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“I understand. It’s weird for me too. I mean, I had no idea these covert kidnappings took place,” she said, unable to hide disgust in her voice.
“It’s been going on for generations, but it’s not right. Maybe we can change all that when we win,” he suggested. “I’m sure that all of us put together have enough power to change the rules. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Sienna nodded and ignored the strong smell of the whiskey as she lifted the glass to her lips. Her throat burned as she swallowed the drink, temporarily numbing her. It was what she needed but not the luxury she could afford to run to whenever things got hard.
“I want us to get to know each other,” Patrick said when she didn’t say anything. “I want to show you something.”
He got up and went to the desk. After going through the drawers, he finally found what he was looking for, then returned to Sienna, giving her a better look. He carried a worn-out leather-bound book that had seen better days. Judging by the cracks along the spine, the thing must’ve been read a couple of hundred times. The way his fingers wrapped around it made it clear that the object held a lot of meaning to him.
With overexaggerated gentleness, he set the dark green book on the small table in front of them. Sienna leaned forward to read the title.
“Photo album,” she said quietly.
“We wanted to document every moment of our firstborn girl,” he said with nostalgia and pride in his voice. Gently, he opened the album, showing her the pictures. “This one is you and your mom right after you were born. You were very reluctant to come, she had been in labor for almost thirteen hours when you finally decided to grace us with your presence.”
Sienna took in the old pictures while listening to her father’s voice. The Ryders rarely took any pictures, and she lost her adoptive mother way too soon. The only pictures she had were the ones that were taken by the press whenever she went to a party or attended an event. The Lockwoods were the complete opposite, marking every little thing.
“This is when you met our family dog. He was immediately smitten with you,” Patrick continued with a smile on his face. “This is you and the staff. Our first and last Christmas together. My first time changing your diaper.”
Patrick went on and on, describing every picture. He knew them by heart, making Sienna wonder just how often he went through the old album throughout the years.
“Your mother suffered a lot when you were taken,” he told her when he came to the last picture ever taken where her mother sang her a lullaby. “She slept in your room for months, hoping that you would appear out of thin air. She didn’t function in any way. The staff had to feed her and wash her. It was a very hard time.”
Sienna’s eyes teared up, feeling their pain. “I’m sorry,” she said even though it wasn’t her fault. “No parent should go through that.”
“No,” he agreed. “She’s so strong and eventually managed to pick herself up. It took us years though, but when she got pregnant with your brother, it was as if the Universe was giving us a second chance. He’s a hothead, but a good person. We’d love it if you two got along.”
“I’ll try,” she promised, and he nodded, closing the album.
“Did you have a nice life?” he asked with a sad voice that made it seem as if he was afraid to hear the answer.
Sienna allowed herself to think for a moment. In her mind, she went through all the memories as if balancing them on a scale to see which way it would tip.
“Yes,” she told him and smiled. “I was loved and well-looked after. I lived in a bubble until the Ryder Massacre happened.”
It was the first time that her voice didn’t break at the mention of it. No matter how hard she tried to keep herself busy, she missed her friends and family with all her heart. She understood why things happened, but that didn’t mean she had to like it or accept it. Ignoring it was easier than thinking about it and trying to sort out her feelings. They were dead, she was alive but not safe. That was what she focused on. It was important to keep the priorities straight.
“What do you think about the Carringtons?” Patrick asked her, looking intently at her, his eyes not missing a thing.
Sienna tilted her head and bit her lip. He would see through all her lies, so she decided to tell him the truth. She couldn’t afford to lose the Lockwoods.
“I hated them at first. I tried to join up with the Remingtons to get their help to take them down. It didn’t go well, but I still stayed,” she grimaced at the memory. “Later, the Carringtons kidnapped me, making me their guest-prisoner. It was weird at first, they took me on dates and tried to court me. I went along with it because they were a great source of entertainment and my only way out of the room.”
Patrick’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched but he said nothing.
“They treated me well,” she assured him. “Much better than the Remingtons did in the short time I was with them. Slowly, we grew onto each other, developed mutual affection as well as fragile trust. Now, I would die for them in a heartbeat. I care about them more deeply than I ever cared about anyone in my whole life.”
Patrick gave her a subtle nod, understanding the not-so-subtle threat behind Sienna’s voice to keep his hands off the Carrington clan. They were off limits.
“Whichever name you choose to wear, it won’t change the fact that you have Lockwood blood. You can walk around as a Ryder, Aghayan, or even Carrington. It doesn’t matter to me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Sienna’s eyes welled up, but she refused to let the tears fall. Her family wouldn’t force their name on her but would support her while she tried to figure out who she was now. It meant more than she expected, but she didn’t want to show it because it could be perceived as a weakness.
“Thank you for coming for me,” she said instead.
“Always,” he replied, then pulled her into a hug, not caring that she spilled her drink all over him.
Sienna closed her eyes and pretended for a moment that she was safe as long as she was in her father’s arms. Maybe for once, things would turn out okay and the good guys would win. The problem was that in the Remingtons’ narrative, they were the good guys.
