From Exile To Queen Of Everything novel Chapter 1

"Are you sure about this, Sienna?" Outside the airport terminal, a woman in a chic white suit clutched Sienna's hand, her own trembling.

"You don't have to go back to Solara," she begged. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were swimming with a desperate plea. "Please. Stay here, with us."

Sienna Hart, a vision of cool elegance, met her foster mother's gaze. She pulled her into a deep, meaningful hug, her own eyes stinging.

"I have to go back, Mom," she said softly. "But I'll be back. I promise."

But as the plane taxied down the runway, she knew this was a promise she might not be able to keep.

Three days ago, the dam of her memory had broken. Ten years, washed away in an instant, revealing the truth of who she was.

She remembered she was Sienna Hart, eldest daughter of the prestigious Hart family of Vallaris.

At eighteen, a trip abroad had ended in a fiery plane crash. By some miracle, she survived, only to be found by a kind couple who, believing she had no one, adopted her and raised her as their own.

Now, at twenty-eight, the past had come rushing back. Her family was alive. The weight of that knowledge was a moral compass she couldn't ignore. She had to go home.

The flight was long, but sleep was a distant stranger. Sienna spent the hours piecing together the fractured memories of her family. It all felt like a bizarre, vivid dream from another lifetime.

*****

At ten past 10 at night, Sienna finally arrived in Vallaris. She hailed a cab, and the driver greeted her with thick Vallaris accent. "Where to, Miss?"

A faint smile touched her lips. "88 Maplecrest Avenue, please."

"Well, I'll be," the driver said, catching her accent. "You don't look local. I thought you were a tourist."

Sienna's smile widened. "I'm from here. It's just… "

The smile faltered, a shadow of old pain and fresh hope passing through her eyes. "It's been a long time."

Ten years. A lifetime. Everything she knew was gone. She found herself thinking about her three little sisters—the giggles, the late-night chats, the way they used to huddle together on cold nights. 'Where are they now?' she wondered. 'Are they doing okay?'

As she sank into her memories, the driver kept chattering on how kids these days didn't visit their parents enough. He didn't stop talking until they finally pulled up to the address.

But as Sienna stepped out of the car, her eyes landed on a club she didn't recognize—Charmvale. She stared at the sign, her brow knitting together. The name felt strange in her mouth. The world had really gone on without her.

Just as she turned to leave, a heated argument at the club's entrance caught her eye. A man stood there, hands buried in his pockets lazily.

He had the kind of face that spelled heartbreak, and his voice cut through the air like a blade, laced with cold indifference.

"Get it through your head," he was speaking to a young girl, who looked painfully thin in her simple dress. "You're a stand-in. A substitute. Do I have to spell it out for you?"

The girl's eyes were rimmed with red, her pretty face blotched with tears. "Mason, I already told you," she replied. "I'm not feeling well, so I'm not going to the hospital to donate blood today."

"Not feeling well?" Mason Quinn let out a cruel laugh. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Is that why you're here, selling drinks? Or is it something else you're selling, Vivian?"

Vivian Hart's jaw tightened. With a sharp crack, her hand flew across his face.

"You're a monster, Mason," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "I've paid my debts. We're done. Now get away from me!"

Mason's head snapped to the side from the blow, but the cold grin never left his face. "You don't get to decide when we're done," he scoffed.

"Did you forget? If it weren't for my family's engagement to yours three years ago, the Harts would've gone under. You want to walk away? Be my guest. But I wonder what your father would have to say about that."

With that, he grabbed her arm, and started dragging her toward his car. "If you want to keep playing the part of my fiancée, you'll do as you're told. Chloe needs your blood. It's the only thing you're good for, after all."

A wave of utter despair washed over Vivian. She closed her eyes, defeated.

To her, it had always been this way. Three years ago, she'd believed he was her savior. She'd thought he truly cared. But it was all a lie.

Mason had only seen her as a walking, breathing medicine cabinet for Chloe Zalton, the one he actually loved.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify