THE BILLIONAIRES WIDOW (Book 2)

Character ***Alicia Richards*** Hello, my name is Alicia Richards and am the richest woman in fort Canon. How I became rich you probably have an idea after reading The billionaires baby mama. If not go read the damn book. But it's not what you think. I have always dreamt of this part of my life and now that it has come earlier than I expected I have to embrace it. And just so you know am not the same Alicia you thought I am. Am the fun version. Okay maybe also sinister and ruthless but who cares anyway. Whoever was telling this story, take over!!! And be nice to me. Author Thanks Alicia, where was I? Never mind... When Mark arrived in Ben's holiday house turned into his secret hide out he was given a heros welcome. The message he sent was home already and the inside man at the Lincoln castle had reported a crisis meeting going on. Ben was on cloud nine with happiness, vengeance was sweet. He did not bother to dig two graves as they say; if you are going for revenge you gotta dig two graves, one for you and one for your enemy, he was already in one grave there was no point in digging his. "You're gold my friend", Ben said getting up to meet him at the door, Paul bring a couple of beers!" He shouted. "Thank you Mr. Richards" "NO, thank you I can't imagine what Lincoln s going on right now. He started this, I will finish it. No one takes a shot at me" Paul whiskers brought a couple of beers for the two gentlemen and one for him. They had been drinking since morning Ben was in a celebratory mood a. D so was Paul, he couldn't see heaven getting better than that. "So what next?" Paul inquired seated opposite mark and Ben in a two seater blue coach. The room was exquisite despite the house being wooden outside the inside or some few parts of the inside were stone built with pictures of animals and Ben's family on the wall. They were old pictures, at the entrance right from the porch was a coach where Paul was seated, opposite the entrance was a seventy-two inch Samsung LED TV. I'm the middle was a brown coffee table where a vase of tulips was resting. Surrounding the table were comfy coaches with coffee stools matching the table spread in front of them. "We start tormenting his partners, I want in the FCNN we can use Arya" Ben said. Paul for one was happy he was considering her as part of the family. But they were not sure if she was going to accept to be part of the family scuffle, it was what family was about. Being there for each other and soon enough she was going to be a legitimate part of the family. "The pregnant girl?" Mark asked. "Yeah she is my daughter in law" Ben said smiling. "Wow! Am surprised" Mark said drinking his beer. "Ooh mark, you are still thinking about your P. I findings" Paul teased. "Yeah but it turns out am so wrong" When Mark worked for Alicia as a p. I he thought Arya was Ben's second wife and he got paid for it then got hired again. What was really bothering him was how secretive Ben was. It was hard to tell what he was thinking and what he would do next was a mystery. "I got to go" Paul said. "Yeah before Alicia starts asking questions. Keep an eye on Melissa you know what she is capable of" Ben said "I will sir and mark" Paul said getting up. "Yeah Ben is safe" "God it feels good to be alive goodnight Paul" Ben said going to his room. ******* The whole drive in the Richards compound was interesting to Lilly. She kept staring through the window, the head lumps emanating white light, the castle was lit in yellow and other colors not neon but they made it look colorful when Ian stopped in front of the castle Arya, Alicia, Ruth and Millan were waiting for her. "Hunie!" Lilly said happily rushing towards Arya. She hugged her tight the two women almost kissed the tiled entrance. "This place looks like heaven!" She complemented readjusting her hair. "Mum you haven't been in heaven, meet Mr. Alicia Richards" Arya Said smiling at Alicia. She forced a smile back. She was happy to see Lilly but she was also sad. Ben was no more and it was the hardest thing she ever thought about, living without Ben. Occasions as such needed the head of the family and he was ashes already. "Hey Alicia, bring it in" Lilly said with open arms. She hugged her tightly patting on her back, "Am so sorry about Ben. Be strong and take care of this family I know you can" She assured. "Thank you Lilly, I must say you are not that different from Arya here", she said firing a smile and wiping her tears with inaudible sniffles. "Like mother like daughter!" "And this is..." "Millan!" Lilly said happily giving her a hug. "Ooh wow I forgot you two know each other, this is Ruth" Arya finally said cutting short lily's free hugs party. She wanted to be the fun visitor. Visiting a home where the big tree has been chopped down is so demanding, one might think they are being given a cold welcome but not Lilly. She has carried the joy despite her own problems hundreds of miles back home, Henry egomaniac Jacob's. And yeah he earned middle name it was very fit for him. "Hello Ruth" She hugged Ruth too. "Enough with the intro let's get in you have more people to meet" Arya suggested. "You girls can go back in Alicia has somewhere to take me to" Lilly said holding Alicia's arm. Arya looked at Alicia to make sure she was okay with her mother's overstepping her welcome. She nodded and smiled, a cute smile with some sadness visible for a keen observer. Yet it was all she needed to be sure she was okay. "Fine, we will be waiting inside" Arya said. "This won't take long" Lilly said dragging Alicia away. She was amazed at how exactly like her daughter Lilly was. Charming and just lovable. They had just met and she talked to her like a long high school girlfriend. Alicia loved it. it was the time of her lifetime that she needed friends like her who could make her happy and knock her off the emotional turmoil. "Hey take me to the grave, the girls don't know but we have to say a little prayer for the dead", Lilly said shyly. Alicia kept quiet making Lilly worried about her request. Perhaps she was actually overstepping. "Am sorry I shouldn't..." "No it's okay Lilly, it's just that no one and I mean no one has asked me that!" "Hunie am not everyone, come on let's go" She said. The two women hit it off the moment they met. The next minute Alicia was dragging Lilly to the Richards family burial grounds. They got to a fresh grave with flowers a granite stone with Ben's name on it: Ben Richards II Sunrise: 1957 Sunset: 2015 A Son, a father, a husband, a friend Rest in peace, forever in our hearts. Lilly held both of her hands. They all automatically shut their eyes as she started to pray. She asked God to have mercy on Ben's family and grant Ben eternal life, forgive his sins (Funny the guy was chilling somewhere in a holiday home enjoying beer) she finalized with a prayer for the entire castle and the servants the guards and also her daughter Arya. "Amen" The two women said in unison. "Thank you, am going to cry all over again" Alicia said hugging Lilly tightly. "Cry it out, let's go back inside we have a lot to talk about" She said. Now one thing Arya had not thought about was what to tell her mum about who was the father of her unborn child. It was easier to just say Ben since everyone believed he was dead but that was a lie she could not live with. But before she decided to go berserker on Melissa she wanted to think about it with Paul and Alicia, they were the biggest decision makers and maybe Scott too who looked so down and was being soothed by the jezebel of his horror story. "Ian where's Paul?" Arya asked. They were relaxing in the family room. The living room was huge and not that accommodating for them. Ruth and Leila were happy now, they had Millan and Arya who was a Richard but behaved like them and treated them well for company. Ian and Jake too were part of the faction. It was getting fun hanging out in the castle. It was also getting lively since there were no children in there. "Let me find him" he said. "My mum will start asking questions about where my baby daddy is" Arya said. "He is dead" Ruth said. They all kept quiet and looked at Arya. It was upon her to fill Ruth in now that she was their friend. It was a big decision to let the cat out of the bag. But Arya did not trust her, she was Melissa's PA. However it made it easier for her to let Melissa know who she was and how important she was to the family. "Ooh everyone is looking at me... Ruth right?" Arya asked "Yes mum... Am sorry" Ruth said worried. Her heart was pounding in her chest threatening to pop right out. Maybe saying he was dead was so cruel, the wounds had not healed. She was worried, Arya was going to yell at her even though she looked soft. Clearly her response was not well appreciated. "Am sorry mum I shouldn't have said that" Ruth said hesitantly. "NO it's okay, the kid is not Ben's sorry you are the last to know" "I didn't know" Leila said. "Ooh you two, it's Scott's" "What!" Ruth said surprised. "So Ben took the blame for Scott oh my God" Leila said surprised. "Does she know?" Ruth asked. "If Melissa is who you are referring to No, she doesn't know and I don't care if she does" Arya said leaving the room. The girls looked at each other and smiled. There was some competition for Melissa now. Their Moses had just arrived to deliver them from Egypt. For long they were well aware there was no one who could go tore to tore with Melissa not even the queen mother herself, Alicia Richards. She was fuckin untouchable. "Arya I was just looking for you!" Lilly said. "Are you two done with the tour?" Arya asked walking towards them. "It wasn't a tour actually we went to pray" "Ooh on his grave sorry I was out of line" "So where is my son in law?" Lilly asked. It was a long time coming. The question was expected and luckily by both of them. Paul came in quickly, both Arya and Alicia looked at him leaving Lilly perplexed. "No it can't be him" Lilly said. "Ooh hell no, mum that's Paul the chief of staff", Arya said. Paul shook her hand and stood there attentively. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Jacobs" he said stealing glances at Arya. "Ooh someone has been talking a about me" Lilly said smiling at her daughter. "She can't keep quiet about her mother" Paul said "please Follow me Mrs. Jacobs" he added. "And my son in law?" She asked walking along. "He will come down in a few minutes, let me take you to your room" he said trying his best to detonate a ticking bomb. Yet one way or another the truth had to come out. "Actually I'm here to take her" Jake offered, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Jacobs" "And you are?" Lilly said looking at him as though he was the son in law. "Jake, the butler" Jake said confidently. "Okay" she said with some negligible disappointment. She followed Jake leaving the three an opportunity to talk. They hadn't met in a long time although they lived in the same house. It was a busy couple of days. "We need to talk", Alicia said. "Yeah, agreed" Arya said. "Follow me" Paul said going upstairs. He led them to the home office. It was the most secure room in the entire castle and only him and Alicia could gain access to it with Ben dead now. He let the two women take the coach while he stood. "Is your mum mad at Scott" It was the first question Alicia asked. "NO, mum is good don't worry about her" "I think it's time you knew Alicia" Paul said. Arya gave Paul that restrictive look. It was not safe for her to know that Ben was alive. Or maybe it was time, she had no control over when Ben wanted to resurrect. "To know what Paul? I need a whole day to know Ben's secrets" "This one is not a secret Alicia, Melissa can't be trusted and I think it's time Arya got accepted as part of this family" "Agreed, right now I need people I can trust around me and if Ben said she can't be trusted then I have no reason to trust her" "Settled, tomorrow I will brief you on business deals Ben was working on you will have to take over" Paul said. "Okay, Arya you can work on telling Scott to meet your mother. He is on his own now" Alicia said relaxing on Ben's chair. Arya smiled, Paul smiled too. They were waiting for right moment. And there it was.