The Grand Mistress

Simione slowly walked toward his bed while Madam Silicia sighed in relief. Indeed, Lyndon would calm down if he saw his sister and this was the very reason why she called for her help. Lyndon had always been careful with his actions whenever Simione was around, this was because, growing up, he had considered himself as her older brother and thus he must always act up right because the girl looked up to him. The two were very close and if not of what happened eight years ago, their relationship should have remained the same.

"I'm sorry it took me a long time to come home," Simione replied and sat in his bed to look at the man lovingly. Lyndon had always been the same—blonde hair, green eyes,  deep dimple on the right cheeks and looks that could take all women's hearts away. He had always been so handsome that even when they were young, Simione had always been attracted to how he looks and his lively caring character. 

"Sisi…" Lyndon reached out for her hair as if he was having a hard time believing that she was indeed home. He had caused the girl to stumble and ran away eight years ago and ever since that, his guilt had hunted him all over, never able to rest. 

When Simione left, she cut all their communications and evaporated into thin air that he himself couldn't find her. He thought then that she must have been so hurt about what happened and this made Lyndon's heart be full of guilt. Such a guilt followed him to London that for years, when Sisi refused to be found, he drowned himself with unending ballet performances and concerts that for once, he did not come home evern on summer breaks. This was the very first time he had come in Devon City and in the Tang's household eversince Simione was gone. "Are you really home for real?"

Simione shook her head, "I have a place to stay and besides the Tang mansion is very far from my workplace so it would be inconvenient for me to live here. However, I am on leave these days and so I'll be here to take care of you,"

"Sisi...you must have heard, I can't walk anymore. Do you think this was my karma?" Lyndon smiled bitterly as he reached out for the girl's hand. "Fourteen years ago, when we were young, I—"

"Brother Don, it's been a long time, I don't remember much anymore," Simione told him but she was lying. She knew what he was intending to say but such narrative would only caused some  unbearable loneliness in Simione's heart and so she just wanted him not to mention it. She had buried such a past and didn't want to reminisce about it because it was a painful one. "Besides, the doctor said that your walking difficulties might only be temporary. There is still hope and hope comes to  those who believe it, so please brother have faith. Before you know it, you'll be dancing ballet again,"

Indeed his injury was temporary. This had been explained to him already but he couldn't quite accept what had gotten through him and so he was extremely displeased. His career in ballet was on the peak before the accident and he was afraid then that because he had been gone in the limelight for such a long time, the people might forget about him. The ballet business for all he knew was like show business, it needs constant appearance of you'll be left behind and be replaced.

"You don't understand Sisi,"

"Of course I understand Brother," Simione pressed on it. His answer somehow caught Lyndon off guard and realized how careless his words were. How could he tell the girl that she doesn't understand when apart from all the people he knew, she was the very first person to know how he must have felt by then. Looking through their past, Lyndon could only close his eyes with guilt.

"I'm sorry Sisi, that is not what I meant. I didn't intend to—"

"Brother Don, you had been in a coma for months now and all of us were all waiting for you to come back.  Seeing you right then, even with such an injury, does make our heart glad. Please remember that," Simione told him so. Perhaps Lyndon had forgotten how important he was from all of them, that's why he had lost his sense of concern about everyone. She knew that the true Lyndon Tang wasn't a weakling, in fact he was then everyone's source of strength and hope. Now that it was him who was in such difficulty, Simione comforted and wanted him to know, they were all here for him. "Please be well for us. Please be well for our sake,"

Simione felt like she was crying then. Seeing Lyndon in such a situation breaks her heart. Even with the things he did that crushed her before what happened to him right then was just too much, he certainly did not deserve it. 

"I'm sorry my little Sisi," Lyndon tapped her head. Seeing her enter the door with such a worried face and eyes beaming with tears melt his heart away. Even when they were young, Simione always had that effect on him and this was the very reason why he was so fond of her. "Brother should have not said those words I told earlier, I'm sorry,"

Simione just smiled, feeling a bit relieved now. In a moment, the two hugged as they were unable to hold off their longing toward each other. The sight of them comforting each other and Lyndon being calm and composed warmed all of the onlooker hears—especially Madam Silicia's. It had been a long time since the two children had been home that somehow the view of them together felt surreal. However, she and the servants were all happy then and hoped things will be better from now on. Wanting to give the two some privacy, Madam Silica stepped out of the room, bringing with her all the servants. 

"Did you just come from the city?" Lyndon asked after a while. The Tang's mansion was situated not in the main city of Devon but somewhere in an exclusive subdivision right outside it. Since the main City was all filled with big buildings and infrastructure, most of the exclusive subdivisions were located at the suburbs just outside it and so Lyndon asked them if the girl came from the center of the busy city.

"Yeah I did," Simione slightly lied. She didn't want to tell him she went to Comis village because she didn't want to concern him about it. Besides, so many things happened in the village, she was not ready to talk about it then. 

"Why do you ask?" The girl added when she noticed that he was curious about something or there was probably just something he wanted to ask but was hesitating to do so.

"Nothing really," Lyndon replied but in a moment, he sighed deeply and went on with the thing he wanted to ask anyway. "It's just that...grandmother said I had been in Imperial Hospital for a long and when we travelled home I saw some advertisement for Feather's upcoming concert,"

Hearing Father's name tore down Simione's heart again and she bit her lips under Lyndons's arms.

"Feather is home too right? I was just wondering if Feather came to visit me. She did, right?" Lyndon wanted to confirm and Simione's was quiet for a second, didn't know whether to tell the truth or not.

"Sisi…" Lyndon called on her name again when she refused to answer. "I know mother doesn't like her and so I know she'll not care to tell me at all if Feather came or not and so it's only you I could ask for these things. Now tell me, Feather did come to see me right?"

Lyndon's voice was desperate then that Simione somehow didn't want to break his heart. She had seen how he lost himself earlier about the situation about his feet and so how was she going to expect him to accept the truth about Feather now—the truth that right then, Feather was already engaged to someone else and that any day from now, she was bound to marry Hawk Monsanto. 

"Yes, Feather is in Devon City and yes, she did come to visit you," Simione lied and swallowed her guilt. She doesn't want to break his heart now with the news that—his long time girlfriend, Feather Han and the same woman whom he cheated on with Simione eight years ago had now abandoned him for another man. 

'I'm sorry I had to lie to you now Brother Don. I had to lie until you'll be fine!'

"She did come but mother did not allowed her so she had no choice but to stay away," The girl added, her conscience breaking with so much guilt but when she pulled her head to look at Lyndon's eyes, he saw how content and happy he was with her answer that somehow, she felt an instant relief at it.

"I knew it," Lyndon smiled. "Thanks for telling me Sisi,"