Orla's grip on the phone tightened as she stared at the caller ID. This had to be a mistake. She double-checked the contact—it clearly said "South." Wasn't that her mother's maiden name?
"Hello?" Lyra's voice came through the speaker again, calm and collected.
"Why are you answering my mother's phone?" Orla snapped, the initial shock giving way to anger.
There was a pause on the other end. "Your mother? This is my personal line, Orla."
Orla glanced at the screen again. The contact she'd called wasn't "Dr. Payne" at all—it was "South," which apparently was Lyra's nickname in her mother's phone.
"Why would she save you as 'South'?" Orla demanded, her voice rising with indignation.
"That's between your mother and me," Lyra replied coolly. "Was there something you needed?"
Orla's face flushed hot with humiliation and rage. "Don't act like you're important! You're nothing but a parasite—worming your way into my mother's good graces, stealing what's rightfully mine!"
