The phone by her bedside woke her up, Mira's groggy eyes opened, trying hard to adjust to the sudden assault of light.
Checking the caller id,the name that flashed ignited flames of hatred in her once innocent soul.
" Hello Caleb" She answered,her voice alienated. The Mira on the phone was a completely different Mira of yesterday. Something in her had changed. But what is it? No body could tell.
" Mira,are you okay?" Even Caleb who paid the least attention to her could feel the change in her.
" Am alright,why are you calling?" Mira asked,not wanting to beat around the bush with treacherous beings.
" Just calling to remind you of our dinner date. I told you it's special right?" Caleb said.
Ofcourse it was special, afterall it was the start of her painful death.
" I'll be there. If you have nothing else to say,I'll hang up." Mira's emotionless voice echoed on the other side of the phone catching Caleb off guard.
For as long as he can remember, Mira was always enthusiastic to prolong their conversation something that irked him. But today, surprisingly she was in no moods to even hold a decent conversation with him.
Something was wrong somewhere!
He had this crawling feeling that something changed between him and her.
But, he consoled himself that she loved him, the love he despised the most.
Today, he was going to go along the plan,propose to her then slowly make her transfer her shares of the company to his name. After that, he would discard her as the trash she is and Marry the love of his life,who just happened to be Mira's step sister Lucia.
Pushing those disturbing thoughts at the back of his mind,he called his girlfriend, Lucia,to inform her of his development.
" Hello darling." Her sweet voice assaulted his earbuds painting a smile on his medium looking face.
" Hello to you my love,you seem happy." He cooed loving how Lucia's voice brought a tingling feeling to his wretched heart.
" Am happy because I know you have good news for me,or don't you?" Lucia replied.
" You are right,I already asked her out and she agreed just like the fool she is."Caleb said and the two burst out laughing.
" I know right. She's too stupid to think that you love her. Her ugly face disgusts me,if it was not for the shares her dear mother left for her, I would have already gotten rid of that eyesore." Lucia said,her voice full of malice.
She hated Mira to the core. Although she would pretend to get along with her step " sister ", she sometimes couldn't control the hate emanating from her towards that bitch.
She hated the fact that Mira was labeled the legitimate child while she was the illegitimate daughter of her father.
If it wasn't because of that bitch and her dead mother, she would be the only daughter of her father.
Lucia hated it more that she and her mother had to stay hidden from the eyes of the public for almost two decades until the death of Mira's mother.
" Don't get worked up over that honey, aren't we doing our best to eliminate her from the face of the earth? So relax,after we get what we want,we will send her where she belongs,to hell." Caleb tried to pacify Lucia,he knew that Mira existence was a sour spot for his darling.
" Okay and I am warning you Caleb,I f you dare fall in love with that bitch..." She left her words unfinished, promising Caleb of the unthinkable if he dared fall in love with her sister.
" How can I? The idea of being Inlove with her makes me almost vomit my intestines." Caleb said, his voice full of disgust.
" It's good you know to whom you belong to." Lucia said pleased by his choice of words. She couldn't stomach seeing anyone love Mira. If it was up to her,then she would love to see Mira hopeless, helpless, begging her on her knees but getting rid of her was also a better option.
" Okay,let me into the details of your " heartfelt " confession later." Lucia dramatically emphasized the word heartfelt sending the two if them into a laughing fit before finally disconnecting the call.
Back in Mira's room.
Mira sneered after dropping the call.
" Nice one Caleb, but this time,I won't let anyone of you fool me and take advantage of me. Brace yourself,I will pay each one of you in your own coins.
She still cannot believe that one year ago, she accepted Caleb's proposal like a lovestruck fool that she was. Blinded by her love for him, or was it love really?, She had said yes to his proposal and the rest of the requests he made afterwards. She had transferred the shares inherited from her mother to him and even signed every other property she owned to his name weeks before their marriage.
She can still remember how the two, Caleb and Lucia, mocked her of her stupidity and blind trust. Their eerie laughter was still resounding in her mind causing a pang of pain to flash through her temples.
They had mocked her, revealed their dirty dealings on how they had set her up to appear like she was cheating on Caleb with Timothy before their wedding day. Her father, of all people revealed how he was responsible for her mother's death. It turned out that he had been drugging her drinks with hallucinogens.
She remembered how they mishandled Timothy when he tried saving her before they shot him dead.
Pain. Regret. Relief.
The pain of watching that one person who could do anything for you take his last breath before you and you can't do anything to help him.
She regretted not being wise enough to see through people's masks. She regretted not returning the genuine feelings of Timothy to her.
She was filled with relief for being given another chance by the heavens to make things right and repay those who were kind to her.
She was given a second life,to correct her mistakes and write her wrongs.
She was determined to punish those who betrayed her and above all,love him the way he deserved to be loved .
She picked her phone and decided to call that one person who stood by her in everything, offering her his unconditional support despite being in pain himself.
On the second ring,the call was connected.
" Mira." His magnetic voice caressed her earbuds sending an electric wave through her body.
" Tim." She said and remained quite not uttering any other word.
She could hear some shuffling sounds at the background informing her that Tim was working.
" Am I disturbing you?" She asked the question despite knowing the obvious response she would be getting from him.
" No,not at all. You are never a disturbance Mira." Timothy replied. Truth is he was having a hard time finalizing a proposal he was intending to submit for bidding.
" Caleb called me." Mira said.
" Oh! What did he say?" Timothy replied, his voice straight but Mira knew that it was him controlling himself not to give himself away.
" Nothing. He wants us to meet for a date. He said it's special." She continued.
After a short pause, Timothy replied," Then that's good,you should go." He replied making Mira fight hard the urge to snap at him.
How could he remain unperturbed?
" What do you think Tim,do you think he will finally propose to me?" She decided to push his buttons.
If he wants to act, then she'll show him how to act.
