Chapter 2 Don't Get Your Hopes Up

21st century

"Alright, that's enough screentime for you, young lady." Her shocked reflection stared back at her from the black screen after the woman turned the television off.

"Nooo, Leigh! The show was just getting to the good part!" Alexis protested as she raced for the remote that was a few feet away. She was not going to miss the part where the main character turned the tables on the murderer chasing after her.

But Alexis got there a bit too late as Leigh swooped in to grab the device. So she was given a lecture instead, "Allie, if only you put the same energy of watching those corny shows onto your work."

Leigh always found a way to scold Alexis for the carefree way she decided to live her life. Always talking about taking care of spending money and planning for every little situation. A complete opposite of the meek, little girl she remembered from centuries ago.

But so was she, Alexis used to be the pragmatic one and now, she was more laid-back that it would put a hippie to shame.

Alexis crossed her arms and raised a brow at the woman looking down at her. "You seem to forget who you're talking to, Leigh. Or should I remind you and start calling you Leah from now on, hmm? So it's best if you give the remote back," She hinted about their past life as she did whenever Leigh was being too strict.

The woman matched her gestures and sternly replied, "Well, sucks for you because I was born 6 years earlier this time. You don't get to order me around because we're not in a palace anymore. I'm your boss now. And as your boss, I'm telling you to go get changed because we still have a lot to prepare... Your Majesty."

Leigh did a mocking curtsey which made them both laugh.

Alexis then groaned as she plopped on the couch, "Ugh, I love that you were reborn as my sister but why did you have to be older?"

"Cause whoever did this knew someone had to kick your lazy ass. Now get!" The older woman practically dragged Alexis to her bedroom and shut the door. "Make sure you wash your hair!"

Alexis chuckled as she went to the bathroom. From the moment she started having cohesive thoughts, all the memories of her life from the 18th century came flooding in.

At first, she would run to her parents in horror and tell them about her long past. But realizing that they were never to believe her and were about to have her committed to a mental institute, Alexis decided to stop mentioning being the queen of an old civilization.

Thankfully, one look at her older sister, Leigh, and Alexis understood that she was not crazy. Her once sweet and innocent handmaiden, Leah, whom she brought to her care in the palace fulfilled her promise and followed the queen to this new life.

Alexis stepped in front of the sink and stared at her reflection. Nothing much changed from back then compared to the present. With the only exception of her fiery, red hair being a brunette now. She wished it was still the same color, he always liked to tease her about it.

She shook off those thoughts and splashed herself with cold water. "No use thinking about that now, Deyanira. Seems like you won't be seeing him in this life." Even now, she was still used to calling herself her old name.

After her quick shower, Alexis met up with her sister in the living room where they talked about the upcoming interview to offer their catering service.

"I don't get why you're so nervous, Leigh. It's a gala dinner in a museum, we've done those before already. I'm sure you'll get this gig."

"You seriously forgot what I told you about this event? This is a big deal!" Leigh's voice increased in volume and pitch as she continued, her face turning beet red at Alexis's nonchalance.

The younger woman began to sweat at the outburst and raised her hands in surrender. She let out a nervous chuckle, "Heh, come on, Leigh. Of course, I didn't forget. This one is important because it's, it's..."

Leigh crossed her arms and huffed, "You're hopeless. What am I going to do with you?"

Alexis smiled widely and attempted to make her speech sound cuter, "Heh, can you remind me again?"

"We're proposing to cater for Crown Jewel Museum, just the most prestigious one in the country! And during that gala, they're going to unveil lost historical items they acquired. Which means the most important people will be there."

"Which will improve our standing in the business and will be enough to get our employees through the rest of the year," Alexis continued. "I get it. But you know that I believe you can get any client you want, right? They'd be the fool if they refused us."

Leigh finally mellowed down and leaned on the couch. "Thanks, but. Well, the museum's at a different level. I don't know who the owner is but I heard that politicians like senators and even some A-list celebrities are invited to this gala. So this is very much a big deal, far from what we've done before."

Alexis's eyes bulged as her pupils focused on her sister. "Say what now?"

Leigh handed her the open laptop. "I just finished my research. Turns out, the largest art and history auction company, Lane Heritage, owns the museum. You know they've got the biggest connections. I just wish they'd at least hear our small business out."

She looked at Alexis who was transfixed on the screen. Leigh shook her lightly. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Look at the logo," Alexis whispered. She zoomed into the company's emblem just beside its name and formed a sad smile. "It's a castle before Lane. Together, you could read it as Castellane. I know it's just a coincidence, but, huh, isn't that something. What if..."

Leigh recognized what she meant and hurriedly took the laptop. "Good, you already see that it's merely by chance. Please, don't get your hopes up again, Allie. That hope has burned you several times before."

Alexis's features darkened and her eyes dimmed. "I know. But I just can't help it whenever I hear his name. I guess this is my punishment for what I did-"

Leigh interrupted her right away, "Stop it."

They never really discussed Deyanira and the king's deaths, knowing that it would only break their hearts even more. The large birthmark on Alexis's nape that looked like a huge gash was the only constant thing reminding them of the tragedy of it all. Which Alexis rubbed whenever she was anxious like right now.

"I'll try. It's not like the Castellanes could magically appear there anyway."

Although their discussion ended on a sad note, Alexis did her best to lighten up for Leigh's sake. This was finally the time they both had the freedom to do what they wanted. She was not going to waste it wallowing in guilt.

The women soon reached the museum and were guided towards a conference hall. There, a panel of well-dressed individuals waited for them. Alexis felt her sister shiver so she held her hand as encouragement. All the while wondering if the owner was one of them.

The older of the two greeted, "Hello, we are Leigh and Alexis Tyne of CaterReign. I'm Leigh, the lead planner and this here is my sister, Alexis, the chef."

"Welcome, ladies. We're the managers of both Lane Heritage and Crown Jewel Museum. Please sit down so we can proceed with your presentation."

Alexis took her seat while Leigh passed their prepared proposals around. She looked around the cold room until her eyes landed on the blinking red light of a webcam by the table.

One of the managers noticed and informed them, "We have to keep a recording for our superiors to review. As you should know, we take even the most minute detail seriously, most especially on what our guests are going to eat and drink."

She gave them a polite nod. But in her head she thought, "Why does it seem like someone's already watching on the other side of that thing?"

And she was right. Because as Leigh was about to sit beside her, a call came for one of the managers.

"Yes, Sir... I don't think that's a good idea... But we-... I understand... Yes, Sir."

The sisters looked at each other in confusion as that person told everyone, "It seems we will be meeting you guys at the gala dinner. It's been decided that CaterReign will be providing our food and drink services."

Leigh argued, "But you haven't even seen our proposal yet."

"And we are sure that it will be great. Don't worry about the cost, we'll pay in full. If all goes well by the end of the night, you'll also be receiving a 20% addition. Consider it as your tip for a job well done."

Alexis knew that even though Leigh was in a daze, her mind was already computing how and where that 20% was going to go.

The managers' jittery voices and shifty eyes didn't sit well with Alexis and the way they acted felt like they wanted them out there as soon as possible.

"Oh, well," Alexis thought. "Maybe museum people are just this weird." She got off the chair that hadn't warmed up yet and pulled her sister up.

As the two were being escorted out of the conference room, she caught a glimpse of the room next door where the managers were hurriedly marching into.

A split second was all it took for her to lock gaze with a man sitting in the middle before the doors closed. But a stranger, the man was not. Every last bit of emotion Alexis had ever felt all came rushing that it became overwhelming.

"Allie, are you okay?" What's wrong?" She stood frozen, Leigh's questions and concerns went unanswered as Alexis waited for the doors to open again. Surely, he must have seen her too.

"It's you," she muttered, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "You're here."