OWNED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

Chapter3:A deal

Mia didn’t go inside. The moment the call ended, her hand froze on the door handle, her breath caught somewhere between panic and disbelief.

The words echoed in her head, louder than the noise of the street around her. For a second, she stood there, unmoving. Then something inside her snapped. She turned and ran.

The streets blurred past her as she hurried toward the main road, her chest rising and falling too fast, her thoughts colliding into each other without forming anything clear.

Critical. What did that even mean? Was it worse than before? Has something happened suddenly? Was she… too late?

“No…” Mia whispered under her breath, shaking her head as if that alone could stop the thought from becoming real.

She waved down a cab, her hands trembling slightly as she got in and mentioned the hospital’s name. Every second felt too slow. Every traffic light felt like a punishment. Her mind wouldn’t stop racing.

The doctor’s warning. The bills. The three days. Her father’s debt. Everything pressed down on her at once, making it hard to breathe.

By the time the cab stopped, Mia didn’t wait for it to fully halt before pushing the door open and stepping out. She rushed inside.

The hospital felt different. Or maybe it was just her.

Mia moved quickly through the corridor, her eyes scanning every face she passed, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

She stopped at the nurse’s station.

“My mother,” she said, her voice rushed. “Mrs. Ashford. I got a call and someone said her condition is critical.”

The nurse looked up, her expression professional but unreadable. “Yes. The doctor has been expecting you.”

Mia’s stomach tightened. “Where is he?”

“In his office.”

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Not ‘go see your mother’. Not ‘she’s stable now’. The doctor.

Her chest felt heavier as she turned and made her way down the hallway toward his office. Each step felt like she was walking toward something she didn’t want to face.

She reached the door and paused. Her hand hovered for only a second before she knocked.

“Come in.”

Mia pushed the door open. The doctor sat behind his desk, the same file in front of him. He looked up as she entered, his expression serious in a way that made her pulse quicken.

“Doctor,” she said quickly, stepping forward. “What happened? They said my mother’s condition is critical.”

He gestured toward the chair. “Sit down, Miss Ashford.”

“I don’t want to sit,” she said, her voice unsteady. “I just need you to tell me what’s going on.”

The doctor studied her for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Her condition has worsened,” he said.

The words landed heavily.

“How?” Mia asked. “She was fine earlier. She was talking: she was okay.”

“She was stable,” he corrected gently. “But stable doesn’t mean improving.”

Mia shook her head slowly, trying to understand. “So what does this mean now?”

“It means we don’t have time to delay any further,” he said. “She needs to be moved to a more advanced treatment plan immediately.”

Mia’s heart pounded. “Then do it.”

The doctor didn’t respond right away. He hesitated.

Mia felt it instantly. “No…” she whispered. “Don’t tell me it’s about money again.”

“It is about money,” he said, not unkindly, but without softening the truth. “The treatment she needs now is more intensive. It requires equipment and specialists we cannot fully provide under her current arrangement.”

Her chest tightened painfully. “Then transfer her. Move her to wherever she needs to go.”

“We can begin the process,” he replied, “but a deposit must be made first.”

Mia stared at him. “How long do I have?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

The number echoed in her head. Twenty-four hours. Not again.

Her mind spiraled instantly. Three days for the debt. Now one day for her mother. It felt like everything was closing in on her at once.

“I…” she started, but the words wouldn’t come out properly. Her throat felt tight.

“I don’t have that kind of money,” she admitted finally, her voice breaking slightly. “But I’ll find it. I’ll do anything. Just… Please start the treatment.”

The doctor leaned back slightly. “We can begin preliminary procedures to stabilize her, but we cannot proceed fully without the deposit.”

Mia stepped closer to the desk. “Please,” she said, her voice softer now, more desperate. “If you wait, she might not have time.”

“I understand,” he replied. “But there are limitations.”

Limitations. The word felt like a wall she kept running into. Over and over again.

“I’ll get the money,” she said quickly. “Just don’t stop. Do whatever you can for now.”

The doctor held her gaze for a moment, then nodded once. “We will do what we can within that time frame.”

It wasn’t enough. But it was something.

Mia didn’t wait any longer. “Thank you,” she said quickly before turning and walking out.

She didn’t go to her mother’s room. She couldn’t. Not yet. Because standing there, watching her, knowing she couldn’t help… it would break her.

And she didn’t have time to break. She had to act.

Her first stop was her workplace. By the time she got there, her breath was uneven, her mind still racing.

She pushed the door open and walked straight in.

Her boss looked up, clearly annoyed. “You again?” he said.

Mia ignored the tone. “Please, I need to talk to you.”

“I already told you…”

“I need my salary,” she cut in, her voice urgent. “Please. It’s important.”

He leaned back in his chair, unimpressed. “You don’t work here anymore.”

“I worked for two months without being paid,” she insisted. “That money is mine.”

“You were compensated with experience.”

The words made her stare at him in disbelief. “My mother is dying,” she said, her voice shaking now. “I just need what I already earned. That’s all I’m asking.”

But his expression didn’t change. “I can’t help you.”

Something inside her dropped. Completely.

“Please…” she tried again.

“No.”

The finality in his voice left no space for hope.

Mia stood there for a few seconds longer, as if waiting for him to change his mind. He didn’t.

So she turned and walked out.

***********

The rest of the day blurred into a series of failed attempts. Rejected loan applications. Messages to friends. Some didn’t respond. Some sent small amounts. Enough for transport. Enough for food. But nowhere near what she needed.

Each rejection felt heavier than the last. Each “I’m sorry” felt like a door closing in her face.

By evening, exhaustion had settled deep into her bones. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Not when time was running out.

When she returned to the hospital, the sky had already darkened. The building looked the same. But everything felt different.

Mia walked straight to the doctor’s office. He looked up as she entered. Something in his expression made her heart sink before he even spoke.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice barely steady.

The doctor closed the file in front of him. “Miss Ashford… there has been a development.”

Her chest tightened. “What kind of development?”

“Without financial clearance, we are unable to continue certain aspects of her treatment.”

The words sounded distant and unreal.

“I don’t understand,” she said slowly. “You said I had twenty-four hours.”

“You do,” he replied. “But until then, we are limited.”

“Limited how?” she pressed.

The doctor hesitated briefly. Then he said it. “We may have to suspend life-saving procedures.”

The words hit her like a physical blow.

“No,” she said immediately. “You can’t do that.”

“I’m afraid…”

“No,” she repeated, her voice stronger this time, though it trembled. “You said you would do what you can.”

“And we are,” he said. “But this facility is not equipped to handle her condition long-term without proper arrangements.”

Mia’s eyes burned. “So what are you saying?”

He met her gaze. “If she is transferred to an advanced hospital, her chances will improve significantly.”

“And the cost?” Mia asked quietly.

He didn’t need to answer. She already knew. It was always about money. Always.

Mia stood there, her thoughts spinning, her options disappearing one by one.

“I’ll find it,” she said again, though the words felt weaker this time.

She turned and walked out of the office. The hallway felt longer and heavier than before. Each step felt harder to take.

“Miss Ashford.”

She stopped. A nurse stood a few steps behind her. “There’s someone waiting for you outside,” she said.

Mia frowned slightly. “For me?”

The nurse nodded.

Mia hesitated for a moment. Then she turned and walked toward the exit.

The night air hit her as she stepped outside.

She looked around, her eyes searching. Then she saw him through the window. Sitting inside a sleek black car, his tailored suit perfectly fitted, his eyes fixed on her with an unreadable expression, his features sharp and composed, giving away nothing.

The man looked familiar. It took her a second to place him. Then it clicked. The man from the morning. The one who had splashed water on her. The one who had made her lose her job.

Her jaw tightened slightly. Coincidence? Maybe. But something about it didn’t feel like one. Because this time, he wasn't alone. The car he was in wasn’t just any car. It was the kind that turn

ed heads.

She didn’t know exactly who he was yet.

A man calmly opened the back door and the man inside said, "Enter."

Mia didn’t move. His gaze held hers, steady and unreadable.

"I have a deal for you,"