LOGINShare
22
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 23
20 MINUTES EARLIERCADEN'S POV"Everyone, can I get your attention..." I tapped my glass gently as everyone took their glasses up, thinking I'm calling for a toast."Thank you, everyone, for coming to my engagement. It means a lot. I'm sorry to have wasted your money and your time for you to drive here, but the engagement is off..." Everyone gasped as Cora made her way to me."What are you saying, honey? Did you drink too much..." She chuckled frantically, dismissing my words like they didn't mean anything."I'm not drunk. I'm sorry, Cora , but I'm in love with someone else..." I told her. That wasn't the real reason, but using Willow indirectly as an excuse seemed to be to my advantage."And who is that?" she asked, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes."I can't tell you..." Everyone gasped, not expecting this to happen."Well, you better change your mind because all these people came here to see us engaged..." She spat."That's why I apologized; you'll be heavily compensated. Yo
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 24
TRISTAN'S POVThe podium crashes down, trapping me, and the fire's relentless advance shrouds everything in thick, black smoke. I struggle to see through the darkness, and with each breath, the harsh smoke tightens its grip on my lungs, leaving my throat parched and cutting off precious oxygen.Violent coughs rack my body as the fire rages, devouring everything in its path. My desperate gaze darts towards the elevator, but hesitation creeps in – a risky move, the fire might have invaded its metal confines. I contemplate the stairs; the carpet beneath me already melts, a precursor to the scorching danger ahead. Without a second thought, I sprint through the small, confining space, but disaster strikes as the rail breaks, burning and collapsing in the stairwell's heart. The heat intensifies, trapped in the confined space, amplifying my violent coughs. In a frantic moment, I shed my outer jacket, smothering the flicker of fire as I press onward, determined, up the stairs.In the midst of
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 25
TRISTAN'S POVAscending the stairs with urgency, my steps echoed, almost reaching the first floor. In the fiery blur, a fleeting figure descended; my heart raced, hoping for Willow. My disappointment deepened as Caden emerged. Descending to the inferno below, our eyes locked in a silent exchange amid the scorching flames, halting us both in an eerie standoff."Turn back, you're going to die," he grinned, a smug expression etched on his face. I pondered if that arrogance would wither away if he found himself engulfed in the flames he so callously dismissed."Move out of my way!" I shouted, determined to push forward, ignoring his taunts."Why should I? She's just an object," he hinted, referring to Willow. He knew she was up there but showed no inclination to help or persuade her to retreat. The tension heightened in the stairwell as our clash of wills unfolded."Everyone's just an object to you, isn't it? Easily discarded if deemed useless. Why call off the engagement while I was still
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 26
TRISTAN'S POV"She isn't Breathing." The nurse said as I pushed her away and made my way to Willow, who wasn't Breathing.I held her palm, checking her pulse; it went cold. Attempting to check her heartbeat, I was abruptly pulled out of the ambulance by two police officers."Stand by, citizen. Don't you see they are trying to do their job?" one of the policemen said as the back of the ambulance shut, and it started driving away."Willow..." I yelled as I raced to Jaxon, demanding his keys."Tristan, calm down," Jaxon said."How can I calm down? My mother's dead and Willow isn't breathing," I exclaimed."That doesn't mean we don't care for Willow too. We're worried too, okay," Hailey interjected."Then give me the keys," I insisted."Tristan ..." Jaxon half-yelled."Give him the keys, Jaxon. If she dies, don't come home," Hailey said, giving me a cold stare—the kind she gives her victims before she does away with them. Hailey may look like a stripper, and she is, but she's also a killer
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 27
CADEN'S POVMy face was ruined as the nurse tried to apply ointment and bandage the burnt part, while everyone looked at me in disgust. I was escorted to my limo with my entourage as we all drove away from the scene."Prepare a trip to Australia," I said abruptly, shocking everyone in the car."Why Australia?" one of them asked."That engagement cost me a fortune, and that bitch just burnt the building down. Her life isn't a well enough trade. After what she did to my face, her relatives will have a share in her punishment by joining her in hell. Book my private jet to Australia, and load on gunpowder and petrol. They will die the Same way she did," I declared with a chilling determination."As you wish, sir," they replied, the gravity of my command sinking in.TRISTAN'S POVI took an elevator to the third floor as my heart dropped at the thought Willow would die any moment now. She can't die; she won't die. I kept that mantra on repeat; it was my only hope, the only thing I could hold
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 28
HAILEY'S POVAs I and Jaxon opted for a taxi, Tristan drove off in the car. My phone rang with Tristan's name flashing on the screen. "She better be alive," I muttered anxiously. Answering the call, a female voice asked, "Is this Hailey?" Fearing the worst, I snapped, "Is Tristan fooling around with someone else?" The caller, a nurse from Cambridge Hospital, clarified, "No, I'm a nurse at Cambridge Hospital downtown." Confused and angry, I demanded, "Why do you have my brother's phone?" The nurse's grave reply hit me like a ton of bricks: "Your brother is teetering on the brink of death at the hospital right now.""Wait, what? Is Willow dead?" I gasped."I assume that is the name of the patient that just woke up after almost dying. I can't explain it right now, he's about to jump." I cut the call before I could hear the rest."Step on it, bastard." I brought out my gun as I pointed it over his head."But we can't go past the speed limit, the cops could arrest me.""Hailey, what are you
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 29
29TRISTAN'S POV "She's alive, Tristan," Hailey said, trying to convince me to step away from the edge."Then where is she?" I yelled out, infuriated."Tristan, I'm here." I turned to see Willow in a wheelchair with a drip attached to her hand as the nurse wheeled her closer towards me."Willow?" I said in a faint tone. Words can't describe how I feel right now."Are you Tristan ?" she asked as my brows furrowed."Excuse me?" I asked, confused. She just asked me a weird question."What are you talking about? Are you OK?" I asked as she squinted her eyes, trying to check if I might be familiar to her."I don't know you. I'm sorry, am I supposed to?" That sentence broke my heart into a billion pieces. How could she say that?"What did you do to her?" My eyes darted back to the nurse, who swallowed hard."I... I'm sorry. It was the only way to revive her to her conscious self.""What did you do...?" Hailey asked, running to Willow."Hailey ..." Willow hugged Hailey tightly, not letting h
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 30
TRISTAN TWO WEEKS LATERI've been in Willow's ward for the past two weeks, ordering her food, helping her take her drugs, and keeping her company almost every hour. Hailey starts to complain that I've been clingy, but she's pathetic. I'm only doing this so that she would get better soon and hopefully remember me.As for the nurse, she was suspended and given a year's leave for operating a dangerous procedure without the doctor's consent. However, she was later suspended for six months after it was known that Willow didn't suffer any of the side effects.Willow laid on her bed quietly, trying to avoid eye contact with me, as if she was now afraid of me."You don't really have any memory of me," I said, and she sighed and nodded."Do you at least remember your family?" I asked, hoping to get a conversation started since she wouldn't talk to me after physically witnessing me trying to murder that nurse."I don't really know much, but I think my mom was a doctor. She took me in after she
Latest chapter
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 98
Willow's POVAfter I got my shift off, behold, I saw Hailey . She rocked black ripped jeans and an imprinted denim crop top. I wouldn't believe her if they said she recently gave birth; talk of she put to birth early, and guess what? Twins! I'm so happy for her and Tristan, and recently they got married. I swear Jaxon has his hands full with a boy and a girl; the boy's name is Allister, and the girl's name is Willow."I thought you were in London," I said as she pulled me into a hug."I'm on the run, and I missed you, and Jaxon wouldn't permit me, so I stole a jet and came here. So, how's the hospital?" she asked, clinging tightly to my arm and pulling me away from the hospital."Great! I'm getting full validation having over the hospital documents. You are free to call me Doctor Willow," I teased."After you go to med school," she said, ignoring my protests."Hey, I've not fully checked out yet," I cried, but she didn't listen."Jaxon is on the lookout for me, and I don't have much t
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 97
WILLOW'S POV"What if he doesn't like me?" Tina panicked, jolting back and escaping from my grip."He's my dad, and I'm sure he'll be happy to welcome you into his heart," I said as she looked into the community center for old people. It's been five months now, and she's nervous about meeting Dad.We've both had lots of time together to bond, and I'm sure she forgives me for the whole stealing her boyfriend thing, I think.My dad recently woke up from his coma, and Tristan permitted us both to see him. It didn't matter, though, because we were both going to go anyways."How do you know he will like me?" she said, clinging tightly to the frames of the door. Tina Mendoza, nervous? I think not."You've strutted the runway, eaten competition, and broken your competitors, and you're afraid of meeting your stepfather. Tina, he's heard so much about you and really wants to see you. Show him the real Tina Mendoza," I said as she let go of the frames and hugged me."It's Tina Shawn Davis to yo
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 96
WILLOW'S POVI'm in a wedding dress, and all eyes land on me. I feel very uneasy; they won't stop staring. Maybe it's because they are surprised to see a bride at an airport. Markus said we are getting married the moment we land in Croatia and start a new life away from troubles. As pleasant as all that sounds, I feel like I'm leaving a big part of me behind, like an other half, but every time I try to remember, nothing comes.It's my turn to pass through the metal detector. It scans for any metal but dings green. I prayed for it to ding red so that I might be held back, but it didn't. Markus took me by my hand, ushering me to the plane he booked. I can't believe it, and I don't know why I'm feeling miserable. The cloud is heavy, and it looks like it was about to rain. Maybe lightning will strike the plane because death is optional. Right now, I don't want to leave, but I'm afraid to tell Markus ; the way he reacted earlier scared me."Are you ready?" he said as our luggage was being
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 95
WILLOW'S POVThe nurse keeps asking me questions about who Tristan Donovan is. I don't even remember how I got here. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but did I just have an operation or plastic surgery that I don't remember anything? A doctor walked in with a cunning grin. I looked down. I'm wearing a wedding dress in a hospital. Something is definitely wrong because weddings and hospitals don't mix."Willow, you are alive. I thought those hitmen would finally get to you, but I made sure you wouldn't pass into the cold hands of death," he said, walking towards me. I feel like he's a bad omen or something."Who are you, and why am I in a wedding dress?" I asked."We were about to get married, but this man tried to kill you. He's already arm's length away from you, and to be safe, we need to leave the country," he said, showing me a picture of a man I think I remember but can't."Why?" I asked."I'm afraid you are not safe here. We will be departing from the hospital to the airpor
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 94
WILLOW'S POVBeing escorted by bodyguards, I slowly wiped my tears dry. I didn't like what I was about to do, but I had no choice. As I reached where Tristan was being held captive, I tapped gently, even though I didn't have to, before letting myself in.Tristan, pale and looking almost dead, brightened up. His eyes lit up in hope upon seeing me, as if he had been awaiting my arrival."What took you so long, and what's with the wedding dress?" he asked with a faint smile. His smile was so contagious that I looked down to the floor. It hurt so much coming here, it hurt so much seeing him in person, I felt soulless and inhumane to even be here to tell Tristan what Markus wanted me to say to him."I hate you." I started. It felt as if I got punched on my throat. "I don't love you anymore," my heart bled on mentioning that, it wasn't any better but I thought it might soften the blow."What exactly are you trying to say?" he asked."You're not deaf; you heard me. Like you said, you don't b
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 93
JAXON'S POV"Willow... Willow..." I yelled at the top of my voice over the phone, but I got no reply until I heard a scream, and eventually, the call hung up."What happened?" Sam asked, wearing a worried look, waiting for my reply."He got her..."WILLOW'S POVYawning, my eyes slightly opened to everything white. A sharp sensation hit my head as I tried bearing the migraines. I attempted to massage my temples, but my hand was pulled back; clearly, I was chained to a hospital bed. I looked around, seeing pedals on the floor. I struggled with my chains to break free, but they were solid metal. I felt a sharp sting at my arm. Why did it hurt so much? Oh right... I remembered that bastard shot me, and I bled so much. But how am I still alive? I think I lost a lot of blood.I looked down to see myself clad in a wedding gown. I could hear wedding bells playing, but how was that possible when I was chained to a hospital bed? There was a TV in the middle of the room."Help!" I yelled at the
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 92
JAXON'S POVI looked into the files with Tina's laptop, logging into my email to receive whatever Willow sent, but she cut the call. As we clicked on the file, it was called "Black File.""They look like normal computer programming to me," I said after minutes of searching, unsure of what Sam touched, logging us into another program."That's strange, these are all files of security tapes at the hospital where Caden got his surgery, but they look hidden," Tina said."And these look like contacts for the explosion of a plane to Ukraine," Sam added. "And these are contacts to the goons that chased us," she added as I got back into focus."That's not the only thing. Look at this, Willow is the rightful owner and heir to everything. This is Clara's original will, but in digital form because she left Valentina , which is Tina, some property," I said."It makes sense. That's why Clara wrote that secret message on the will. She was forced to write that fake will. Clara never willed Willow," S
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 91
91 "Mr. Donovan , you have a visitor," one of the cops yelled as they opened up the cell and cuffed me violently, escorting me to the visiting room. They pushed me into the room, instructing me to sit down on the chair while I wait for my visitor. I hope it's Willow. She hasn't picked up my calls, and I haven't heard from her. The only phone call I had, I used it to call her, but she didn't pick up. It's like she disappeared. The door opened, and my eyes lit up in hope but were crushed later on as Tina made her way in. I didn't spare her a look. All I wanted to see was Willow, but she's nowhere to be heard from. She grinned, sitting down on the chair opposite me, bringing out a plastic takeout and pushing it towards me as she gestured for me to eat, but I refused. "Come on, Tristan, eat up, please," she pleaded. I froze. I didn't want to eat anything. All I could think about was Willow. "Is Willow okay?" those were the only words that escaped my lips. She hissed at my reply, frow
SOLD TO THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE 90
WILLOW'S POV "But Willow, your mother knew she was going to die and she knew her killer. I'm sorry, but I think Tristan killed Clara..." Sam said. "It's not true..." I violently shook the table, driving both Rhett and Sam away from me. "Willow, is there any other proof? The evidence is right before our very eyes. Tristan killed Clara." "He didn't kill my mom, OK? This is just a coincidence..." I growled, trying to convince myself she's wrong. She has to be wrong. "Raelynn and Clara's clearly state someone was going to kill her, and it all points to Tristan . Tell me it's just a joke that you think he's innocent..." she said as I got up. "They didn't write Tristan's name, did they? And why would Tristan want to kill my mom? The government was after me, not Tristan . This doesn't make sense," I sighed in frustration. "Didn't you see the news? He killed Caden and probably burnt down his property... And it was just confirmed that he killed Caden with identified evidence. You
