Her Return, His Regret

At the Davis & Co. Company.

Lora had a day when she received private consultations from VIP clients who wanted their jewelry designed by her.

Hannah walked into the office and announced, "Miss Davis, the last VIP client has arrived."

Lora looked up and nodded, "Send them in."

A few minutes later, the door opened and a beautiful striking woman with an elegant poise walked into the office.

Lora's eyes widened slightly when she saw who it was.

The client was none other than, Diane Kingsley, Ryan's sister.

Lora masked her surprise with a professional smile, her stomach knotting with nerves. Why was Diane here? Did Ryan send her?

'What do I have to do to get rid of Ryan completely?' She asked herself in her mind. After promising Jason that she would stay away from Ryan, she didn't want to be entangled with anyone who was close to him. "Good afternoon, Miss Kingsley-"

"Oh stop it, Lora. Call me Diane. I'm not into that formal stuff," Diane remarked enthusiastically as she invited herself to take a seat opposite Lora.

Lora smiled genuinely, feeling no bad intent from Diane. She replied, "Well then, Diane. What can I do for you?"

Diane glanced around the office and nodded in approval. She then turned her attention back to Lora and said, "I loved your work and I know I had purchased a lot of jewelry at the launch party but a lady needs more jewelry, right?" She laughed and added, "I wanted to have a piece customised by you... only your creativity can bring out my vision."

Lora nodded, feeling at ease with Diane. She had this warm personality that gave people a sense of belonging. Smiling, she offered, "I would love to hear what ideas you have and I'll try my best to bring them to life."

"Really?" Diane's eyes lit up. "I knew you could do it! Ok, let me tell you. I want..."

Diane went ahead to describe the details she would love to see on the necklace she wanted Lora to design and Lora listened patiently while writing down notes in her notebook.

"I want the details to be something that represents my family- my brother, grandpa, my late mom and Dad even though we don't really get along," Diane added and her voice suddenly trailed, a thought creeping into her mind as she stared at Lora. Sadness crept into her and she remarked, "You know what... the details should represent my sister-in-law too, she was part of my cherished family."

Lora's heart skipped a beat and the pen froze in her hand.

She forced a smile and said, "You must have loved her a lot."

"Of course I did!" Diane exclaimed and leaned over. "Remember when I called you Larisa? That's my brother's late wife. You two could pass off as identical twins!"

Lora blinked, unable to look Diane in the eyes. Diane had been good to her, so she felt bad about lying to her.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were my sister-in-law," Diane remarked.

Lora glanced at Diane and said, "A lot of people have mistaken me for Larisa. However, I'm not her. I'm Lora Davis, the CEO of Davis & Co."

Diane's eyes turned sad. She

dropped them and sighed before replying, "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It's not fair to compare you to another woman. It would have been better if my sister-in-law was still alive. Then maybe Ryan wouldn't have to marry that vicious woman."

She didn't like Ivy at all. As a woman, she could see through Ivy's wicked methods. The woman was a manipulator who had her claws lodged deep into her brother's flesh.

At first, Diane thought he was interested in Lora since he seemed to be paying attention to her, so when she heard that he had set the date for the ceremony, she knew he had fallen into Ivy's trap again.

Diane glanced at Lora and uttered, "Actually, my brother doesn't even love Ivy. He thought he loved her when they used to date but I know my brother better. The only reason he wants to marry her is because she saved him twice in the past."

Although Lora didn't want anything to do with Ryan, this was a matter that affected her relationship with Ryan in the past, so she couldn't help but listen to Diane.

"Ryan almost died when he was young," Diane continued, shocking Lora. "We were out on a vacation once and he suddenly had a cramp while swimming in the ocean. He was a good swimmer but at that

point, he couldn't do anything to net

save himself and Dad was busy with his wife and other daughter was ill that day, so I stayed in the hotel. It turned out that Ivy was at that place and she knew how to swim very well. She helped to bring him up to the surface and saved him from drowning. From that time, they became close and later started

dating when they were old enough."

"Later on, Ryan got kidnapped by a business opponent. Ivy saw him being kidnapped and tried to stop it but they ended up kidnapping her too. She ended up saving him again and got her legs broken in the process." Lora's eyes widened in shock. 'Ryan almost drowned when he was young?' She mused.

The kidnapping incident was news to her too... how come she didn't know the man she got married to had such a tragic past?

A complicated feeling crept into Lora. She glanced at Diane and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Diane shrugged and said, "I don't know... maybe it's because I miss Larisa so much and my brother's relationship with Ivy is frustrating me. Perhaps I needed to vent to someone."

When Diane left, Lora sat back in her seat, her mind reeling with thoughts...