From Exile To Queen Of Everything - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

"Yes I did. So what?" Sienna said, her voice bored, as if discussing the weather. "And given that you've reached your golden years without acquiring a shred of decency, I can't be bothered to waste my breath on you."
"Wha—" Mrs. Quinn clutched her chest, gasping for air, but Sienna ignored her and fixed her cold gaze on Mason.
"You're Mason, right? It seems my sister's words from last night didn't quite penetrate that thick skull of yours," Sienna sneered. "Let me be clear: She is breaking up with you. The engagement is off. So why are you still clinging to her? Are you that pathetic, or do you just have a death wish?"
Being publicly humiliated by a woman, twice, was more than Mason's fragile ego could handle. And this woman... Mason didn't expect she was really Vivian's sister!
"Fine! Break it off! Did you really think I couldn't live without you?" he spat.
"Then get out," Vivian said, her voice flat.
Mason's anger flared, "You... "
Linda quickly gave Aiden a nudge. Catching her intention, Aiden tried to smooth things over. But a cold glare from Sienna made him shut his mouth.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty. We're all friends here. We shouldn't let things get so ugly," Linda had to step between them herself. "Even if the children can't be together, we should still have a peaceful discussion, shouldn't we?"
Fuming, Mason's parents turned and stormed out.
Mason, however, lingered, his eyes still on Vivian. For some reason, he found this new, defiant version of her... captivating.
Before, she had always been so timid, so eager to please. Tonight, she was pure, untouchable elegance.
He was still willing to give her another chance. After all, they'd been together for three years. She couldn't just forget him, just let him go. It had to be a game. She was just playing hard to get.
Yes, that was it. Mason told himself. She definitely still loved me.
"Vivian," he said, his voice softening into what he imagined was a magnanimous tone. "I can overlook what happened today. I know you were hurt because of Chloe, but she really did save my life. I can't just abandon her. As for the engagement... I know you only said that because you were upset. I'll give you some time to cool down and think things over."
Vivian looked at this man, at his practiced, gentle expression, and a chill went through her. It was laughable. Why hadn't she seen through his hypocrisy sooner?
"Mason," she said, her voice firm and unwavering. "You used me as a stand-in. Because you helped me once, I let it slide. But from this day forward, we are finished. Your savior, your drama—it has nothing to do with me. The engagement is off. I mean it, whether you believe me or not."
Something in his gut clenched. It felt like sand slipping through his fingers. He had the unsettling feeling that something precious was gone forever. For the first time, a flicker of genuine panic entered his eyes. He reached for her hand, but his pride held him back.
"We've been together for three years. I know you," he insisted. "I'll give you some time to come to your senses. Meet me at our usual spot tomorrow night, and I'll forgive all of this."
Vivian recoiled from his touch, taking two steps back. Her voice was calm, each word a carefully placed stone. "Not going to happen, Mason. I'm not playing hard to get. Listen carefully, I am dumping you. You're nothing to me. You're not worth the effort."
The last of Mason's composure shattered. In front of everyone, she had utterly shredded his dignity. His fists clenched. "Fine!" he seethed. "You want to play it this way? From now on, the Quinn family is done with the Harts!"
"Mason, dear!" Linda cried, rushing to his side. "She's just angry, she doesn't mean it! Vivian is usually so obedient, she's been with you for three years. Let's just talk this out! Darling," she said, turning to Aiden, "say something. Talk some sense into her!"
But deep inside, Linda was satisfied. 'Good,' she thought. 'Let them break up. Let Vivian end up alone and unwanted.'
But Aiden didn't say a word. He felt that if he so much as opened his mouth, Sienna would kick him across the room again.
Linda tugged at his sleeve. "Darling, what are you waiting for? You're her father!"
Hearing this, Aiden finally puffed out his chest. That's right! He was their father. Sienna had already committed the great sin of striking him; how dare she disrespect him further?
"Vivian, stop this nonsense," he chided. "You and Mason have been together for three years. If you break up with him, who else will ever want you?"
Vivian bit her lip hard. It was always the same story. People believed being with Mason was a gift for her from the heavens, and she should be grateful. Her own pain was just her being "difficult" and "immature." They never saw the wounds he inflicted.
Sienna let out a cold laugh. "Who says no one will want my sister?" she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Vallaris is full of good men. Or did all of them die and leave Mason as the last man on Earth?"
Aiden was speechless, and Linda tried again, her voice dripping with false sincerity. "Sienna, dear, you shouldn't say such things. As the saying goes, it's better to build ten temples than to destroy one marriage. We're only thinking of what's best for Vivian."
"Exactly, exactly," Aiden chimed in.
A smug smile touched Mason's lips. He looked at Vivian, a silent challenge in his eyes. "Vivian," he said slowly, "let's just forget this ever happened. If you learn to behave, I'm still willing to marry you."
Vivian clung to Sienna's arm, pressing close, and made a sound of disgust at Mason.
Sienna just laughed, her scornful gaze sweeping over him.
"Does the Quinn family not own any mirrors? Have you never seen your own reflection? Do you have any idea what you're worth?" she sneered. "And you have the audacity to stand here and talk about being *willing* to marry Vivian? Look at yourself. You're not worthy of her."
Being repeatedly slapped down by Sienna was one thing, but this public humiliation was the last straw. "So what if you're her sister? You don't scare me!"
"Guards," Sienna called out, her voice ringing with authority. "Escort this garbage out."
Two guards immediately entered and grabbed Mason, dragging him towards the door.
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am? How dare you! You bastards, let me go!" His protests faded as he was unceremoniously hauled out of the house.
With the noise gone, Aiden turned on Sienna.
"Look what you've done!" he barked. "Are you happy only when you're ruining this family? You know the Harts and Quinns have a business alliance! You've destroyed it! You come back and the first thing you do is wreck everything! What are your intentions, Sienna?"
Emboldened by Linda's presence, Aiden's confidence surged. He was the head of this house, the heir to the Hart Corporation. Sienna had just returned; she couldn't possibly defy him.
"Ten years, and your voice has gotten louder, Father. A slight improvement," Sienna's gaze flickered past Linda's nervous face and landed on Aiden.
"But I think you've forgotten something. You've forgotten who the rightful heir, or heiress to the Hart Corporation is. Or has playing pretend for a decade made you forget your own place?"'
Aiden had no rebuttal. The heiress to the Hart Corporation was, indeed, Sienna. Even her sisters had no shares, and he only held one percent.
Linda's hand tightened into a fist. "Sienna, we know you're the heiress," she said sweetly. "But you have to think of your father. You were gone for ten years. He worked so hard to keep this company afloat. Are you really going to come back and try to snatch it from him? Is that any way for a daughter to act?"
Sienna barely glanced at her. "What's your surname?" she asked.
Linda was taken aback. "My surname is Lam—"
"Right, Lambert. But this is the Hart's business," Sienna cut her off flatly.
It took Linda a moment to understand the insult. The quiet snickers from the remaining guests made her face burn with humiliation. That bitch! She had so casually put her in her place.
Aiden was about to defend her, but Sienna's next words sent a chill down his spine.
"I remember making a rule," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "That no one was to touch my mother's things."
Linda flinched. After Selina had died, Sienna had decreed that her mother's room, her clothes, her jewelry—were all to be left untouched. It was a rule no one had dared to break. Until now.
And here was Linda, wearing her mother's necklace, her mother's dress.
Sienna had never felt such a white-hot rage. Memories of her mother, of their life together, flooded her mind, and her eyes turned red.
Aiden avoided her gaze, while Linda, terrified by Sienna's aura, tugged at his sleeve. "Darling," she whimpered, "it's not what you think! I just wanted Vivian to see me as a mother, to accept me. I know they've been distant since I arrived, they've always resented me. I can endure all of that, but you are their father! I can't let them be unfilial!"
Her tearful performance moved Aiden deeply. He knew it. Linda was the only one who truly cared for him.
"Linda, I know your intentions are good," he said, turning back to Sienna. "Sienna, Linda meant no harm. Besides, your mother has been gone for many years. The clothes are just sitting there. If Linda likes them, let her wear them. We're all family, aren't we?"
"We are not family!" Vivian exploded. "That's my mother's dress! This is my mother's house! Who is she to wear her clothes?"
Aiden glared at her. "You brat, shut your mouth!"