleepless night immersed in work, leaving her completely spent.
Jocelyn stormed into the guest room, fuming. 'Damn that Sienna,' she cursed under her breath. 'Where is Aiden? Aiden really drops the ball when it matters most.'
Jocelyn didn't contact those thugs directly. Instead, she asked a friend who lived nearby and found out they'd all been thrown in jail.
The news scared the hell out of her. 'Weren't they supposed to be invincible? What a bunch of useless trash,' wondered Jocelyn.
'Good thing I kept my cover. No matter how deep they dig, they'll never trace it back to me. Consider yourself lucky, Vivian. Sienna, was this your doing, or just a coincidence?'
Jocelyn hoped it was the latter. No way Sienna could wield that kind of power.
Jocelyn held a director position at Hart Corporation, but according to Linda, Sienna had now taken control of the company and purged all their people.
A flash of hatred flickered in Jocelyn's eyes as she dialed the number. With a trace of malice in her voice, she said, "Hey, it's me. Yes, about Hart Corporation. If you're interested, we should meet in person. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
'With Hart Corporation's core secrets leaked, let's see if you can still keep your CEO seat secure, Sienna,' Jocelyn wondered.
At the hospital, Aiden opened his eyes, his body covered in bruises and wounds. With great difficulty, he grabbed his phone and called Sienna.
In a hoarse, urgent voice, he told her, "I was kidnapped, tortured, and beaten last night. Call the police right away—you have to find out who did this."
Lana said calmly, "Mr. Hart, Miss Enna is resting at the moment. I'll handle this matter by reporting it to the police."
"Alright, you've got to catch that bastard," Aiden said.
It wasn't that Lana had taken the call without permission. This simply wasn't Sienna's personal phone. Aiden wasn't even worthy of knowing Sienna's private number.
Lana hung up the phone, glanced at Reno gaming on the couch, and walked over. She gave Reno a nudge with her foot and said sternly, "Is that all you've got? Woke up way too soon."
Without even looking up, Reno scoffed, "Underestimate me? That bastard can't get out of bed in a month, I promise."
Lana looked at Reno with a stern expression. "Be more professional. Weren't you supposed to be watching Miss Amber? Where is she now?"
Reno said, "Relax. She's still here. Did Miss Enna say if we should bring her back? It's pouring here, not safe at all for her to be alone."
Reno just finished her last game. She switched to another app on her phone and pulled up the surveillance feed. "See? She's right here."
Lana shook her head in exasperation and was just about to leave when Reno sidled up to her. Reno was no match for Lana, who towered over her.
Lana anticipated Reno's move and pressed a hand against her forehead just before she could close the distance. "Get back to work. Now," Lana ordered.
Reno glared at Lana. "Come on, Lana, don't be so cold. We're coworkers and friends. Can't you be a little nicer?"
Lana grabbed Reno by the collar, straightened her up, and ordered, "Get moving."
"Fine," Reno muttered weakly, shuffling out with obvious reluctance.
Sienna slept for almost three hours. When she woke up, she found Vivian fast asleep on the spacious sofa, with plenty of room for her to sprawl out. Sienna gently draped a blanket over her, then freshened up and changed before leaving the room.
"Elisa, have the kitchen prepare some soup later. Vivian doesn't look well. Tell the nutritionist to arrange a balanced diet for her," Sienna ordered.
"Okay, Miss Sienna." Elisa nodded respectfully. "About Miss Amber—"
Amber went out alone and hadn't returned yet.
Sienna said, "I know."
Sienna asked, "Lana, where's Amber?"
Lana replied, "Miss Enna, Miss Amber is at Central Park. Reno is keeping an eye on her. Should we go?"
Sienna glanced at the ominous clouds, slipped into her brown trench coat, and ordered, "We're going."
"Understood," said Lana.
Amber sat alone in the seat, tears streaming down her cheeks. So absorbed was she in her turbulent thoughts that she failed to notice the shifting weather about her.
'Jocelyn has hit me many times before, but it never really hurt. So why does Sienna's seemingly light slap make my heart feel like it's about to stop? It just hurts so much,' she wondered and felt utterly miserable.
Amber had never experienced such emotional turmoil before.
She was already eight that year, and she never forgot that Sienna was her sister. Sienna doted on her, and the way she cared for Amber was nothing like Jocelyn's.
But when that hazy figure from my memories finally reappeared, what Amber got wasn't warmth. It was a stinging slap.
Amber thought bitterly, 'She only slapped me for Vivian's sake. To her, Vivian is the only real family, right?'
Amber was lost in a whirlwind of anxious thoughts. She only felt the biting chill when a sudden gust of wind swept through.
Amber looked up. Dark clouds loomed as heavy rain slanted against the ivy-covered walls, while the thick trees obscured her view. She blinked in surprise. 'It's raining? How did I not notice?' she thought.
Amber stood up and reached out her hand. The downpour made leaving impossible. She was only in a white T-shirt. Another gust of wind blew past, carrying rain that stung her skin.
Amber shivered from the cold, hugging her arms tightly around herself. Instinctively, she reached for her phone, only to realize she'd left it back on the couch.
Seeing this, Reno almost wanted to rush out and drape her own coat over Amber. 'What an adorable little thing, so different from Miss Enna's cool, elegant vibe. She's all soft and sweet; I just want to pinch those cheeks.'
Reno bit down hard on her straw, guzzling the strawberry yogurt. 'Miss Enna, where are you?' she wondered anxiously. 'Why aren't you here yet? Amber's going to catch a cold out here.'
Standing a short distance away, Sienna watched Amber shivering from beneath her black umbrella.
Her grip on the handle tightened ever so slightly, and though her eyes remained cool and distant, a flicker of heartache showed in her usually indifferent gaze.
Amber's words had infuriated Sienna. The very scene she dreaded most had come to pass, family turning against each other, with the deepest wounds coming from those bound by blood.
Lana spoke softly from the side, "Miss Enna, Miss Amber is still young and naive. Having been under Jocelyn's influence for so long, it's inevitable she'd be affected by her words.
"The fact that Miss Amber ran out so heartbroken shows just how much she cares about you. You two had only just met again, and you slapped her right away. She must be devastated inside. I'm sure she didn't mean what she said about Miss Vivian."
'Amber's almost eighteen, while Sienna is twenty-eight. With a ten-year age gap, Sienna must have been like a mother figure to Amber,' Lana thought.
Sienna stepped forward with purpose.
Seeing the rain showed no signs of stopping, Amber pouted, then crouched down and silently stared at the damp floor tiles beneath her feet.
A pair of black shoes appeared in front of her. Amber jerked her head up, meeting Sienna's cold yet stunningly beautiful face.
Amber met Sienna's gaze for barely two seconds before quickly looking away. Her nose tingled and her eyes burned with unshed tears. 'Pathetic,' she scolded herself and snorted inwardly. 'Am I really about to cry in front of her?'
Amber couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, putting on her toughest act. "Why are you here?"
Sienna watched as Amber stood there, trembling but still baring her claws and putting on a tough front. An inexplicable ache tugged at Sienna's heart.
Sienna took off her coat and reached out, but Amber instinctively recoiled, her voice rising in shaky bravado. "If you dare hit me again, I won't hold back. I'm tough, you know? I—"
Before Amber could finish, she was suddenly wrapped in warmth. Sienna's unique, cool fragrance filled Amber's senses. It smelled so nice that she froze in surprise.
Amber's eyes flew wide in shock, her pale lips forming a small pout as she stared at Sienna in bewilderment. Amber's sweet and obedient little appearance made Sienna's heart melt.
"Y-You—" Amber stammered, her voice trembling. 'Why is she dressing me? As if I'd even want her help,' she thought. 'Like I need her fake concern. She's only here for Vivian.'
"I don't want your coat," Amber snapped, already shrugging off the jacket to shove it back at her.
Sienna placed her hands firmly on Amber's shoulders. "Stop fidgeting. You'll catch a cold."
Amber snorted, yanked off the coat, and thrust it back at Sienna before turning away. "I don't need your coat. Like I'm even cold."
The moment she finished speaking, an involuntary shiver ran through her, goosebumps rising all over. 'So cold,' she wondered, 'The weather just changes on a dime. How annoying.'
Sienna watched Amber's contradictory behavior, a flicker of helplessness in her eyes. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Did it hurt?"
Amber bristled, ready to snap back. "Are you about to say I don't know what's good for me? Well, I— Wait? What did you just say?" She was caught off guard, her tough act faltering for a moment.
Sienna stepped closer, her cool fingertips lightly brushing against Amber's cheek. Amber's pupils trembled violently as the thought struck her. 'Is she asking if my face hurts?'
At the memory of that slap, Amber's nose tingled again. A wave of grievance welled up inside her, turning her eyes slightly red as she swatted Sienna's hand away.
"Stop pretending to care. You only slapped me because of Vivian, didn't you? Go slap her instead, then maybe I'll forgive you." Amber crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and straightened her back, putting on her toughest face.
Even with her teeth chattering from the cold, Amber still stubbornly refused to show any weakness.
"Amber, you still remember me, right?" Sienna asked. At her words, Amber froze mid-motion, and the proud, aloof mask she'd been wearing vanished instantly.
A flicker of grief flashed in her eyes, but she masked it expertly. She snapped stubbornly, lifting her chin, "I don't know you. Where did you even come from? I only have one sister, and that's—"
For some reason, at that moment, Amber just couldn't bring herself to say Jocelyn's name.
'Ugh, what a coward I am,' Amber scolded herself. She lifted her chin, trying to shoot Sienna a haughty look, but all she managed was to glare at her neck.
'She's so tall. Why is she so freakishly tall?' Amber grumbled inwardly.
Amber was in sneakers, and standing before Sienna in her two-inch heels, there was just no way she could match Sienna's presence.
'It's okay. I'll grow taller someday,' Amber thought. 'One day, I'll be even taller than her.'