The Billionaire's Hidden Wife

The phone went dead. Xia Ning slowly lowered her hand, her fingers trembling slightly. ​"Ning, what's wrong?" her coworker, a young girl named Xiao Li, asked as she walked into the staff break room. "You look so pale." ​"It's nothing," Xia Ning said, forcing a small smile. "My father wants me to go back to the family house right now. He says it is urgent." ​"Go ahead, I will cover the rest of your shift," Xiao Li said kindly. "The manager is busy anyway." ​"Thank you, Xiao Li. I owe you one." ​Xia Ning took off her green apron, grabbed her canvas bag, and left the cafe through the back door. The cool night air hit her face, waking her up a bit. A black car was already waiting at the curb. The driver, an old man who worked for her father, opened the back door without saying a word. Xia Ning got inside, her stomach twisting with a bad feeling. ​The car drove through the city and finally stopped in front of a large, expensive villa. This was the Xia family home. For Xia Ning, it was not a home at all. It was a prison where she had spent the last ten years being treated like a stranger. ​She pushed the heavy front door open and walked into the brightly lit living room. ​Three people were sitting on the expensive leather sofas. Her stepmother, Fang Shu, was sipping hot tea. Sitting next to her were her two daughters—Xia Ning’s stepsisters. The older one, Mu Yuning, was 21 years old and a very famous actress. She wore heavy makeup and expensive designer clothes. The younger one, Mu Ruo, was 18, playing with her phone. ​The moment Xia Ning walked in, the room became completely quiet. ​Mu Yuning looked up, a cruel, mocking smile on her face. Standing right behind Yuning was a young man named Lin Hao. He was Xia Ning’s boyfriend—or rather, her ex-boyfriend. Just last week, Xia Ning had caught him kissing Mu Yuning in a hotel lobby. Lin Hao had completely abandoned Xia Ning to be with her rich, famous stepsister. Now, he wouldn't even look Xia Ning in the eye. He looked at the floor, feeling guilty but staying firmly by Yuning’s side. ​"You finally decided to show up," Fang Shu said, putting her teacup down with a loud clink. Her voice was sharp and cold. ​"Dad called me," Xia Ning said, keeping her voice flat. "Where is he?" ​"He is upstairs fixing a business emergency," Fang Shu said, standing up and walking toward Xia Ning. "But I am the one who needs to talk to you. Sit down." ​"I prefer to stand. Just tell me what you want," Xia Ning replied, crossing her arms. ​Fang Shu sneered. "Fine. Then listen carefully. Our family business is in big trouble. We owe a lot of money to investors, and we are about to lose everything. But we found a solution. A very rich businessman, Mr. Wang, has agreed to give us a huge loan to save the company." ​Xia Ning frowned. "What does that have to do with me?" ​"Mr. Wang wants a young, beautiful wife," Fang Shu said, adjusting her gold bracelet. "Originally, he wanted to marry Yuning. But Yuning is a rising star in the entertainment industry. She has millions of fans and a bright future. She cannot ruin her career by marrying an old man. So, you will take her place. You will marry Mr. Wang." ​Xia Ning felt a chill run down her spine. "Are you crazy? Mr. Wang is over fifty years old! He is older than my father! I am only nineteen!" ​"So what if he is fifty?" Fang Shu snapped, her eyes narrowing. "He is a billionaire! You should thank us for giving you this chance. No one even remembers you as a child actress anymore. You are just a nobody working in a cheap cafe. Marrying him will give you status, and it will save this family." ​"I will never marry him," Xia Ning said, her voice shaking with anger. "If Yuning doesn't want to marry him, that is her problem. You cannot force me to sell myself for your company." ​"How dare you speak to me like that!" Fang Shu yelled, her face twisting with rage. "You selfish girl! You have always been a curse to this family. Ever since your mother died, you have brought nothing but bad luck. Everyone around you leaves you because you are a jinx. Your mother left you, your friends left you, and even your boyfriend realized how worthless you are and chose Yuning instead!" ​Hearing her dead mother being brought up made Xia Ning’s blood boil. "Shut up! Don't you dare talk about my mother!" ​Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Xia Danian, Xia Ning’s father, walked into the living room. He looked tired and stressed, his face pale from worry about his failing company. ​The moment Fang Shu saw her husband, her angry face instantly changed. She squeezed out a few fake tears, her voice suddenly sounding soft, helpless, and filled with concern. ​"Oh, Danian, you're finally here," Fang Shu cried coyly, rushing to his side and grabbing his arm. "I was just trying to talk to Ning gently. I told her how much we are hurting financially, and how Mr. Wang is a good, wealthy man who can take care of her future. I am just worrying about her like a real mother. But she started screaming at me, calling me names, and saying she doesn't care if our family goes bankrupt and starves!" ​"That's a lie!" Xia Ning gasped, shocked by how fast her stepmother could act. ​"Shut up!" Xia Danian roared. He marched over to Xia Ning with an angry face. ​Before Xia Ning could say another word, her father lifted his hand and slapped her across the face. ​SLAP! ​The sound was incredibly loud in the living room. Xia Ning's head snapped to the side. Her cheek immediately burned with sharp, stinging pain, and her skin turned bright red. She stumbled back a step, holding her face in absolute shock. ​"How dare you argue with your mother!" Xia Danian yelled, pointing his finger at her nose. "Fang Shu has been so nice to you for ten years! She treats you like her own daughter, and you treat her like an enemy! Your stepsister Yuning is willing to do anything for this family, but you are just a selfish, ungrateful child! You will marry Mr. Wang next week, and that is final!" ​Xia Ning stood perfectly still. The pain on her cheek was nothing compared to the sharp ache in her heart. She looked at her father—the man who was supposed to protect her—and saw only a stranger who cared about money more than his own flesh and blood. ​She looked over at Fang Shu, who was hiding a nasty, victorious smirk behind her father's shoulder. Mu Yuning and Mu Ruo were giggling on the sofa, and Lin Hao was still staring at his shoes like a coward. ​An intense, hot anger rushed through Xia Ning’s veins. She lowered her hand from her bruised cheek, her eyes turning cold and hard. ​"I don't have a mother," Xia Ning said, her voice freezing cold. "And as of today, I don't have a father either. You can take your company and your fifty-year-old billionaire and go to hell." ​"What did you say?!" Xia Danian gasped, raising his hand again. ​But Xia Ning didn't give him the chance. She turned around, grabbed her bag, and ran out of the villa into the dark night. She ran until her legs hurt, her tears finally falling down her face. She felt completely alone in the world. Everyone had abandoned her, just like her stepmother said but she refused to give up. She was not a jinx. She was going to survive. ​With nowhere else to go, Xia Ning took a bus straight back to the financial district. She walked back into the high-end cafe through the employee door. Her shift was technically over, but she couldn't go back to her lonely university dorm room right now. She needed to work. She needed to keep her mind busy so she wouldn't think about the slap. ​She washed her face in the restroom, hiding the red mark on her cheek with some loose hair. She put her green apron back on and walked out to the counter. ​The floor manager saw her and blinked in surprise. "Xia Ning? Why are you back? I thought you went home." ​"I need the extra hours, manager," she said quietly. "Is there anything else I can do?" ​The manager looked at his clipboard, then looked upstairs. The cafe had a second floor—an exclusive, ultra-luxury VIP section where only the top 1% of the city's billionaires were allowed to sit. It was completely separated from the regular customers. ​"Actually, yes," the manager said, lowering his voice. "Two very important guests just arrived upstairs in the private VIP room. They ordered a pot of our most expensive premium tea. The regular VIP waitress just went home sick. Go upstairs and serve them. Remember, be on your best behavior. One of those men is someone our boss cannot afford to anger." ​Xia Ning nodded, her mind completely numb. "Yes, manager. I will handle it." ​She picked up the heavy silver tray containing the crystal teapot and two cups, and slowly walked up the carpeted stairs toward the VIP section, having no idea that her life was about to change forever.