Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
Ever since witnessing River being shot, he began to show signs of emotional turmoil. He refused to acknowledge that he could not bear to part with River. After all, he had no feelings for her—he just wanted to use her.
If that were the case, why did he feel anxious? Keeping River alive was his attempt to uncover the cause of his anxiety.
Scott said coldly, “Mind your own business, Elvira.”
“Mr. Hendrix! Unless you always keep her locked up, you’re harboring a potential threat,” Elvira anxiously urged.
“You don’t get to remind me how to decide!” Scott warned her.
Elvira persisted, “Do you have feelings for her, Mr. Hendrix?” Displeasure filled Scott’s eyes. “You talk too much today!” Worried, Elvira said, “Mr. Hendrix, it was not easy for you to reach this point. You must proceed with caution.” “It’s time to shut up, Elvira!” Scott shouted.
Pursing her lips in displeasure, Elvira angrily glanced at the room when she noticed Scott was leaving. Soon afterward, she followed suit.
The next day, several trending topics caused a sensation in Novamere’s financial industry.
[Noah De Marco’s Plane Crashes and Explodes, No Remains Found So Far!] [Tragic Death of Casey De Marco in a Car Accident!) [Draco De Marco Imprisoned for Murder, Sentenced to Death Penalty!) [Shocking Revelation: Illegitimate Child of the De Marco Family Successfully Takes Over MK!] These four trending topics sent the online community into a frenzy.
[Mr. De Marco is dead? When did that happen?] [Mr. De Marco didn’t show up to his engagement with TYC’s Ms. Healy the other day. Did the incident happen that day, and has it been concealed until now?] [By the way, I haven’t seen TYC’s Ms.
Healy for a long time. Did something happen to her?] [1 heard insider information that the notorious Daniella Love shot Ms.
Healy at her engagement party, and she is still in the hospital.] (Is there going to be a major change in Novamere?] [Boo-hoo, I don’t want Mr. De Marco to die. I’m really invested in his relationship with Ms. Healy!) [I’m utterly shocked by the news today!] ) [What did they get involved in that they shouldn’t have?] [Watch out for the illegitimate son! There’s definitely something off about him! He showed up out of nowhere after Mr. De Marco was pronounced dead and while his father is in prison.] Alex and Lucas were livid as they read the comments and the trending posts.
ngeott doesn’t even care if he gets into trouble!” Alex exclaimed.
If he cared, he wouldn’t have killed Noah! He is completely lawless!” Lucas said.
Alex threw his phone. “There’s no news from Murician now. What should we do then?” “I think we should meet up with Scott! People must be watching him now that he has just taken office! If we go to him and leverage our families’ influence, we can surely rescue River.”
“You’re oversimplifying the situation,” Alex exclaimed, glaring at Lucas. “If he has no regard for Noah, he won’t take us seriously either.” Lucas expressed his dejection, “What do you think we should do then? It has been a few days, yet we haven’t made any breakthroughs.” Alex pondered for a moment. “I think we should find River first.” “Find River? Will we be able to meet her?” Lucas was confused.
“We can figure out a way to do so! Focusing solelay on saving her is futile.
The key is to see what River is planning to do next.” Lucas was stunned for a moment. “So, you’re saying that River will likely stay close to Scott?” “t’s possible. Wouldn’t you want to seek revenge if you were in River’s place?” Alex said.
Lucas was rendered speechless. “That goes without saying.” Alex stared at him. “So, our next step is to work together with River instead of focusing on what we should do. If River stays close to Scott, she will be able to acquire evidence of Scott’s crimes, which is still better than us racking our brains here.” “You make a good point there,” Lucas muttered as he frowned.
Alex suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, Yuliana!” Lucas was dumbfounded. “What do you mean?” Alex said, “Why haven’t I thought about Yuliana, huh? I’m sure that she has a way for us to connect with River!” Lucas said, “Hasn’t Scott imprisoned her?” “No. Thomas told me that Scott has only imprisoned the children and his wife,” Alex said.
| Lucas became excited. “Do you have yuliana’s number? Try to reach out to her!” Alex said, “I’ll reach out to Thomas!” A few minutes later, Alex got Yuliana’s number.
Yuliana picked up soon.
Alex said, “Is this Yuliana?” yuliana was shocked. “Are you…
Alex?” “That’s me. Are you free to meet?” Alex asked.
“Sure, send me your address.” vuliana arrived at Paige’s apartment 20 minutes later.
Alex served her a can of coke before going straight to the point. “Yuliana, I would like to ask if you can help us connect with River.” yuliana looked at him. “Alex, are you sure that I can do it?” “I’m confident in your ability since you’ve been able to track Scott for so long.” yuliana pursed her lips. “Ah, you’re really giving me too much credit then.” Lucas said, “We’re not trying to do anything else. We just want to find out if River wants to be rescued, yuliana. We would also like to find out what her plan is.” “also hope that she can calm herself enough to make a plan, but all she wants to do is die,” Yuliana said angrily.
Alex and Lucas came to realize that vuliana had met up with River upon hearing that.
However, they were still shocked to learn about River’s suicidal ideation because they regarded River as a tenacious person.
Alex asked, “How is she now?” 17 don’t know. I made it clear to her that she doesn’t have the right to feel miserable if she commits suicide, but I’m unsure if it resonated with her,” Yuliana replied.
Lucas said, “”Yuliana, can you help us connect with River so we won’t be wandering aimlessly, unsure of what to do next?” “Does River have her phone?” Alex asked.
“No,” Yuliana answered.
Alex nodded. “Alright then, just get her the phone, and we’ll do the rest.”
Yuliana replied, “Alright.” Lucas asked, “What have you been up to lately, Yuliana?” After a brief moment of contemplation, Yuliana said, “I still want to track Scott. After all, he still hasn’t noticed me.” “Sure, just reach out to Alex and me if you need any help,” Lucas offered.
Yuliana nodded and exchanged numbers with Lucas before she departed.
On the same day, in the afternoon, vuliana handed the phone to River.
Upon receiving the phone, River looked at Yuliana in shock.
Yuliana explained, “Alex and Lucas want to connect with you. Figure out a way to hide the phone yourself.” River nodded. “Understood. I would like to ask you something, Yuliana.” Yuliana checked her watch. “Go ahead.
I can’t stay too long.” “Kenny’s body…” River’s gaze reflected pain.
Yuliana sighed. “My father has taken care of his funeral affairs. Don’t worry.” River nodded. “Please thank Uncle Tom for taking the trouble to do that.”
“It’s not troublesome as long as you’re not suicidal. You can find my number on the phone too. I’ll still continue to track Scott and update you if I find anything,” Yuliana muttered.
River looked at Yuliana and said, “Be careful.” Yuliana blushed. “I don’t need someone as unhelpful as you to remind me!” Awkwardly, Yuliana turned and left.
River knew that although Yuliana was overly arrogant, she was actually kind. Otherwise, why would Yuliana take the risk to check on her repeatedly? After Yuliana left, River hid under the blanket and texted Alex.
River: [This is River. | Alex read the text message and hastily replied.
Alex: [River? Are you alright?] River: [Yes. Let’s cut to the chase.] Alex: [Sure. Would you like to get out now or stay close to Scott?] River: [I won’t leave. I’m staying to get the evidence. ] Alex: [There’s not much more to say since you’ve already made up your mind.) River: [Okay.] She remained silent for a while before texting again.
River: [Noah…]
Alex: [I’m sorry. We didn’t manage to get any updates on Noah. ] Alex’s words crushed River’s remaining hope.
Alex: [Don’t be sad, River. No news is good news! After all, the remains of the helicopter pilot have been found, but not Noah’s. There is still hope that Noah survived it.] River: [Please update me if you have any news. J Alex: [1 will. Reach out to me if you need anything.] River: [Thank you.] River lay on the bed after keeping the phone, clearing her mind and calming herself slowly to plan her next steps to acquire evidence.
Elvira seemed like a woman with a complex background. If she could kill the bodyguard with one strike, it was highly possible that she had helped Scott kill many others as well.
River pondered, ‘How do I obtain evidence from Elvira? I have to get Scott to come here often so I can find the opportunity to get close to Elvira!’ Suddenly, River remembered the children. She listened to the commotion outside before texting Yuliana.
River: [Yuliana, do Ty and Axel have their phones with them?] yvuliana: [This is Ty’s new phone number…] After acquiring the number, River | texted Tyler right away.
River: [Ty, this is Mommy.) During mealtime, Tyler felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly retrieved it and opened a text message from an unknown number. The content of the message startled him, causing him to drop his fork with a clang.
The sound caught Axel’s attention, who then asked, “What’s going on, Ty?” Tyler glanced at the nearby bodyguard and shook his head as he replied, “Nothing, I just saw the news.” puzzled by Tyler’s strong reaction, Axel observed as Tyler responded to River’s text with shaky hands.
Tyler: [Are you alright, Mommy?]
Relieved by Tyler’s reply, River texted back.
River: [I’m alright, Ty. How is everyone?) Tyler: [We’re living in Xander Residence, and they’ve returned our phones. However, I believe our previous phones were bugged, so I changed to a new one.] River: [It’s good to be cautious. Did they hurt you?] Tyler: [No, but we’re closely monitored by many bodyguards. Mommy, don’t kill yourself…] River’s heart sank, realizing her actions had hurt the children further.
In guilt, she texted: [I’m sorry. I was confused and made you worry. ] Tyler: [It’s fine, Mommy. We’re glad you’re safe. Axel and I sought Aunt yulia’s help to get us laptops. We’ll find evidence of Scott’s crimes and get you out soon!] River: [It’s not an easy move. Don’t act rashly, Ty.] Tyler thought, ‘How will I allow myself to act rashly when Mommy is still in his hands? However, I won’t refute Mommy, or she’ll be worried.’ Tyler: [Alright, Mommy. When will we be able to see you?] River: [He told me he’d take me back to Bayview Villa. Ty, I might need your and Axel’s technical support soon.) Tyler glanced at the vigilant bodyguards.
Tyler: [What do you need us to do?] River: [I’ll figure out a way to get close to Elvira. She’s an assassin, so her phone must have orders from Scott for criminal activities.] Tyler thought, “Elvira… Assassin? There must be information about her on the dark web. I won’t tell Mommy about it. I’ll find out more about Elvira first!’ Tyler: [Understood, Mommy. Rest up, and we’ll take it slow. ] River: [Where’s Axel?] Tyler: [He’s sitting opposite me, eating. I’ll tell him about your texting later.] River: [Okay. Be careful.]
Tyler: [You too, Mommy!] After sending the text, Tyler quickly finished his meal and headed upstairs with Axel.
He showed the phone to Axel, whose eyes welled up with tears as he read River’s messages.
Relieved, Axel said, “It seems Mommy has pulled herself together. We can set our minds at ease and do our thing.” Tyler stated, “”We’ll look into Elvira when we get the laptops from Aunt Yulia.” Axel nodded, understanding the situation after reading the text messages. “Sure, finding people is your expertise. I’ll make sure to provide cover for you.”
Tyler affirmed, “Alright.” At MK.
Scott left the meeting room with a solemn expression after addressing displeased shareholders.
Reuben handed him a stack of documents upon his return to the office. “Mr. Wilson, these are the contracts for terminating their partnerships with MK. Please take a look.”
Scott frowned when he saw the stack of documents before him.
Scott thought, ‘It has only been two days, and more than a dozen termination contracts have been received. Noah has gathered a group of devoted partners who look up to him indeed!” Scott said, “There’s no need to run such documents by me in the future.
Let them proceed directly with the compensation!” “They won’t pay the compensation. In fact, they claimed to want compensation from you. After all, they agreed to partner with Mr. De Marco, not you. They are not obliged to make any compensation for breaching the contract if the change of Party A is made without their consent.” Scott’s gaze turned cold as he stared at the documents.
He grabbed a folder and read it.
He saw the termination contract from the Prices right away and sniggered softly.
Scott thought, ‘It seems these people still don’t believe I’m qualified for this position! It’s not an easy feat to strengthen my position in Novamere. If this continues, MK will probably face defeat soon.
‘Perhaps I need a woman with an influential background in Novamere to strengthen my position. Besides the De Marcos, Prices, and Xanders, the Millers rank fourth among the most influential families. The Millers… The Prices…! > | Scott’s frown relaxed slowly ashe thought about it. ‘It seems that I have to help out the Millers.” Three days later.
Scott went to pick up River from the hospital upon her discharge.
River sat in the wheelchair while Scott pushed her out of the hospital slowly.
River was shocked by the sight of numerous bodyguards standing at the hospital entrance. She would think tha Noah was back if Scott were not right behind her.
River thought, ‘He always enjoyed I bringing along a number of bodyguards when he’s out and about.’ L River felt her heart wrench in pain, so she looked up to the blue sky.
River thought, ‘Noah, you’re still alive, right? You’re not going to abandon your commitment and leave me and the children to face difficulties ourselves, right?” Scott pushed River’s wheelchair to the car, and he was about to help her to get up. Yet, his movements halted to a stop when he saw River’s tear reddened eyes.
“Are you thinking about him?” Scott asked softly.
River pursed her lips. She looked away as if she was oblivious, stood up by herself, and got into the car. | Elvira was displeased by River’s ~~ attitude. ‘Why does she have the privilege to be treated so indulgently by Mr. Hendrix?! Scott did not seem to mind, but he turned his head to Elvira, “Put away the wheelchair.” Elvira could not refrain from saying, “Mr. Hendrix, her attitude—” “It’s not up to you to criticize her.” Scott interrupted her.
Elvira clenched her fists. “Yes, sir!” River’s journey back to Bayview Villa was silent.
Someone ran over as soon as they got out of the car.
The bodyguard stopped the person Een before he could approach River.
The man shouted anxiously, “Ms.
Healy!” River looked at the stranger.
Bryce said, “Please help Mr. De Marco to pay the final renovation fees, Ms.
Healy?” River thought, ‘Final renovation fees? Where did Noah do the renovation?’ River looked at Scott. “Can you get your bodyguard to let him come over to speak?” Scott nodded at the bodyguard, and Bryce was immediately freed.
Bryce approached River and said, “I al?
know that Mr, De Marco was involved in an accident, but he hasn’t paid the final renovation fees to us yet, Ms.
| Healy.” As he was speaking, he pointed at the villa next door. “Mr. De Marco commissioned us to renovate the villa for your children. It’s already completed, yet the accident happened.
I’ve been waiting here for a while and finally met you today. Uh…” River looked at the villa next door in shock, thinking, ‘Noah bought the villa?!
River’s pale lips trembled. “When was it?” Bryce said, “It’s been a while. Mr.
De Marco wanted us to complete it as soon as possible, so my workers worked day and night under my command.” River suddenly recalled her complaint to Noah, expressing her frustration with the neighbor’s constant renovations.
She had also pointed out the peculiar habits of the villa’s owner, urging the workers to work relentlessly.
River thought, ‘How was Noah’s expression at the time? Why haven’t | observed it properly?”
The wind blew on River’s face and her tear-filled eyes.
She clenched her fists tightly, took a deep breath, and said shakily, “Alright, I’ll pay you. Please hand me the keys.” Bryce nodded repeatedly. “Thank you so much, Ms. Healy.” “Don’t mention it.” River looked at Scott. “Please return my phone to me.” Scott glanced at the bodyguard, and the latter returned the phone to River right away.