Adira was in awe as she stared at the lady. How was she Mr. Thatcher's wife?! How was she from an influential family? Wasn't that the Lyra she knew? The family paid homage to Mr. Thatcher, flashing pleasant smiles at him - except Nikolai, of course. Man wouldn't smile to save his life. "We've all been waiting for you, father. It's a good thing you're here to join us," Mrs Bellamy said, joining to assist him to sit at the head of the table. The whole time, Adira's eyes were on the young lady. She looked prettier and richer. Her hair was smoothly brushed into a fine ponytail, and her face held very light makeup. She had a very short gown on which revealed most of her thighs. "Lyra?" She finally voiced out, attracting eyes to her direction. That was the first time the young lady also saw her, and for a second, shock flashed right through her eyes."Yes?" She replaced the shock with a smile, so swiftly like she was an expert. "Do you um...need something from me?" The room was tensed, because Adira actually called her name like she was familiar. "Don't you... remember me?" "Excuse me?" The lady scoffed. "I'm sorry, but I'm certain we've never met before. You must be mistaking me for someone familiar." Lyra proceeded to take her seat next to Mr. Thatcher, leaving Adira in awe. "Uh... let's just get down to dinner, shall we?" Mrs. Bellamy chipped in, attempting to clear the air. Everyone returned to their seats, but Adira couldn't get over the fact that something was wrong. Lyra was her very good friend in college. She was literally her bestfriend, but after they graduated, she suddenly went missing. Not literally, but it was more like she traveled out of the city without saying a word to Adira. Adira had been worried for weeks and reached out to her family, and that was when she left that she had travelled to a different to meet up with her brother. She was very hurt knowing she left without informing or reaching out to her. Lyra didn't even have a father back then. She grew up with her mum and grandparents and they were very very poor. So, how did she become so rich all of a sudden? How did her family become influential? And why was she pretending not to know her? If she had to fake her identity just to get married to an old man, doesn't that mean she was there for a purpose? She kept throwing glances at Lyra as the maids began serving the dishes, but the lady was expertly avoiding her gaze - like she wasn't there. She focused her attention on Mr. Thatcher instead, massaging his shoulders from time to time. Mr. Thatcher was pretty old with grey hair all over. It wasn't surprising that his time was near.When the meals finished serving the meal, they all began eating. "I am so glad everyone of you fulfilled my wish," Mr. Thatcher suddenly said, his voice a little croaky. "This was what I wanted - to have my family around me on my last days..." "Honey, do you need some water?" Lyra asked softly, her hand around his shoulder. "No, dear. I don't." The old man replied. Few of the people in the room scoffed. It was obvious the family didn't like her. "Gathered here," Mr. Thatcher continued. "I'd like to know more of you - especially the wives of my grandsons." He shifted his gaze to Adira. "You're Adira, right?" "Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He nodded and looked next at Finn's wife. "And you're...Hadley? Am I right?" "I am. I'm so glad you know me, sir." The lady's face beamed. He scanned his eyes round the table until they landed on Na-ri. "Na-ri," he called. "How's your father doing?" "He's doing just fine and sends his regards." Adira hid her surprise. So, he knew Na-ri as well as her family? It seemed they had a different kind of relationship that she didn't know about. "And you, Vesper," the old man coughed a little. Lyra quickly helped him with some water, dabbing the corners of his lips with a napkin when he finished. "Vesper," he called again. "What're you waiting for? Your younger brothers are already married. Why should you be the one single?" A brief silence stepped in. "Uh..." Vesper touched his nape. "Grandpa, the thing is, I actually have a woman right now. And soon, I might be getting married to her." "You do?" Mrs. Bellamy expressed surprise. "Goodnews, Vesper! I never knew you had someone serious." She giggled with excitement. "Hm. I want you to bring her over." Mr. Thatcher said. "I'd like to meet and know her as well. So, bring her over to stay with us for the meantime." "Grandpa, are...are you sure?" Vesper furrowed his brows. "Of course, I am. I might not be around when you get married. So, I'd like to know who she is, at least." Vesper smiled - so deeply, like it was a dream come true for him. "And now," Mr. Thatcher reached for Lyra's hand. "Let me introduce my wife to you." Lyra's face turned all red as she smiled. "Her name is Lyra ams for three years now, she's been my backbone, my caregiver. I really don't know what I'd have done without her.""Oh, honey! You're always too good with words," she leaned on his shoulder. This irked Adira for some reasons. "Thank you, sweetheart," the old man nodded. "Thank you for taking care of me." "It's nothing to thank me for. I am so glad I met you." She pecked his cheek. Most of the people at the table looked away, and silence ensued for some minutes. "Adira," Mr. Vincent suddenly called, making her raise her eyes at him. "What is going on with you and the Wyatt Group? You're supposed to sign a contract with them, am I right? Why is it taking so long for the contract to be finalized?" Adira's eyes drooped. About that, she had no idea why Jared was delaying the signing. She couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose to goad her. "I.. I'll speak with Mr. Jared again, father. I believe he's just been busy." she feigned a smile.No one noticed Nikolai stopped eating. "If Jared is uninterested in the contract, we should let him go," For the first time, he said a word - tho his voice was grumpy as usual. "There are a lot of companies in Japan that we can partner with." "I know there are, but we can't change the fact that the Wyatt Group is the best over there, and they are the ones we need for this job." Mr. Vincent returned his gaze to Adira. "You're the one in charge of this contract. You need to reach out to him and tell him to hasten up with the signing." "I will," she lowered her head. There was always an iciness in Mr. Vincent's voice each time he was talking to her. It was obvious he didn't like her at all. **** As soon as they finished eating, Nikolai left the house, saying he needed to be somewhere important, while the rest of the people retired to their rooms. Adira was shown to her own room, and getting there, she discovered her bags had been placed together with Nikolai's. Hold on, would she be sharing the room with Nikolai? "Ma'am, do you need anything?" Yvonne asked, standing behind Adira who had plonked herself on the king-sized bed. Tiredly, she shook her head. She wished Nikolai was around 'cause she really wanted to talk to him about Lyra. She didn't know why the hell Lyra was there, or why she lied about her identity. But whatever it was, it was definitely not for a good purpose. She laid upwards on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Why was she having a bad feeling about this place? Why did she feel like something terrible would happen even before the old man dies? A knock came on the door, jolting Adira out of her thoughts. "I'll get it," Yvonne whispered and scurried to the door. And after a few seconds of opening it, she turned back to Adira. "It's ma'am Lyra," she reported in a low voice. Adira sat up immediately, her brows furrowed in surprise. Lyra was there to see her?