Rising from Ashes: Reborn 17

Chapter 3: Guarding The Legacy

Mayella POV:

In the opulent living room of the Westwood mansion, Arabella seemed to be tip-toeing around a delicate subject with our dad, Montarius.

"Dad, today at school, I saw Mayella standing outside her classroom. She was being punished. They say she was outright sleeping in class, and even her homeroom teacher is talking about bringing parents into this."

The sound of dad’s hand, wait no, Montarius's palm hitting the table echoed in the room.

"How many strings did I have to pull to get her into Wardell School? Is she trying to tarnish my name intentionally?"

It was then that Nickisha, her oh so lovely step-mother, always playing referee, intervened.

"Oh Monty, why are you so riled up? Isn't it enough if one of our daughters succeeds? Mayella isn't academically gifted, and pushing her won't change that. Arabella here ranks in the top three consistently. Let her focus on academics, and you'll have one less thing to worry about."

Arabella quickly chimed in,

"Mom, that's hardly appropriate. The family company originally belonged to Mayella's birth mother. I shouldn't interfere; it wouldn't look good."

Montarius just frowned but didn't utter a word.

Right then, the front door creaked open, and I walked in. All eyes immediately turned to me. I hadn't changed out of the morning's outfit or even retouched my hair, yet something felt different. I sensed a curious vibe in Nickisha's eyes. She looked like she had just smelled something burning—too bad, it wasn't my concern. I merely glanced at the three of them and began heading toward the stairs.

"Hold on," Montarius' voice was stern. "You're walking past your elders without so much as a greeting? Is this the upbringing you've had?"

I halted midway, feeling a surge of conflicting emotions. During the four agonizing years I'd spent in a hospital in my previous life, this man, Montarius, hadn't visited me once. All the love he'd claimed to have for me—was it ever real?

Nickisha, sensing the escalating tension, interjected.

"Monty, you're scaring her. Mayella honey, your dad has made a lot of sacrifices for you. Don't you think you owe him at least some respect?"

"I have no intention of bringing disgrace to the Westwood family," I responded in a flat tone before continuing my ascent to my sanctuary.

Nickisha looked perplexed. The old me would have erupted like a volcano at the slightest provocation. But today? I was eerily calm. She turned toward Arabella who signalled her ignorance with a shake of her head. They both knew something was off; they just couldn't put their finger on it.

The door to my room clicked shut behind me, and I dashed toward my bookshelf. Among the pile of papers and books gathering dust in a neglected corner, I found it: the will. A legally binding document left by my biological mom, stating that once I hit twenty, Dad had to transfer all company shares to me. No fees, no bullshit.

The family company was not just about me; it was the legacy of a mother I had hardly known. A legacy I was now determined to protect. Whether the Westwood family was ready for this transformation or not, they were about to face a reckoning they never saw coming.

I recalled my twentieth birthday vividly. Dad had deferred the transfer, saying I was too green behind the ears to handle it. But after Nickisha and Arabella nagged him into submission, he caved and redirected 20% of the shares to Arabella. My gut twisted. That business was my mother's life's work. What the hell gave him the right?

At first, I thought the disappearance of the will had been accidental. Now, thinking back, Arabella's cunning gaze haunted me. Had she swiped the damn thing, taking advantage of my ignorance? That would explain how the company's name changed from Eternity to Westwood, and how V. swooped in to swallow us whole. This life, Eternity still stood—etched with my mother's legacy. And I'd be damned if I didn't protect it. I tucked the will away, keeping it hidden yet close.

My eyes landed on the untouched textbooks strewn across my desk. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. While Arabella had a knack for acing exams, I struggled to keep my eyes open in class. The sight of textbooks made my eyelids heavy. I often turned in blank test papers, forcing Dad into uncomfortable meetings with my teachers—fracturing our already fragile relationship.

In my previous life, I barely scraped into a third-tier university, settling for a nursing degree, courtesy of Dad's deep pockets. Yet, it was in university that I discovered my hidden talent: medicine. Half a year in, I'd already absorbed what most nursing students would take years to grasp. I'd sneak into med school lectures, grasping surgical procedures that seasoned doctors laboured over. By my second year, I was able to transfer over to an MD degree, I was the talk of the school—Mayella, the med school prodigy.

But real life had different plans. The lacklustre reputation of my alma mater made hospitals slam doors in my face. The directors dismissed me as a "mediocre grad," sidelining me despite my surgical prowess. Stuck in this dead-end rut, I couldn't showcase my skills.

This life offered me a second shot, and I wouldn't let my talents rot away again. University exams? Bring 'em on. I wasn't playing by their rules anymore. I would protect my mother's legacy, safeguard my future, and expose Arabella for who she truly was. Hell, I had a fighting chance now, and I'd be damned if I didn't take it.