The Beautiful Billionaire

ESTELLE My father brought me to his house outside London. Then we decided to cook dinner. Well, I just sat pretty while Dad did most of the cooking.

“This is so good, Dad. How did you learn to cook?” He had a chef at home, and I didn’t know he was interested in cooking. His chicken parmigiana with pasta was so good.

“When I’m bored, I cook something, but not as good as Jaymes, I guess. Your husband also knows his way around the kitchen. He cooks, right?”

“Yeah. Gabriel is good, but Pops is the best. Sorry, Dad.”

“You call your father-in-law Pops?” he asked amusedly.

“Yeah. He’s good with me, Dad. I hope you can meet him soon, maybe exchange recipes.”

Dad chuckled as he joined me at the table. “I couldn’t compete with Jaymes. I went to his restaurant once. The lamb was ready good.”

“I want you to be okay with Mom, Dad.”

“We’re good, honey. I called her once in a while and asked about you.”

I stopped and stared at him. “Mom didn’t tell me that.”

“I told her not to tell you. You’re mad at me. I didn’t want to make you madder. I’m sorry for what I did, honey.”

“All forgiven, Dad.” I sighed. “I’m happy we’re good. I feel like tons of weight lifted off my shoulder and chest. I don’t want to go back to that place where you and I were constantly fighting over running a business. How’s CTEC anyway?”

“Business is good. Don’t worry about it.”

“I need to raise my child in a good environment, and she’s surrounded by the people we love.”

“Well, not so fast, babe.” I recognized that voice.

I yelped. I almost fell off the chair. My heart was in my throat as I stood up quickly, and the chair stumbled down. Dad stood up slowly with his hands raised as if surrendering.

“Honey, stay. I got this.” With his shaky voice and paler face, I knew what exactly was going on.

With my knees wobbling, I turned around, making me gulp hard. He had a gun pointing at me and my father.

“Sorry for interrupting this lovely reunion, babe.” He looked like he’d been crying. His eyes were red, and he had messy hair. His clothes were crumpled, and by his look right now, he hadn’t been sleeping for days. His cocky face was gone, and nothing but anger, hatred, and rage filling in her eyes.

“What are you doing here, Klayton?”

“Wow. Aren’t you full of surprises, babe?” He waved his gun toward my body, to my abdomen, making me gasp and flinch.

I raised my hands, and there was no point in protecting my body and my baby if the bullets could penetrate a human body if he began shooting at us.

“Why are you here, Klayton?” Dad walked slowly and carefully to my side and tried to shield me. “Stay behind me, honey.”

“You killed my dad.” What? Tyrion is dead?

“What? I have no idea. Tyrion is dead? How?” Dad was also shocked.

“Don’t act surprised and pretend you don’t know. You’re the one who tipped those assholes who shot Dad. Now I’m going to kill you and your daughter. Payback is a bitch, isn’t it?” He pointed straight at my father.

“Don’t do this, Klayton.”

“Oh, so you talk now, huh? Let me guess. You fucked someone while you were still under that agreement. Judging your abdomen. Don’t tell me that mercenary knocked you up?” He snorted. “Bitch.” I could say the same thing, but I couldn’t provoke him.

Every time he pointed the gun in my direction, I flinched. I had been scared before when my husband went missing, and those delinquents chased my car, and now a gun was pointed at me. I didn’t know if I could sleep at night without being visited by nightmares.

This was when I wished I had a gun or knew how to fight because I couldn’t just depend on my safety with my bodyguard. Oh, no. Where’s Qamar?

And my bag was in the living room and my phone and my panic button inside.

“You’re probably wondering where your bodyguard is. Well, I feel sorry for him. He’s dead.” But I didn’t hear a gunshot.

I gulped hard. “What did you do?”

“You don’t wanna know, Estelle. I didn’t know you had that in you. You let someone fuck you. You’re a bitch, after all.”

“Watch your tone, Klayton.”

“Or what, loser? And I’m the one who has a gun pointing at you and your daughter. What are you gonna do, huh? Do you think I wouldn’t know what you did?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Klayton. Let my daughter go. She has nothing to do with your father’s death.”

“Oh, she has everything to do with it. Since she signed that agreement, she became a part of this. You piece of shit betrayed my father. He trusted you.”

“He never trusted me. He used me, too, Klayton.”

“Dad, please?” I said in a low voice. “I can give you money. Just let us go.”

He turned to me. “Well, she’s not just a pretty face after all.”

“I want fifty million dollars transferred to my account. Now.”

“That’s not possible. You know that. I can’t transfer that big amount online without the bank questioning the transaction. They will hold it. How about five million now? Let us go. Then I will transfer the rest when I get to the bank.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” He took steps in my direction but never put the gun down, and his finger was permanently curled around the trigger.

I gulped.

“Please, Klayton. Let my daughter go.” Dad came forward, protecting me from him.

“You, old man, took everything from me. Now it’s the time you will watch your daughter die. This time, you will feel how I felt when Dad died and left me nothing.” I was scared that he might accidentally pull the trigger out of anger.

One moment Dad was in front of me. The next second, he was on the floor. Klayton pushed and kicked him, and I watched him whine in pain as he held his abdomen, and I couldn’t do anything to help.

“If your dad died, it’s all your fault, Estelle.” Klayton then grabbed my arm so hard I thought it broke my bone. I almost tripped off and landed on my abdomen if his grip wasn’t tight enough.

Despite Dad groaning in pain, he tried to get up.

“Please, don’t do this!” It was too late. My plead had no effect.

A single shot was fired.

My voice muted. All I could hear was the gunfire echoing in the entire house. Dad’s body fell to the floor, unmoving. “Dad!”

“Oops.”

“Dad!” I tried jerking off his grip to rush to my father, but it was useless.

Blood flowed on the floor, breaking my heart. Crying wouldn’t help my situation. I couldn’t help my father, but that was the only thing I could do. Tears streamed down my face as I watched him lying in the pool of his own blood.

“Start sending money, or you’re next, bitch.”

“Let me go, please,” I begged him. “I will give you the money. Just let me be with Dad. Please? I will give you all my money. Have some mercy.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Did he have mercy when he sent my father to his death?”

“Dad didn’t do that. He couldn’t do that. He didn’t know anything.”

“Liar,” he yelled at me. His eyes filled with anger and revenge.

I fell to my knees when he pointed the gun at my head. My body shook uncontrollably. I was so terrified.

My heart stopped beating.

My lungs were about to explode as I held my breath for what would come.

I closed my eyes even if I hadn’t accepted my fate because I didn’t want to die today. I didn’t wish to die tomorrow. I still wanted to see my child grow. I still wanted to be with my husband as we grow old together.

“Put your gun down, Weston.”

A gasp escaped my lips. That voice, but I was too scared to open my eyes that it might be just my mind playing tricks on me because I badly wanted my husband right now.

“I’m not going to repeat myself twice. Put your gun down.”

My eyes flew wide and met my husband’s rage-fueled eyes filled with pain at the same time.

“Gabriel.” My voice was even strange to my own ears, but I was somehow relieved.

“I will kill your girl. You’re the guy who knocked her up, right? Linden, isn’t it?”

“She’s not my girl. Weston. She’s my wife. And you are pointing a gun at my pregnant wife.” His jaw ticked. His eyes narrowed. Each word was filled with fire and rage.

“Put your gun, or I will shoot her.” In Klayton’s attempt to threaten me, Linden didn’t even budge. He didn’t even blink. He showed no emotion at him, reminding me of the dark side of Linden I once faced – he remained in his position, gripping his gun confidently because he did that every day.

Linden could have done it successfully alone without effort in a situation like this. He was just mad because a madman pointed a gun at his wife.

“Are you okay, baby?” Linden didn’t even flinch at his threat. He confidently looked down at me, but still, there was a lot of pain deep in those eyes when our gazes locked. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Y-yes.” I could barely nod.

He focused back at Klayton. “Do you really think I came alone? Your men down are dead. You’re alone now.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“If you wanna live, I suggest you put the gun down slowly. I could shoot you right now, and you don’t even notice, but I have a man, a woman who has your head. Your choice, Klayton. Let my wife go.”

“No!”

“Well, you made the wrong choice.”

I gasped, shaking uncontrollably. My eyes went wide. The last thing I heard was Klayton falling on the floor in a thud.

“Hey, baby. Look at me.” Linden cupped my head and stared at me as I stared back. “Estelle, breathe, baby. It’s over now. Breathe.”

“Gab-“