The Billionaire's Secret ✔️

1. The Beginning

~•The most important thing in the world is family and love. There the love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony•~

William White, one of the businesspersons in Los Angeles, watched his little family enjoying their time together. His daughter laughed and giggled at everything that she found new and unique.

It was his family, William smiled.

'What is a family?' When anyone asked him this question, he told them his heart's content, as if he was showing them his heart, tearing it off his chest.

'Family is a unique gift of God. Not everyone is so lucky to have it, and those who have, need to appreciate and treasure it, even when they are driving us crazy. As much as they make us mad, interrupt us, annoy us, curse at us, try to control us, but these are the people who know us the best and who truly love us without any expectations. At the end of a tiring and hectic day when we see their smiling faces you feel rejuvenated. A new energy flows through our body.' His answer always made others dumbfounded and astonished. But not caring about the world he was wise to his words.

"Dad! Dad!" A seven-year-old girl, Caroline exclaimed. "See those stars, they look so pretty," she squealed, looking at the sky. Her eyes were shining with excitement and wonder.

 "Kara, honey, do you see that?” her mother, Sara, pointed at a constellation in the sky while Caroline smiled at her. “It is called the Great Bear constellation. And you know why it is named so?”

Caroline shook her head and stared at her mother with curious eyes. She loved when her parents address her Kara. Caroline was too long for her.

"Because it consists of seven bright stars arranged in a pattern resembling a big bear.”

Sara White, a very well know astronomer of the city. She was so mesmerized by the stars that it became her passion. Her obsession.

Caroline too acquired the same genes as her mother. Though she was surely fascinated by these twinkling stars, but, they did not make her as excited as fireflies.

Fireflies!

Her mother always says, they are the symbol of love . . . True love . . .  Though, she never understood the connection between fireflies and love, yet she believed her beautiful mother.

She believed that, they only glow when there is true love.

A love that is nearly impossible to find in this cruel and evil world. It is a rare thing to get the person whom you loved and he too loves you with the same passion. Maybe some do!

"Really, Mom?" Caroline asked, her face lightened up with the new information. Sara nodded and smiled at her daughter's excitement.

"Kara, princess you know, when someone goes very far from us, a place from where he could not return, then they become stars . . . just like these," Caroline's father, William, stared at the glittering sky. "They always shine and guide us the right path." His words made the merry atmosphere tensed. Why was he saying all this at this time, he too did not know. "But they never go far from us."

"What are you teaching her, Will?" Sara scolded her husband. "Kara honey, you go and see some more stars there, then tell me about them," Sara said, gesturing at one of her assistants.

"Okay." Caroline ran towards the other apparatus that was already set for her by Sara's assistant.

"What has happened, Will? I am noticing you for an hour, you seemed distracted," Sara moved closer to her husband and took his cheeks in her palms. "Does anything happen? Why are you so tensed? Is everything okay?"

"Sara, I . . . I do not know. But something is weird, today. I can feel it. Like . . . Like this is the last time we are together. I am feeling restless. I tried to calm down but my heart is not at peace," William replied. He removed her hand from his face and held it tightly in his. His eyes got teary as he gazed back at Caroline, who was enjoying herself without any worry.

Was it not the childhood for?

No worries.

No tensions.

Nothing matters!

Nothing.

A phase of life that everybody wanted to live, again and again.

"Will, you are worked up due to your hectic schedule. I told you not to stress so much. Everything is fine. See, we all are here . . . Together . . ." Sara tried to assure him. He just nodded, not wanting to make her more worried, but from inside, he was scared and restless.

Why would he not be?

When it comes to your family, everyone feels the same, isn't it?

It was late at night all were returning home. William was driving while Sara was at back seat holding sleeping Caroline in her arms. She was slightly patting Caroline's hair and humming a lullaby into her ears.

William smiled, looking at them through the rear-view.

 "Sara?" William called with a sudden change in his expression. There were frowns at his forehead and his eyes were filled with some kind of fear.

 "Hmm . . ." Sara answered, her eyes were still fixed on Caroline.

"Tight your hold on Caroline. Please, don't leave her." Sara's eyes shot up and met his gaze. Her eyes were as deep as the ocean and he fell in love with them at the first sight.

"What happened?" Sara concerned.

"Nothing—"   

"Ouch!" Sara shrieked as she banged her head on the window shield of the car. "How are you driving?" She massaged her temple to ease the pain.

"You okay?" William looked apologetic. "Sorry. It was a speed breaker."

"Speed breaker?" Sara gritted her teeth. "Is it not meant to slow down the speed?"

"I cannot," William whispered under his breath, but Sara heard it.

"What did you say?"

He looked at her for a second. "Always remember that I love you. Forever." His sudden confession made her more tensed.

"Will, why are—"

"f**k!" William cussed cutting her talk, when a truck from nowhere came in front of the car. "What the f**k! What a truck doing on a one way road."

"Take left, Will. I can see a narrow line there," Sara said as she became edgy.

"I am trying. I am trying."

"NOW!" Sara shouted, clutching Caroline more to her chest. Like, she was trying to hide Caroline in her heart. So no harm comes to her.

William rotated the steering wheel with all his force, trying to pass through the narrow line, saving them. But, it looks like destiny had planned something else for them, today.

Something they did not want, neither expected.

Something that changed their lives. Forever.

As the car entered the narrow line, William tried to control its speed, but the break was not supporting them.   

His heart was beating at a rapid pace.

His palms were sweaty.

But, the next sight in front of him made everything freeze.

That time.

That moment.

Everything!

The line was leading them to a cliff. William tried everything in his favor to stop the car, but alas, no one can win after destiny.

"Sara!" He cried the name like a prayer, his voice was so low, so dishearten. He was disappointed that he could do nothing to save his family.

'No, I cannot think like that. I have to do something,' William thought and it boosted a new wave of energy in him. He looked around to find something, any way to save them.

"When I say jump, just jump with Caroline," William commanded.

"But what about you?" Sara urged.

"I will be fine. I will jump after you guys," he lied.

"No, I will not jump without you. You cannot break our promise. Remember?" Sara said and tears rolled down her cheeks like no end.

'We will always live together and die together' William remembered their vow that they took at their wedding.

"We cannot be selfish Sara. Think about Kara. She will need you. We both cannot leave her," he cried.

"You are right, we cannot be selfish. Kara has to live. She will be alone without us," Sara cried more and showered Caroline’s face with kisses.

Caroline was fast awake in this chore. She was unable to understand why her parents were crying. She was silent, but was this silence means only calmness of mind, or something else?

"Kara, princess, when I will say jump, you jump with your Mom. Okay?" William told her, with all the love he has for his daughter. Maybe this was the last time he was talking to her. Maybe this was the last time he was able to see her, so close to him.

". . . and sweetheart, always remember that this world is not always good. You have to be brave, strong, and kind. Never let anyone break you." Caroline was not in a condition to say anything, so she bobbed her head.

"We love you. Forever," Sara kissed Caroline's temple.

"We love you. Forever." William repeated the same.

"Sara, ready?" William asked as he stared at her through the rear-view mirror of the car.

 Sara gritted her teeth and nodded. "I love you. Please do not leave us. Please!" Sara hiccupped.

"I love you too." William replied and gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turned white. "JUMP!

Sara looked at William with teary eyes.

"NOW!"

Sara picked up her cell phone, held Caroline firmly and jumped from the car. The sudden contact with the ground scratched her arms which made her hold on Caroline lose.

After getting away from Sara's arm, Caroline rolled over the ground and whimpered in pain.

Sara tried to control her body, but her head hit something sharp and big. She shirked in pain and her palm touched her forehead in reflex. When she removed her palm and that’s when she saw blood. Her all fingers was covered with her blood. Her head was bleeding. Still, she did not care about herself for once and hurriedly looked at the car.

For him.

For her husband.

William was trying to get out of the car, but before he could jump, the car fell from the cliff.

"WILL!” Sara screamed at the top of her lungs. She cried and cried, in pain, in heartache. But then her eyes went wide.

"Caroline," Sara mumbled, started searching for her daughter. She looked around her and found Caroline few feet away lying on the ground. She held her head and somehow gathered herself. She tried to stand on her feet, but failed. She tried again, but tripped to the ground. It was paining her a lot, adding to that the continuous loss of blood was not helping. But she cannot leave her daughter like that. She crawled on her knees to Caroline.

No mother can.

How much pain she is in, how much she has suffered, it does not matter to her, when it comes to her child’s safety . . . Their well-being.

Sara crawled towards Caroline and took her in her arms. "Caroline. Kara sweetie, get up. Look at me," she patted Caroline's cheeks, but no response. Fear clutched in Sara's heart.

"Kara!" Sara patted Caroline some more, nearly slapped. Caroline wailed in pain. Sara closed her eyes and she let out a breath. She cleaned Caroline's face by running her palm and cried. She had already lost her husband, her William. Now she did not have any courage to lose her daughter too. She embraced Caroline more to her and kissed her forehead, numerous times.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on her phone that was dropped at some distance behind her. She stretched herself and somehow managed to get hold on it. She glanced at the screen, but it was blank.

"Please! Please! Come on, just for once!" Sara chanted repeatedly as a mantra as patted it over her palm that was shaking severely. With her shaky hands, she somehow reloaded the battery and patted again. "Come on! Jesus, please help," she chanted when she pressed the power button. After a few attempts the screen blinked, without any delay, she dialed a number.  

"Rosh, help," were the last words before darkness consumed her.