Falling In Love With The Billionaire Twins

Fifteen Years Later

Sierra was exhausted.

Deeply, utterly, fall-on-her-face exhausted.

She also had a feeling of unmitigated accomplishment. The wedding was over. With zero regret, she tossed the slightly wilted Calla Lilies into the nearest garbage can, and then found a chair to rest in for a few minutes.

It had been a circus, but it was over. Her incredibly babied, and very spoiled little sister was married to the man of her dreams. She loved her sister, though she didn’t know why, really. For the past twenty-three years, her father had dotted on Sandy, spoiled her, given her everything.

He hadn’t been so kind to Sierra. She’d never forget when she was six years old, her sister only four. Their mother had died in an automobile crash. From that moment on, her life had been hell.

Her father told her almost daily that her mother was a cheating whore and that Sierra most likely wasn’t even his kid. He’d also told her, he owned her and would make her pay for her mother’s transgressions. The beatings had begun, only escalating through the years.

He was a smart man, respected in the business community. She feared him, knowing he could make her life so much worse than it was. She’d learned at a young age if she just suffered silently through the pain, he’d stop much faster. If she shouted out, he seemed to get an evil glee from it, and would go on and on.

She ran away once. A shiver passed through her body remembering the pain she’d gone through when he’d found her. She’d been bruised from head to toe, unable to leave her bed for two weeks. Her father had kept her at a cottage on the outskirts of town so the servants wouldn’t get suspicious.

Though a couple had been brave enough not only to suspect, but ask her if she was okay, she learned quickly never to say anything. The sympathetic employees quickly disappeared. Soon, no one would help her, or look out for her. She learned silent suffering was the key to survival.

Sierra looked around the reception as she pulled herself out of her depressing memories. The event was still going strong, causing her to sigh. Her sister had departed a while ago, amid a sea of birdseed, and the crowd calling out advice. The moment the Limo pulled away, Sierra’s fake smile had vanished.

Friends, from near and far, were taking advantage of the open bar, free food, and euphoria at being at the exclusive country club. It was all a joke. None of them cared one iota about Sandy. Sierra figured it didn’t matter as her little sister didn’t care about anyone but herself, anyway.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

The one positive note to the entire charade was that at least Sierra wouldn’t have to watch as Sandy acted like a brat, threw a fit, and then got her way. She’d learned quickly that if Sierra didn’t do what she wanted, all she had to do was complain to her father, and he’d make Sierra into Sandy’s servant.

Sandy was Mason’s problem now, and Sierra hoped her father would let her leave now that Sandy had moved out. There was no reason to keep her locked up in his enormous mansion.

Sierra felt the slightest pang to her heart as Mason’s name popped into her head. She slowly got to her feet, making her way up to her room. Thank goodness she was staying there that night. She didn’t have the energy to drive home.

As she climbed in the elevator, her heart pounded while thinking about Mason. She thought she’d been in love with him, deeply, over-the-moon in love. She may have been, but it had obviously been one sided because the moment Sandy decided she wanted him, he’d followed her sister like the willing puppy he’d turned out to be.

His pathetic apology and explanation of not being able to control his heart hadn’t helped Sierra’s pride not one little bit.

The wedding had taken place in only four months, and their father had seemed to think there was nothing amiss with Sandy suddenly marrying Sierra’s boyfriend. When Sierra had made the slightest comment about it being wrong, her father had begun his lecture of how Sierra needed to keep her jealousy of her perfect sister to herself.

Sierra hadn’t dared argue any further. If she honestly thought about it, she’d only wanted to be with Mason to get away from her father, anyway. Surprisingly, her dad had approved of her relationship with his faithful employee.

Sandy had demanded a perfect wedding with her flawless groom, and that’s what she’d gotten a glamorous event, attended by Hollywood actors, musicians, and the elite of the elite. People wanted to attend the wedding of one of the wealthiest men in the United States. They may be able to get something from him.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sierra said out loud, trying to convince herself. She needed to let the entire thing go. She was lucky to have found out what a creep Mason was so early in their relationship. It could’ve been worse. She could’ve married him, and then been humiliated when he left her for her sister.

Standing as her sister’s maid of honor and holding her ridiculously gaudy bouquet of flowers while Mason swept Sandy into his arms, kissing her in front of everyone couldn’t be humiliation enough for Sierra. Sandy also had to toss her bouquet straight into Sierra’s hands during the reception.

Sierra had smiled as if she was thrilled, but she hadn’t missed the snickers as people behind her made comments about her never using the flowers since she couldn’t keep a man long enough to get him to walk her down the aisle. When she heard the woman add that at least she didn’t have any other sister’s to steal her man, Sierra was done.

Mason worked for her father, and marrying either Sierra or Sandy pretty much sealed the deal of him becoming the corporation’s next CEO. He’d moved his way toward the top, and when he’d hit the mother-load by marrying the owner’s daughter, he got it all. He would’ve settled for Sierra, but why settle when he could have Sandy, everyone’s choice of the better of the two siblings.

Sierra finally made it to her room and swiped the key card across the reader, grateful when it registered on the first try. She stepped inside and tightly closed the door behind her. All she wanted was freedom, and maybe, just maybe, that’s what she’d finally get. Besides, she didn’t want to get married. Why place herself in a position where a man had control of her again. If she ever escaped her nightmare, she vowed to stay single the rest of her life.

She glanced at the clock, noting that it was just past midnight. Sandy and Mason were well on their way to Europe by now. Sierra felt more of a pang over her sister getting to visit one of the country’s she’d always wanted to go to, than over the loss of Mason.

With a sigh, Sierra unzipped the uncomfortable dress, letting it fall to the ground in a sea of satin. She kicked it away from her, knowing she wouldn’t take it from the hotel. She had no desire to wear it again. Let one of the maids find it. They’d appreciate the expensive dress more than she ever would.

Sierra didn’t need any more reminders of her sister’s wedding. She’d have plenty of daily reminders as she watched her happily married sister in the arms of her ex-boyfriend.

She took out the hundreds of pins from her up-do, a feeling of bliss overcoming her as the tight curtain of hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Her head ached, along with the soles of her feet.

She jumped into the shower and massaged her scalp, dreading the next day. Her father wanted to speak to her. She had no clue what it was about, but he’d been so formal, it couldn’t be good.

Sierra managed to make her way back into the bedroom of her roomy suite, where she collapsed face-first onto the comfortable bed, and vowed not to get up until her body woke her. She knew the wrath of her father wasn’t worth an extra hour or two of rest, but she just couldn’t convince her physically and emotionally exhausted body of that.