An Orphaned Billionaire's Return

Episode2

"Thank you", Diane smiled brightly as she shook hands with each and every one of them at the stockholder's meeting. They filed out and she fell back into her chair.

Her job was tiring as hell but she loved how far she'd come. If only Sam - her husband, was alive to witness how far she'd grown their dream. Her phone rang her my purse and she took it out.

"Hello", Diane voiced .

"She's awake?", she sat up immediately.

"Thank you. I'll be there soon", she ended the call.

It's been a week and she'd been so scared thinking she had killed a lady, as she couldn't help but wonder why anyone would walk into the road like that..Diane grabbed her purse and headed out. Her driver was already waiting as she instructed him and he sped off to the hospital.

She walked straight to the room. The nurse and doctor were still there attending to her.

"Mrs. Smith", the doctor acknowledged Diane and she greeted back, to stare at the lady with such beautiful eyes.

"Hey", Diane walked closer. "She can talk right?", she asked the doctor and he nodded.

"I'd leave you two then", he said and walked out with the nurse.

Diane kept peering closely at her. For some reasons, the lady before her looked awfully familiar. She raked her brain trying to connect every possible dot but couldn't. She sighed and gave up. "How are you feeling?", Diane asked really concerned.

Lyra simply nodded.

"I really thought I had killed you back there", Diane chuckled, "I'm really sorry, but what exactly were you thinking?"....."Were you trying to get yourself killed? No matter what anyone's going through, suicide shouldn't be an option", Diane stated.

Lyra had tears brewing in her eyes. Whoever this woman was, she sounded so sincere, kind and caring. No one had ever spoken to her in such manner.

"What's your name?" Diane asked.

Lyra hesitated. She didn't want to go back to Damon or her family.

"You don't know your name?"

"I.. I don't remember", Lyra voiced for the first time.

"Oh honey", the woman gasped. "Oh no. I'll call the doctor to run a test and I'll have the cops find your family. You need them close to regain your memories. I didn't know it'd be this bad", Diane stood.

"Ma'am!! Ahhh!!" Lyra tried yelling to stop her but the pain she felt in her neck was excruciating.

"What's wrong?" Diane rushed back to her side. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

Lyra nodded. "I'm fine... And... My name is Lyra", she bit her lips. She can't have the cops return her to her family. This woman seemed kind, she would stick to her and work for her. Whatever job at all. That she's alive now, was simply a sign to her that she was given a second chance to do better. She wouldn't let any man or anyone at all, insult or belittle her.

Wealth and power! That she can work for!..."I'm completely fine", she held Diane's hand. "But I have no family", she said.

Diane stared at her closely. She did seem sickly, but her skin certainly didn't connote suffering or one that could be homeless.

"Please, let me stay with you. I'll work for you. Anything. A cleaner, a maid. I really have no where to go", Lyra held her even tighter.

Diane Smith was a multimillionaire with just a son. She owned chains of hotels and a travel agency. She already had enough maids to work for her but there was something about Lyra.

"Do you really have no one? Parents? Siblings?"

"I'm an only child and my parents are dead", she stated whilst shunning her conscience. They were dead to her, weren't they? As she was dead to them!

"I really ...."

Lyra interjected.. "Please ma'am. . I just need something to do and earn some money and a place to lay my head. I promise not to cause you any troubles", she said in her finest voice.

Diane surely felt bad for her, plus she'd nearly run her over with her car. Diane Smith sighed before giving off a light smile. "Fine then".

"You can come work in my house after you're......", it finally hit her!..."Emily!", Diane gasped wide-eyed. "You're Emily's child right?"

Lyra knew no Emily. Her mother's name was Abigail and well, she's already lied that that mother of hers was dead. "I - I don't know of any Emily ma'am. You must have mistaken me for someone....."

"Emily....", Diane interjected her still. "Abigail!", Diane finally called and Lyra's ears stood.

Did this woman really know her?

"Abigail Peters, am I right?", Diane smiled at Lyra.

Lyra remained shock. Was this woman trying to take her back to her family.

"Oh my... What a small world.. Abigail that witch! How is she dead?", Diane blurted with visible anger.

Lyra didn't understand a thing now. She was very sure she's never seen this woman her entire life, how could she know her and her mother. "Does my mother owe you?"

"Your mother?", Diane scoffed, "she's not your mother!"

"Your birth mom died three months after you were born, and that witch took you in. I'm very sure she killed your mom!"

"What?!!!", Lyra screamed stunned and tried to sit up but the pain drew her down ...

"Oh my goodness. What have they done to you?", Diane sniffed. "It's me. Aunty Diane. Your mom's best friend"....

*********

Lyra was finally discharged from the hospital and truly, Aunt Diane kept to her words. She took Lyra to her house. Hell! She was filthy rich! Damon would probably be her driver if he'd even be allowed anywhere close to her.

"Do take care of her Priscilla", she said to the older lady that nodded with a smile. "I have somewhere to be okay.. make yourself at home", aunt Diane left them and rushed out again, while Priscilla led Lyra to a room..

She stared agape. Here she was thinking Damon was rich.. Tsk!! But the interiors were beyond beautiful with a balcony as she'd always dream to have one day...

She turned to Priscilla, "Isn't it too big? It looks more like her daughter's room".

Priscilla laughed heartily at her.

"This is one of the master bedrooms in here. There are much larger ones and no.... Mrs. Smith has no daughter, only a son", she explained to Lyra. "He doesn't really live here but he sure does visit well enough and tonight's one of the those nights. I have to prepare dinner early", she said.

Lyra nodded.

"I'll let you rest and freshen up ma'am".

"Ma'am?", Lyra smiled, "please call me Lyra and do call me when you want to prepare dinner. I want to help"..

"No please.. I can't let you...

"I want to", Lyra hushed her calmly.

Priscilla stared at her for a few seconds then sighed with a nod, before leaving her all to her new heaven. She gently closed the door after Priscilla and leaned behind it, falling to the ground as her tears flowed.

She was 26 years old and had successfully wasted her years with nothing to show for it. She wanted to be strong now. To actually live for herself. Her own terms. Her own standards.

Lyra Peters came from a family of five. Her parents and three children. She was the least of them, and not one... not any single one of them ever made her feel like she was part of them. Whilst her brother and sister could act anyhow and still be praised and loved, she had to live and abide by certain rules and conditions to draw the faintest smile out of her mom.

"Well, she's not my mom, is she?"

When she stumbled onto Damon and his dad, her false parents were so proud. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was so eager to marry him to maintain such approval from them. Maybe that longing of approval from her parents blinded her into thinking she was in love with Damon; that he was worth waiting for. She had never seen them so proud of her and she wanted more of that. She longed for that, but it all ended as soon as his ring was placed securely on her finger, only to find out she was sold to Damon at a price.

Damon paid to have her act as a wife and gain his father's blessings and inheritance while his heart remained with Melanie.

But did mom really kill my mom?

"Ugh! Why do I keep calling her mom?!!!", she scoffed in tears.

Diane had told her a lot. The pizzeria they ran belonged to her birth parents and they took it away from her, simply because they were taking care of her, or claimed to have custody. They were leeching off of her and still belittled her. Made her hate her very own existence!!

Melanie was right.

What exactly did she do in her previous life that warranted such pathetic living??

But this is her new beginning. The very reason she didn't die back there! The very reason she fell into the hands of someone like Mrs. Smith.

Lyra stood to her feet and walked to her dresser. She sat before the mirror and wiped her tears. "I will build myself. I'll be my very own cheerleader and nothing would break me anymore".

She smiled at her reflection and stood from the dresser, checking the closet and the bathtub. She already had her plans mapped out and was certain this was her chance. She'd make her parents proud and God help her false parents if truly they had a hand in her parents' death.

She took out her phone from her pocket. Aunt Diane insisted on changing it for her after hers had cracked really bad at the accident. If not that she had her phone in her pocket when she was being cuffed and locked up, maybe she'd have nothing to call her own.

She would take back her family's pizzeria and leave them with nothing. They would grovel at her feet but they must pay for the hurt she'd felt all twenty six years of her life.

And Damon?

"Tsk! He should better not run into me on any circumstance".

"Give me a year", Lyra smiled to herself..."I'd be unstoppable".

.

.

A knock on the door woke her up.

She must have slept off fantasizing about her future.

"Ma'am??" Priscilla's voice shot through the close doors.

"Coming". Lyra climbed out of bed and opened the door.

"You still in your clothes?"

Lyra looked down at herself. "I slept off. I'd shower when we're done", she said to her and Priscilla nodded. "And I said you can call me Lyra", she pouted

"It was hard enough coming to call you to assist with dinner", she said.

"And I'm grateful you did". They both smiled at each other and Priscilla led the way.

"I only clean the kitchen and dinning, then my room. The rest of the house doesn't concern me. Someone else does that", Priscilla answered Lyra's questions and Lyra nodded taking note.

She was going to ask when she'd get a tour around the house but she'd just cleared that up now. Lyra really wanted to help in any form she could. She hated feeling like nuisance and all her life, she had been surrounded by people that made her feel that way. But she wants to help out here. She wouldn't let aunty Diane treat her with so much care as a princess because of her mom.

This was her path to greatness.

They washed their hands and got cooking. Lyra used to do the cooking at home and a few times at Damon's place but Priscilla's methods were a bit different and her dish was inviting. She hadn't tasted it yet but the aroma was mouth watering enough.

While the pot was seated on the cooker to be brought down when done, Lyra took to cleaning the mess they made. Soon she was done and they got dishing. Just as they were done arranging the dining, she heard the car horn and a smooth drive-in towards the garage.

Her countenance fell.

She remembered waiting patiently for Damon. Not once, not twice yet he never appreciated her efforts. The image of how he brought Melanie home in smiles flashed before her eyes and she felt saddened more.

"We would have been happier right?" — she asked herself.

If he loved her, they would have been happier. Lyra would have been the perfect wife and made sure to always please him, when all he had to do was love and care for her like any man should for his wife.

"Lyra?" Priscilla tapped her.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You keep zoning out", she asked with concern.

"I'm sorry", Lyra apologized and bit her lips as she left the dinning and went into the kitchen. "Anything else?", she asked Priscilla.

"Nope", she shook her head.

"I just have to wait till they're down for dinner, then I serve and wait till they're done, clear the dishes, do the dishes and go to bed", she said and Lyra nodded. There really wasn't much left.

"I would be going grocery shopping tomorrow though. After breakfast", she said and Lyra also took note of that. "Shoot!", she gasped. "Apple juice!" She snapped.

"Sir Jason's apple juice...".

Since Lyra was closer to the fridge, she hurriedly got the juice with a glass and rushed out but bumped into a sturdy chest as the glass fell from her hand and shattered.

"Who are you?"... His voice reached her as Lyra looked up to see a god.. Her throat went dry, she felt a chill ...

Wait a minute!!!! Am I wet?