Death

Lydia slowly moaned from the sudden pain she felt while trying to pry her eyes open. But soon, she quickly realized she was tied up in a run-down warehouse.  On her left, there was a pile of wood that was already lit with fire…..And on her right, she saw another woman who was also tied in a pool of blood. 

Mya! It's her former secretary Mya. But why?

“Don’t be too confused sister” a familiar cute female voice echoed, causing her to stiffen

Lydia looked up and taken aback, seeing her entire family and some company staff members walking out from the shadows. The most painful part was that Kelvin, her so-called fiance, was hugging her sister intimately while she was tied up here. 

Lydia desperately wished that this was some sort of reality TV show she was starring in. Her brain still refused to believe it all. Who can accept it? “Mom, dad…. What is going on…?” She asked with a shrieked voice.

“Shut up! Who is your mother? Who are you calling mom? Hmp! Let me tell you now ...You were dumped in front of our door steps when you were a baby. So did you really think that we would waste our love on you?... You are nothing but our maid.” Mrs. Hart snorted in contempt.

“That...That can’t be true!…. Dad, tell mom it’s a lie.” Lydia looked at her father hopefully, but Mr. Hart looked at her coldly and didn’t bother to answer.

“My dear sister…… or should I say maid. You are really stupid, do you know? I’m exactly eight and a half months younger than you. So didn't it ever occur to you that you didn’t belong with us?” Camilla Hart gloated arrogantly.

“No… No….. I thought you were born prematurely.” Lydia tried to deny while shaking her head, as if trying to block their hateful words.

“Hmph! Look here, maid. We would have dumped you out long ago, but we needed someone who could clean the house and do all the laundry. We had planned to throw you out after Camilla turned fifteen. But when you started your company, how could we let you go? After All, everything you have is what you owe us for taking care of you all these years. It only makes sense that you give us all your wealth!” Mr.Hart said cruelly.

“Dad, why are you saying it so nicely?” Camilla interjected, wanting nothing more than crushing Juilia’s spirit. 

Why?.. Brains, beauty, wealth… Why does Lydia, a common maid, have to be better at everything? If she stayed in her place like the stray dog that she was, wouldn't she, Camilla shine brighter? Wouldn't everyone’s attention be on her? In Camila’s twisted mind, Lydia had stolen her thunder. And now, she had the opportunity to cripple her spirit. So how could Camila let this opportunity fly by?

“Heh! My dear family maid… Let me tell you a little secret. When you started your company, Kelvin was already my boyfriend by then…. We hired him to be your boyfriend so as to keep you under our control.” 

What?

Lydia looked at Kelvin in a daze. She didn't know what to say. How far back was their scheming?

Camilla intimately held the arms wrapped around her waist, giggling victoriously. “What...hihihi have you suddenly turned stupid sister? ...It's true…. He agreed to seduce you so you could give him shares in your company. So what if you were intelligent… hihihihihi… he never loved you, he only loved me.” 

Kelvin looked at Lydia in disdain, and Lydia couldn’t believe that this was the same man who smiled with her lovingly a few hours ago.

“Kelvin…”

“Don’t you dare call my name.… You disgust me. Did you ever think that I cared for you? Have you ever asked yourself why I never allowed you to visit me? Or why I only allow you to come when your family is around?.... You really are a dumb woman.”

“Don’t worry maid, I will take good care of Kelvin when you are gone…. We even got your company lawyer to work under us...hihihihi”

Lydia squInted her eyes and saw someone coming from behind her father. She was so angry that she started trembling vigorously. “Why Alan? Why… I trusted you ...I..I?”

“I have been working for your family for 15 years now. But I’ve been working with you for 14 years now. So it technically doesn’t count as betrayal does it! In your will, you stated that you wanted all your money to go to your family if you die, and your second company ‘VESNO’ to be given to Kelvin, right? Of course it was also agreed that I would keep 5% of shares from the company as well.” 

“No wonder you would always pressure me to write my will so much…”

“At Least you're not that stupid are you? hahahaha~” Alan laughed, enjoying the show.

“Face it, maid. You were just our stepping stone.. Now all your hardwork will belong to us… We even got you to fire your secretary Mya before.” 

Mya!

Lydia glanced at Mya, seeing she hasn't moved an inch since they started talking. NO! 

Lydia’s shoulder trembled furiously. “What did you do to her?”

“Her?” Harvey Hart had an evil grin. Harvey was her so-called brother. “Lydia, Lydia, Lydia… If I were you, I wouldn't worry about her too much since you’ll both be reunited soon. As for why she had to go, it's naturally because she is too loyal to you. Thus we had to make sure that once you're gone, she wouldn't go around investigating your cause of death. And yes… that reminds me… Don’t you remember how she got fired?”

Lydia’s eyes gre gloomier when thinking of things back then. “You framed her?”

“Of course we did,Miss Lydia!” Her head bodyguard, Nate, replied arrogantly. “All you bodyguards helped Mr. Harvey frame her up. Miss Lydia, your family also hired us to work as your bodyguards when you started your company… In truth, we are not professional bodyguards, but gang members called the Black Lotus. Your family offered us money, so we took the job.”

Mya…. 

Lydia stared at the lifeless body in pain. “You all are going to hell!”

“Shut up, wench! I've always hated you. Who do you think you are?” It was Lucy, her current head secretary who replaced Mya.

“You were hired by them too?.. Hahahahaha~…. I was so stupid to trust you all. I gave you everything I had… My money, my company and even my shares…..And now you want me dead?”

“Naturally, everything you have is ours!”

“That’s right! We raised you. So we own your life!”

“Hehehehe~ Speaking of life, I forgot to mention that because your stupid billionaire friend keeps disturbing our plans, we also had to eliminate him. And now, he's a rotting corpse because of you.” 

“WHAT?” Lydia’s reaction was desperate. “What did you do to Alec?” 

“My dear maid…. Before you woke up, we told Alec that we held you hostage here. We told him that he had to come alone. If he came with any other person, we would kill you…. Of course the fool obeyed all the instructions to the latter. The fool was really in love with you. We knew he would do anything for you. So we promised that when he signed all the rights and shares of his company to us, we would release you…. Hihihihi… looking at you tied up on the floor, he quickly signed the papers and tried to take you away…..of course we shot him dead!!!” Camilla explained. And for the first time since they started talking, Lydia cried. 

“Since he’s an orphan, no one will really try to investigate his death as well….hihihi… .ahhh that reminds me...When his body was thrown in the fire beside you, he kept holding onto your leg as he slowly turned to ashes. What a clown. At Least you both will reunite soon. hahaha” Harvey spoke while laughing loudly.

Lydia looked at the fire and saw a finger that wasn't fully burnt. It was only now that she realized the one she truly loved wasn't her so-called fiance, but him.

AHHHHHHH!!!!~

 She screamed at the top of her lungs, having never felt this much pain before. But those gathered, only laughed and smirked at her predicament.

“Why even bother with her?” Mrs. Hart scoffed. “There’s a wedding tomorrow Camilla, you and Kelvin have to get ready. I don’t want to see this bitch any longer.” 

“Indeed…” Mr.Hart replied, leading the group out of the abandoned warehouse. This was the ;ast they would see of this family maid.

Heheheheheh~

Nate walked towards Lydia and held a gun towards her face. “Sorry Miss Lydia but it’s time to die.”

Lydia stared at the finger, her tears still continuously trickling down her cheeks. “If there’s a next life, I will kill you all.”

Bang!

The gun went off and Lydia slowly lost consciousness.

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

Time passed for what seemed like an eternity, with Lydia seeing nothing but darkness all around.

‘Is this the afterlife? Am I finally dead?’ Lydia asked inwardly. ‘Alec, Mya… I hope I can see you all again… But wait, why does my head hurt?... Are spirits supposed to feel pain?’ 

Lydia opened her eyes and was dumbfounded. 

Isn't this her room in the family house?  Why did they bring her back if they meant to kill her? No! Something doesnt up. Her surroundings were familiar, yet unfamiliar. This was how her room was decorated several years back. So why is she seeing it again?

Lydia rushed to the mirror to confirm her suspicions, and was shocked. 

The girl in the mirror was her, but at the same time not her. The girl in the mirror looked like an 19 year old girl, but she was a 29 year old woman when she died. 

So does this mean she was reborn, traveling back in time, ten years prior to the end of her life?

Lydia stared at the mirror and the corner of her lips slowly rose high.

‘Family… I’m back.’