Her Lion Billionaire Read online

  “You and your girlfriend aren’t going to last long. Sorry.”

  He quieted, digesting the information. “That’s what you saw? You sure it wasn’t something else?”

  “You’re going to meet someone new and you’re going to cheat on her. The breakup won’t be amiable.” Charlotte hoped he’d bought her lies. “Can I get out now? Daniel is waiting for me downstairs.”

  He watched her for a few seconds before he hit the green button on the elevator. The car lurched downwards.

  She couldn’t have been more relieved when the door slid open. She hurried out to find Daniel. She felt like she’d just escaped a lion’s mouth.

  As the weekend drew closer, Charlotte felt relieved that Daniel’s meeting would be over the next day. That meant she wouldn’t have to face Jeremy any more. She was restless about the vision she saw. Jeremy planned to do something to Daniel.

  She couldn’t trust her vision one hundred percent, because she wasn’t sure if it would come true. The vision she saw about her and Daniel hadn’t exactly panned out completely. What if she was wrong? If she told Daniel and it turned out to be a false premonition, she wouldn’t be able to face him again.

  As the morning shifted to noon, Charlotte decided to take a walk to clear her head. She trudged into a nearby park. For some reason, she couldn’t get rid of the bad feeling that had plagued her since morning.

  She was in deep thought when she heard a screech of brakes. By the time she paid attention, she only saw the windshield of a car.

  Everything went black.

  The sales director had just begun his presentation when Daniel’s executive assistant informed him that he had an urgent call from Anika. Daniel frowned. His sister knew he didn’t like being interrupted while he conducted his business. For her to interrupt him like this, it had to be important.

  Daniel took the phone from his assistant and said, “Please hold.” He stood up and said to everybody, “Excuse me, gentlemen. I have an urgent phone call to attend to. In the meantime, Mr. Bennet will act as my stand in.”

  There was murmuring as Daniel left the conference room. Once outside, he took the call. “Daniel speaking.”

  “Danny, thank God, finally! I’m at Harborview Hospital right now. You have to come. Charlotte’s had an accident, and she’s in the surgery.”

  “Slow down, sis. I’m not quite following you. Charlotte is supposed to be at the hotel. Tell me from the beginning.”

  “Charlotte and I were supposed to have lunch today. I came to the hotel a little after eleven. When I rang to the room, nobody answered, so I waited in the lobby. But then the hotel manager came to say that there had been an accident. Charlotte got hit by a car in the park. I rushed here with the detective from SPD.”

  Daniel’s heart stopped beating for a second. He felt as if he’d swallowed lead, and he was unable to find his voice as his brain registered the news. “Charlotte had an accident? She’s in surgery?”

  “Yes. You have to come! Now! Harborview Hospital. Come quick!”

  “I’ll be there.” Daniel disconnected.

  His assistant was loitering a few feet from the conference room, looking anxious. She broke into a sprint when Daniel called to her. He gave her the phone. “There’s been an emergency in the family, and I will be indisposed for a while. Let Vice President Bennet know that I want him to act on my behalf in negotiating the Miramax contract.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Have Prescott bring the car around the front.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Daniel smoothed his suit jacket as he headed towards the elevator. His other assistant trailed after him while asking him a barrage of questions. Daniel didn’t feel like answering any at the moment and hushed him away. He was deeply perturbed. And worried as hell. How the hell had something like this happened? Getting hit by a car twice in a month… it was almost surreal.

  His chauffeur, Prescott, was waiting by the time Daniel exited the building. “Harborview Hospital,” said Daniel.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And please hurry. It’s urgent.”

  “Very well, sir.”

  The ride to the hospital was rather uneventful. He called Anika twice on the cell, but there were no new developments. His sister was still waiting for the outcome of the surgery.

  He arrived at the hospital twenty-minutes later, and Anika jumped from her seat when she saw him.

  “Oh, Danny.” Anika hugged him. “This is terrible.”

  “How is she?” Daniel asked.

  “No changes yet.” Anika introduced the two gentlemen with her. “Danny, this is Detective Harper, the man handling this case. And this is Captain Burke from Seattle PD.”

  They shook hands. “How do you do?” said Daniel, keeping his professional demeanor.

  The captain and the detective exchanged pleasantries with Daniel. “I’m sorry to have to meet you under such circumstance, Mr. Addington,” Captain Burke added.

  “When did the accident happen?” asked Daniel.

  The detective flipped open his notepad. “The accident happened at 10.45 AM in Mansfield Park. There was a witness—an elderly woman walking a dog saw a white pickup truck cutting through the park. The driver tried to avoid a girl on a bike but overcompensated and hit Ms. Winters.”

  Daniel unconsciously ran his hand through his hair. He did that often when he was deeply disturbed. “Did the driver leave the scene of the accident?

  “The witness said the driver stopped at first but when he saw how bad Ms. Winters’ condition was, he took off. An hour later, we recovered the abandoned truck in Westlake Mall parking lot,” said Harper.

  “Have you been able to apprehend the driver?” asked Daniel.

  Captain Burke answered this time. “My department is actively seeking the suspect by putting out an APB to our active units. We are doing everything we can to bring the suspect to justice, Mr. Addington.”

  “I appreciate your cooperation and the help from your department in this time of need, Captain.”

  “It’s our duty, Mr. Addington. We will let you know as soon we have any new developments.” The detective nodded. “Good day, Mr. Addington. Ms. Povitch.”

  They waited for any news on the surgery. In the meantime, Daniel called Marcus, the security executive who was in charge of his family’s security detail, and gave him instructions to investigate the incident. Having two accidents in less than a month was hardly believable, and it couldn’t be dismissed as a simple coincidence.

  Daniel and Anika waited for several hours until the surgeon emerged from the OR. They were then ushered into a small consultation room.

  “How is she, Doctor?” asked Daniel impatiently.

  “I’m Dr. Huang, Chief of Medicine here. Ms. Winters is stable at the moment. She’s in the ICU while we’re continuously monitoring her condition. Are you her family?”

  Daniel and Anika traded gazes. “She is my fiancée,” said Daniel firmly. “Charlotte doesn’t have any immediate family, save her mother, who is currently being treated at Bellevue.”

  “Bellevue?” The doctor looked interested.

  “Yes. Bellevue psych ward. She’s been in there for the past three years, but she’s been in the hospital for almost twenty years.”

  Depression. Suicidal tendency schizophrenia. And attempted murder on her daughter when she was only four years old. Daniel remembered the passage from Charlotte’s dossier. Mary-Anne Winters had suffered a nasty episode that had prompted her to jump into a freezing river with her small child, hoping that death would reunite their family again.

  “I see. I assume Ms. Winters’ mother isn’t capable of making decisions regarding her daughter. The reason I asked is because I need to contact the person who can act as her legal guardian.”

  “That person would be me,” said Daniel in an irritated tone. “Would you tell me how Charlotte is doing?”

  “Stabilized. For now. However, she will need a kidney and liver transplant in the next seventy-tw
o hours.”

  The news hit him like a brick wall crumbling to the ground. His sister gasped and clawed his arm with her manicured nails.

  “Kidney and liver transplant?” echoed Daniel. He was numb.

  “Ms. Winters sustained numerous grave injuries when that car hit her. The impact shattered her rib bones and fractured her left clavicle. There’s a fracture in the ulna and radius bones of her left arm. Fractures in the fibula and tibia of her left leg. Her left ilium bone is also broken, but we were able to reconstruct it with pins. Both of her kidneys are damaged from the impact. One is only twenty-percent functioning, but we have to remove the other. Because she suffered so many bone fractures during the accident, some of them damaged her liver. We are keeping her on dialysis, but she needs those organ transplants. Fast. Within seventy-two hours preferably.”

  Daniel had a hard time finding his voice after hearing the extent of her injuries. When he finally spoke, he was surprised to find that his own voice sounded angry. “Due to my fiancée’s grave condition, isn’t there a donor program available to save her life? If it is about money, I assure you that—”

  Dr. Huang cut him with a wave of his hand. “What makes this particular case complicated is that Ms. Winters has a very rare blood type—AB negative. Only one percent of the world’s population shares the same blood group. I checked with my colleague in the organ donor registry, and there is no suitable donor for Ms. Winters at present. We are hoping that Ms. Winters’ immediately family have the same blood type and are willing to become an organ donor.” The portly doctor fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “If I may inquire, what condition does her mother have that means she has to be treated in Bellevue?”

  “She’s unstable. Emotionally,” said Daniel diplomatically.

  “And how about her current physical condition?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t met her in person, but I can find out and forward the information to you immediately.”

  Dr. Huang thumbed the file in front of him. “Given that you have the power of attorney over Ms. Winters, if her mother—Mrs. Mary-Ann Winters I see is her name—is a suitable donor, we should schedule the surgery as soon as possible. When can Mrs. Winters be here?”

  Daniel calculated. “Tonight. There is paperwork I must complete.”

  “Understood.” Dr. Huang gave him a stack of documents to sign. “This is my direct number. Please contact me when you have an update on the patient transfer. On behalf of Harborview staff, we are looking forward to working with you, Mr. Addington.”

  Daniel got up and shook the doctor’s hand. Anika did the same.

  “Can I see her, Doctor?” asked Daniel.

  “Yes, but she won’t be conscious for the next few hours.”

  “That’s all right. I just need to see her.”

  Daniel Addington prided himself on controlling his emotions. However, when he saw how bad Charlotte’s condition was, he almost lost it. The woman he loved was in a private room, as Daniel had requested. Her broken body lay supine on the hospital bed. A few different machines recorded her vitals. In addition to the highly trained staff in the hospital, Daniel had requested that his own family physician monitor Charlotte’s condition in person. Dr. Hartford was en-route from La Guardia Airport at that moment, taking the earliest flight with his own staff.

  Daniel sat wordlessly next to the bed. He took Charlotte’s hand and squeezed it tight. Only this morning they’d made love, and he’d promised her he’d teach her something new. Now, watching her sleeping with so many wires and needles attached to her was surreal.

  “Danny,” Anika started. “I’m sorry.”

  He just realized that his sister had been with him for hours during the surgery. It was rare for Anika to show empathy like this, especially to his girlfriends. Actually, as he recalled, his sister had never been nice to his exes. Being the only girl in the family made Anika a little too competitive and attention seeking.

  “I appreciate what you did for Charlotte,” said Daniel. “Thank you, sis.”

  Anika touched his shoulder. “What can I say? She’s growing on me, this girl.”

  “She’s special.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’ll have a judge grant me the power of attorney for her care. Then, I’ll fly to New York to retrieve her mother.”

  Anika seemed to want to say something but decided against it.

  “What is it?” he pressed.

  “What if Charlotte’s mother doesn’t want to be an organ donor?”

  Daniel stood up and released Charlotte’s hand. He didn’t answer his sister’s question. “Can I trouble you one more time?” he asked.

  “Of course,” said Anika. “Anything.”

  “Please watch over her until I get back. Charlotte doesn’t have anybody to support her in a time like this.”

  “Of course. You can count on me.”

  “Thank you, my dear sister.”

  Chapter Eight

  Charlotte woke up to the smell of coffee. Breakfast. A big breakfast. Bacon. Fluffy pancakes on the griddle. She found herself lying on the floor clad in a baby-doll dress made from linen like the one she used to wear in her childhood.

  It took her a moment to recognize that this was the dress she used to have when she was a kid. Her mother, on a good day, had sewn a simple dress with the leftover fabric they’d found in Grandmaman’s attic.

  She hoisted herself into a sitting position.

  Where am I?

  She looked around.

  Am I dead?

  She had no clue of her whereabouts. She wasn’t in any kind of room that made sense. The walls were white. The ceiling was white. The floor was white. It felt like she was sitting in the middle of nothingness save for a closed door a few feet away.

  Charlotte bounced up onto her heels and her enthusiasm was rewarded with a slight feeling of vertigo. The world spun and twirled like the inside of a snow globe. She clutched her head and stayed still until she found her equilibrium.

  Her eyes darted toward the door, which now stood slightly ajar, where the delightful aroma wafted and enticed her to get up. She followed the temptation without hesitation. Her stomach rumbled, and suddenly she felt very, very hungry. Famished almost.

  She pushed the door open. The scenery changed.

  She found herself in the old house. Grandmaman’s old farmhouse in Wisconsin, where she and her mother had lived for the first few years of her life. She’d forgotten about it, but now it all came back vividly. The peeling wallpaper. The scent of the recently waxed wooden floor. The rickety noises when she walked in certain parts of the house.

  It felt like… home.

  And it was good.

  Charlotte hadn’t felt such peace in a long time.

  She followed her nose and arrived at the kitchen.

  A tall man with long black hair, dressed in a simple white shirt and brown khaki pants, was bustling around in front of the stove. With a spatula in his hand, he deftly juggled between flipping pancakes and juicing freshly cut oranges.

  She’d never met him, and yet he seemed so familiar.

  The slender man looked ageless. He had a beautiful face, too pretty for a man, and he looked inhuman. His dark brows were lush, his eyes inky black. A smile curved at the corners of his lips, and peace radiated from his being. At the moment, he emanated an aura of pleasantness, like a perfect summer day on the lake, but it wasn’t everlasting. At any moment, it could change, and a terrible storm could rage and wipe away everything in its path.

  The man sensed her presence. “Hello, sleepyhead. I see you finally woke up. Get a seat and have your breakfast before it gets cold.”

  The pancakes looked yummy. The milk in the tall glass practically begged to be drunk. She felt a compulsion to run to that man and hold him tight.

  Charlotte fisted the fabric of her dress. “Who are you?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

  The man paused. He beamed at her.
“I’m your father. Don’t be silly.”

  Ah. This explained everything. Well, kind of.

  Charlotte obediently trudged to the table and took a seat. She’d just noticed that her hair was in twin pigtails. Red checkered ribbons adorned each one. One of the ribbons was undone, and the man who claimed to be her father fixed it with fatherly affection.

  She blinked. She remembered the last thing recorded in her mind. About a car that had sent her flying into the rose bushes. The shock and the pain. The last moment of her life on Earth. Her throat tightened all of a sudden.

  It took her dying to finally meet her father.

  “Where were you all this time, Dad?” she asked. “I’ve missed you.”

  The man, the Sandman, the Lord of Dreams, paused and smiled. His eyes were hooded. Sadness and sorrow were palpable.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, for not being around in your life. I wasn’t allowed to see you in person as much as I wanted to. But I have always been watching you. Looking after you from the Dreamscape. You don’t know how happy I am to finally see you face to face.” He stroked her hair gently. “My precious daughter. You have your mother’s eyes.”

  Charlotte grabbed her father’s hand and pressed it against her cheek. It felt warm and comforting.

  She’d resented this man her entire life. She’d vowed she wouldn’t forgive him even if hell froze over. Now she realized that she’d carried all that anger because she’d yearned for this moment. She’d grown up without him, with no father figure to look up to.

  Charlotte Winters didn’t know she’d been starved of her father’s love.

  Daniel Addington climbed down from the helicopter, eyes steely and face grim. His entourage in tow was equally perturbed. His silence made his underlings uneasy, and it showed on their faces. He’d worked them to the bone since he’d decided to petition a judge to grant him power of attorney for Charlotte. His staff had lobbied some politicians, judges, hospital administrators and some important people that could help smooth things over to help Charlotte’s cause. From his underground network, Daniel had also put a reward on the black market for organ donors in the event his quest to obtain them legally was unsuccessful. Daniel didn’t want to take any chances. He had to save Charlotte no matter what it cost.