The Best Man's Speech

1: Pilot

✵ LYRA ✵

I, Lyra Van Hayes, was the youngest of my three siblings, two brothers and one sister. We were born in the boy-girl-boy-girl order. One after the other, with two years between us... at the most. Derin was the oldest of us and was married off to a doctor, it was a love marriage that took place in work. I won't lie, I was always jealous of the love that Derin had with Victoria, it was so cute. And on top of that, she looked like a model.

Meia was my older sister and was engaged... for a year. She was always there for me and used to work with my dad, in his company. But now she works with her fiancé, Nathaniel... also known as Nathan or Nate, in his brother's business. She wanted to pursue her dreams away from the family and got that. She met Nate at a business party in Venice, they were guests there. But neither of them were the spotlight thieves, Nate was there to support his best friend's business growth, despite having his own successful business, while my sister was there under my father's control. And they both snuck off to explore Venice together... at night.

Whereas, my twin brother, Michael, he is older than me by twelve minutes, and trust me when I say this: he takes advantage of the twelve minute fact and basically blackmails me for his own greed. He would ask me to hide his secrets and do as he says... well that happened when we were younger, but now we rarely have time for each other, mostly because he is too busy running my dad's company, Hayes Incorporation... sort of. He is actually preparing to take over it. He started to work on it before graduating from university, just to ensure that his future was stable while he studied. I won't lie but he is doing very well at his job... but the only concern that my father has, regarding Mike, is his relationship status of playboy.

That's my family for you, but less about them and more about my life today... I have to attend to my boss before his board meeting, at Crowned Enterprises. I have been working there for slightly more than a year and a half now. I figured it was the closest place to home, also because it was the only place my parents would ever allow me to work at... other than my dad's company... which I was so desperately trying to run from and avoid getting in to. I wanted my own career, one that I could make on my own.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, analysing the tiny details of my outfit before feeling contented with it. I wanted to dress casually yet formally, so decided to wear a dress with a matching blazer. I completed the outfit with the inclusion of my silver heels and black side purse. Despite me being my boss' PA, I was made to dress in a specific way, since I was my father's daughter and had to work beside Mr Stone... it was expected of me.

"Mom!" I screamed as I ran down the stairs, in a rush to leave the house.

"Lyra! Come back in here!" My mother shouted, making me oblige to her before heading to my dad's office.

"Yes mom?" I asked her, coyly.

"Eat your breakfast before you leave." She instructed me as I plopped my body onto the chair by the table. Michael pushed a plate towards me as he sat opposite me, it was filled with the components of an English breakfast: baked beans, egg, bacon and toast.

"Thanks." I said aloud to my brother before watching my father walk into the kitchen, a decorative card in his hand. "Honey. Seems like we've been invited to Meia's wedding." I glared at my brother as he began to boisterously laugh at the statement.

I kicked him on his leg, under the table, making him shut up after he cried out of pain, "Ouch!" I looked back up at my father and watched him hand out several copies of the card out, one for each of us, under our names, "There's one for everyone, other than you and I... we have to share a card."

"She did say she'd mail us the invitation to show us what the final design of it was." My mother replied, before laying out the last plate on the table, for herself. All four of us were settled down for breakfast and began to dig in while discussing Meia's wedding. "I can't believe this is actually happening." My mother whispered as she stared in awe at the elegantly designed card that lay in front of her.

"But why didn't she just send pictures of it, instead of mailing one to each of us?" Mother questioned as she stared at the identical cards that Michael and I were holding on to.

"Oh... that was our idea." I answered, gesturing at him and I. I watched my mother look at us confusingly. I was about to explain it, but my brother beat me to it. "We needed to ensure that her wedding guests were invited and gave them cards. Anyone who was not family was given an electronic invitation with the details of the date and time and location, as in country and town... no more details than that were included. They had to RSVP a month before the invitations were given out. So that we knew whether or not they were coming, and if they were coming with anyone else."

"It's to ensure that she is completely safe, alongside the guests who attend her wedding." I continued off to ensure that my mom saw the rational side of things. I smiled back to her when she nodded in understanding.

"Finish eating quickly love. You will be late for work today." My father warned me as I stuffed food in my face while Michael just watched me eat like a weirdo... which as mother would say is very unlady-like.