Chapter 297: More crime.
Not one word was uttered for the next six minutes. It was if everyone was drained or simply in too much shock to talk. But the surprises were not over. Mrs. Miller reached into the pocket of her dress and lit a synth smoke! The beast world version of a flavored cigarette.
Soren pinched Sienna’s arm, wide eyed, with a mouth that was wide open in shock. Sienna just blinked in response. She smokes! Who is this woman? She asked herself.
Aunt Owena joined her, and the two sisters sat side by side, smoking as if it was a regular activity at home. Sienna could only stare, heart pounding, her voice trapped in her throat. Her mother was a smoking car thief. It was a revelation that shattered everything she though she knew.
The doors were opened and Elias strode in with Eli at his side. His presence was commanding, the kind that silenced even the most unruly voices. Behind him, not long after, came Lord Marius and grandpa Jesse.
Outside, the other relatives remained locked out, but they pressed their ears to the walls, whispering feverishly. The younger falcon cousins were practically giddy, their eyes wide as they whispered about car heists, wondering aloud if Mrs. Miller might teach them how to hack and race cars like some outlaw legend.
Jess wasted no time. She filled the men in on the chaos, her voice clipped and precise. She spoke of Owena’s demand for fifty million, the revelation of ten stolen cars, the syndicate involvement and the eruption of accusations that had shaken the household.
Lord Marius turned on his son, his voice a bark that reverberated through the house. "How deep a background check did you do on Sienna before you married her? How could you miss something this monumental?"
Elias’s jaw tightened. "I missed it the same way the royal family missed it. Otherwise, they would have found it before appointing Jorik as the Prime Envoy. I am sure my mother-in-law tampered with her records, otherwise, my people could never have missed such a criminal history in the family."
Jesse’s eyes narrowed, his voice low but cutting. "Then we must act and wrap this up neatly. Compensate the aunt. One million is more than enough. From what we understand, nobody has any hidden stash of money and you two sisters have lived hard lives, in different ways. One million is more than enough to help you start over. Take it and end this."
The words hung in the air like a decree.
Owena’s lips curled into a smile, sharp and triumphant. "One million," she repeated, savoring it. "It’s not satisfactory, but I will take it because I don’t want to be disappeared in the middle of the night. I know how you noble families operate. But understand this--I will be staying right here henceforth. Consider it rent until fifty million is exhausted."
Mrs. Miller’s voice cracked as she shouted. "No! You will not stay here. Not in my home. Do you see what your visit has accomplished? How do you have the face to stay around?"
Owena’s mile widened, venomous. "We are both criminals, if you have the face to stay here, then so do I. Or maybe let me remind you of another crime Orlena. Do you remember what you and father did when you were ten years old? I think its called fraud. That scheme tricked half of the business people in the district. Aren’t you worried that if I live elsewhere, my mouth won’t stop saying all the wrong things? Daddy’s little criminal protege, your colorful past is worth a lot of money to the right people.
The room froze. The revelation was a blade cutting deeper than the car thefts. Mrs. Miller’s face went ashen, her lips trembling. She swayed, her knees buckling, and before anyone could reach her, she collapsed to the floor.
Gasps filled the room. Elias rushed forward, catching her limp body. Eli rushed to her, grabbing her hand in panic. Jess’s voice rose above the chaos, commanding calm, but the storm had already broken.
"Unbelievable," Linera screamed. "There is more!! Fraud at ten! Car heists at twelve! I shiver to think what you did at eleven. What else are you hiding from us? And who is your father by the way?"
Owena laughed bitterly. "Little sis, don’t pretend to faint. It won’t erase the truth. Your children should know the real you, not this false persona."
Mrs. Miller shoved Elias to the side. She glared at her sister, as if she hated her to the bone. "This is revenge right? You have always hated me because daddy loved me more. Because he taught me everything he knew. Because....."
"Oh shut up." Owena sneered. "When we were younger, maybe I did hate you for that. But when they died, all that went out of the window. I could never learn the skills he passed to you and without them, those skills could feed us. So, how could I hate you? What I hate is that all through my time in prison, my own sister never called once.
All my letters went unanswered. If I had not seen your daughter on television when the new Prime Envoy was swearing in, I never would have known where to find you. At first, I thought I was mistaken but then the host said her full name. Sienna Miller-Veythar. Now, a name could be a coincidence but our Sienna has daddy’s eyes, doesn’t she?"
Mrs. Miller shot Sienna an accusatory look.
Sienna shrugged. "Don’t blame me for this Miss hacks into cars. I never even met your father." She muttered.
Owena blew harmless smoke into the air. "Little sis, I took the blame for your crimes. If I had given you up, you would still be in prison today. The laws are very harsh on hackers. And yet, I didn’t even get a thank you card or bouquet of flowers for helping you avoid those consequences."
Jess raised her voice. "For heaven sake, can you two work on your personal issues later! Sit down and talk it out or beat the crap out of each other until one of you comes out as a winner. For now, we need to contain all this. This family is drowning in enough scandal as it is. We don’t need this spreading."
Outside, the cousins whispered louder. "What kind of fraud do you think it was?"
"At the age of ten! grandma Miller was so cool." Someone chuckled.
"Do you think she can teach us her skills?"
Meanwhile inside, Sienna’s heart was pounding. Depending on hos good the king’s spies in their house were, this information would not be secret for long.