Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
“You want to investigate that pretentious bitch?” Paige frowned. “Wait. I’ll make a call.”
She parked the car by the side of the road and made a phone call.
After gathering information, she looked at River. “It’s possible if you can get hold of that bitch’s
SIM card and use an RFID reader to extract the data from it.”
River’s eyes darkened slightly.
‘It’s going to be tricky. If I want to get close to Daniella and spend a significant amount of time with her, I might have to go to Villa Rosa.”
Taking a deep breath, River said, “Can we go to your friend now and get the RFID reader?”
Paige replied, “Sure!”
River arrived home at eight o’clock in the evening and sat on the sofa, examining the RFID
reader, which was about the size of a USB drive. If she wanted to go to Villa Rosa, she would have to let Noah take her there to avoid arousing Daniella’s suspicion.
After contemplating for a while, she picked up her phone and found Noah’s contact. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at his profile picture.
Tm sorry, she thought. I have no choice but to use you to gather the evidence. I can’t let the murderer lead a carefree and unscrupulous life.”
With that in mind, she composed a text and sent it to Noah
[Noah, I left something at your place. Are you free tomorrow night?]
Noah, who had just finished a long–distance video conference, noticed his vibrating phone out of the corner of his eye.
He immediately picked it up when he saw the text from River. His face grew gloomy as he read the message.
[111 ask Reuben to pick you up.]
After texting her back, he tossed the phone frustratedly onto the table.
Noah’s heart sank as he realized that she was the first person to contact him solely to retrieve something. If not for this pretext, she might never have a reason to reach out to him again
River felt a sense of relief upon receiving Noah’s response. The excuse about leaving something behind was just a ruse. Her real intention was to stay at Villa Rosa
On Monday night, Reuben arrived to pick up River. She entered the villa and saw Daniella lounging on the sofa, eating fruit.
When Daniella heard the noise at the door, she sat up. However, her expression turned hideous when she saw River. She was about to throw a tantrum but paused upon hearing footsteps coming from upstairs. She suppressed her anger and walked towards River in a low voice, demanding, “What are you doing here?”
River sneered and replied, I’m here to have some fun with you. Are you happy?”
Daniella widened her eyes, but her face immediately softened when she noticed Noah out of the corner of her eye.
“River, it’s cold outside, isn’t it? Hurry up and come in,” she said in a tender tone.
River observed silently as Daniella put on her act, her gaze fixated on Noah as he approached. Can I go up now, or do I need the madam of the house’s permission?” she asked bitterly, causing a frown to appear on his face.
“Can’t you speak properly?” he questioned, a single sentence that instantly drained the color from Daniella’s face. How could she not understand what he meant? Who was River to treat him rudely? And why was she even here?
River sensed the drastic change in Daniella’s expression and couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. With a cold and composed demeanor, she said, “Of course I can. I’ll go up and pack now.” And with that, she headed toward the stairs
However, after taking just two steps, she suddenly stumbled and fell. Instinctively, she protected. her belly and frowned, enduring the pain in her knees.
The commotion on the stairs caught Noah’s attention, and his face darkened as he witnessed her fall.
Hurrying over, he swiftly lifted her up, his eyes fixed on her reddened knees. He exclaimed, “Are you blind? How could you fall on the stairs you’ve been using for years?”
River retracted her hand and replied, “Thank you. I felt a little dizzy, but I’m okay now.” She could act just as well as Daniella; she would shamelessly play her part as long as she could stay.
Noah’s brow furrowed, and he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Her response was icy, “I’m fine!” She then released her arm from his grip, limping up the stairs while holding onto the railing.
His expression turned stiff. After a moment of silence, he followed her up and scooped her into his arms. Daniella, who witnessed this, felt a surge of rage. Why was this bitch seeking sympathy?
She caught up to them and seethed as she watched Noah carry River into his bedroom. Her eyes filled with poisonous resentment. She had never set foot in his room since she moved here. Once Noah had placed River on the bed, he retrieved his phone to call the family doctor. After hanging up, he stared at her coldly and remarked, “I thought someone was taking care of you. Why are you so skinny?”
She was speechless.
Who was being sarcastic right now?
She sat up straight and changed the topic. “This is inappropriate, Noah. Your fiancee is out there.”
“I’m not planning to marry her just yet!” He removed his tie in irritation.
What did it matter to River whether he was getting married or not? She wanted to leave once she had gathered the evidence; she wasn’t in the mood to discuss his impending marriage.
Nevertheless, in order to buy more time, she replied in a flat tone, “But she’s pregnant with your child.”
“We’ll see after the child is born,” he responded with a harsh tone, clearly unwilling to delve further into the topic.
“So, what did you come here to retrieve before returning?” he asked, his voice deep and commanding.
She offered the excuse she had concocted, “Just some knick–knacks. The box was too small, so my things couldn’t fit.”
Taking a seat on the leather sofa, he casually picked up a finance magazine, not bothering to look
Without missing a beat, he continued, “Why didn’t you stay at the place I bought for you?”
River was speechless. Was he suddenly initiating a conversation? He had never spoken about. such things with her before.
“Wouldn’t I have to look for my own place anyway if you take it back when you’re upset?” River couldn’t resist being sarcastic.
He scoffed in response. “You’re lying, River.”
“Well, what if I am?” She looked at him, her lips pursed with a hint of mockery in her eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me anyway, would you?”
He squinted at her but remained silent.
An awkward silence enveloped the bedroom, only broken when the family doctor arrived
After conducting a simple test on River, the doctor informed Noah, “Ms. Healy has always been malnourished; she remains the same. She needs to adjust her food intake and avoid exhausting herself.”
River was left speechless. The doctor’s words hit home. She knew she hadn’t been eating properly recently. Busy as she was, she often forgot to take care of her own meals.
Noah’s expression darkened as he nodded. “Understood. You may leave.”
Once the doctor departed, River pretended to get off the bed. However, she was met with a stern glare from Noah.
“Lie back down!” he commanded. 1
If she were too obedient, it would seem contrived. Aware of that, she willfully disregarded his order and stepped off the bed. “Do you need a hug?” she asked, looking up at him.
His face turned grim.
“Noah, do you enjoy seeing people call me a mistress?” River looked at him squarely.
Noah abruptly rose from his chair. ‘T’ll sleep in your old bedroom. Stay here and rest if you don’t want to die!”
He headed toward the bedroom, pausing briefly after opening the door. In a lowered voice, he added, “I won’t touch you.“*
She was stunned to hear that.
Was he saying that to comfort her? Or was it because Daniella was present?
After lying down for a while, River heard a knock on the door some ten minutes later. It was Lily, carrying a tray of food with a bright smile on her face. “You’re finally home, Ms. Healy.”
River sat up and offered a flat smile. “I’m just back to get some stuff, Lily.”
Lily sighed as she placed the food on the bedside table. “It would be great if you stayed.”
River fell silent for a moment. “Is Daniella giving you a hard time?”
Lily forced a smile and remained silent, handing her the cooled–down soup.
“I can see that you’ve lost more weight. You should stay here for a while and let me nurse you back to health,” Lily suggested.
River took a sip of the soup and licking her lips before asking. “Tell me the truth, Lily, Has Daniella been causing trouble for you?”
“It’s unavoidable.” Lily sighed. “I often wish you’d come back.”
River drank another sip of soup and licked her lips. “I can’t come back, Lily. But I believe I can chase Daniella out. You must help me with this.”
She lifted her head to look at Lily. Her clear eyes filled with determination
Lily widened her eyes in shock. “Ms Healy, the reason you’re doing this.
River took a deep breath and recounted all the things Daniella had done to Katie briefly.
Lily couldn’t contain her anger after hearing the whole story. “I can do it, Ms. Healy. Let me come up with a plan on how to do it.”
River nodded and expressed her gratefulness to Lily.