Chapter 1
"I love you. I love and I miss you, more than you can imagine.
I still remember when you told me you loved me and I...... I just walked away from you. God, I wish... I wish I could have said it back. I wish I would have stayed when you asked me to say. I wish I could be with you right now, B...ut I can't. You don't want me around you. You don't want me to stay with you any more......"
"LYDIAAAAAAAAA." An abrupt scream startles me almost makes me drop my laptop off of my lap onto the floor BUT only because of my fast reflexes I immediately grab it before it could make a collision on the floor and held it close to my chest. Breathing heavily I look up to see my beautiful and vicious stepsister smirking at me while I sat there staring back at her. And then I immediately blew up like a bomb.
"ARE YOU f*****g WITH ME FREYA? I AM WRITING." I scream back at her just because she really annoys me like no one else.
I still very much hold on to my precious laptop close to my heart which still beating so fast like I had just run 10 f*****g miles.
"What did I do ?." She asked me acting all innocent and nice in front of me. That little b***h. And here she is all dressed up in her tight little suit. All ready to get to work. God, she makes me so angry.
"What do you want Fre ?." I ask her as I slowly place my dear laptop on my table and sit back down comfortably on my bed again. Totally ready to listen to her nonsense.
"Dad wants you downstairs. He wants to talk to you." She said smirking at me this time because she knew what was about to happen and like always she was going to enjoy it.
"Get out." That was all I said to her. I immediately got out of my bed and putting on my fluffy, comfortable shoes trying my very best to ignore her like I always do. She too got the hint that I didn't want to and wasn't interested to talk to her and so she decided to leave my room. But before she turned to leave I stop my dear sister so that I could give her a piece of my mind.
"Freya wait."
"What ?."She said rolling her eyes making a weird-ass face, Which only made her look even more ugly.
"Next time you walk into my room, I would love it if you would knock on the door first," I said to my lovely older sister. While she in return gave me a bizarre smile which could literally f*****g scare a child. right then this b***h flipped me off and walked out the door, while all I could hear was her heels clicking on the marble floor.
"That little hoe," I say to myself as I see her saunter away. She just kills everything inside of me just by existing.
"Please Universe, make her leave for good and let her never find the way back home," I say a small prayer deeply hoping God listens to me and I wouldn't have to see her ever again in my entire life. Now that will be a dream come true for me. Freedom finally will be mine.
I slowly walk up to the mirror and check myself there before I left my room. I mean I look good, still in my pajamas but I still look fine, My dark brown hair was all messy but truly when is it not. Also, I don't quite remember when was the last time I brushed my hair.
"You guys are a mess up there, "I say as I move my hair out of my face and push them behind my shoulder. Sometimes I feel like dad is right. I need to get my life on track. But it's just too much work I don't want to do.
"Lydia... honey." I hear my stepmom calling for me from downstairs and now I did have to leave. I am not ready to listen to the same thing all over again but I had no other choice whatsoever. I glance at myself in the mirror one more time and nod to my reflection.
"You got this Lydia, just get this over with like you always do. You got this girl." I pep talk to myself and instantly turn around, walk out the door and make my way towards the dining room, just like Every. Single. Day.
"Good morning Lydia, breakfast is ready to come on eat." Sofia our head maid said to me the moment she saw me walk to the kitchen and let me tell you, I wish I could just jump right on and eat my breakfast right there and then but unfortunately I can't do that right now.
She might be old and rusty and extremely hot-tempered but we can't argue with the fact that she is an amazing cook and I can't help but look at all the amazing things she had made for me, just me. Only because I am her favorite member of this entire house. Me, only me.
"Sofia I wish I could, I do. But unfortunately, I have to first meet dad." I said pouting at her for some sympathy and she immediately understood and nodded her head slowly. She knows the drill too and so does everyone else in this entire house.
She gives me a small smile, making her face wrinkle up even more.
"Don't worry baba, go talk to him. I will heat it again." She said, patting me on my shoulder and I have an enormous smile on my unwashed face. Again I rush to the living room because dad is not here so the next place I might find him is in the living room. Where right about now he would be reading the news and it will all be about stocks and the market. Things I don't like to listen to but at one point in my life, I did. Just not anymore.
I know my father well. More than anyone else in this entire house or even the world. He had called for me just to say the same old speech he says every single day without fail. And I have to listen to it every single day without fail.
The moment I reach the living room I see my dad who was already dressed up in his suit ready to leave for work. He was always like this, very punctual and always on time everywhere. I guess that is how he maintains such a big empire and still was on top of the charts. Because of this, my dad was one of the richest men in the world and he wants me to follow in his footsteps and be just like him. Which I am not so sure about.
"Good morning everyone," I mumble as I walk into the room. My stepmothers' eyes land on me and a huge smile spread on her face. She shared that smile with me and I return it back to her. She was on a call at this moment and busy.
"Good morning honey." She said and cut the call saying "I'll call you later". She then got off of her seat and walked up to me slowly planted a small kiss on my forehead. This small gesture makes me feel delighted. Even though she is not my real mother, Rosabella always treated me like her own daughter. I happen to like her too and hate her shitty-ass daughter.
"Did you sleep well?." She asked.
"Yeah, really good actually," I said honestly.
"Great, and did you wake up early and write?." She asked, smirking at me. Slowly pushing my hair behind my ear. She knew a lot about me and most of the things she figured out as we got to know each other.
I love the fact that Rosa always made an effort to know more and more and she also learned that I loved to write and always woke up early than anyone else in this house to write my novel. It was just something I always did and still love doing.
"Yes, I did," I said back to her with a big smile on my face. She just knows me too well. She then pointed at dad who was still busy reading his morning news. She was letting me know that he heard it all and I simply roll my eyes at her.
"Good morning dad," I said walking up to him and this time he pulled his face out of the news and looked at me. I bend down and give him a side hug and he pats my back slowly. This is how we greeted. I know it is awkward but this was nice at the same time too.
"Good morning Lydia." He said as I walk towards the other side of the couch and sit down, far away from him. It's not like we both have a bad relationship, no. We have a nice relationship. Although, we both had a great relationship before this. It was never this awkward or weird, we did enjoy each other's company and we were great. But it's just that from the past few years we both have just distanced ourselves from each other. We both have different life ideas, different passions, different thoughts about life that we don't agree on, and now I have a distant relationship with my dad. It's just something that happened and somehow we both are okay with it. Even though it is all just an act to me. I do miss my old dad and I wish he could just listen to me ones. Well, I think might even feel the same way about me too.
"So when are you planning on joining the company ?." He asked me while keeping his pad down on the table and getting comfortable on the couch. Rosa immediately sat down next to him.
"Dad, I still am not sure if I want to do it," I said looking away from him.
"Lydia, what is not be sure about ?. You have done this before and done it all well ." He said sitting up straight and glancing directly at me but this time his expression changed a little. I was concerned this time.
"Yes dad and it was great, I got some learning experience from it bu..."
"But what Lydia?." He cut me off immediately even before I could say anything to him.
"You got more than a learning experience, you always loved coming to the office back when you were in college. You always did great at marketing and you said that is what you wanted to do. What happened to all that Lydia ?."
He asked me again. I too sat up straight to answer his question but this time I don't look him in the eyes...
"Dad, I wanted to do marketing back then but now, I... AlI I want to do is finish my book. I was not passionate about marketing dad. But I'm passionate about this." I said turning and looking at him to see if he was disappointed in me and I could clearly see he was. Just like always he was upset with my answer and as always I was going to stand my ground and say it.
"Lydia after I am done, you will be the one who has to look after the company. All of this is yours."
He said looking around the house and he uses his hands to show me that all of this was mine.
"The company is all yours. After me, you will be the one who gets everything. When I die you and your sister have to take care of the family business and you have to teach her." He said like he was losing a battle.
"She is already learning dad. Freya is always in the office with you."
"But she is not good enough, not yet. You have to take her under you and teach her all about the business. You will be the new CEO after me, why don't you want this ?." He asked.
I was really tired of this. I was exhausted of talked about this topic all the f*****g time. All I truly wanted was to have a completely different conversation with my dad just for once. I just wanted to have breakfast with my family while we laughed, joked about stuff, and just have a great time but, I don't really think that is ever going to happen in this house. Not until I come back to his company, not until then I guess.
"I want you to do this Lydia. Even David has good things to say about you and we both don't even like each other. He has the best things to say about my daughter. You are good at your job, you always get the work done fast and know how to manage people well. Marketing is something you are great at honey. Our company needs someone like you, you were born for this." He said to me pointing out everything I was truly good at, which was completely true.
Marketing is something I liked doing but I wasn't passionate about it. I was great at it, the best actually because I am my father's daughter. I was just like him but in some places, I was not like him. Things change, people change and I changed. I wish I could tell him that but I knew that would only break his heart and that is not something I want to do.
"I don't want to do this dad, why can't you just let Freya learn about it and she can take over."
"Your younger sister is still learning about this but you already know everything Lydia."
He said finally losing his breath talking to me. Dad slowly rubbed his hands on his face trying to calm himself down and not yell at me.
"I am not going to keep repeating this over and over again and again." He said, but this time my dad looks furious at me which was shocking to me actually. Rosa immediately placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down and not so surprisingly it worked. He calmed down and his nerves calmed down too. My dad would never really get mad at me, even though I get on his last nerve, but this time suddenly I heard his voice breaking a little.
Out of nowhere, we hear the sound of heels clicking on the floor again and I immediately knew who It was. It was none other than Freya.
I see her walk towards the living room and I could see she looked really sad but was trying hard to show that she was perfectly fine. I think she heard what dad said to me, Damn it.
"I am ready dad, I think we should leave." She said looking at my father, trying to not show how his words had affected her.
She then decides to be all cute, brilliant, and a good girl in front of him, while I just look like a freaking demon child. Nice going Freya 100 points to you. She then looks and me and has the audacity to smirk, God she has some balls.
But all of this doesn't matter because my dad loves me the most, more than anyone in the entire world.
"Wait in the car for me Freya." He said without even looking at her. And the moment he said so, Freya's face immediately shrank and she looked heartbroken. I don't know why but every time I see her like this it affects me in some way. Even though I don't want to admit it, I was really sad for her.
Without saying a word she walked towards the door and immediately walked out the door and left us all here alone.
Dad then looked at me one more time, getting off of the couch and for a second I decided not to look at him and instead turned to the window at the garden on the outside. Not wanted to glance at him because I was really furious, pissed, and tired of this conversation and I want it done and over with. I want to have a normal family that was it.
"I don't love doing this with you, Lydia. I don't like fighting with you." He said and this made me turn and look at him, even though I didn't want to. But he seemed so broken, I didn't even know why.
"I promise you after this I will never talk to you about it ever again, but think about it Lydia, this is all yours. This is all your legacy." He said, but the way he looked and sounded was so different all of a sudden.
He has never sounded like this before and this concerned me. He really worried me. My dad simply just looked at me for a second and then slowly turned around to Rosa. Softly he planted a small kiss on her forehead telling her "I love you", to which she replied.
Dad quickly walked towards the door and just like that out of the house. While I just sat there having no idea what just happened here. Something was so different today, very very different.
I again slowly turn to look out the window with my mind completely blank. Dad really wanted me back there. It made me feel good he wanted me there but not just for lame business reasons but because that's what he wanted from me.
From the corner of my eyes I could see Rosa staring at me, which did make me really uncomfortable I am not going to lie.
"Just think about it one last time. It would mean the world to him."
Rosa said as her voice came out as a small whisper. It felt like she was affected by all of this too. Her tone too sounding really unusual and awfully odd now. I kind of felt bad that she has to be a part of all of this, she has to always interfere so that I and my dad don't end up fighting with each other and distance ourselves more and more from each other.
I gradually turn to look at her as she started to make her way towards the dining room. I was just there alone in the living room, deep in my thoughts about what I should do next. Thinking about what I should feel because that is the one thing I have no idea about. I knew this was the last time, the last time dad would ask me for anything and my final answer will decide the relationship I and my dad will have for the rest of our lives. And I knew I had to make a final decision for the both of us