One Night Stand With A Billionaire Stranger

Elora sat at the edge of her father’s hospital bed, her hands trembling as she clutched the medical bill. The numbers blurred in front of her. Her stepmother, Madam Freda’s voice cut through her thoughts like a blade. “You know what you have to do,” she said coldly, her manicured fingers tapping against the armrest of the chair. “Liam Grey will pay for the surgery if you marry him. You have to marry him, we do not have a choice.” Elora’s heart sank. Liam Grey was her boss, a man as ruthless in business as he was indifferent to personal relationships. She had never imagined marrying him, but desperation clouded her judgment. Her father’s life hung in the balance. As the wedding day approached, Elora felt a growing sense of unease. She knew she was making a mistake, but she couldn't turn back now. Three days later, Elora stood at the altar, her hands clammy and her heart pounding. Liam’s expression was unreadable, his sharp features betraying no emotion. The ceremony passed in a blur, and before she knew it, she was Mrs. Grey. The days following the wedding were tense and silent. Liam avoided her, retreating to his study or leaving for work early. On the third day, Elora gathered her courage and approached him. Liam, I need to talk to you about my father's surgery," Elora said, trying to sound calm. Liam looked up from his phone, a look of annoyance on his face. "What about it?" "You promised me that you would pay for my father's surgery," Elora reminded him. "I need the money now." Liam's expression turned cold. "I do not have the money," he said. "And even if I did, I'm not sure I would give it to you." Elora felt a wave of shock wash over her. "What do you mean? You promised me..." Liam looked up from his desk, his eyes cold and calculating. Without a word, he slid a folder across the table—divorce papers. “You’re no longer my problem,” he said flatly. “Sign these and leave.” Elora's eyes scanned the documents, her mind reeling in shock. "What is this? You promised me the money for my father's surgery! " Elora felt the world crumble beneath her feet. She continued. “Please sir, we both no you have the money. Please sir, do not treat me this way.” Liam's expression turned cruel. "You were just a means to an end. And now that I've achieved my goal, I don't need you anymore." Elora felt a surge of anger. "You used me, you used me to get what you wanted." Liam shrugged. "That's just business, Elora and I am a business man, a very smart one. Don't take it personally." Elora couldn't believe what she was hearing. Liam had used her, manipulated her, and now he was discarding her like trash, but she was adamant on leaving. She insisted she would not step a foot out of Liam’s house, until the money he had promised her is given. It was raining heavily, but despite that, Liam ordered his guards to throw her out on the streets, but that was only after he forced her to sign the divorce papers. Elora rushed to the hospital with tears streaming down her face she went straight to her father’s ward. She had been waiting for what felt like an eternity to see her father in good health and to have conversations with him once more, but it seemed she wouldn’t be getting that soon because Liam had chosen to act like a douchebag. As she entered the room, Elora was met with a sight that made her blood run cold. Her father lay in the bed, his eyes closed and his face pale. "Father?" Elora whispered, her voice shaking with fear, but there was no response. And then Elora saw the machines. The machines that were supposed to be keeping her father alive were silent, their screens dark. Elora felt like she had been punched in the gut. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. "Father?" she whispered again, her voice cracking with grief. Elora rushed to her father's side, screaming for the doctor. Her desperate cries startled Madam Freda, who had been resting beside her husband. Madam Freda's eyes widened in terror as she sprang upright. She joined Elora in screaming, their voices echoing in a heartbreaking duet. But their pleas for help came too late. Elora's father was gone. The doctor's voice was a distant hum in Elora's ears. "I'm so sorry, Elora. We did everything we could, but..." But Elora didn't hear the rest. She didn't hear anything except the sound of her own heart shattering into a million pieces. She felt like she was falling, like the ground had been pulled out from under her. She stumbled backwards, her eyes fixed on her father's lifeless body. She couldn't believe it. Her father was gone. The man who had always been there for her, who had always loved and supported her despite the cruelty of her stepmother, was gone. She lay there on the floor, crying uncontrollably. The grief was overwhelming, suffocating. Elora felt like she couldn't breathe, like she was drowning in her own tears. She was sure she would never be the same again. Elora sought consolation, but she knew her step mother needed to be consoled too. As she walked towards Madam Freda to hug her, she pushed Elora so hard, she landed on the chair behind. "Why didn’t you come back with the money early enough? Where is the money, where is the money you foolish girl?" As Elora struggled to process the harsh words and the physical pain from being pushed, she felt a wave of anger and hurt wash over her. She looked up at her stepmother, her eyes welling up with tears, and asked, "How can you speak to me like that? My father just died, and you're yelling at me?" Madam Freda’s expression didn't change. Her voice was still laced with venom as she spat out, "Your father's death is on your hands, you selfish girl. If you had only brought the money back in time, he would still be alive." "Trust me, mum, I really tried," she said, weeping. "But Liam played a fast one on us. He refused to give me the money." "I am not your mother," Madam Freda retorted. "Only God knows what you must have done to annoy the young man. Mark my words, Elora, and let it stick: you killed your father, no one else but you!" Those words cut through Elora's soul like a dagger, leaving her shattered and bleeding. She stumbled out of the hospital, towards the nearest bar, desperate to drown the anguish that threatened to consume her. The tears she had held back for so long finally broke free, streaming down her face as she whispered to herself, "I'm so sorry, Daddy... I'm so, so sorry."