Lyra Vane or Lilian River?
Liana River's POV.
All my efforts to contact Lyra Vane proved abortive, and I had to go back home dejectedly. Sleep eluded me as feared, and my phone rang exactly when the 24-hour ultimatum reached.
"I believe you now have our package, Miss Liana River. "
"I...I am sorry, Sir. I gave it to a classmate of mine. Her name is Lyra Vane, and she denied accepting anything from me. Please give me a few more hours and I promise to get it from her."
"Lyra Vane?" The hard, crisp voice asked back. "I think you should come down to the warehouse now. It will be more convenient for you than for us to come down there to pick you up."
"Please, Sir. Just give me a few -."
I inhaled loudly when I realized the call had been disconnected. Having no choice, I pulled myself out of bed, got dressed, and then stared at my mother, who still slept peacefully, unaware of the misfortune about to befall her only daughter.
The road was deserted because it was Saturday morning, and I arrived at the warehouse in a few minutes.
A tough-looking man gestured to me to follow him and then took me down the stairs into a basement.
"Wait here, " he said, turned, and banged the basement door in my face.
The basement was cold and had an awful, putrid smell. I sat on the cold floor, thinking of how things deteriorated in a few days. Except for the scurrying feet of rats who seemed to be offended by my presence, the silence was overwhelming.
The door creaked open several hours later, and a man stepped inside.
Just like my hair, his copper hair caught the dim light of the single bulb overhead. And he stared down at me with a sharp piercing gaze.
"Why do you fail to deliver the package entrusted to your hand, Miss?" He asked in an intimidating voice.
My throat felt dry, I wanted to answer, but the weight of his presence made my words falter, "I...I gave it to Lyra Vane, Sir. She lied that the penthouse belonged to her family and then collected the case.
"Lyra Vane," the man snickered. "That rascal. Did she sign your delivery logbook?"
I shake my head sideways. "No, sir. I forgot to ask her to."
"Silly of you," the man muttered and then offered a fake smile. "Your name is Liana River, right?"
"Yes. River is my mother's maiden name."
"And your father's name?"
"Anderson," I answered back, and then quickly added, "I bore my mother's maiden name because my father did not know of my existence. He left before my mother knew she was pregnant. "
I doubt the man heard my last statement. His jaw had suddenly become more tightened, and his red irises glowed like embers as he stepped near me. "Tell me your mother's name."
"Elena."
He immediately looks like someone struck in the jaw. "Elena," he whispered, gawked at me, and then muttered in a voice a bit above a whisper, "You are my daughter, Liana River. "
"What!"
"I betrayed Elena. I left her when I had to choose between my family business empire and my love. I really don't have a choice. My family would have come after her. I thought I could protect her by walking away and had no knowledge that she was carrying you."
"You...you...Oh! This is unbelievable. "
"I know you are my lost daughter, Liana River. I was happy when I learned of you. I lost my mate and my two children some years ago to a car accident, and I had been searching for Elena since I heard she had a baby from our relationship. You are all I have now. The heiress to the Anderson business empire."
A kind of anger suddenly surged within me. "You abandoned me - abandoned her. Now you showed up, demanding an explanation for a lost package, and promising to make me your heiress. Do you think that will make up for your absence?"
"I don't expect forgiveness, but I need you to understand that I am sorry. Now that you are here, I will resume my responsibility to you and to your mother. You are my only surviving child, Liana River. And that changed everything."
Alec Thorn's POV.
The sign is undeniable.... Liana River is my mate.
I first noticed the day she got admitted to our school. Something ancient, raw, and instinctive had surged between us the moment she entered our class, and our eyes met. Heat had surged through my veins, just as if fire had replaced my blood, and my ribcage threatened to burst because it could no longer contain my heartbeat's pounds. I hate myself for noticing the way her scent lingered, the way her gaze seemed to pierce through my soul, and the way every fibre of my being screamed that she was mine. Seeing Liana River, I feel like two broken halves of stars are about to collide. Her presence filled the empty space I never believed existed.
But all this doesn't matter. I have chosen Lyra Vane against this destiny and primal urge that keeps pulling me towards Liana River. It has nothing to do with her family wealth or the promises of prosperity, but simply because that's what my family wants.
I admit that Vane's family holds the future of my family's business empire, and this is the reason why my family wants me to bind our modest business to their empire. Apart from the Anderson family, the Vane family is the richest and most influential elite in Cornwall City. Even when the possibility of Lyra being my mate is very slim, there has been a kind of silent agreement between the Thorn family and the Vane family concerning our future. And to be frank, we fit and complement each other. While the Vane family provides the wealth and connection needed to soar in life, the Thorn family will provide the forces and manpower. My father, Alpha Justin Thorp, had the largest foot soldiers in the whole empire.
Then, the issue of my ego had to be considered. Lyra is beautiful, dressed gorgeously, and very popular. That's the kind of woman that befit the position of the future Luna of the Bluetooth pack. Not Liana River; a charity case that dresses like a pauper.
I pressed my fingers on my temple and groaned louder. Lyra Vane, or Lilian River?
Why can't I choose without tearing myself apart?