SIGNING THE BILLIONAIRE'S DEAL

Chapter 4: THE BREAKING POINT

ALLISON'S POV

I stood motionless. My stepfather walked away carelessly, leaving me with a sharp mocking echo of his laughter. His dismissive and icy words tightened with each step he took, encircling me like chains.

Three days. That's the end of it... His betrayal weighed heavily on me as I fell to the floor and the door slammed behind him. My vision became blurry as the hot, unrelenting tears came down like a torrent. I couldn't breathe. I was unable to think.

The unrestrained raw sobs that ripped through me caused my chest to heave and my body to tremble. I'd spent my entire life caring for him and my mother and this was his way of repaying me. How could he do this to me? How could he just give me away like that, as if I were a commodity to be exchanged?

I closed my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the pain, but it persisted. It persisted. Marrying a stranger was not an option for me. I couldn't. None of this had ever been what I'd hoped for.

At the age of twenty, I was barely old enough to make decisions for my own life, much less get married to a stranger, much less one whose name would make my stomach turn.

Greg Thorny. CEO, entrepreneur….brutal.

My father didn't give a damn. He didn't. He was now pulling me into an unavoidable nightmare. I wiped away my tears as I tried to think clearly and think of a solution, but there was nothing to do. No one to turn to was available. No escape. That's when I thought of my mom.

With shaky legs, I got up and hurried out of the room. Even though my clothes were wrinkled from hours of stress and agony, and my hair was a complete mess, I didn't care. I needed to see her.

She was the only person who could relate to me and offer me some consolation. With my heart racing, I went back to the hospital. The idea of being by myself in this was too much for my stomach.

No, not right now.

Not when everything was in disarray. I had no trouble finding her room. She was lying in bed with an IV drip in her arm still pale and frail but awake. When I walked in, her eyes opened, and she managed a meek smile while putting her hand out to mine.

Her voice was raspy as she muttered "Ally…. Dear, what's wrong?"

I was barely able to keep it together. I did not attempt to stop my tears as they began to fall once more.

"Mom…" I stutteringly said, my voice cracking. "You won't believe what just happened Mom. Dad sold me out to a billionaire named Greg Thorny. He. . . he gave me an impossible deal. He threatened that I would pay every single penny in a few hours if I didn't marry him in three days."

As my mother listened, her eyes welled up with tears, and her face crumpled with grief. She reached out and gently squeezed my hand as though she could give me strength.

“Oh, Ally,” she said quietly, pain in her voice." I sincerely apologize. This is not what I ever wanted for you. I never wanted you to experience this."

I shook my head, letting the tears fall more quickly. "I don't know what to do. I can't get married to a total stranger. Why is he so cruel? How could he have done this? I don't even know him."

She smiled at me sadly as her thin fingers touched my cheek. "Ally, he has always been self-centered. I'm very sorry you had to take on all of that. I know you've given up a lot, but you've been such a good daughter to me. I do not want you to endure any more pain because of him."

I muttered almost inaudibly" I just. . . I just want things to be normal again. But everything is falling apart. I have no clue how to solve this. I don’t know if I can save myself or save you, so how can I choose between the two? "

My mom's face was a mixture of love and grief as she gazed at me. "You underestimate your strength, my love. It may seem unattainable at the moment, but things will get better every time they weigh you down. I promise you."

The situation's weight continued to weigh heavily on me even as she said those consoling words. I could see how hurt she was and how worried she was about what would happen if I couldn't afford to pay for her surgery. Everyone else was gone. No help.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the door suddenly opened. The doctor and a nurse came in with serious expressions. They didn't give me time to speak, so I got up and wiped away my tears.

"Miss Stewart," the doctor said icily. " We need the payment now. Your mother is in a critical state. Moving her out of this ward will be our only option if we don't get the money soon. We cannot keep her here unless we receive full payment because other patients need the space"

My heart fell to my stomach. I had been clinging to the hope that someone would provide for us and that something would change. But now everything was disappearing.

With a shaky voice, I said,"I—I'll get the money. Give me more time, please. Please."

The doctor didn't even bat an eyelid. "I have endured enough patience. It will be necessary to relocate her if you are unable to pay. Until the balance is paid, she won't get any more care."

When my mother tried to speak, her voice was weak. "Please let me start a bit longer."

But a sudden convulsion ripped through her body before she could finish. Her chest rose and fell erratically as her eyes rolled back, and she gasped in a strangulation.

The nurses hurried to her side, shoving me away without showing any concern for my sorrow.

"Stay out of the way!" one of them yelled.

I watched them labor frantically to stabilize her while I stood there frozen, my hands shaking. With each new attempt to resuscitate my mother, her body trembled, and I broke down in tears, begging the universe to let her live.

“Don’t take her away from me” I cried. "Please"

My cries were ignored. I was left alone, drowning in my tears in the hallway as they closed the doors behind them.

I woke up some hours later, with my joints aching to find myself lying on a bench in the hallway. I had fallen asleep while crying. The emotional toll left my body hurting and my eyes swollen. Desperate for any updates, I jumped up as a nurse walked by.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice breaking. "How's my mom? Is she all right?"

The nurse glanced at me, her expression softened by sympathy. "Miss Stewart, right? She has been brought back to life. But she has been relocated to a different room. But if you wish to keep her receiving care, you have to pay the bills right away."

I stood there lost in thoughts. Then, without thinking, I knew just the person who might help me now.