CHAPTER 1- The new Lyra Styles
Lisa's POV
The day my world collapsed began with a news report.
I remember it so clearly—sitting on the old couch in my apartment, half-wrapped in a blanket, eating cold cereal straight from the box. The television hummed in the background, tuned to a channel I rarely watched. But that morning, fate played cruelly with the remote of my life.
"Lyra Styles, the CEO of the famous and biggest shareholder company known as Babel Enterprises, committed sucide by jumping from a high cliff. Her body is yet to be found but she left a suicidal note before she passed..." I stopped there and couldn't watch the news again.
The cereal box slipped from my hand.
No.
I sat up, heart thudding wildly in my chest. "No, no, no…" I whispered, scrambling for the remote, replaying the news. My fingers trembled as I stared at her photo on the screen. It was her. Same face. Same dark hair. Same piercing eyes.
My twin.
Lyra.
I hadn't seen her in years—fifteen, to be exact—but I'd never forgotten her face. We were mirror images once, born minutes apart, joined by blood and a bond the world never knew existed.
Because no one did know.
Only a handful of people—our late grandparents and a distant aunt—knew that Maria and Edmund Stone had twin daughters. But when they divorced in a bitter, vicious fight, I went with our mother. Lyra stayed with our father. I became Lisa Stone, later Lisa Blake, when my mother remarried. Lyra remained Lyra Stone—later Lyra Styles, the perfect daughter, the heiress.
She lived a life of wealth and diamonds. I lived one of secondhand clothes and quiet resentment towards my parents.
We were five when we were torn apart. Too young to understand but old enough to remember. Our mother never spoke about the past. Our father vanished like smoke. I grew up wondering what became of my other half, if she remembered me, if she still wore her hair in pigtails the way we did the day we were separated.
Years passed. I stopped asking questions. Then one day, I saw her again.
On a magazine cover.
Lyra Styles: The Billionaire's Bride.
She'd married into the Styles family—wealthy, powerful, ruthless. A family whose name could bend laws and swallow companies whole. I stared at that glossy cover for hours, stunned. She looked the same, only colder, more fragile somehow. I considered reaching out—but I didn't. Our worlds were galaxies apart.
Until the news came. That horrible, gut-wrenching headline.
I couldn't believe she'd done it. Suicide? No. That wasn't the sister I remembered. That wasn't Lyra.
I collapsed on the ground, crying uncontrollably with my tears flowing like a river. Everything looked so unreal.
"W-Why! How could they come to a conclusion without proper investigation? L-lyra will never, ever take her own life.." I said sobbing.
I took a deep breath and stood up, trying to be brave. "No, I need to find out the real cause of Lyra's death. I will find the monsters that killed my sister and has the audacity to disguise it as sucide".
The next day, as I walked out of the airport. The familiar breaths and sounds of Times Square filled my heart.
It was as busy and crazy as usual, filled with many fun people and I just stood reminiscing about the old days, taking it all in and feeling a mix of emotions.
The bright lights and billboards were just as impressive as I remembered. Everything looked the same, like not a single thing had changed after all these years.
It's been a long time since I left the city and I never believed for a second that I'll be back here, especially for the reason I was here.
Life had taken some unexpected turns, and here I was.
A driver approached me, "Ma'am where are you heading to?"
"I'm going to a hotel," I said, handing my bags to him.
"Okay ma" he replied as he directed me to his taxi and drove off.
As I got to the hotel room, I just layed on the bed with different thoughts running through my mind.
I took the remote control and put the television on.
I was irritated at the sight I saw on the screen.
"I-I'm sorry, I never knew Lyra was depressed and taking antidepressants pills under my roof and even to the extent of taking her life" he stopped for a while and cried.
Julian continued, "I feel like a bad husband and I should be held responsible for the death of my wife".
Evelyn, my supposed sister in law added to the little drama, " I should have paid more attention my lovely sister in law, she was more than a wife to my brother but also a sister to me".
I got angry and disgusted at the sight of them, I just felt like something was off and these were fake tears and little drama to distract the public.
At this moment, I felt more determined to find out what really happened to Lyra and the people behind her suffering.
The next morning, I woke up early, feeling ready for the big day. I put on a black gown and shoe that seemed to fit the occasion.
"Stop!" I said in a loud voice, as I walked into the burial ground filled with reporters and Julian's family members.
"L-Lyra" Julian stuttered.
"How are you here? What happened? Or am I daydreaming?" he asked in shock.
I could see how surprised and scared everyone looked but of course, I didn't blame them.
I looked exactly like my twin sister, Lyra. Our faces were identical, we had the same color of brown eyes, black hair, dimples and small shaped lips.
I knew that anyone who didn't know us intimately, would find it hard to distinguish between us.
I played along, "My lovely husband, I got saved by a stranger and I'm lucky to be alive".
Evelyn stood frozen beside Julian scared and more surprised than the others.
"It's a lie, you're not real. Who do you think you are to come here and act as my lovely sister in law, Lyra".
I walked towards Evelyn but at every step I took, she backed away.
"It's me Lyra, your dear sister in law. You can touch my hands to confirm if it's true or not" I said, stretching out my hands.
Evelyn fearfully touched my hands and removed it immediately.
"H-how? How is it possible?" She stuttered.
"What do you mean? Are you not happy to see me?" I asked.
I turned to face Julian who just stood frozen and mute, " Baby, haven't you missed me? Aren't you going to give me a hug?" I said as I touched his shoulders facing him.
"Sure, I've missed you too baby. I'm just surprised and very happy at the same time. I don't know how to react to the fact that you're alive, my beautiful wife" he said as he hugged me tightly.
As we hugged, I looked at Evelyn who didn't seem happy but put on a fake smile on her face hiding her true emotions.
"Mrs Lyra, why did you commit sucide?" A reporter asked in a loud voice.
"What made you depressed? And why didn't you seek proper care instead?" Another reporter asked.
"Is there something you would like to share with the public?" Questions kept firing off from one reporter to another as they all rushed to approach me but were stopped by some private guards.
"Ma'am, this way" one of the guards ushered me to the car.
The drive home was a quiet and long one.
We finally got home, and as I entered the building, the housekeepers couldn't help but stare at me in shock too.
"M-ma" one of the maids stuttered as I walked past her.
"My lovely son, you're back…" Georgina said as she froze at my presence looking at me completely confused and scared as her hands trembled.
Just then, a big black German shepherd came rushing at me with full speed.
As I turned to see the dog approaching me, my legs and hands trembled in fear but I clenched them into fists, withholding my fear and determined to stand my ground.
The thoughts of Lyra filled my head and how she would want me to be strong.