Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
Noah’s coldness reached its peak. “Give them two days! If they can’t solve it by then, fire them!”
“Yes, sir!”
After hanging up the call, Noah turned to get back into the car.
Sensing that something was wrong, River went after him.
She had a sinking feeling when she saw his grim expression.
“Did something happen?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.
He pursed his thin lips, his eyes filled with intensity. “Company confidential information was stolen. It happened today.”
She was taken aback. The company’s confidential information was stolen?!”
“That’s right,” Noah replied, squinting as he started the car.
River was shocked. How could this have happened? No secretary would dare touch his documents, and access to the president’s floor required an exclusive access card.
She had stopped by his office earlier in the day when she visited the company. Besides the events in the morning that she was unaware of, Daniella was the only person who had entered the office after that.
Without any conclusive evidence, she didn’t want to jump to conclusions,
During the drive home, Noah received another call from Reuben.
“Mr. De Marco, we asked the secretaries. They said that apart from Ms. Love, the only person who entered your office today was…
He dared not say the rest.
”
Got it!” Noah hung up the call, he looked terribly grim.
River heard the conversation clearly.
It wouldn’t be strange if Noah suspected her. She was indeed more suspicious than Daniella, unexpectedly turning up at Villa Rosa and then to the office.
He even saw her anxious face when he returned home.
“River,” he said sternly, his anger evident in his tone, “Tell me, why did you suddenly come back?”
Her eyes darkened. Just as she had expected, he suspected her.
He would never consider the possibility of Daniella being involved. He always assumed it was her fault.
“Do you think it was me?” Her voice was almost devoid of emotion.
Screech-
Noah slammed on the brakes and turned to face her. His gaze was fierce. “Then tell me, why did you come back all of a sudden?! You insisted on not seeing me before, and now you suddenly came looking for me! River, how am I supposed to believe you’re innocent?!”
River’s heart grew colder with each word Noah spoke.
She closed her eyes, a helpless smile appearing on her face.
Would he believe her even if she explained herself?
“Say something!!!” He suddenly yelled.
She looked at him with a flat expression. “Would you believe me, Noah? If you won’t, then whatever I explain will be meaningless to you!”
“I don’t want to hear all that! I just want you to explain yourself! The rage burning in his eyes seemed capable of reducing her to ashes.
“What is there to explain when you’re behaving like this?” She turned her head and looked out of the window.
She did not want to explain‘
She had been his secretary for three years. If she wanted to steal the company’s information, she would have done it long ago! Why would she wait until now?
Noah reached out and forcefully turned her body to face him. His grip was so tight it felt like he might break her arm.
“I’m giving you one last chance to explain! Don’t push me to my limit!” He enunciated each word through clenched teeth. The pressure emanating from him was suffocating.
‘Don’t push his limit?‘
River scoffed and pulled her arm away, biting her lower lip to suppress the pain.
She stared at him, her eyes filled with mockery. “What do you want to hear? Do you want me to confess to stealing the company’s confidential information, or do you want me to deny it completely? Have you ever truly trusted me? I wasn’t the only one who went into your office today! Daniella was there too! She stayed longer than I did, so why are you so convinced that it was me?!”
“Then why did you suddenly come back?” He clenched his fists and stared at her fiercely. His tone remained harsh.
Helplessness washed over River. She couldn’t explain that part.
She couldn’t present incomplete evidence to him.
She wasn’t sure if he would take Daniella’s side.
“Noah, I already told you that I came back only to get my things,” she weakly explained.
“You’re lying!!!”
He slammed his fist against the back of her seat and shouted in rage. “River! Is it so difficult for you to tell me the fucking truth?!”
She stared at the man before her in disbelief, disappointment filling her eyes. “Noah, am I not worthy of your trust at all?”
I’m asking you a question! You have no fucking right to question me!” he retorted angrily.
“Nothing I say matters when there’s no trust between us!” she yelled back, her frustration. reaching its peak. She couldn’t take it anymore. Why was she automatically assumed to be the culprit? Why wasn’t she trusted even after explaining herself? Was she labeled the criminal simply because she didn’t offer an explanation? Was it because she was the lowly mistress?!
Noah suppressed his urge to hit her and spoke with a grim expression. “You’re not going to explain yourself, are you? Fine, I’ll do it for you then! You obtained my schedule through other secretaries and pleaded for my sympathy at Villa Rosa with a false excuse. The next day, your entered the office and stole the confidential information when I was away! River, is my payment not enough for you?! Are you so sick of your life that you dare betray me?!”
As River listened to the accusations pouring out from the man in front of her, she felt suffocated. Did he not already have his answer? What was the point of asking her over and over again? She forced a smile. “Noah, so this is how despicable you think I am?”
A mocking smirk appeared on his lips. “Get out.”
River instinctively looked at the dark mountain outside the car.
Did he want her to get off here?!
She gulped nervously. Before she could react, she heard a shriek coming from the depths of his lungs. “I said, get out!!!”
Choked with emotions, she quickly opened the door and got out.
The moment the door closed, the car sped away in an instant.
After it turned the corner, the surroundings fell into complete darkness.
The cold breeze seeped into her clothes, and the dense, dark forest sent shivers down her spine. She shuddered, taking a careful look around while shoving her hands into her pockets. She realized, to her dismay, that she had left her phone in Noah’s car. All she had was the reader in her pocket…
In the car, Noah’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He had truly believed she had come
He had even asked Lily to take care of her health. He had brought her here to watch the snow, trying to uplift her mood. But she had taken advantage of his kindness and done something he despised the most.
It was infuriating! He had never been played by a woman like this before. Deep resentment filled his eyes as he lifted his hand and slammed it hard on the steering wheel. She certainly had nerve!
Meanwhile, River walked for two hours in the snow on the mountain, pushing through the cold. and darkness. Finally, she saw the distant lights as she arrived at the foot of the mountain.
After finally descending the mountain, River struggled to move forward, her head heavy and her stomach sick. She lifted her numb feet and trudged toward the distant light. But as she took two steps, darkness engulfed her vision, and she fell face–first into the snow.
Back at Villa Rosa, Daniella sat in the living room, her heart filled with panic. Nic had informed her that the confidential information hadn’t been sold at all. However, he still demanded the 70,000 dollars from her within three days.
She was contemplating how to ask Noah for the money when a commotion outside the door caught her attention.
Quickly standing up, Daniella’s eyes widened when she saw Noah’s fierce expression. Instantly, the thought of asking for money vanished from her mind. She hurriedly approached him and grabbed his arm, her voice filled with concern. “What’s wrong, Noah? You look terrible.”
“Let go,” he said coldly, causing her to retract her hands in fear.
Timidly, she looked at him, her voice tinged with a sense of injustice. “Don’t be like that, Noah. I’m scared.”
“From now on, don’t go to the office without my permission,” he replied without even glancing at her, then promptly headed upstairs.
Daniella’s heart jolted. Could it be that Noah had discovered something? Nervously biting her lip, she noticed that River hadn’t returned home. After pondering for a moment, she came to a realization.
Noah must have had a fight with River, which was why he returned home in such a furious state. River’s actions had made him wary, hence his instruction for Daniella to stay away from the office to avoid getting involved in any trouble.
A smirk formed on Daniella’s face as she entertained her thoughts.
It seemed that even fate was on her side. River’s absence didn’t matter anymore. She had already achieved her target.
Taking advantage of their absence, she sneaked into Noah’s room and found a few strands of
River’s hair on the vanity.
Tomorrow, when she stayed at the Xander Residence, she would leave the hair on the comb. Her plan was foolproof!