CAUGHT IN THE BILLIONAIRE WEB

Amy Pov If I had walked in two minutes later, my mother would have been dead. She was lying on the floor when I walked in, and three men were kicking her like she wasn’t even human. One grabbed her by the collar. The other kicked her ribs. For a second, I thought I had stepped into someone else’s house. The plastic bag slipped from my hand and the bread inside rolled across the tiles. One of the men turned, wiping sweat from his forehead. The other two didn’t even bother to stop. I grabbed the closest thing on the table and threw it at the man standing over her. It hit the wall with a loud crack, but I didn’t care. “Get away from her” I screamed. My voice tore out of me. “Are you crazy?” This time around they all turned and stared at me like I was nothing. Then the taller one smirked. “Your mother owes us money,” he said. “Tell her to pay.” “She will pay. Please stop.” I rushed forward and pushed myself between them and my mother. One of the men raised his hand again. “Touch her and I will kill you” I said. I did not even think. My voice came out firm, shaking with anger. My hands were trembling, but I kept my body in front of hers. “You?” He laughed. “Kill us? Pay your debt first.” Before I could say a word, my mom started convulsing. We all turned to her at the same time. “Hey, hey, she’s seizing,” one of them said, panicking. My mother’s head hit the floor as her body kept shaking. I ran to her, dropping to my knees so fast my skin scraped on the tiles. “Mom. Mom, please.” I tried to hold her shoulders still. Her teeth were clenched and her eyes rolled back. “Mom, stop. Please stop.” The tallest man swore under his breath. “This is bad. Let’s go.” They didn’t even try to help. They just signaled to each other and rushed toward the door, almost tripping over themselves. “Cowards!” I shouted after them. My voice cracked from the force of it. The door slammed, but I didn’t chase them. My hands were too busy trying to keep my mother’s head from hitting the floor again. “Mom, stay with me. Please stay with me.” My voice was shaking so badly I could barely hear myself. Her body slowed, then stopped moving. Completely. Her eyes stayed half open, staring at nothing. “Mom,” I whispered. “Mom, look at me.”I tapped her cheek. “Mom, please wake up.” Nothing. “Mom, please,” I said again, slapping her cheek lightly. My voice broke and tears blurred my sight. “You cannot leave me. Please.” Her chest barely moved. Her breathing was weak and shallow, like it was trying to leave her body. My hands shook as I grabbed my phone but I kept dropping it. My fingers couldn’t grip it. It slipped from my palm twice and hit the tiles. “Please, please, not now” I said under my breath as I picked it up again. My nails scraped against the screen. I finally dialed. “911. What’s your emergency?” “My mother… She's not breathing right. She was beaten. She… she collapsed. Please send someone.” The words tumbled over each other. My voice kept breaking. “Is she conscious?” “No… She’s cold. Please hurry… Please.” “Emergency services are on the way. Stay on the line with me.” I put the phone on speaker and placed it on the table. I tried a little CPR, praying it would help, until the medical team arrived. Minutes felt like hours. When the ambulance came, paramedics lifted her onto the stretcher. I followed them, crying, begging her to stay awake. “Mom, stay with me. Please. I am here.” She did not respond. Her arm hung loosely off the side until a paramedic tucked it in. Inside the ambulance, machines beeped. Someone pressed something to her chest and shouted instructions. I held her cold hand and prayed. At the hospital, they rolled her away so fast I almost tripped while trying to keep up. “Mom” I cried again as they pushed her through the double doors of the emergency room. “Mom, please.” A nurse blocked my path. “You cannot go in. Please wait outside.” “No. She needs me.” “We will take care of her. You need to stand back.” She closed the doors after that. I stood there, swallowing air like I couldn’t breathe. My clothes were wet from sweat and tears. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Every sound in the hallway felt distant. When the doctor finally walked out, I knew the news wasn’t good. His expression said it before he opened his mouth. “Are you Amy Jones?” “Yes,” I said quickly. “Please. Is my mother alright?” He pressed his lips together. “Your mother’s condition has worsened. Her heart is very weak. The assault made it much worse.” I felt my knees weaken. “Please save her. She is all I have. Please do something.” “We are doing everything we can. But her case is advanced. There is a specialist who can handle a case this severe. His name is Dr Mark Morgan, he runs the Rosenberg Heart Institute in Estavia. He is the only one who can help her now.” “Then please bring him here. Please.” The doctor shook his head. “He does not travel for cases. Patients go to him.” I blinked fast. “Then send her there. Please. I will go with her. Just save her.” “This is not a simple trip. It is expensive. Very expensive. You will need to arrange immediate transport, private medical flight, and upfront payment.” My breath caught. “I do not have that kind of money. “I don’t have money to fly her out of the country. I don’t even have money for anything.” “I am sorry,” he said in a soft voice. “If she stays here, we can stabilize her, but that doesn't guarantee anything, She needs surgery soon.” “I cannot lose her,” I whispered. “Please. Please save her. I will pay. I will work. I will do anything. Just give me time.” “You do not have much time,” he said quietly. “I suggest you start looking for help. The sooner the better.” He left me standing in the hallway, shaking, crying, trying to breathe while my world collapsed floor by floor. I pressed my hands to my face, trying not to fall apart right there. That was when my phone rang. I wiped my eyes quickly and looked at the screen. Jessica Porter. I hesitated for a second, my fingers trembling over the answer button. Then I picked up the call. “Jessica…?”