As I slowly made my way to the door, I filled my lungs with air. I swallowed hard and pulled the door open.
“WELCOME HOME, LILIBETH!” everyone inside the room greeted me in unison the moment my feet stepped inside.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and then looked up at them, smiling. The Phoenixes are my family, and they wholeheartedly accepted me as their own, so what more could I ask for? Despite the number of misfortunes in my life, God was still good to me. He gave me an incredible gift in the form of the child in my womb and a family who loves and cares for me.
“I'm glad to finally have you here, darling.” Leilani came to me and laid a soft peck on my cheek. “You make this old woman very happy.” She then gave me a smile that made her look ten years younger.
“You're not that old,” I told her. “In fact, you could be mistaken for my mother. Who would guess you're sixty years old?”
A wide grin appeared on Leilani's lips. “I'm flattered to hear those words from my only granddaughter,” she replied as we walked toward where Sophia and Philip were standing.
“Finally, you're here, Lilibeth.” Sophia came to me, eagerly hugging me tight. “Now that you're here, I want to make up for the wasted years in our lives. We will treat you like a princess.”
She kissed me on the cheeks and stepped aside so Philip could have his moment with me. Philip, a man of few words, came to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “You are now our precious princess, and I will never let anyone hurt you again,” he promised. Philip released me, and my six brothers also came to welcome me with hugs.
“Welcome home,” one of them spoke. I guessed he was the oldest among them, not because he appeared older but because he possessed an authority that surpassed the others.
Still unsure how to respond, I gave him a shy smile.
“Who could have thought that you are really our sister? Life is indeed full of surprises,” he added.
Instantly, our first encounter came to mind. I remembered him walking inside the restaurant and looking at me with a startled expression on his face. My first impression of him was that he was incredibly good-looking, while he thought of me as someone who resembled his grandmother in appearance. At that time, I thought he was only making fun of me, but I realized now he was telling the truth.
I also remembered the rest of them entering behind him and staring at me as though they had seen a ghost. The memory brought an amused smile to my lips. Who could have guessed they would turn out to be my brothers? It sounded like a scene straight from a movie, and it was unbelievable that it was what happened to me.
“I apologize. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Luis, the oldest brother,” he introduced himself to me. “I'm the most good-looking son,” he added, and as expected, the other men groaned in disapproval.
“I beg your pardon,” the bravest one contradicted. “I am King, the second oldest. As my name states, I'm far superior to the others; therefore, I'm the most good-looking.”
Clearing his throat, another spoke. “I am Levi. I'm not as handsome as these two claim, but I'm far more intelligent than these two idiots. I believe that intelligence is far more important than looks.”
“Who are you calling an idiot?” Luis glared at his brother.
“Shut up, you nerd. You couldn't even get a date because your nose is stuck in a book,” King butted in.
I bit my lips to suppress a smile while watching them argue with each other. They were like teenagers who couldn't get along, but still obviously cared for one another.
“Don't mind them,” another brother moved forward and spoke. When he smiled, deep dimples appeared on both of his cheeks. “I'm Zane. I'm happy that we finally found you. I always wished to have an older sister. I think my prayers have finally been answered.”
After he introduced himself, he gestured to the two remaining brothers who were quietly watching us. “This is Ezekiel and Elijah. They are twins and our youngest brothers. In my opinion, they are far more handsome than Luis and King,” he added to tease his older brothers.
“I beg to disagree,” King and Luis said simultaneously. They looked at each other and laughed as though they had forgotten they were arguing a while ago.
“Boys, stop pestering your sister. She's tired and needs some rest,” Leilani said. She took me by the arm and ushered me toward the stairs. “I will accompany you to your room upstairs. I know how tired you are from the trip. Sophia and Philip will entertain your friend, so don't worry about her.”
I didn't object as Leilani held my arm and climbed beside me on the grand staircase. I badly needed some rest. I hadn't had a decent sleep for days.
“After you rest, Sophia, Philip, and I will have an important talk.”
“About what?” I asked her.
“Your future, darling,” Leilani replied.
***
It was almost five when I finally woke up after hours of uninterrupted sleep. The trip to the Phoenix Mansion had been so long and exhausting that I immediately fell asleep just minutes after lying down on the bed.
Feeling well-rested and refreshed, I yawned and rose from the bed to fix myself. My gaze dropped to the wide-open window, and I saw that it was already dark outside.
I closed the drapes and then returned to the vanity mirror to brush my extremely long hair into submission. Afterwards, I remembered I hadn't changed my clothes when I arrived, so I opened the spacious built-in wardrobe on the side of the bed and found myself staring at a jaw-dropping collection of branded clothes.
YOU ARE READING
Billionaire's Pregnant Ex-wife
Romance[COMPLETED] Lily De Silva had been married to the devilishly handsome CEO of Bradford Enterprises for four years, but their marriage came to an abrupt end when he asked for a divorce due to her inability to bear him another son. Reluctantly, she let...
