Deceived By Her Billionaire

Chapter 5

It was not Liam’s voice, she realized, and her shoulders dropped with relief... It took almost a minute for her heart to return to its usual rhythm after it had practically stopped for a few seconds. But what if it’s one of his underlings? She thought anxiously the very next minute. When she raised her panic-stricken eyes, she was greeted by a pair of keen blue eyes that were staring at her intently... closely watching her every move... and every emotion on her face.

As soon as the nurse left, to give them some privacy, the stranger came forward… He introduced himself to her by handing her his company’s business card. “My name is Jerry, Ms. Miller. I am a private detective hired by Mr. Williams.”

With that one single sentence, he confirmed her greatest fears. Her body shook violently and her face became a shocking shade of white as she felt afraid and horrified. No words came out of her lips, even though she was desperate to get the nurse to come back over and help her.

Jerry was paying close attention to Cynthia’s expressions. The shifting feelings on her face, from relief to skepticism... to dread and eventually terror, told him everything he needed to know and proved his suspicions about the Williams guy were spot on.

Cynthia made an effort to remain calm. She needed to be strong... she needed to take action, or else all of her suffering... all of her efforts... her coming back from the brink of death... would be in vain. All she had to do was climb to her feet and call for help. It was that simple. They were not going to allow him to take her by force, but she was so terrified... so worried that she could no longer speak. It was as if her voice had abandoned her completely. She took a deep breath and tried getting up from the bed, but her shaky legs were no match for her weight, and she fell to the floor. This did not deter her, though. She disregarded the discomfort and began dragging her body towards the front door with her arms and legs. It was draining her of more energy than she had anticipated, but she continued chanting, ‘reach the door… he can’t do anything… just reach the door’ to give herself the strength to move forward... to fight.

Jerry apprehended her before she could make her way to the door. “What do you think you are doing, Ms. Miller?”

“G... go… a... away… leave me alone”, she implored him, her voice breaking with exhaustion as she struggled to go past him...

“I haven’t even told you what I’m here for, and you’re already in a state of panic, Ms. Miller.” Jerry’s voice was calm as he said, “Did you perhaps do something wrong to warrant such fear?”

“I… h... have done…. n... nothing…. w... wrong other…... than loving…… and putting my faith in that l... low-life…... b... boss of yours.” Every word she spoke was depleting her of her strength, she realized.

“He may have hired the agency for which I work, but he is by no means my boss… moreover, I’m not here for him… I’m here for you. Let me help you get up so that we can talk rationally.”

“I... I don’t w... want anything t..to do with you e... evil…. vile people… now l... leave me a... alone or else I’ll call the p... police,” she threatened.

“Go ahead and call… but be warned that doing so will only bring him here sooner and all the efforts that you have put in to get away from him would be wasted.”

That stopped her in her tracks. “What do you know about my efforts?” she asked.

“Oh, I know. I managed to find you, didn’t I? No matter who you call, now that you’ve been found, no one will be able to assist you.... neither the staff nor the police, and with Mr. Williams’ immense power and influence, there isn’t much they can do, even if they wanted to. He is determined to get to you by any means possible, and there is nothing you can do to stop him in your present condition. Both escaping and stopping him are out of the question for you right now.” He paused for a minute to allow her a chance to process what he was saying before continuing, “Therefore, I propose that you give me the benefit of the doubt and listen to me at the very least.”

She found herself on the horns of a dilemma. She didn’t want this stranger here… she didn’t want to listen to him, and she most certainly didn’t want Liam to find out where she was. What was fate up to... it kept her alive and offered her a glimmer of hope that there was still a possibility for her to escape Liam’s clutches, only for it to cruelly shatter that hope by bringing this detective here, who had been sent by Liam...... why was she being treated with such cruelty?

The stranger cleared his throat... bringing her out of her thoughts. There was no way out for her... so all she could do was gather her courage and nod her head, “All right, I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“You’ve made an excellent choice. Let us take a walk together... It is a pleasant day. You’ve spent much too much time imprisoned in this hospital room. It’s time to come out now.” He said, extending his hand to help her get up.

She brushed off his extended hand, instead, leaned on the bed for support, and got up herself with considerable effort. “While I have agreed to listen to you, this does not imply that I trust you.”

“Very good,” he beamed like a proud teacher…. “That right there is your first lesson… Avoid placing too much faith in others... it makes you vulnerable to people who would take advantage of you... without a second thought.”

A look of disbelief crossed her face, and she looked at him as if he had taken leave of his senses. “Says the one who is trying to take advantage of the situation and my helplessness.”

“Only time will tell whether I’m trying to take advantage or give you an edge,” he said and requested that a wheelchair be brought over by the nurse. He walked her out to the garden once she had settled into her chair comfortably.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, with plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze. Any other time she would have loved to bask in the sunlight… enjoyed the wind blowing on her face, but today she was too tense to feel anything. What did this stranger want from her, she wondered, a little concerned.

As they approached the garden, he searched about for an uncrowded space and maneuvered her wheelchair in that direction. He slammed on the brakes and then took a step forward to face her. “How would you like to start afresh, with a brand-new identity?"

“Huh”…. She wasn’t sure whether she had understood him right and glanced at him with a puzzled expression. “What exactly did you say?”

“I’m sure you heard what I said...” he responded.

“I heard you, but I am not sure if I understood what you are trying to say or do here. Changing one’s identity? As easy and simple as you make it seem... and even if it were for you, why would you want to help me with it? What’s in it for you?” she asked anxiously, trying to figure out what he was up to.

“That’s right… Keep an eye out for ‘generous incentives’...… they usually come with several strings attached and often carry malicious intent, that’s lesson number two for you… as for why I would help you, well, to be honest, I’m not completely sure…. your guy hits all my painful spots, I hate bullies like him, and you bring back memories of someone who was very precious to my heart.” His eyes had a faraway look as he thought about his Jesse. As a member of the special forces, he had received extensive training in protecting people..... shielding them from danger, but he couldn’t even protect the one closest to his heart.

When he spoke about that special person, the stranger’s voice was soft and his eyes were full of affection, but within seconds Cynthia noted that he fisted his hands and his body became stiff. The change in him was so swift that she started to wonder whether she had misinterpreted the emotions in his eyes. To her, it made perfect sense that someone working for Liam wouldn’t be acquainted with such concepts as compassion and love.

The sound of laughter disrupted Jerry’s thoughts as a group of nurses walked past him. He waited for them to leave and then asked Cynthia, “So where was I… oh yes.. I can help you escape and establish a new identity. Are you interested?”