"Who are you people?"
"What do you want from me?"
Lydia spent the entire ride, yelling, kicking with all her strength and thrashing against the men seated on either side of her.
Her bare feet connected with their shins repeatedly, but they didn't raise their hands to stop her. They didn't even flinch.
It was as if they couldn't feel her desperate attacks, yet their bodies formed an impenetrable wall she couldn't break through.
"Let me go! Where are you taking me?" She screamed until her throat was raw, but the men remained silent as stone.
Her thoughts spiraled frantically. Who could have sent kidnappers after her? Were they after the body she now inhabited?
After what felt like an eternity but was probably thirty minutes, the black SUV finally stopped.
"Where's this?" Lydia's breath hitched as she stared through the tinted windows, her eyebrows furrowing.
They had arrived at a massive mansion that screamed old money in even the little details. The estate stretched as far as her eyes could see, with sprawling gardens and lavish fountains.
The men escorted her out of the vehicle, their grips firm but not bruising. The moment her feet touched the circular driveway's expensive stones, two suited guards approached and bowed deeply.
"Welcome home, Young Mistress." They said in unison, as if she hadn't just been dragged here against her will.
"Young mistress?" Lydia's mouth fell open.
Before she could process this information, a 28-year-old woman ran out through the mansion's flashy front doors and rushed toward her.
"Lolo!" The woman cried, pulling Lydia into a crushing embrace while tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I should have been with you. I should have protected you!"
The woman pulled back, her hands frantically checking Lydia's arms and face for injuries:
"Are you hurt? Are you in pain?" Lydia wasn't spared the time to reply to these questions as the woman just kept talking, her voice cracking with distress.
"Why did you run away from the accident scene before the ambulance could arrive? We've been searching everywhere! God, I was so worried, I thought something bad really..." The woman choked on a sob, finally closing her mouth now to stare at Lydia's face with tearful eyes.
Lydia stood frozen, overwhelmed by this stranger's obvious affection and concern.
"Who... who are you?" She asked hesitantly.
The woman stepped back as if Lydia had just slapped her. She looked bewildered for a moment before fresh tears started spilling down her cheeks.
"You don't know... remember me?" The words seemed to burn her lips as they parted sharply. Lydia shook her head, squinting her eyes as if to apologize for not recognizing the woman.
"I'm Rose. Your personal assistant. I've worked with you for five years, Lolo. We're... we're best friends." She whispered brokenly.
Friend? That one word sent a fresh wave of betrayal through her heart. It would forever haunt her.
Lydia's brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of the other information, anything apart from that 'friendship'.
Lolo? That must be the name of the body she now inhabited.
Rose wiped her eyes with a handkerchief in her hand, nodding her head firmly as her expression shifted to one of heartbroken understanding.
"You've lost your memory, haven't you? The accident... it must have been worse than we thought."
"Come inside. Your parents are waiting. They've been worried sick." Rose said gently, taking Lydia's hand.
"Wait..." Lydia pulled back.
"Those men who brought me here... they basically kidnapped me!" She stated, her face scrunching up in anger as she glared back at the men who were now standing gallantly by the car.
Rose glanced around nervously before leaning closer to whisper:
"They weren't kidnappers, Lolo. Your father sent them to find you. When you disappeared from the accident scene and weren't at any hospital, he thought... he thought you had run away on purpose."
"Run away? Why would I run away?" Lydia's frowned deepened.
Rose's expression grew complicated, as if there were layers of family drama Lydia couldn't begin to understand.
"There's a lot to explain. But we should go inside first. Your parents have been beside themselves with worry." Rose said softly.
Although skeptical, Lydia was lost for words. She stayed quiet, her mind already concluding that if all of what had been happening wasn't a dream in death and she had truly being reborn then she must calm down and get to know about this new life of hers.
As Rose led her toward the mansion's entrance, Lydia's head spun trying to take in the overwhelming opulence surrounding her.
Everywhere was glittering with wealth: Marble statues positioned throughout the gardens, luxury cars parked in what looked like a private showroom, even the painting on the walls and the tarred floor screamed endlessly wealth and elegance.
"This is my family's house now?" This level of wealth was beyond anything she'd ever imagined and her heart skipped a beat with excitement.
She had never had a family to call hers not to talk of this wealthy family.
Has God really given her another chance to enjoy what she hadn't gotten the luxury of enjoying in her previous life?
Lydia's eyes twitched with excitement as she nursed this thought. Then
Rose had led her through some giants doors, entering a foyer that could have housed her entire previous apartment building.
But Lydia's awe died the moment she saw the two figures sitting together on an elegant sofa in the expansive living room.
Blood suddenly stopped to flow to her feet and she stood rooted to a spot even as Rose pulled her hand.
"What is this?" Her brows furrowed in shock and confusion.
One of the figures, a man, was distinguished and dark-haired, wearing an expensive suit that emphasized his still-handsome features despite being in his late fifties. He was patiently reading the newspapers.
The woman beside him was equally elegant, her blonde hair styled perfectly, her designer dress and jewelry speaking of refined taste and unlimited resources, a glass of wine in her hand.
They were older now, more sophisticated, but Lydia would recognize those faces anywhere.
She had stared at them in photographs for months. These were those people, weren't they?
"The two people that..."
Rose sensed her boss's sudden stillness and leaned close to whisper, cutting through her shocked, unbelievable thoughts:
"Those are your parents, Lolo."
This confirmed her doubt and her lips parted. She had wanted to scream in horror but what came out from her mouth was a desperate whisper.
"No, this isn't possible."
The two people sitting before her: the people who had apparently raised and loved the body she now inhabited, were... Looking so much like Amanda Dante and Lucien Lowell.
The same two people who had scammed her, stolen her life savings, and murdered her in cold blood in her previous life.
"This can't be happening!" Lydia's voice was louder now, rising with hysteria.
The man dropped his newspapers to narrow his gaze at her while the woman dropped her glass and rose from her seat.
Whether it was concern or something else, more like exasperation etching on the couple's faces, Lydia couldn't tell.
"Darling..." the woman said began, spreading out her arms to hug her as she walked closer.
Lydia's ears rang painfully... This was definitely Amanda's voice.
Her legs instinctively took her back and a scream tore from her throat.
"Don't touch me!"
Rose tried to hold Lydia's hand in an attempt to calm her, believing this was just a panic attack as a result of the accident but Lydia was beyond rational thought.
She was staring into the faces of her murderers.
And they were calling her daughter.
Who would accept this horrifying twist in their second life?