Mr. Billionaire, I'm Back!

Chapter 2: Welcome Home

When Joanna arrived at the Devine's Villa, she forced herself to smile, and then she rang the doorbell. She could hear the bell chime - "Ding!" - and when Susan opened the door, the smile on the other woman's face was just as false and hypocritical as her own. Susan laughed, touched Joanna's arm, and said, "Joanna, you're back! Your dad is waiting for you. Come on in! Where's Ken? Didn't he come with you?"

Joanna looked at Susan, sneered, and said, "He's working overtime. Please take your dirty hand away from me." Susan was a b***h, and so, she saw no reason to show her any respect.

Susan frowned as she pulled her hand away, and she said, "Okay, I won't touch you."

Joanna smirked and said, "You're really good at pretending. It's no wonder your daughter is a famous actress. I can see where she got her skill. After the way you treated me, you must be wondering about how I've changed so much."

In the past, Susan and Sarah had beaten and tortured Joanna, and she'd been helpless to stop them. They'd pierced her feet with nails, hit her with a stick, and her father had done nothing to stop them. When Joanna showed him her injuries, Susan told him that the wounds had been self-inflicted – and her father had taken his wife's words over his daughter's. Just thinking about it made Joanna angry.

Joanna gently pushed Susan out of her way and said, "You must be wondering how I changed, but I don't want to tell you!"

Joanna scowled and said, "Whatever," and she walked back into the house without a second glance.

When Sarah hear Joanna's voice, she came down from the upper level where her room was, and when she saw Joanna, she scowled. Sarah had always hated Joanna's face. When they were young, they went to school together, and due to Joanna's natural beauty, she caught most people's eyes – and Sarah made her suffer because of this. Today, Joanna had put on exquisite makeup just to irritate Sarah.

"Joanna, welcome home," Sarah said, and she hugged her stepsister.

Joanna did not refuse Sarah's hug, and when they parted, she smiled and asked, "What kind of welcome should I expect? Do you plan to continue beating me?"

Sarah paused, and after an awkward moment of silence, Joanna added: "Or perhaps it is your turn to be on the receiving end. What do you say, sis?"

Sarah gnashed her teeth together. She couldn't stand it when Joanna referred to her as her "sis." She forced her mouth to relax, though, and she said, "Joanna, I see that you are alone. Is it because your husband doesn't love you at all and doesn't want to be around you?"

Joanna laughed and said, "In truth, my husband told me that he didn't want to come because he didn't want to have to see your dirty, ugly face."

Suddenly, Sarah grabbed Joanna's wrist and gave it a hard twist, but Joanna was able to pull it away, and she hid the pain she felt. Sarah was surprised by her stepsister's strength, and she said, "It seems you've learned some skills while you were away."

"Indeed," Joanna said, and then she reached out and struck a pressure point on Sarah's elbow, causing her to scream out in pain. While overseas, Joanna studied human anatomy, so she now knew how to deal with people like Sarah without exerting very much energy.

When Robin heard Sarah scream, he rushed into the room. Then, when he saw Joanna, he froze in his tracks, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Joanna smiled and said, "Dad. I'm here."

"I can see that," Robin replied. "Where's Ken?"

Joanna sneered. "Why would he want to come here?"

"He is my son-in-law," Robin replied angrily. "Shouldn't he come here and see me?"

Joanna didn't care about his anger. "Son-in-law?" she hissed. "A long time ago, you said that I was no longer your daughter. So, if I am, not your daughter, how could my husband be your son-in-law?"

When Robin heard Joanna's words, he was nearly speechless. "What are you talking about?" he shouted. "This is nonsense, but I shouldn't be surprised. You have always been a rebellious girl!"

Joanna gave her father a cold look and said, "I remember you saying that I was a rebellious girl, but that was five years ago when I was accused of taking drugs. I was put in a detention center, and you were so ashamed of me that you never came to visit me! But the truth came out, and you know that I wasn't taking drugs, so how dare you continue to call me a rebellious girl?!?!?!"

Joanna was severely beaten in the detention center. She had cried and called her father on the phone, but after accepting the call, he'd said, "Don't call me again. You are a rebellious girl." And before she could defend herself, he had hung up the phone on her.

By then, Joanna was already disappointed with her father.

Robin glared at Joanna but said nothing. He was too angry at Joanna to say anything at this time.

Sarah had a good laugh at Joanna, but Joanna didn't care about Sarah at all, and she was about to say just that, when Mrs. Moore, Sarah's maid, came in and said, "Okay. It's dinner time."

Joanna, Sarah, and Robin went to the dining room, but they didn't see Susan there. Robin gave Mrs. Moore a curious look and asked, "What about Suz?"

Mrs. Moore smiled and said, "Her Ladyship went to use the bathroom. She will be out momentarily." And just as Mrs. Moore finished explaining where Susan had gone, she walked in from the kitchen, and everyone turned to look at her.

Susan's eyes were red and swollen, and it looked like she had been crying. Joanna sighed. Ever the actor – she thought – Susan, why don't you give it a rest already?

"What's the matter?" Robin asked with concern.

Joanna looked up and spoke before Susan could. "Susan is probably just happy to see me," she said sarcastically. "After all, Dad, you know, she has always treated me as if I were her own daughter. These are tears of joy!"

Susan had always played the part of a good wife and a good mother in front of Robin, and Joanna didn't mind blowing a little smoke up her ass for old time's sake. After all, how could a woman like Susan, who had hooked up with a man who was only recently married to another woman, be a good person? As for how she knew that Susan had hooked up with Robin shortly after Robin's marriage - that was because of Master Mike Devine.

Mike Devine was Joanna's half-brother and the eldest son of Susan. He was a month older than she was.

Robin was utterly oblivious to the sarcasm in Joanna's voice. He smiled at Susan and said, "Don't be silly. Come and join us."

Susan was aggrieved by Joanna's words, but she couldn't say anything in front of Robin, so she was forced to sit down and join everyone for dinner. As Susan sat down, Robin asked, "Is Mike not coming home for dinner?"

Susan said, "You have not been feeling well recently, and since you haven't been able to go into work, Mike has been busy trying to get the company's affairs in order."

Mike's sacrifice moved Robin, and he said, "Pack some dinner for him."

Susan smiled virtuously and said, "Sure."

Joanna felt uncomfortable eating with her family, but at least it was over quickly. And once everyone was done eating, Robin went upstairs to take his medication and rest.