Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
River signaled the waitress and ordered a glass of lemon–infused water. She asked coldly, “Tell me what you know.”
“Don’t rush it,” Daniella replied, placing her glass down. “Let’s discuss the terms first.”
River inquired, “Is it to get me to leave Noah?”
“Yes.” Daniella nodded. “You’ve been through hardships before, so you know the consequences of provoking the two families.”
“Do you think they’ll stop targeting me if I leave?” River asked calmly.
Daniella’s expression turned slightly gloomy. “You don’t sound like you’re planning to leave.”
River took a sip of water and replied, “After weighing the pros and cons, I’ve concluded that being with him provides the greatest level of protection for my children.”
River was observing Daniella’s expression and was taken aback when she smirked.
Feeling uncertain about Daniella’s intentions, River grew restless. She asked with a serious expression, “Aren’t you planning to tell me?”
Suddenly, River’s vision swayed twice, and her voice faded. She grabbed the table to steady herself and shook her head.
“It seems to be taking effect rather quickly.” Daniella smirked coldly.
River widened her eyes, looking at Daniella in shock. “What did you do?”
Daniella stood up, approached River slowly, and leaned over. “Do you think you’re safe because you’re in public? It’s a waste that I switched out the staff of this cafe with Master De Marco’s help last night…”
‘Master De Marco?‘
Daniella’s voice was growing blurry in River’s ears as she lost consciousness.
When River woke up, she found herself in a rental property’s bedroom, and the air was filled with the smell of blood. Sensing something was wrong, she sat up quickly and noticed a blood- stained dagger in her hand. Frightened, she immediately threw the dagger away.
Although she saw a considerable amount of blood on her body, she felt no pain. A shiver ran down her spine as she got out of bed, feeling unsteady. Slowly, she made her way toward the living room.
As soon as she laid eyes on a man lying on the ground, covered in blood, with wide–open eyes, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.
‘What the heck is going on?‘ she thought.
River suddenly heard footsteps from the corridor before she recovered from her surprise.
Soon afterward, police officers barged into the house holding their guns.
River came to understand the situation the moment she saw the police.
It was Daniella’s trap!
The police officers subdued River and took her to the station.
At Villa Rosa.
Anxiously, Lily called Reuben while looking at the gradually darkening sky outside.
When the call was picked up, she asked, “Reuben, is Mr. De Marco with you?”
Reuben replied, “Mr. De Marco is busy. Let’s talk later.”
Reuben hung up the call and glanced at Noah sitting by the bedside. “Lily called, Mr. De Marco.”
Noah looked at Reuben with a dark gaze and softly berated, “Shut up!”
Reuben nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Grayson’s call connected.
Noah looked toward the woman sleeping on the bed and walked out of the room to pick up the call
“Noah! Your mistress almost killed my granddaughter! This matter isn’t over between you and me!”
Grayson hung up after he berated Noah
Noah’s expression turned solemn instantly. He ordered Reuben, who stood behind him, “Take care of her. I’m going out.”
Half an hour later, Noah entered Daniella’s room.
His expression turned cold as he noticed the bandage on her body.
Grayson glared at him. “Look at what your mistress did! She not only killed a man but also tried to kill Daniella! If her bodyguard hadn’t arrived in time, you’d be seeing a corpse!”
Grayson’s voice woke Daniella, and she slowly opened her eyes, shedding tears when she saw
Noah
“Noah… River tried to kill me… It hurt so much when she stabbed me twice… Had I not reacted quickly, our child would be dead…”
Noah clenched his fists tightly. What the heck had happened in just one day when he was not around?
Early in the morning, Noah meticulously examined the entire sequence of events, and all the solid evidence he gathered pointed to River as the murderer.
The victim was Nicholas, and the evidence indicated that River killed him in revenge.
Grayson’s account was truthful. Daniella and her baby would have lost their lives if the bodyguards hadn’t arrived on time.
Noah placed the evidence on the table, holding River’s health report in his hand.
Reuben stood nearby, torn with mixed emotions. ‘How did Ms. Healy get pregnant?‘ he wondered, recalling that he had sent her contraceptive pills around the time she conceived.
Noah’s expression was serious, and the atmosphere in the house turned chillingly cold.
Summoning his courage, Reuben spoke. “Mr. De Marco, Master Xander is determined to seek the death penalty for Ms. Healy.”
Noah’s jaw was tense as he spoke coldly. “Do you think that she did this?”
“Mr. De Marco, Ms. Healy is not that kind of person, but…”
Reuben heaved a sigh halfway through his speech. He was at a loss for words.
“To the police station.”
Noah stood up and left upon saying that.
River endured hours of interrogation at the police station. She couldn’t provide answers to the detective’s questions. She desperately tried to understand how she had ended up in Redwood Neighborhood, allegedly killing Nicholas and stabbing Daniella.
All that remained in her memory was what Daniella had mentioned before River lost consciousness. Despite suspecting Daniella as the mastermind, River lacked concrete evidence.
With no other choice, she could only wait for Noah to come to her rescue.
As River pondered her situation, the detention room’s door swung open, and a female officer instructed, “Out, River.”
Thoughts of Noah flooded her mind, prompting her to follow the officer to another room.
Upon entering the room, River noticed a man emanating an icy presence. The door closed behind her, leaving her alone with the man, who fixed his cold gaze on her.
River felt her chest tighten. She sat opposite him, pursed her lips, and said in a raspy voice, “I didn’t do this.”
Noah’s chest tightened at the sight of River’s exhausted expression and shaky body.
However, the pity he felt for her was drowned by his anger when he remembered that she was pregnant.
“How am I supposed to trust you?” Noah asked sternly.
River clenched her fists, furrowed her eyebrow, and said, “I don’t have the evidence! However, it was Daniella who asked me to meet her at a cafe yesterday. She claimed that she knows about my personal history…”
River recounted the whole incident to Noah.
“So, you did it out of revenge, right?” Noah asked in a deep, cold voice.
River was stunned and raised her voice. “Revenge?”
Noah looked upset as he confronted her. “You hit her in my presence before. What did you do this time?”
He continued, pointing out, “You’ve been holding resentment against the Xanders for nearly causing your death. It’s clear that the Xanders did it because of Daniella’s instigation. And you were holding back when you didn’t mention seeking justice from the Xanders during your time in
Villa Rosa. You wanted to die alongside Daniella today, didn’t you?”
River was dumbfounded. “Why would I want to die with Daniella?”
“You’re pregnant with someone else’s child!” Noah’s voice was ruthless. “You were worried that I’d find out!”
River was shocked by Noah’s accusation.
“Don’t make excuses, claiming the child is mine! You can’t get pregnant when you take contraceptive pills!”
“Which other man have I slept with other than you?” River couldn’t help but shout at Noah’s insane remark.
“You were closest with Scott during that time!” Noah enunciated clearly.
‘Scott? He actually thinks I’ve slept with Scott and that I’m pregnant with his baby?‘ she thought.
River sniggered. “You’re here to ask about the baby and not to help me today, right?”
“I won’t let you die,” Noah said sternly. “But you need to think about facing the consequences of cheating on me.”
Noah stood up and walked away without looking back.
River closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She was feeling hopeless.
He had never trusted her–it had always been that way.
Two weeks later, Noah hired a lawyer to defend River. The court sentenced her to five years of imprisonment for killing Nicholas, claiming it was in self–defense against his multiple murder attempts.