The Billionaire’s Unfinished Past

The rain came down like it was angry at the world. It kept falling with heavy thunderstorms and it would not stop. It beat against the roof of Natalia’s home without mercy. The wind pushed against the tiny house so hard that the walls trembled. The old zinc sheets above their heads made loud, frightening sounds. It felt like any second, the whole roof would be ripped away. Natalia ran outside. Her thin slippers slipped on the wet ground. The rain soaked her clothes in seconds. Her hair stuck to her face. She could barely see. Water was pouring through a hole in the roof, flowing down like a small waterfall. Their house was too small. Too weak. Too tired. “Please!…” she whispered under the storm. “Please just stop raining.” She sounded exhausted. She pushed at the loose zinc with shaking hands. The wind fought her. It felt like she was fighting the sky itself. Then she heard it. “Mummy…?” That small voice cut through everything. “Mummy, it’s raining inside.” Her heart dropped so hard it almost hurt her chest. Natalia ran back inside. The window was wide open again. It never closed fully. The handle broke months ago. She had tried to fix it with rope. It did not work. Rain poured through it freely. Water was dripping from the ceiling too. And there was Lyra.. Six years old. Sitting on the small mattress. Rain was falling on her little shoulders. Her thin dress was wet. Her tiny fingers were trembling as she hugged herself. “Mummy…” her voice shook. “Why is it raining in our house?” Natalia did not answer immediately. She grabbed the thick duvet from the corner. It was old. It had stains that never came out. But it was warm. It was all they had. She rushed to Lyra and wrapped it around her tightly. “I’m sorry darling,” she whispered before she could stop herself. Lyra looked up at her. Her eyes were so innocent, Natalia almost felt she didn’t deserve such a beautiful child. “Sorry for what?” Natalia forced a smile. A weak one. “For having someone like me as a mother.” She kissed her head softly. Lyra blinked. “What?” Natalia brushed the wet hair away from her daughter’s face. And then smiled softly. “This kind of rain only comes to special children.” Lyra frowned slightly. “Special?” “Yes,” Natalia nodded quickly. “God wanted to visit you today. So He sent His rain.” Lyra’s lips slowly curved. “Really?” “Yes,” Natalia whispered. “It means He chose you.” The idea changed Lyra’s face. The fear left her eyes little by little. “God chose me?” she asked again, this time softer. “Yes.” Lyra smiled. And that smile broke Natalia’s heart. Because Lyra believed her. Natalia sat down on the mattress and pulled Lyra into her chest. She wrapped the duvet tighter around her. Then she bent her body over her daughter. Rain fell through the roof. Rain poured through the open window. But it hit Natalia’s back. Not Lyra. The cold water ran down Natalia’s neck. It soaked her dress completely. It made her body shake. Her teeth began to chatter. But she did not move. She held her daughter tighter. “Mummy, you’re cold,” Lyra said softly. “I’m strong,” Natalia replied. “Cold is afraid of me.” Lyra giggled. Natalia forced herself to laugh too. Even though her body was trembling badly. The wind blew hard against the roof. The loud bangs increased. Lyra jolted in shock. “Let me tell you a story,” Natalia said quickly. Anything to distract Lyra from the scary sounds. “What story?” “The story of a princess who lived in a tiny castle.” Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Was she beautiful?” “She was the most beautiful girl in the world,” Natalia said, kissing her forehead. “And she was very brave.” Outside, the storm continued. Inside, Natalia told the story. She told it with warmth in her voice. She made silly sounds. She changed her tone for different characters. Lyra laughed loudly. Her laughter filled the small broken house. Natalia laughed too. But her lips were pale. Her body was freezing. Water kept dripping on her back. She could feel her skin burning from the cold. Still, she did not move. Because Lyra was warm. And that was enough. After some time, the rain slowly began to calm down. The wind softened. The storm moved away. Silence filled the small house. Natalia gently laid Lyra down when she saw her eyes getting heavy. “Sleep a little,” she whispered. Lyra nodded and soon drifted off. Natalia slowly stood up. Her back hurt. Her hands were wrinkled from the water. She looked around the house. Everything was wet. Some small food items she had bought were ruined. A few clothes were completely drenched. Everything thing was ruined. She knelt down and began to sort through them. One by one. Her eyes burned. She blinked fast to stop the tears. Not now. She could not cry now. “Mummy?” Lyra’s small voice called from inside. Natalia quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand. She forced brightness into her voice. “Yes, dear?” “I’m hungry.” Those words hit harder than the storm. Natalia stood still for a moment. “Of course you are,” she said gently. She walked into the small kitchen space. She opened the cabinet. There was nothing left. Not even rice. Not even bread. Nothing. All that was left were ruined food items. Her shoulders slowly dropped. Her chest tightened. She closed the cabinet quietly. For a few seconds, she let her head rest against it. Just for a few seconds. Her eyes filled. But she wiped them quickly. She would not let Lyra see. She walked back to her daughter with a wide smile. “Come, baby. Let’s go for a walk.” Lyra frowned. “But mummy, I’m hungry. I can’t walk.” Natalia knelt down and fixed Lyra’s messy hair gently. “Guess who is on the road today?” Lyra’s eyes widened. “Who?” “Mr. Santa.” Lyra gasped. Her eyes widened in excitement. “And guess what?” Natalia continued. “He’s giving out free food.” “Really?” Lyra shouted. Natalia nodded slowly. “Yes. But we have to go collect ours.” Lyra jumped up happily. “Yay! Mr. Santa!” Natalia swallowed the pain in her throat. She took Lyra’s small hand and they stepped outside. Her clothes were wrinkled and still damp. Her hair was messy. She knew how she looked. She knew what people would think. But none of that mattered. Lyra held her hand tightly. They walked into a restaurant. Natalia sat Lyra on a chair. “Sit here, baby. I’ll go call Mr. Santa. You must not move. If you move, he won’t like it.” Lyra nodded seriously. “I won’t move.” “You want food, right?” “Yes.” “Then stay here.” Natalia turned away. Her legs felt heavy. She walked to the manager. “Hello, sir,” she said softly. He looked at her from head to toe. His face showed irritation. “Yes?” “Please… my daughter has not eaten all day. I can clean. I can wash dishes. I can cook. Just give her something small.” He stared at her. Then he pointed to the name on the wall. “What does that say?” Natalia looked up. “Elma Restaurant,” she answered quietly. He nodded. “This is a restaurant. Not a charity. Not a shelter. Get out.” His words were sharp. They cut deep. He walked away without another glance. Natalia stood there for a second. Her chest hurt. But then she turned. Lyra was looking at her. With hope. With trust. Natalia forced a bright smile. “Baby… Santa just left.” Lyra’s shoulders fell. “So no food?” Natalia laughed softly. “Of course not. I know where he went. Let’s go find him.” Lyra smiled again. This time, Natalia carried her on her back. They walked to another restaurant. This time, a woman listened. This time, someone said yes. Natalia broke down. Tears ran freely down her face. “Thank you… thank you…” she kept saying. She almost knelt down. The woman stopped her gently. “We don’t have a job opening now,” the woman said kindly. “But leave your contact. If something comes up, I will call you.” Natalia nodded quickly. She walked back to Lyra with food in her hands and a smile so wide it hurt. “I found Santa!” she said excitedly. Lyra clapped happily. Natalia set the food in front of her. “Mummy needs to go thank Santa.” “I want to see him!” Lyra said. Natalia bent down. “Santa doesn’t want to be seen. If you see him, he disappears.” Lyra’s eyes widened in fear. “I don’t want him to disappear!” “Then wait here.” Natalia went to wash dishes. She washed them fast. Her hands moved quickly. When she finished, the manager handed her a small package. “You haven’t eaten either,” she said softly. Natalia’s eyes filled with tears again. “Thank you.” She said with a shaky voice. Her eyes filled with gratitude. She walked back. “Lyra, let’s—” The chair was empty. Natalia froze. “Lyra?” No answer. Her heart began to pound loudly. “Lyra!” she shouted louder. She ran outside. Two people walked past her. “That child got hit. I wonder what the parents were doing, letting their child wander around. Careless parents,” one said. Natalia’s world stopped. Her ears rang. Across the road, She saw a crowd. Her legs felt weak. But she ran. She pushed through people. “Lyra! My Lyra!” She cried. And then she saw her. In front of a car. Alive. Natalia gasped loudly and fell to her knees, pulling Lyra into her arms. “My baby… my baby…” “I’m fine, mummy,” Lyra said softly. “This uncle saved me.” Natalia stood up and bowed quickly. “Thank you for saving her.” “What a careless mother.” The deep voice froze her. She knew that voice. Her heart stopped. Slowly, she lifted her head. Ethan Jones. Seven years had pass since she last saw him. Yet today, he stood there. Right in front of her. Well dressed. Calm. Cold. He looked at her like she was nothing. A stranger. And in that moment, Natalia felt every pain of her life rise back to the surface. Anyone could call her a bad mother. Anyone. But not him. Not the man who was the beginning of all her suffering.