Married to a cold billionaire boss

Chapter 1: The Day Her World Fell Apart The rain had been falling since dawn. Tiny droplets rolled down the windows of the city bus as Clara Bennett rested her forehead against the cool glass, watching New York blur into streaks of gray. The streets were crowded as always. People hurried to work with umbrellas above their heads, coffee cups in their hands, and phones pressed to their ears. Everyone seemed to have somewhere to be. Everyone except her. Clara sighed softly and checked the time on her phone. 8:17 a.m. Her shift at Riverside Café didn't start until nine, but she always left home early. She hated being late. Her father used to tease her about it. "You're twenty-two, sweetheart. You act like you're the manager instead of the employee." The memory made a small smile appear on her lips. She quickly wiped it away. She hadn't seen her father in almost three days. Not because they had argued. Daniel Bennett owned a small construction company, and work had become difficult over the past few months. He often stayed late at the office, insisting everything was under control. Whenever Clara asked if he was eating properly or getting enough sleep, he always laughed. "Don't worry about me. Just keep chasing your own dreams." She wished she had worried more. Her phone vibrated. Dad Her face brightened immediately. She answered before the second ring. "Dad?" Silence. Then... A stranger spoke. "Is this Miss Clara Bennett?" The smile disappeared from her face. "Yes... who's speaking?" "My name is Dr. Collins from St. Matthew's Hospital." Her heart skipped a beat. "We need you to come immediately." Clara sat upright. "What happened?" "I'm afraid your father collapsed at his office this morning." The world around her suddenly became distant. "What do you mean collapsed?" "I'm sorry, Miss Bennett. Please come as quickly as you can." The call ended. For a second... She couldn't move. The sounds inside the bus disappeared. People were talking. Someone laughed. The driver announced the next stop. But Clara heard none of it. Her fingers tightened around her phone until they turned white. "No..." She stood so suddenly that the elderly woman beside her looked up in surprise. "I'm sorry," Clara whispered before rushing toward the exit. The bus hadn't even stopped completely before she stepped onto the sidewalk. Rain soaked her hair almost instantly. She didn't care. She raised her hand desperately, trying to stop a taxi. One passed. Then another. None stopped. "Please..." Finally, a yellow cab pulled over. She climbed inside, struggling to catch her breath. "St. Matthew's Hospital," she said, her voice shaking. "As fast as you can." The driver glanced at her through the mirror. "I'll do my best." The journey felt endless. Every red light made her heart pound harder. Every minute felt stolen. She kept calling her father's phone. No answer. Again. No answer. Again. Straight to voicemail. She closed her eyes. "Please be okay..." It was the only prayer she could manage. The smell of disinfectant hit her the moment she entered the hospital. Bright white lights reflected off polished floors. Doctors hurried past with clipboards. Nurses pushed patients through the hallways. Everything looked normal. Too normal. As if people's lives weren't changing inside these walls every single minute. Clara rushed to the reception desk. "My father... Daniel Bennett..." The nurse looked at the computer before meeting her eyes. "Room 307." Clara didn't wait. She ran. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway until she reached the room. Her trembling hand pushed the door open. "Dad..." Daniel Bennett lay motionless on the bed. His face looked pale. Machines surrounded him. His breathing was slow. Too slow. Clara hurried to his side and grabbed his hand. It was warm. Thank God... It was still warm. His eyelids fluttered open. A weak smile appeared on his lips. "You came..." Tears immediately filled Clara's eyes. "Of course I came." "You scared me." "I'm sorry..." "You always say you're fine." "I know." She tried to smile through her tears. "When you leave this hospital, I'm making you take a real vacation." Her father chuckled weakly. "I'd like that." For a few precious minutes... Everything felt almost normal. Then his smile slowly faded. He looked at her carefully. As if trying to memorize her face. "Clara." "Yes?" "No matter what happens..." She frowned. "...promise me you'll stay strong." Her heart tightened. "Dad..." "Promise me." She squeezed his hand. "I promise." "And don't let life..." He stopped to catch his breath. "...break you." Her eyes filled with tears again. "It won't." "I'll always..." The sentence never finished. The monitor beside the bed suddenly began beeping rapidly. Doctors rushed inside. "Miss Bennett, please step outside!" "What? No!" "Please!" A nurse gently pulled her away from the bed. Clara struggled. "Dad!" The door closed. She stood frozen in the hallway. Voices echoed from inside the room. "Clear!" "Again!" "Charge!" Her breathing became uneven. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Minutes felt like hours. Then... The beeping stopped. The silence that followed was louder than any sound she had ever heard. The door opened. Dr. Collins stepped outside. He removed his glasses slowly. "I'm sorry, Miss Bennett." "We did everything we could." Clara stared at him. She heard the words. But her mind refused to understand them. "No..." "I'm so sorry." "No..." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "My dad..." Her voice broke completely. "...can't be gone." For the first time in her life... Clara Bennett felt completely alone. The funeral was held three days later. The rain had stopped, but the gray clouds still hung over the city as if they, too, were mourning. Clara stood beside her father's casket, dressed in black, accepting quiet condolences from relatives, neighbors, and a few of his business associates. "I'm so sorry for your loss." "Your father was a good man." "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." She thanked each of them with a polite smile. But every word sounded distant. Nothing anyone said could change the one thing she wanted most. To hear her father call her "sweetheart" one more time. By late afternoon, everyone had gone home. The cemetery grew quiet. Clara remained standing for a few moments, staring at the fresh flowers resting on the grave. "I kept my promise," she whispered. "I stayed strong." A tear escaped despite her efforts to stop it. "But I don't know how to do this without you." The wind answered in silence. Finally, she turned and walked away. Returning to the apartment was harder than she expected. The place looked exactly the same. Her father's jacket still hung by the front door. His favorite mug sat on the kitchen counter. The newspaper he had been reading was still folded neatly on the coffee table. Everything waited for someone who would never come home again. Clara closed the door quietly behind her. For the first time since the funeral... She cried. Not the quiet tears she had shed at the hospital. These were different. They came from somewhere much deeper. She sat on the living room floor, hugging one of her father's old sweaters as sobs echoed through the empty apartment. She cried until there were no tears left. Life didn't stop simply because her heart had. Bills continued to arrive. The rent was due. Electricity had to be paid. Food still had to be bought. So, less than a week after the funeral, Clara returned to work at Riverside Café. Her coworkers welcomed her with kind smiles. "We're glad you're back." "If you need to rest, let us know." She appreciated their kindness. But work wasn't easy. She almost dropped a tray after hearing a customer laugh the same way her father used to. Another time, she caught herself reaching for her phone, wanting to tell him about a funny customer. Then she remembered. There was no one to call anymore. A few days later, the first envelope arrived. Clara opened it without much thought. Her expression slowly changed. "This has to be a mistake..." It was a notice demanding payment for an unpaid business loan. She placed it aside. The next morning, another envelope appeared. Then another. Within a week, several letters covered the dining table. Banks. Finance companies. Private lenders. Each one carried the same message. Outstanding balance. Immediate repayment required. Confused, Clara searched through every drawer in the apartment. "There has to be an explanation." Her father had never mentioned borrowing money. Never. Then her phone rang. Unknown number. She hesitated before answering. "Hello?" "Miss Clara Bennett?" "Yes." "I'm calling regarding Mr. Daniel Bennett's outstanding loan." "My father's loan?" "Yes. We would like to discuss repayment." "There must be a misunderstanding." "I'm afraid there isn't." The call ended. Another followed later that afternoon. Then another the next day. Each conversation revealed another debt. Another payment. Another deadline. Clara felt as if the walls around her were slowly closing in. That evening, she unlocked the door to her father's home office. She hadn't been inside since his death. The room still smelled faintly of coffee and old books. His desk was neat. Too neat. As though he had planned to return after work and continue where he left off. She sat in his chair and opened the top drawer. Inside were folders carefully arranged by date. Business contracts. Invoices. Financial reports. Hours passed as she read through them one by one. The deeper she looked... The more painful the truth became. Her father's company hadn't simply been struggling. It had been fighting to survive. He had taken loan after loan, hoping the next project would save the business. But it never happened. He had carried every burden alone. Clara closed the final folder and lowered her head. "So that's why..." She finally understood why he had been coming home late. Why he looked exhausted every evening. Why he kept saying everything was fine. He had been protecting her. Even while his own world was falling apart. Fresh tears filled her eyes. "You didn't have to carry it all alone, Dad." She gently placed her hand on the desk. "I would have helped." Silence filled the room. The answer she longed for would never come. After a long while, Clara stood. She wiped away her tears and carefully returned every file to its place. Running away wouldn't solve anything. Neither would crying forever. She had made a promise. She intended to keep it. Walking to the window, she looked out at the glowing city lights. Somewhere beyond those buildings, thousands of people were beginning new chapters of their lives. Maybe... Just maybe... She could too. Even if she had no idea how. Little did Clara Bennett know... the hardest chapter of her life had not begun yet.