Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
After leaving Xander Residence, Daniella was consumed with thoughts on how to obtain River’s hair, but her focus was interrupted by a text message from Nic.
[I don’t have enough money. Transfer more funds to my account.]
Daniella clenched her phone, frustration evident in her reply. [I just gave you 14,000 dollars last month.]
[I spent a fortune on plastic surgery! You’re with Noah now. How dare you claim to be broke!]
Daniella’s eyes turned red as she seethed with anger.
[I never asked Noah for a single penny.]
[I don’t care. You have access to his office, don’t you? Just steal a valuable secret and sell it for at hefty sum!]
[Are you out of your mind? If Noah finds out, it’ll be the end of me.]
[What are you so afraid of? Find a way to frame River for it. You despise her, don’t you? You must give me 70,000 dollars within two weeks. If you don’t, I’ll reveal our secrets to Noah.]
As Daniella glanced at the daunting sum, her eyes widened in disbelief.
The thought of obtaining any valuable secret related to MK worth more than 70,000 dollars seemed like a way out of her predicament with Nic.
With a deep breath, she clicked on her bank account savings, staring at the remaining balance of 7,000 dollars. Her mind raced as she delved into deep contemplation
On Friday night, River and Paige decided to go shopping at a maternal and child store in the city mall after their meal.
The array of cribs on display left Paige in awe. “River, can your rental house fit such a large crib?” she inquired curiously.
River’s worry became apparent as she pondered the question. “Maybe I should buy a house. It won’t be convenient to stay in a rental unit once I have kids,” she mused aloud. 2
Paige chimed in, concerned about the cost. “How much do you have saved up? Buying a house in Novamere City isn’t cheap.”
River parted her lips, ready to respond, but her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden recollection of the email she had received earlier in the day.
After a moment of silence, she finally confessed to Paige, “Paige, I want to further my studies.”
“Further your studies?” Paige looked at her friend with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
“What are you going to study?”
River proceeded to share the details of the incident with Paige, who slowly widened her eyes in surprise.
“River, pursuing higher education is a wonderful decision, and you have my full support! But have you considered the financial aspect? Moreover, you’ll be embarking on this journey alone, with three children. It sounds like something out of a fantasy story,” Paige remarked, expressing her concerns.
River kept her gaze lowered. “I have considered the challenges, but this opportunity means everything to me. I don’t want to let it slip away,” she admitted.
“Ms. Healy?”
Just as she spoke those words, River heard someone calling her name from nearby.
She turned her head and recognized the young secretary who used to be her intern at MK. The secretary appeared surprised to see River at the maternal and child store.
“Ms. Healy, it’s you! What brings you here?” the secretary asked, approaching River.
River’s expression stiffened momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure and replied,
“My friend is shopping here, so I came along with her.”
The secretary looked at River with a puzzled expression, having overheard their conversation about three children earlier.
Paige quickly intervened, attempting to cover for River. “My sister… She’s about to give birth. soon, so I asked River to accompany me for gift shopping.”
The secretary gave a dubious nod before asking. “Will you be returning to the company, Ms.
Healy?”
River shook her head. “No, I won’t. How have you been?” she inquired politely.
The secretary let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s not talk about that. Ever since you left, Mr. De Marco has been losing his temper every day. He has fired a few secretaries who made mistakes, and the remaining ones work in constant fear,” she revealed 1
River sank into a contemplative silence, realizing that Noah’s temper hadn’t iniproved. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had truly treated her any differently or if it only stemmed from his obsession with controlling and possessing her.
‘It’s as if the dog he kept for three years suddenly ran away. It’s natural to feel uneasy in such a situation, River thought to herself.
In a perfunctory manner, River replied, “You should work hard then.”
The young secretary seemed caught in a dilemma as she looked at River.
“Ms. Healy, can I seek your advice if I face any difficulties at work? I’m afraid Mr. De Marco will fire me if I don’t perform well. You know that my grandma…”
River was moved by the secretary’s situation. She realized that this woman had experienced similar hardships to her own past.
Nodding, River said, “Of course, I’ll do my best to help.” ”
The secretary thanked River excitedly and repeatedly. ‘Thank you, Ms. Healy. I need to buy a gift for my nephew’s one–month celebration. Goodbye, Ms, Healy.”
However, as River watched her depart, her eyes slightly darkened.
‘A nephew? I recall that her family has had only one child for three generations. How does she suddenly have a nephew? Is it a distant relative?‘ River wondered.
“River!” Paige’s voice pulled River out of her trance.
River turned to Paige, still lost in her thoughts. “What’s the matter?”
Paige scowled at River. “I called your name several times. What were you thinking? You seemed completely absorbed in something.”
Shaking her head, River asked, “How long was she standing there earlier?”
Paige pursed her lips. “We were just separated by a shelf. I don’t know how much she heard.”
River stood there, feeling uncertain.
It wasn’t that she feared the secretary might divulge something to Noah, but she knew that they had each other’s contact information. If the secretary was genuinely concerned about being fired, she wouldn’t have waited until now.
Rubbing the space between her brows, River found herself torn. “Is it because I’m pregnant? Is that why I’m becoming more paranoid?”
After the secretary paid for her purchases, she left the maternal and child store. Then, she quickly found a relatively secluded spot, pulled out her phone and texted Daniella.
[Ms. Love, I did what you asked me to. As for the money…]
[Thank you. I’ll pay you 1,400 dollars first. When you come to work on Monday, I’ll teach you how to do it.]
The young secretary received the money and glanced at the maternal and child store with a gloomy expression. She didn’t fully understand Daniella’s intentions, but she had no choice in this matter. She had to wrong River for the sake of her grandmother’s medical expenses.
River did not lay idle for two days. She focused on refining her design and improving her concept. She also went house–hunting with Paige.
They discussed the details extensively, as River still needed a place to settle down after coming back from her studies.
Considering she would have three children, she needed to plan the space accordingly. The house couldn’t be too small, but it also couldn’t be too costly.
Sitting in the passenger seat, River grew worried as she looked at the rows of residential buildings ahead.
“River, I just had an idea!” Paige exclaimed, patting River’s arm excitedly. She seemed radiant with delight.
River rubbed her arm helplessly and asked, “What is it?”
Paige explained, “You mentioned the other day that Mr. De Marco gifted you a house after buying one for Daniella, right?”
River immediately shook her head. ‘Don’t even consider it. I left the property ownership certificate at Villa Rosa. I didn’t take it with me because I don’t want to live under his control in the future. I don’t want to be constantly subjected to his whims and end up affecting my children’s lives.”
Paige’s eyes widened angrily. “You’re so naive! Why don’t you learn to be as shameless as that pretentious woman?”
River sighed, feeling quite helpless.
As Paige mentioned Daniella, River realized there had been no news about Nic recently.
“Has Daniella’s little lover reappeared?” she asked.
“He seems to have gone missing. But I found some leads. I wanted to verify them before telling you,
River adjusted her posture. “Tell me. What did you find?” (1
“I became suspicious when you mentioned Robin the other day. It was always the same man following Daniella after the person I hired started stalking her. So, I had my friend in a relevant department look up two names for me: Robin and Nic. Guess what my friend found?”
“Based on the photo I saw, Nic is Robin. His real name is Nicholas Robinson, but he’s currently missing.”
River was stunned,
Nicholas Robinson…
When there was no news about someone, it meant they were either intentionally covering their tracks or–didn’t exist at all.
River furrowed her brow. “Do you have a hacker among the people you hired?”
“Yes, we do, but the hacker isn’t very skilled. I’m afraid we won’t be able to dig deeper,” Paige replied.
“What about call logs and bank transfer records?”