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had. I honestly did know I wanted to be friends forever after that trip, Bree said.
Bree, I have to talk to you, Sierra told her as her eyes welled. She d put it off because she didn t
want to betray either of them, but if Damien did actually follow through on his threats, and Bree was
harmed, Sierra could never forgive herself.
Sierra also knew that once the Anderson s found out that Damien was their lost relative, they d
embrace him with open arms. He needed them he just had to realize that. The first step was talking
to Bree.
What is it? You ve turned as white as a ghost. Let s go sit down, Bree said as she took charge,
like she always did. Their friendship had worked on so many levels because Bree had been the only
person, until Damien, capable of bringing Sierra out of her shell, allowing her to have fun without
guilt.
Bree led her to a quiet den and before Sierra could lose her nerve she told the whole story of how
Damien was her relative and what he thought had happened, and what he planned to do.
I love him, Bree, really love him, and I don t want to betray him, but I could never betray you,
either, because I love you. I ve been so torn over this whole situation or I would ve come to you
sooner, Sierra said. She was so afraid Bree would be disappointed in her.
Hey, stop that! You ve done nothing wrong. Don t feel guilt over it. I can t believe Damien is
Neilson s son. Seriously. Not very long ago, remember me telling you about my Aunt Katherine
telling us the story of how she and Joseph met. She also told us about Neilson. Damien s got it all
wrong. His mother wasn t rejected. She showed up on the front porch, yes, and Aunt Katherine was
there all alone. She invited her in, fed her, and gave her a bed. The next morning when she went to
find her, she was gone. They searched for years, until they finally had to accept she didn t want to be
found, Bree said.
I don t know if he ll believe you, Bree.
We ll make him believe he s family. Right there was why Sierra loved Bree so much. She
didn t focus on the fact that Damien wanted to destroy them, take away everything they had. She
focused on the happiness of finding a lost relative she never thought she d find. I have to tell my dad.
Come on, Bree said with excitement as she pulled Sierra to her feet and the two of them rushed from
the room.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Damien s eyes scanned the crowd for the twentieth time in twenty minutes. He hadn t seen Sierra
since she d been looking over the auction items, and he was getting ready to seek her out. He knew he
didn t have to be with her twenty-four-seven, but he was concerned her father may have snuck back
in. There was strong security present, but still, he felt better having her in his sight.
He excused himself from the conversation, then turned around to find Joseph and George Anderson
approaching. Years of hatred brewed instantly to life as he eyed the men walking so casually toward
him.
This is what you want, he reminded himself as they neared. You want them to feel safe around
you. In reality, he d nearly forgotten all about his vendetta against them during the last few months.
Something inside him was shifting the longer he was with Sierra. She was so full of life, and filled
his days with laughter and his nights with unbelievable passion. She was changing him, though he
wasn t sure he wanted to change.
Hello, Damien, Joseph said as the two men stopped in front of him. Damien was surprised for a
moment that Joseph was acting so casual with him. Normally, people speaking for the first time had
the courtesy to use last names.
Joseph, Damien replied, his voice coming out a little too cold.
We re very happy to meet you. Would you like to come with us there s something we d like to
discuss that I think would be much better done in private, Joseph said.
Damien s mind whirled as he wondered if they d somehow found out about his plans. He d been
very careful. He didn t want them knowing until it was too late for them to do anything about it. He
felt confident as he nodded his head and followed the men through the crowd.
He was a little annoyed at how people seemed to part for both of them as if they were royalty. If
the men and women in the room knew who they truly were, they wouldn t act with such deference to
them. They didn t deserve it.
Joseph stepped into a private office with George on his heels, and Damien, taking a deep breath,
followed. He stopped in the doorway when he saw the other occupants. His eyes narrowed when they
connected with Sierra.
As he looked at the faces around him, Joseph, George, Lucas, Trenton, Bree, Sierra, and a couple
people he didn t recognize, his stomach turned.
She d told them. Sierra had betrayed him. His heart felt like it was shattering inside him. He d felt
like she was special, like she truly cared about him. The evidence was clear. Her loyalties were with
his enemies.
I can see by your face that you re upset, Damien, but to my brother and I, this is a happy day.
We ve searched for you for years, tried countless times to find you. Your mother came to my
Katherine with you wrapped in a blanket, resting in her arms. She was only there one night, and in the
morning she was gone. We were unable to track you down, Joseph said.
Damien looked at him incredulously. The man was a hell of an actor; Damien would have to give
him that. Lies! It was all lies. His mother had told him the truth. They d killed his father and then
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