Dangers of a Saint || Ryeji

2

Life wasn't always the best in Vancouver.

The moment Ryujin was forced to live with Elizabeth, she began counting the days until she was finally granted the permission to come back home. She wanted nothing more but to be with her siblings and her friends. However, days and months went by, and she found herself no longer counting, distracted with the idea that almost everything in Downtown Vancouver was mesmerizing. It was all the things that she could never get under Marcel's roof.

She was no longer carrying the burden of being a Saint Laurent but it didn't mean that being a Kingston gave her the right to be careless. The Kingstons were well-known in the business industry in Canada too but the name wasn't as heavy as being a Saint Laurent in England.

Ryujin could sneak out in Vancouver. She would sometimes get caught but there would be no punishments. Elizabeth had a soft spot for Ryujin and as long as there were no police knocking on their door, she allowed her to do what she wanted. Besides, Ryujin managed to land a part-time job in Elizabeth's fashion company, which the two were both happy about. Ryujin was fending for herself and although she wanted to pay the bills in the penthouse that Elizabeth gave her, the latter strongly refused, saying that she was family and it wasn't necessary.

"You're already the reason why I have a job and a home. The least I could do is pay the rent," Ryujin said.

"And what kind of grandmother does that make me if I allow you to do that?" Elizabeth said sternly despite the smile on her face.

Elizabeth Kingston had that sweet grandmother face that felt like a warm hug during Christmas as soon as you saw her. Lively brown eyes, porcelain skin, comforting smile. Lydia used to tell Ryujin and Chan about how Elizabeth won multiple pageants before and Ryujin saw why. She really had what it took to be a beauty queen.

"Alright. But you'll let me take you out on some fancy dinner every Wednesday, okay?" Ryujin said, finding a reasonable bargain. "I saw this Italian restaurant the other day. I'm getting us reservations because I know you'd love the entire place."

Aside from being able to buy what she wanted using her own money, going home late from parties, and treating her grandmother on Wednesdays to fancy restaurants, Vancouver was also a place where gorgeous ladies could be found strutting just about anywhere and it didn't take long for Ryujin to end up in a circle full of one that instantly felt like home to her. Karina Hudson, Yuna Auclair, Jennie Walton, and Lisa Parker, were women who much rather looked as if they were either the favorite children of Aphrodite or models one would find in a fashion week in Paris. Their faces and personalities were divine and it was sometimes surreal for Ryujin to think that they were all attracted to the same gender. They were like gifts tied with rainbow-colored ribbons to make her life better.

Moreover, Lydia was more than enthusiastic about Ryujin living in Vancouver. On Ryujin's 16th birthday, she gave her a 1970 Dodge Challenger. It was Ryujin's dream car and the next day after celebrating her birthday, she began planning and saving up for its customization. On her 17th birthday, Lydia drove a Jeep Gladiator with a ribbon on its hood, giggling as she handed the key to Ryujin. The Volante was a graduation gift, and although grateful, Ryujin wasn't exactly certain about what she would do with the next car that Lydia would give her. She found it difficult convincing her mother that giving her luxury cars wasn't the only way to celebrate.

"I was so caught up building my own company that I chose that instead of taking care of you and Chan," Lydia had said. "So, forgive me if I'm not letting any opportunity pass me to give you the things that you deserve."

Lydia was updated with the news and the lives of Saint Laurents weren't much of a secret to the world. She knew that Ryujin loved cars and after seeing her reaction when she got the classic Challenger, she figured there was nothing more satisfying than watching her daughter getting excited over something she gave.