Chapter 12

Sienna laid a calming hand on her furious, trembling sister. Then she strode forward and, in one swift motion, ripped the necklace from Linda’s neck. It had been Selina’s favorite. Now, it was tainted by Linda. She couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Ouch!” Linda shrieked as a red welt appeared on her skin. The pain was sharp and searing.

“Sienna, what are you doing?” Aiden, seeing Linda’s pain, rushed to her side. “She is your stepmother! You have no respect, no manners!”

Sienna took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, they were devoid of all emotion.

The investigative report had been right. Aiden Hart was no longer the father she remembered. In that case, she no longer needed to hold back. Sienna made up her mind. He had treated her sisters this way. Did he even see them as his family anymore?

“I’m fine, darling, I’m fine,” Linda sobbed. “Sienna just got back, don’t be so hard on her. I’m sure she didn’t mean it. Right, Sienna?”

“I meant it. I’d kill you if I had to. Stop the act. It’s disgusting,” Sienna said flatly. “As for the clothes you’re wearing, do you need me to have my men strip them off you right here, or will you take them off yourself?”

Linda was speechless, pulling on Aiden’s arm, ready for another round of tears. But Sienna wasn’t finished.

“Aiden, out of respect for your position, I’m giving her one chance. She will take off my mother’s things immediately. They are not hers to wear,” Sienna said, her voice dangerously low, then turned to Linda.

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to touch what isn’t yours?” she sneered. “Who gave you permission? Or did my mother’s ghost visit you in a dream and ask you to wear her clothes for your birthday party?”

Her words sent a chill through both Linda and Aiden. The remaining guests began to murmur.

“Miss Sienna is right,” one of them spoke up. “They are her mother’s last possessions. They should be respected.”

“That’s right, Aiden,” another agreed. “You’re in the wrong here. Even if your first wife is gone, her daughters are still here.”

“And besides, you two aren’t even married,” someone chimed in.

Linda felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. She had never been so humiliated. For over a decade, she had played the part of the respected Mrs. Hart, basking in the glow of high society.

But tonight, Sienna had appeared out of nowhere, and had destroyed it all.

“I know, I know,” she cried, flawlessly playing the victim. “I shouldn’t have touched your mother’s things. I just wanted to make you happy. I’m just a pathetic stepmother, begging for approval. Do you have to push this far?”

Her words were so pitiful, so full of sorrow, that anyone would have felt a pang of sympathy for her. Aiden’s heart ached.

“Enough! It’s just a dress!” he yelled. “Do you have to cause such a scene? Sienna, I’m letting this go because you just got back, but you need to understand: I am your father. You have no right to question my decisions.”

A thin, cold smile touched Sienna’s lips. “And so what? Do you think you can threaten me? I already hit you. Disowning you would be even easier.”

Aiden was so angry he was shaking, unable to form a coherent sentence. But Sienna didn’t spare him a glance. She took Vivian’s hand and started walking up the stairs.

“This house is in my name. If I don’t want someone living here, they don’t live here,” she said. “Guards! Throw this woman and my ‘great’ father’s belongings out on the street.”

“You dare!” Aiden roared. “Sienna, I am your father! If you do this, you’ll die a horrible death!”

Sienna paused, shooting a scornful glance back. “Oh? So it’s fine for you to throw my sister out, but I can’t do the same to you? Everything the Harts own belongs to me. Now that I’m back, anyone who covets what’s mine ends up like this.”

She picked up a glass from a nearby table and smashed it on the floor. Aiden flinched back. Linda’s face was a mask of ugly fury. She had fought so hard to get into this house. She wouldn’t be thrown out so easily.

“Sienna, you are going too far!” she screamed. “You’ll be cursed by everyone. You’ll drown in their scorn!”

Sienna stopped at the top of the stairs and turned, a serene smile on her face. “You know, you have a point. Just throwing you out would be crude. It would damage my reputation. So, for this time, I think I’ll let you stay.”

The sudden reversal left Aiden and Linda stunned and confused. As Sienna and Vivian disappeared into a room, Aiden finally sank into a chair.

Linda bit her lip. “Darling, this Sienna… she’s too much. How could she…”

Aiden sighed. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. My daughter, for all her temper, is still my daughter. She’d never actually dare to kick me out. She’s just rambling nonsense.”

He knew the house was in Sienna’s name. He and Linda had tried for years to get it transferred, but without confirmation of Sienna’s death, it was impossible. The person was still legally alive. And even if she were gone, the second in line for inheritance were her sisters. It would never fall to them.

Meanwhile, walking into Vivian’s old room, Sienna was met with a wave of nostalgia. The decor was exactly as she remembered it from ten years ago.

Vivian, however, was ecstatic. She was home, and she was with her sister. She didn’t understand why Sienna hadn’t thrown those two out, but she trusted her sister had her reasons.

“Aren’t you curious, Vivian?” Sienna asked, sitting on the bed. “Do you know why I’m letting them stay?”

Vivian shook her head, her face glowing with pure happiness. “Not really,” she said sincerely. “Because you’re my sister, and you have your reasons. And I know you won’t let them get away with anything.”

Sienna smiled, ruffling her hair. “You’re right about that. Kicking them out would be too easy. It’s much more fun to play with your food before you eat it. They will repay every ounce of pain they inflicted on my sisters, a hundred times over.”

She chatted with Vivian for a moment, and then left her room. Just as Sienna was about to check on her own room, Linda suddenly appeared from nowhere and blocked her path.

“Sienna, I’m so sorry. This room now belongs to my daughter. You’ll have to sleep in a guest room.” Linda puffed out her chest, trying to project the authority of the lady of the house.

She had already called Madam Hart. Tomorrow morning, she would arrive to deal with this insolent girl.