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The look in Adrianna’s usually mischievous brown eyes was full of fear. Even her beautiful purple hairdo seemed to be done in a rush. She was far from the composed person that Sienna was used to.
“Right now, nothing. I have to focus on the business first, and then I’ll deal with the family part. The tour is almost over, and I won’t need to travel much, which will give me the opportunity to get to know the Lockwoods and find out what their true intentions towards me are.”
“Just promise me that you’ll be careful,” Adrianna urged, gripping her hand.
“I promise,” Sienna whispered. “Thank you for guarding my back.”
“Always.”
Sienna gave her friend a small smile, then stood up, bringing an end to their conversation. “Help me freshen up a bit before I go to the war room. I’m sure everyone’s already gathered, but I wanted to see you first.”
They did a fast job with Sienna washing her face and Adrianna preparing an outfit and light make-up. With one last hug, Sienna bid her friend goodbye and went to the war room, hoping that Mr. Carrington wouldn’t come up with an excuse to send her on the last tour stop.
Even though she tried to slip into the war room with as little attention as possible, her arrival still stopped the conversation short. Besides the usual Carrington crowd, the Lockwoods – Patrick, Lisa, and Angel – were also seated at the table.
“You’re late,” Mr. Carrington said with a booming voice.
“I apologize,” Sienna replied with a slight bow of her head but didn’t offer an explanation. Her eyes darted to her family, giving her mother and father a small smile. When her gaze landed on her brother’s, she struggled not to narrow her eyes at him but give him a nod of acknowledgment instead, although he didn’t return the courtesy.
“Jensen already gave us the update,” Mr. Carrington said not unkindly, and when she looked at him, her body froze at the sight of his eyes softening at her. He cleared his throat before continuing, looking more uncomfortable than she’d ever seen him. “I’m sorry to rush you, but time is of the essence here—”
“I just came back, don’t send me away so soon. I’m exhausted and I miss my own bed,” Sienna interrupted him, her eyes widening at the horror of what she did.
She struggled not to look at the heirs, seeking comfort in them. With a deep breath, she braced herself to take his anger, but it never came.
“We don’t want to send you away so fast, but we have no choice,” her father spoke, his voice just as soft as Mr. Carrington’s. “Dalia Aghayan is dying, and she wants to see you.”
Even though he went straight to the point, the news was delivered with kindness. Sienna bit her lip and focused on her breathing to prevent her eyes from tearing up. The doctors gave the old Aghayan widow less than three months to live, and her time was running out. She named Sienna as her sole heir, which came as a surprise to a lot of people but helped Sienna with gaining her footing in the current situation she found herself in. It was to be expected that she would want to see her.
Sienna bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She was too self-involved and focused on acquiring new allies to their cause and didn’t think to ask about her first ones.
“How are the Bertis?”
Mr. Carrington and her father exchanged glances, but it was the Carrington leader who answered. “They haven’t been too helpful, but they also haven’t done anything to make things harder for us. I think we can count on their support when the war comes but not for them to go out of their way to accommodate us.”
“That’s normal considering that you’re responsible for the death of their parents,” Sienna’s father said matter-of-factly, referring to the Ryder massacre.
“When it comes to it, I’ll be the one to make the call. They named me as the leader after all,” Sienna told them, making a mental note to herself to start acting as one.
Mr. Carrington’s mouth twitched, but except for the narrowing of his eyes, he didn’t react in any other way, while her father looked at her with a small smile on his lips and proud look in his eyes.
Sienna suppressed her want to say a proper hello and goodbye to the other Carrington heirs and to tell them how much she had missed them. Being so close to Jaxon and Aiden but not having a chance to touch them, to kiss them was torture.
She pushed her chair away from the table and met Xavier’s eyes. “We have to go,” she told him, not wanting to get to the old Aghayan widow too late.
CHAPTER 18
Theluggagewouldbedelivered to the Aghayan’s mansion, giving Sienna, Xavier, and Brian the freedom to stay there until the old widow had passed away, and then they’d continue their tour journey.
The Aghayan’s riches came from old money. They were one of the original oil and energy investors, building their fortune from nothing to plenty throughout many generations. Their line would end with Dalia, but their possessions would go to Sienna who was the closest thing to the family she had. Sienna’s mother was Dalia’s niece. Even after Dalia found out that Lyle Remington’s wife Tina was the original Ryder, she still decided to give her money to Sienna.
“You’ve come right on time, Miss Ryder. She’s waiting for you, barely holding on,” a young guy in his early twenties told her as a way of greeting, leading her and Xavier inside without waiting to see if they were following him.
“Who are you?” Xavier asked.
“I’m Samson Ball. My father is Harris Ball and our family had been Aghayan’s attorneys for many generations.”
“You’re a bit young to be an attorney, aren’t you?” Xavier asked, narrowing his eyes.
