Filed to story: The Billionaire’s Replacement Wife (River & Noah) Novel Online Free
“Aren’t you concerned that Daniella will be jealous if she finds out?” she asked.
Noah casually lit a cigarette, the smoke curling between his lips. “That’s none of your business,” he replied.
Biting her lip, River mustered her courage and said, “I will return the 140,000 dollars to you.”
Noah exhaled a cloud of smoke. His gaze pierced through her as he sneered, “And how do you plan to repay me? With your body?”
Feeling a deep sense of humiliation, River clutched her clothes tightly. With a firm voice, she said, “That’s my own business.”
Noah’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile as he spoke, his words dripping with condescension. “70,000 dollars is your commission, and the other 70,000 dollars is payment for our little session just now. Since you claim to care only about money and not relationships, all you need to do is obey me to get what you desire. You have no right to question any decision I make!”
River felt as if she had been slapped by an invisible force. The sting of his words resonated deeply within her.
Indeed, in his eyes, she was merely someone who valued money above all else. What right did she have to resist and stand up for herself?
On Friday, after handling some work at the company, River purchased some food and headed to the hospital to be with her mother.
On the way there, she received a call from an unknown number.
As soon as she picked up the call, her father’s panicked voice pierced her ears.
“River! Come and save me! They’re going to chop off my fingers! Please, save Daddy!”
River’s expression changed drastically. Before she could respond, the unsettling laughter of an unfamiliar man filled the line. “Miss Healy, is it? Your father lost 14,000 dollars in our casino today. You see, he doesn’t have the money to repay us, so we had no choice but to call you.”
“I don’t have the money!” River clenched her teeth, her anger evident in her reply.
Even if she possessed the funds, she would never surrender them!
Her father’s selfishness and his relentless cycle of indulgence had become unbearable!
“No money?” The man’s laughter grew louder. “Then, let’s proceed!”
In the next moment, her father’s agonized screams echoed through the phone, “My fingers! My fingers!”
River’s body tensed, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.
She had believed the perpetrators were merely issuing threats. She never imagined they would carry out such a gruesome act!
“So, will you reconsider repaying the 14,000 dollars?” the man taunted once more.
“I don’t have that much! Please, can we negotiate…?”
Before River could complete her sentence, a chilling order was given, “Chop off his hand.”
Her heart sank as she listened to her father’s despairing cries, filled with terror and helplessness.
A surge of fear and desperation coursed through her veins, and she urgently pleaded, “Stop! I’ll give you the money! Just send me the address, and I’ll come right away!”
The man’s laughter echoed sinisterly. “Very well, I’ll send it to you. If you fail to show up, your father will be left crippled and worthless.”
As the call ended, River clutched her phone tightly, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Despite her father’s faults, she couldn’t bear to witness his life being taken away before her eyes.
Checking her bank balance, which held less than $14,000, she hesitated for a moment before making a difficult decision. She had to reach out to Noah.
Meanwhile, at the opulent Fies Casino—
Within an extravagant VIP room adorned with luxury and decadence, several young men lounged around a lavish table, accompanied by stunning hostesses at their sides.
In the center of it all sat a man exuding an air of elegance and regality. His face basked in the enchanting glow of shimmering lights, as if he were touched by a divine radiance, captivating all who beheld him.
The woman by his side clung to his coat, her gaze fixated on his profile with unwavering devotion. Each beat of her heart intensified her infatuation, drawing her deeper into his spellbinding allure.
Daniella understood all too well that as long as she stood beside this man who was capable of wielding power over the entirety of Novamere City with a mere gesture, she would forever be shielded. No one would dare to threaten or mistreat her in any way.
The allure of boundless wealth and unending glory proved irresistible to her. How could she not be enticed?
No matter what, she had to find a way to become the sole woman by Noah’s side!
Just as Daniella reached for a cigarette to offer it to Noah, she felt a vibration emanating from the coat resting on her arm.
Daniella extended her hand toward Noah’s phone, ready to pass it to him.
However, as she glanced at the caller ID displaying River’s name, a glimmer of coldness flickered in her eyes. She hesitated briefly, then swiftly ended the call and slipped the phone back into Noah’s coat, feigning nonchalance.
Meanwhile, River remained frozen in place, her mind reeling, as she witnessed the abrupt termination of the call.
Was he too occupied to answer?
With determination, River clenched her teeth and hailed a taxi to make her way to the casino. She desperately hoped Noah would return her call.
An hour passed.
River stepped out of the car and stood at the entrance of the opulent casino. Determined, she made her way through the bustling lobby, seeking directions that led her to Room 02.
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and pushed open the door.
As the door creaked open, a pungent combination of smoke and the scent of blood assaulted her senses.
Several menacing-looking men sat inside the private room, and her father knelt on the floor, his face drained of color. His injured hand, missing several fingers, was hastily wrapped in blood-soaked gauze.
At the sound of the door, Bradley weakly lifted his head. His eyes were filled with desperation to survive. “River! Save me, please!”
Instantly, all of River’s anger dissipated upon seeing her father’s distress.
She hurriedly moved toward Bradley, only to be blocked by an imposing figure.
“Miss Healy, what’s the rush? Pay up first!” sneered a man with a repulsive scar on his face, puffing on a cigar.
His gaze lingered on River’s body. The despicable greed in his eyes sent shivers down her spine.
Suppressing the fear and anger welling up inside her, River turned her gaze toward the scar-faced man. “Release my father first, and then I’ll give you the money!”
The scar-faced man was direct in his response. With a dismissive wave of his hand, the men holding onto Bradley released their grip.
Simultaneously, Bradley stumbled to his feet and hastily made his way toward River, his eyes brimming with gratitude for surviving the ordeal. “River! I’ll make my escape now. You stay and return the money for me!”
And just like that, he left River behind and ran off without a single glance back.
“Miss Healy, what a wonderful father you got there!” mocked the voices around her, accompanied by laughter.
River’s eyes met with the scar-faced man’s gaze, enduring the heartless abandonment by her own father. “At the moment, I only have 7,000 dollars with me. Could you find it in your heart to grant me two more days to accumulate the funds?”
The smile on the scar-faced man’s face froze in an instant. In the next breath, he forcefully slammed his wine glass onto the table, shattering it into countless fragments.
“How dare you negotiate with me to release him when you ain’t got a single penny on you?!”
River trembled but managed to gather her composure. “I just need one day!”
The scar-faced man bellowed, “Fuck you!”
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized River.
“Since you don’t have the money, use your body to repay the debt!”
River’s face drained of color as she took a step back. “I’ll call the police if any of you try anything!”
“The police?” The scar-faced man laughed, pulling out his phone and throwing it onto the table. “Go ahead! I ain’t afraid of no police!”
River gulped nervously.
She knew deep down that calling the police wouldn’t solve her predicament, but she couldn’t allow herself to be caught by them. Otherwise, she would either end up crippled, or dead!
Quickly, River reached into her pocket and pressed the shutdown button on her phone three times in quick succession. Then, she inched back cautiously, and seizing the moment when their attention was diverted, she swiftly turned and bolted toward the exit.
“Get her!”
An enraged shout echoed behind her. Just as River managed to twist the doorknob open, someone forcefully grabbed her hair and yanked her back.
“Ahhh!” River’s cry of pain echoed through the room as she was brutally thrown into the pool of blood, a grim reminder of her father’s abuse.
The throbbing ache quickly radiated through her limbs and bones, causing River’s vision to blur from intense dizziness.
She struggled to prop herself up. And just as her vision got a little clearer, her eyes widened in horror as she saw the bald man advancing toward her with menacing steps.
Before she could fully rise, a harsh slap landed across her face. It unleashed a symphony of ringing in her ears and searing pain on her cheek, nearly knocking her out.
With her scalp tingling, River forced herself to raise her head.