THE RETURN OF THE DEAD HEIR

THE CALL.

0006:

“Hello.. hello? He-”

Right there, Philip gave up as he felt rejected. He tried her number several times but she didn't respond.

From the look of things, he was going to have to beg Richard for the money he turned down earlier.

It was already getting dark. Where would he go? He rested on a wall and bent down tiredly. He heard the sound of a car approaching the gate and he suspected the owner.

If it was possible to dig a pit and bury himself inside right now, he would have done it.

The security guard opened the gate and Elena drove out. Upon sighting him she raised a brow and said,

“Philip, what are you still doing here?” She mumbled, frowning. “Woah, you are one of a kind though. You have nowhere to go, yet you rejected my man's money?”

His expression was cold as he snarled. “I don't need your money!” Philip uttered and Elena snorted a laugh of mockery.

Philip was baffled by how his wife's attitude towards him changed so quickly. Did he mean so little to her?

“You are so poor, yet so egoistic, I like that! That's why I'm going to give you a second chance, Philip. Take the money before I change my ..!”

Suddenly, a black SUV appeared before them, intruding on Elena's words. Philip gazed at the car profusely, and Elena widened her window downward to process what was happening.

‘When did he get a car?’ her heart froze.

Philip straightened himself and clutched the traveling bag, watching the tinted glass roll down slowly and the driver asked, “Mr Philip?”

He froze and nodded, he was too stunned to speak. How did Lady Margaret find him? He thought she discarded him. Was he dreaming?

He bowed, retrieving his luggage from his hands and gesturing towards the opened door.

With widened eyes, Philip got into the car, grinning. He was surprised by how fast she responded. Today must have been his lucky day.

He waved stylishly at Elena and enjoyed the hilarious view of how her jaw dropped. She looked like a lost dog, watching intensely as Philip entered the car.

The driver joined him in the car after putting his box in the boot, and they vanished from there.

“How did you find me, sir?” He asked.

“Lady Margaret had your location tracked.” The driver answered respectfully and the rest of the ride was in silence. " Why was she being nice to me ?" He wondered deep within.

They arrived at the majestic Villa. Philip stuck his head out the window and gasped in amusement. He never thought houses like this existed.

He stepped down from the car as if through a dream and marveled at the beauty before him.

His eyes lost count of the number of cars in his surroundings as he walked to the building. The greenery looked heavenly and the water fountain seemed to calm his nerves.

The driver directed him and with that, he turned and entered the building. He sat in the living room and waited for Lady Margaret.

He looked out , glaring at the sudden rain that struck the shield of the building as it poured out heavily, dripping on the surface of the gigantic open window.

The air became chilly as the heavens sang. Then, a young lady appeared, causing him to sit up and she bowed.

‘Why are they treating me like a king?’ Philip thought in his heart. He was not used to this kind of treatment. Growing up, things weren't so rosy for Philip.

He grew up in an orphanage and he had no memory of his parents or any piece of his life before moving into the orphanage.

The only family he had was Alfred, his best friend. They grew up together at the same orphanage.

The woman cleared her throat and Philip looked up as she said, “Lady Margaret has been expecting you. She was right, you do look like him.”

He lifted a brow and asked, “Pardon?”

She shifted her gaze timidly and held her shoulders high as she said, “Never mind, please come with me.”

Philip nodded and followed the pretty woman up the stairs. He found it quite hard to take his gaze off her.

Throughout his five years of marriage, he had never looked at any other woman in such a manner but her beauty wasn't the kind that got overlooked.

As she tilted her head back, he quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be staring at the painting beside him. She opened a door and said,

“This is your room, I hope it is to your liking?” She asked, smiling brightly as her honey brown eyes lit up the room.

Philip loved the tranquil tone in her voice, and he answered with a grin, “Yes, thank you, it's beautiful. But can I see her?”

He was so fixated on seeing Lady Margaret that he wanted to thank her for helping Alfred.

She smiled again, “She is asleep now. You'll see her tomorrow.” She assured him. She had a colorful aura, and Philip couldn't help but smile back and agree with her.

“Rest well and sleep tight.” She said and bowed her head politely before departing.

“Who was this woman? Maybe Lady Margaret's daughter.” He thought.

After a long day, Philip's eyes began to feel minty. He dissolved himself into the fluffy duvet with a stretchy yawn as he laid his head and slept.

He had not been able to sleep peacefully for days because this week was the most traumatized so far.

*********

Morning came and the air felt light. He woke to the aroma of world-class cuisines as they lured him to the bathroom to take a shower hurriedly and got dressed in clothes that had already been prepared for him, causing him to ascend the stairs.

Philip was also interested in knowing who owned the gifted set of hands that were performing glorious wonders in the kitchen.

The scent of savory spices and smoky flavoured chicken pierced through the air.

On his way, He stumbled across Lady Margaret and bowed, “Philip, how are you doing? Feeling better?” She asked. “Come, breakfast is ready.” She said, enthusiastically.

She shrugged and said, “Clarrisa, hurry up.” raising her voice as she tried to hasten her to come quickly to set the table.

“Grandma..almost done!” Clarissa yelled from the kitchen. Her presence changed the atmosphere as she walked in.

“Oh Philip, meet Clarrisa. She's like a daughter to me.” She chuckled and Philip could tell that she adored her. Who wouldn't?

“Oh, we met yesterday..” Clarissa said as she set the table in a grand style and Philip glared at her, wondering why so much food was served.

The stunning honey brown-eyed woman with full plump lips and blond hair joined them, and they were all settled to feast on their meals.

Lady Margaret couldn't keep her goofy grin off her face. She looked excited to have him around. She was such a sweet and kind woman.

With a halt, her hands freed her cutlery to the plate, and she asked, “ We still haven't discussed. What happened yesterday ?” She wore a puzzled look as she said,“ Why did you leave your home?”

Philip stiffened at her question; he wanted to cook up a different story, but he felt there was no point hiding the truth.

He forcefully swallowed the food in his mouth and sat up. “My wife wants a divorce.” He sighed and cleared his throat as he continued confidently as if unbothered,

“ She chased me out of the house and threatened to never return.” As he spoke, reality began to dawn on him. He found it impossible to believe, but everything was starting to seem surreal.

The room grew silent as they both stared into his eyes pitifully. They stopped eating for a while and watched the food grow cold.

Lady Margaret broke the silence as she picked up her fork and said, “ Do not worry, Philip. It might seem as if you have lost everything, but she will be the one regretting later.”

Philip chuckled and said, “ She has nothing to lose because, unfortunately, I have nothing to offer her. She has a boyfriend, a very wealthy one and I'm just an ordinary ceramic artist. ” He sighed.

Philip tried to act all macho, hiding the hurt he felt deep inside. That was the typical Philip, he bottled everything inside and rarely shared his thoughts with others.

Lady Margaret reached out to his shoulders and patted his back, trying to cheer him up. She could sense his troubled spirit.

Her hand lifted his dark, curly hair slightly as she grazed it. Suddenly, she paused, noticing a birthmark on the right side of his neck.

She became uneasy and thought to ask how he had the same birthmark as hers and her late son, Freddrick.

But she wasn't certain about now being the right time to ask so she held back. What if she was mixing things up?

She couldn't take her gaze off him until he eventually looked at her, noticing she was staring at him strangely and she found her mouth spilling out those words curiously,

“Who are your parents, Philip? Tell me!”