chapter 5

Kate's POV

My eyes are forced open by a bright light. My head feels disoriented.

Where am I? Where is this? Am I dead already? Am I in paradise?. Anyway, I deserve it. I smile and close my eyes again. I’ve suffered enough; I should enjoy my life in this Afterlife.

“Katherine,” a soothing and gentle voice calls. Wow, that must be an angel!

I slowly open my eyes, and I’m not wrong. I’m in heaven, and there stands an angel. She is standing next to me.

I am on a bed that is very soft and shiny. The room is bright and calm, with pretty patterns on the walls. It smells nice and sounds peaceful. Like what paradise could be.

“Granddaughter, my beautiful granddaughter is back. I can’t believe I get to see you again,” the woman says. She is very old and barely standing. At that moment, I come to reality and jump off the bed.

“Where is this? Where am I here? How did I get here?” I ask, terrified, looking around. This place is wide, too wide to be just a bedroom.

“You are home,” the woman says.

I frown, digesting the word. “What do you say? I’m home?”

“Yes, my daughter, you are home! Your home, the Hera family you are from,” she says.

I blink and twitch my head. “The… Hera? The popular Hera?” I gasp.

“Yes, daughter, finally, you are back. The awaited empress of the Hera group. I can die peacefully now,” the old woman says, tears streaming from her eyes as she moves closer to me.

The Hera family is the largest and most influential in New York city, and one of the richest families in the country. The Hera family was almost wiped out many years ago, leaving only the matriarch, Mrs. Janet.

She stopped all business transactions and vowed never to hand over the company until the daughter of the former Hera CEO returned. People believed the child died during the attack, but Mrs. Janet was certain she was alive. The world awaits our return, as it will signify the resurgence of the Hera family and shake the business world. It’s a rumour that everyone in the city knows.

But… I’m apparently the awaited empress! That can’t be.

I squeeze my face, still lost. The old woman, apparently Mrs. Janet, smiles as she turns around and shows me her shoulder. There is a black spot with a unique figure. I pop out my eyes. The spot! I have it too!

“That... that...”

“Yes, it’s the unique family birthmark. Almost all members of the Hera family have it. This shows you the authenticity of who you are,” she says.

My heart beats fast. I can’t believe this. All this while, living my life suffering, I am the richest lady in the city.

I grew up in an orphanage. The name Kate was given to me as it was found on my clothes when I was a baby. They said I was found beside the road. I lived my life hard, as an outcast, then later got adopted by a family who saw me as an investment. I wasn’t even sent to high school. I started my career as a fashion designer I abandoned it to be with that cruel man! I even gave him all the money I made from it, but he cheated on me, burned down my baby’s corpse, and left me to die.

I break down and cry profusely.

Mrs. Janet drags me closer, her tears falling on my face as she cries.

“My dear granddaughter, I’m so sorry for your suffering. I’m the one who failed you. I should have found you sooner.” She holds me tight. If this is a dream, I pray I never wake up.

After many minutes of crying, I sober up and sit upright. My lips tremble as I am reluctant to say it, but I finally let it out, “Mo… ther.”

She smiles. “Yes, daughter, I can’t believe this! I can’t believe it’s finally happening. Now, the Hera family is back!”

There is some silence before she breaks it.

“Do you want revenge, Kate? They did you wrong, they mistreated you. Just one order and we will make them regret it!” she states, her eyes sparkling with indignation.

I stare at her for a few moments and nod, my voice trapped in my throat. “Yes, I want revenge… but not that way. I want to make them die slowly, toy with them, and, most especially, make Kyle regret divorcing me so much that he would want me back.”.

Mrs. Janet chuckles lightly. “I love that. Let’s begin. And that starts with transforming you into a Barbie that no man can walk by without dropping saliva!”