The Lost Heiress (Completed)

The Light Has Returned

"Colton..." I stare at him, unable to look away from the guy who walked out of my life a month ago, because he loves me, "You... You're here...."

"Pen, why don't you look so happy to see me?" He smirks, "It's like you don't even miss me."

Colton has no idea how much my heart aches every time I walk by his room, every time I walk by the swing in the backyard. I miss Colton every time we go out and his humor is missing. I miss him whenever Wren and I are together, because Colton gave up his own happiness to let us have ours. Whenever Grandfather asks about our days, he would always slip by calling Colton's name, and then the room would always fall silence.

"You have no idea..." I walk up to Colton, slowly, trying to take in the fact that my best friend, my knight in armor. These past few months, I have missed Colton so much, I felt a part of me was missing. It wasn't right without the other Vanderbilt around.

Taking my hand, Colton pulls me into his arms, "I've missed you, so much..." Squeezing me tightly, Colton sounds like a little lost child who hasn't seen his loved ones in years. He must have been so lonely these past weeks without his siblings, his Monrova family.

"Have you?" I smile, "I figured you would have been busy with girls and all."

"Never." He laughs, "There's only you, Pennie."

"Come on, let's go meet up with everyone and give them the good news." Dragging Colton to the dining commons, I can't help but keep glancing back at him, feeling like there's a huge wave of fresh air being breathed into my lungs after drowning for so long.

As we walk to the dinning commons, I notice stares after stares as to why the older Vanderbilt has been absent for so long. Colton keeps talking about the fun he had back home these past weeks, messing with Wren's stuff in their old room and how nice it felt having their room to himself after all these years. Even though Colton is making jokes about being away from the mansion, I can sense the heavy sadness in his voice, the one he's probably still trying to endure. Holding onto his hand tighter, I just want to hug him, and take some of the sadness away, the sadness Wren and I have caused.

"Where have you been!?" Macy looks like she has just seen a ghost as soon as she runs into her oldest brother, "Why did you not come home?"

"Mace," He laughs, rubbing his sister's head the way he used to, "I missed you, too."

Everyone looks as stunned as Macy and I did when Colton walks into our private dining area upstairs. After Colton left, no one in the household expected to see him anytime soon, especially Wren. Colton searched the room, his face turns into a frown, "Where is Wrenier?"

"He has been extremely busy lately," Eli sighs, "I live with him and I hardly ever see him around..."

Colton turns toward me, catching me thinking about how hard Wren must be working right now, "He's the most trusted successor; we all knew this was going to come. Don't worry about Wren, he's a tank."

As we all eat lunch together, I look around, smiling nonstop because this is what it's supposed to be like; all of us together. Eli telling jokes, Colton teasing every one and Macy complains about almost all her classes and boys. I didn't realize how much I have missed this. With Colton around, Macy is a lot happier and more talkative.

"Does Grandfather know you're back?" Eli asks Colton, who is picking out all the beans in his burrito bowl, "You ARE coming home, right?"

"I haven't decided whether I'm coming home or not." Colton answers nonchalantly while making sour faces at the beans he's picking at, "I don't know if it's a good idea for me to come home. I mean, I'm no longer a successor since I have officially taken on the training of my family's business. What's the point of me being there?"