Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
“I can promise you that,” Noah assured. “However, you must behave and cooperate with the doctor during your treatment.”
Axel felt a wave of relief and nodded vigorously. He was willing to do whatever it took, as long as his father kept his promise not to inform his mother.
After leaving Grand East, Daniella drove to Villa Foresta. Upon arriving, she parked her car and entered the living room to find Casey resting there.
She greeted him with a warm smile, saying, “I’m back, Casey.”
Casey opened his eyes and looked at Daniella gently. “How’s Axel?”
Daniella blurted out, “It’s a bone marrow issue,” as she sat beside Casey.
Casey paused, puzzled. “Bone marrow?”
Daniella quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself, saying, “He needs a bone marrow transplant.”
She was startled, fearing that Casey might discern she knew his true identity. She decided to keep this information to herself until their relationship had solidified, worried that Casey might turn against her.
Casey averted his gaze. “With enough resources, finding a suitable donor should be straightforward. I’m concerned Noah will face difficulties despite having money.”
Daniella cautiously asked, “So, you’re considering cutting off Noah’s access to bone marrow?”
Casey met Daniella’s eyes with a faint smile. “What do you think?”
“That would give me leverage with Noah!” Daniella exclaimed. ‘If I possess something that can save Axel’s life, something Noah doesn’t have, he’ll surely welcome me back.”
Casey nodded approvingly. “I can assist you with this. You can focus on other tasks with peace of mind.”
Daniella was elated. “I’ll stay close to Noah for you!”
Later that night, Neil ordered River and Paige to return home and rest.
Paige quickly succumbed to sleep in the car’s backseat despite River’s attempts to wake her.
They arrived at Bayview Villa, where the children eagerly greeted River.
Paige, still groggy, asked, “Are we home, River?”
River held the children’s hands and replied, “Yes, we’re home. Come inside.”
Paige stepped out of the car, yawned, and followed River into the villa. She then lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.
Liora wanted to greet Paige, but River stopped her. “Don’t disturb your godmother, Lia. She hasn’t slept all night.”
Confused, Liora asked, “Why not?”
Tyler sensed something was amiss when he saw River dressed in black. “Who passed away,
Mommy?”
River’s heart ached, but she composed herself and knelt to speak softly. “Lia, Ty, I have something to tell you, Lily has passed away.”
Liora and Tyler were shocked, their eyes welling up with tears.
Liora’s voice quivered as she asked, “Wasn’t she still in the hospital? How did…
Unable to contain her grief, Liora began to sob. “Mommy, please don’t make this kind of joke. It’s not nice!”
Tyler remained silent but teary–eyed, waiting for River to explain.
River hugged her children tightly. “Lily didn’t make it through surgery. I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”
Liora cried loudly, and Tyler buried his head in River’s shoulder, both mourning their loss.
Lily cared for the two children for five years, and they had come to see her as family. When Lily passed away, it deeply saddened the children.
River released her hold on the children and said, “Lily’s funeral will be on December 25th. I’ll take a leave of absence to be there with you.”
The two children nodded with tears in their eyes.
Meanwhile, at Villa Foresta.
Casey offered Daniella a place to stay for the night. She sat in his room, aware that their two–day time limit was about to expire, yet Casey showed no sign of checking his phone.
As Daniella undressed in the bathroom, her phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up when she saw Hector’s caller ID.
“Hello, Mr. Hendrix? Daniella leaned against the bathroom door, trying to listen for Casey on the phone.
Hector spoke. “I’ve found the bone marrow, which can be delivered anytime. You can name the price.”
Daniella didn’t hear Casey’s voice from outside. She wondered if the room was soundproofed exceptionally well.
“How much will it be?” Daniella gently opened the bathroom door.
*27,000 dollars,” Hector replied just as she fully opened the door.
Seeing Casey still on the phone, her heart raced, and she hastily closed the door.
This time, the evidence is solid! It’s Casey!‘ she thought.
Clearing her throat, Daniella asked, “Alright, how can I send you the money?”
Hector said, “I’ll send you my account number later.”
“Sure, Mr. Hendrix.”
After ending the call, Daniella received a text message. She transferred 10,000 dollars to the provided account and received another text from an unknown number, giving the location of the bone marrow.
On Christmas Eve, Axel woke up to a text from River. It read: [Merry Christmas, my dear.]
Tears welled up in Axel’s eyes as he read her message. Seeing Noah working on the sofa, he hid under his blanket to wipe away his tears. He missed his mother immensely.
Axel: [Merry Christmas to you. How are you spending the day, Mommy?]
River texted back: [I’m taking Ty and Lia to the funeral home.]
Axel was shocked.
Axel: [Has someone passed away?]
River: [Lily is gone.]
Axel knew about Lily. Even though they had never met, he knew she was very kind.
Axel: [Don’t be sad, Mommy.]
River: [Hmm, I’ll be strong. After all, I still want to see my three children grow up healthy.]
‘Healthy… Axel thought about his own health but pushed the idea aside.
Axel: [You be good too, Mommy.]
Suddenly, Noah’s voice interrupted Axel’s thoughts.
Axel quickly hid his phone and looked at Noah. He was surprised to see Noah looking exhausted with stubble on his chin.
Axel felt a pang of guilt. I make daddy worry, don’t 17‘ he wondered
“Daddy,” Axel called out, looking away.
Noah sat beside him and asked, “What would you like to eat today? Shall we go out on Christmas
Eve?”
Axel thought momentarily and said cautiously, “Can we go to the mall?”
“For food?” Noah asked.
Axel replied, “I’d like to get Christmas presents for Mommy, Ty, and Lia.”
Initially, Axel wasn’t sure if Noah would agree to it. He didn’t expect his father to agree so easily.
Axel’s eyes slowly brightened, and he said, “Thank you, Daddy.”
Noah smiled, but he felt a pang of sadness. He hadn’t anticipated Axel being so overjoyed about something so trivial.
In the afternoon, Noah took a leisurely stroll through the mall, holding Axel’s hand after lunch.
Axel had already thought about the gifts, so he headed straight for the shop. He picked out a scarf for River and a thermos flask for Tyler, knowing how much he liked warm drinks. He chose a large doll for Liora that she could cuddle with. Then, he purchased a tie for Noah.
Noah was visibly surprised by the gift. “For me?”
Axel nodded. “Daddy, you deserve a Christmas gift too.”
Noah leaned over and gently ruffled Axel’s hair.
Axel was taken aback because Noah was beaming with an infectious happiness he had never seen before. He couldn’t hide the joy on his face and said, “Daddy, you should smile more often. You look really good when you do.”
Noah’s smile froze momentarily, and he appeared somewhat awkward. Clearing his throat, he asked, “What else do you want to buy?”
Axel replied, “Nothing.”
A puzzled Noah asked, “Aren’t you getting something for yourself?”
Axel’s eyes twinkled with hidden delight. “My gift is seeing the happiness in all of you.”
Noah held Axel’s hand warmly “I remember you were browsing for desktop computer parts once, right?”
Axel blushed. “I was just looking at the components, thinking about trying to build one…”
Noah said, “Make a list of the parts you need and give it to Reuben for purchasing.”
Axel raised his head in astonishment. “Aren’t you going to stop me from doing things unrelated to learning?”
Noah replied, “Why should I stop you if you’re capable of it?”
Back at the hospital.
Noah instructed Reuben to deliver the gifts Axel had purchased to River’s house, along with three Christmas cards personally written by Axel.
Initially, Reuben intended to hand the items over to the bodyguards. However, as soon as he drove into the yard, he spotted a woman’s figure–Eira.
Startled, Reuben rolled down his window and asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Eira, the nanny Ms. Healy hired,” she replied. “Are you here with Ms. Healy’s consent?”
Reuben shook his head and admitted, “No.”
Suspicious, Eira asked, “What brings you here, then?”
Reuben pointed at the gifts on the passenger seat. “Ms. Healy’s son entrusted me with.
delivering the Christmas gifts he bought.”
Eira leaned over to inspect the passenger seat and smiled upon seeing the gifts. “Alright, sir, you may hand the gifts to me.”
Reuben nodded, exited the car, and handed the gifts to Eira.