The Heart of A Disabled Billionaire

4

Isabella

Maybe I shouldn’t have screamed…

The intruder’s knife pressed gradually against my throat in warning, the cold metal of the blade drawing little blood, forcing me to inhale sharply and stand still as the man snapped behind me, “Scream again, and I swear to God, I won’t hesitate to slit your neck.”

My mouth immediately went dry at the threat, my body still frozen in shock as I dared not to move an inch.

“Wha…what do you want?” I whispered, my heart racing as the blade slowly trailed down my throat. I closed my eyes, terrified, hoping for this to be a nightmare, and silently scolded myself internally for being so naïve and stubborn—if only I’d listened, maybe I’d still be in deep sleep now, recovering from the happenings of the evening.

Then suddenly, he chuckled, the pressure from the knife becoming lighter on my skin. Something about the laugh sounded dangerous and spine-chilling, almost like he found my question funny yet intriguing.

“What do I want?” He made a thinking expression, circling around me like I was his prey making it clear that there was no space to run to.

“Holding the wife of Mr. Hart captive could get me millions if not billions—“ My eyes widened—“but I came for one thing, and one thing tonight. The bundles of cold cash in your husband’s safe.”

Nathaniel.

They were here for him. Did they really hate him this much to go as far as to break into his house? And how on earth did this guy even get in without being spotted?

I should’ve felt relieved, but I didn’t, not even in the slightest way.

Because Nathaniel was now involved in this mess.

“I…I don’t know the code…and even if I did, I won’t give you a dime of it. Why don’t you ask Nathaniel for the code yourself?’’ I admitted with a frown, but apparently, the intruder didn’t like my choice of words and pushed me up against the wall almost immediately, forcing me to gasp for air while struggling to break out of his choking grasp.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, sounds of ragged breathing echoing across the room.

“Take your hands off her.” A familiar voice thundered from the doorway, forcing both the intruder and I’s attention there.

The knife was back to my throat again, only this time it felt more threatening as the intruder pulled me against his chest while he faced towards the direction of the wide-open door.

“Woken up already, Mr. Hart? My, your wife sure knows how to scream her head off.” He wore a sickeningly wide grin. “You should have seen it.’’

My attention was on the figure leaning heavily on a crutch, his weight shifting awkwardly to one side as if every slight movement sent pangs of pain through him.

I noticed how the strands of his hair were wet, sticking to his forehead like he’d just gotten out of the shower. His breathing was slow yet ragged, his chest rising and falling as his eyes moved from the intruder’s to mine.

They flickered with pain and something darker—anger, guilt, and frustration.

“Do you know how much trouble you’ve just bought yourself?” Nathaniel gritted through his teeth as our eyes locked for a moment.

“Oh, I’m so scared. The once mighty Mr. Hart threatening a nobody like me…wow.’’ The intruder countered dryly.

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched, obviously getting riled up, “What do you want?”

My mind raced trying to think of a way to get out of this sticky situation unscathed. Nathaniel couldn’t rush over, even if he could, I would be terribly injured or even worse by the time he got to me.

“Now we’re talking. You know, I expected getting into one of the great Hart mansions would not be such an easy feat. But imagine my surprise doing so without as much as a hitch.” He chuckled. “Except of course, unexpectedly encountering a newly wedded bride wandering around in the dead of the night. Too weak to even keep your wife occupied on her special day I see Mr. Hart.”

He taunted as he drew me even closer. I felt sick to my stomach.

“Let her go. Get straight to the point and name what you want, I’ll ensure you have it. Just keep her out of this.” Nathaniel said through gritted teeth.

He looked incredibly tired and pissed off.

“Worried about the wife I see, nothing will happen to her so long as you, Mr. Hart provide the money stashed in your safe room”

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed, “How do you know about the safe room?”

The intruder pointed the knife at him.

Now was my chance.

“Do you take me for… right!” He screamed as I threw my head back, slamming it against his nose. “Why, you little...” he trailed off, trying to clutch his bleeding nose; as I grabbed the knife, he dropped it and sunk it deep into his thigh.

“Isabella!” Nathaniel exclaimed, starting to limp towards me. I rushed to him, tugging us towards the heavy doors. I hurriedly slammed them shut and turned the keys, exhaling deeply. I watched in disbelief as Nathaniel pushed away from me, staggering slowly towards the opposite direction.

I clenched my fists as I tried to hold back the anger and tears building up inside. I was terrified and confused, and he was just going to leave like this.

How gentlemanly.

I scoffed under my breath, about to question him but right then, the sound of blaring alarms filled the hallway.

Wide-eyed, I watched as heavily armored men rushed into the room. They all stopped at the sight of Nathaniel whose hand I now realized was on an inconspicuous red button. ‘Ohh, oh right!’

What was I thinking?

I mentally face-palmed.

“In there.” Nathaniel rasped coldly, nodding in my direction. Without a word, the men barged into the room where I was threatened with a knife for the first time in my life.

“Come here.” His tired voice reached my ears.

I stood still, suddenly frozen with shock at the realization that I had stabbed a living person…although it was in self-defense.

“Is he dead?”

Warmth covered my cold hands as Nathaniel now stood in front of me, his brows furrowed as he stared down at me, “He isn’t dead…yet.”

I wanted to respond but paused when I noticed his attention had shifted to the room behind me. I didn’t want to look but I had no choice.

I shuffled behind Nathaniel, using his body as a shield. On the floor with stains of blood, the intruder sat tied up with that sickening smirk of his.

“Take him to the interrogating room,” Nathaniel ordered. His men grabbed the intruder but then he laughed out, “Such a shame I wasn’t able to witness your prowess, Mr Hart. A woman impressed me more.”

Nathaniel’s jaw ticked as the man was being hurled out. As the men passed us, the maniac suddenly whisper-yelled,

“This is just the beginning.”