Why was it so difficult for them to find a neutral level? Sienna sighed and sat near the window to watch the snowfall. The cold wasn’t her favourite, but the white sheet covering the ground and mountains looked incredible. She touched the cold window, and it steamed up, leaving her handprint on the glass. She breathed on the window and drew a heart on the foggy area. 

She wished she could have found love, but so far, no one had been the one. She found men in her past weird and didn’t give them any attention… until she met Declan. She thought he would be the one for some time, but now it felt like her life had no room for romantic love. 

Declan walked towards the bar area and found Aaron having a drink. He walked over to him and offered him a smoke. 

“Where’s the boyfriend?” Declan asked and lit his cigarette. 

“We haven’t put a title on our relationship, but Kian is in the room. He said he has some paperwork to finish.” Aaron replied with a chuckle. “I assume Miss Sienna is in her room.”

“Yeah, she is giving me the cold shoulder. I deserve it for cutting her hair, and I don’t know how to fix us again.” 

“A beautiful snow getaway is quite romantic; maybe it will help smooth things between the two of you.”

“Uh, Aaron, I don’t think we will ever smooth things again. I need to control my anger, but I don’t know how to. I’ve been to many shrinks, and they all say the same thing. That I need to forgive myself.” 

“Perhaps you should try that then.” Aaron shrugged. “Declan, I know you believe that it was all your fault for your parent’s death, but it wasn’t.”

“I pulled the trigger. I shot them. How is that not my fault?” The billionaire snapped, then calmed down and apologised for his temper.

“You didn’t know what you were doing. You were only 3. I understand why you are always so angry, so I can handle it when you lose your temper. Sienna doesn’t know the truth.” 

“I won’t… can’t ever tell her. She’s the one good thing I have in my life; I won’t risk losing her. How can I forgive myself when I’m the thing I hate? If I hate myself this much, then so would she.” Declan sighed. 

“Kian and I don’t hate you. Give Sienna a chance because you are already starting to lose her.” Aaron seriously replied and walked away to give the billionaire some time to think. 

Declan knew the private investigator was right. He asked the bartender for a glass of ice for his whiskey, which he slowly sipped and smoked. He thought back to that tragic morning.

***

36 years ago

Declan opened his eyes and jumped out of bed. He grabbed his toy cars and put them under the blanket so they could sleep. He wanted to play cops and robbers again with his parents and wondered if his baby sister, Aideen was awake. He walked over to his parent’s room and peeked into her baby cot. Her big light blue eyes were wide open, and her fluffy orange hair made her look adorable. 

She was about a year now and smiled at her brother. He put his finger on his lips and then whispered, “Mission report. I have located my sister; she has been locked up in a cage. The robbers seem to be asleep.” He said into an imaginary police microphone and pulled the hem of his shirt towards his mouth. Declan had an active imagination and played this game often with his parents. 

He spotted his Dad’s police gun next to the bed and slowly sneaked up to grab it. His Dad let him hold it once or twice before, so this time shouldn’t be any different. 

“I have you now, robbers! Bang, bang.” He shouted, then pulled the trigger. Red liquid oozed from his Dad’s head, and his mom sat up screaming. 

“Declan!” She cried, and her eyes were wide at the sight of him with a gun.

“Bang!” He yelled and pulled the trigger again. Red liquid spread from her chest into her dress, and both his parents lay still in the bed. “Got you both. I win!” He excitedly shouted and jumped onto the bed, laughing. Aideen cooed from her crib and made baby noises. 

“Mommy, Daddy! Stop playing now; I won.” He remarked and shook them awake. “Why do you have red cooldrink on you?” He questioned, but they didn’t respond or even move. “Mommy! Daddy!” He yelled, but they didn’t want to wake up. 

Noises came from the front door, so Declan decided to see who was there. A police officer kicked the door open and saw a little boy with blonde hair and dark blue eyes covered in blood. Their neighbour was with them and ran into his parent’s bedroom. A loud scream came from the neighbour when she found his parents dead, and a police officer pulled him aside. 

“Hey, Declan. Remember me? I’m your Daddy’s partner.” The officer said.

“Uncle Dom!” The little boy smiled.

“Was there someone else in the house? Did you see or hear anything?” 

“Robbers! They took my baby sister!” He replied and wondered why the officer was asking such strange questions.

“Aideen is still in her crib. Did you see where the robbers went?”

“No, silly. Mommy and Daddy are the robbers, and I won the game. Are they awake yet? I want mommy to make me my cereal.” Declan replied, and the officer frowned. He pulled Declan into a hug and pat his back. 

“It’s going to be okay, my boy.” He said shakily and realised what had happened.

***

Declan wiped away a tear that had fallen and downed his whiskey. He shoved the memory back down and blocked his emotions with anger. Everything was his fault. If he hadn’t been so stupid, then his parents would have been here; Aideen would perhaps have remembered them and not gotten hurt… he blamed himself for all the bad things that happened to Aideen when they were growing up, and he made it his responsibility to keep her safe.

Now Aideen had that detective to protect her, and instead, he moved his protective instincts onto Sienna. He tried to make her happy, but he kept failing and let his anger control him like he always did. It made him wonder how Aideen still spoke to him after everything he put her through by trying to keep her safe. He never let her have any fun and live a normal teenage life… then, when he did, it all came crashing down in a flaming ball and made him even more protective. 

Sienna was not Aideen. The difference between them is that Sienna knows her self worth and stands up for what she wants, while back then, Aideen never did. His sister was a lot better now and, by her 30’s had figured out who she was and her worth. 

Declan downed the next glass of whiskey and walked off to bet some money on a dart game. 

Time went by, and the next time Sienna looked outside, it was already dark. She checked the time and realised it was already 5pm.

“Shit!” She cursed and shoved the book that she was reading onto the table. Sienna sprinted off the bed and ran to the shower before Declan came back to the room and saw she wasn’t even ready. She quickly found an outfit, did her hair and makeup and then sprayed herself with perfume. 6pm rolled by, and no one had come to fetch her from the room yet. 

“Men.” She mumbled and rolled her eyes. Sienna locked the bedroom door and decided to go find the investors herself. 

Declan had won himself a bit of money from the dart game but gave it all to his opponent. It was an unfair game since the billionaire had perfect aim and military training under his belt. His phone started ringing, so he answered it while killing his cigarette. He had smoked several already, but at this point, he needed it to stay calm. 

“Uh, Mr Declan, we are waiting for you in the dining area. I must say your fiancé is quite lovely and an intelligent woman indeed. I see why you want to marry her.” The investor said, which made Declan quickly look at the time. He was late. 

“I’ll be there soon.” He stated and hung up. Declan took his time to find the dining area and walked in to see the waitress laughing in a group surrounded by men. Kian and Aaron were also present. He watched her touch the shoulder of the investor and smile, which made him jealous. Sienna wore a tight silver dress that was mid-thigh with nude Christian Louboutin heels. The dress had long sleeves, and she wore a nude coat that hung off her shoulders. She looked sexy and like a proper woman of wealth. 

He cleared his throat, and they looked towards him.

“Oh, Declan! I’m glad you could join us.” The investor smiled and shook his hand. Declan greeted the rest of the men, and Sienna walked up to give him a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re late.” She whispered into his ear and then stepped away with an icy smile. 

“Foster, your fiancé has already started the meeting for you. It’s quite clever of you to have your future wife part of the company.” Another man added as they walked towards their table. Declan looked at Sienna, confused.

“Well, I’m not just a pretty face.” She sweetly replied, which made them laugh. They sat down at the table where the women of the men waited. Declan noticed they frowned when they looked over at Sienna and assumed they were jealous because she could talk business with the men while they stood there and looked pretty. How did she know what was going on in any case?

“Miss Chae-Soo has answered all their questions perfectly so far. How does she know so much?” Aaron asked as he leaned over to Declan. 

“I have no idea.” He softly replied and shrugged. Kian then took over, and Declan placed his hand on Sienna’s leg. She shoved it off and glared at him. He wasn’t at all interested in the meeting but found himself mesmerised by the waitress. 

“Just because I’m faking that I like you doesn’t give you the right to touch me. The contract states you can’t place a hand on me without my permission.” Sienna stated and used the contract against him. 

“How do you know so much about the business?” He asked.

“I have ears. Do you realise how much business stuff you talk about in front of me?” She responded and pulled away from him. They discussed the deal, and Kian took control. He seemed to impress the investors, and Declan excused himself from the table. He walked off towards the bathroom and stopped by a table where a sexy woman sat in a black dress. 

Sienna watched as the billionaire gave the woman a kiss, and she wrapped his arms around her. The whole time they spoke, the women touched Declan and seemed ecstatic to see him. Sienna felt jealous as she watched them chat and forcefully looked away. She ignored Declan when he returned and silently ate her dinner. The investor seemed to like her and continued to ask her questions. He chatted with her a lot and stole all her attention. Declan seemed grumpy and couldn’t wait for this meeting to end. 

The woman in the black dress walked over to the table and wrapped her arms around Declan’s shoulders. 

“It was nice seeing you again, love. If you want, I can join you later tonight for a drink, and we can catch up.” She muttered near his ear, which Sienna heard. 

“I’ll like that.” Declan smiled, and the woman happily walked away. Sienna was angry and sweetly said goodnight to everyone as the meeting ended. Aaron followed after her as she walked away while Kian stayed to have a drink with the investors. Declan watched Sienna walk away and wondered why she was off again. He groaned then followed after them.