Chapter 5 STRANGE INVITATION

Paula's POV

My phone rang out as soon as I strode out of the hotel angrily. It was Cindy.

"Paula, your grandma just fainted. Come to the hospital!" Cindy shouted from the other end of the line.

This news was like a bolt out of the blue. My heart sank to my stomach.

Like a madwoman, I hailed a taxi and went straight to the hospital. My grandmother had just been wheeled out of the emergency room when I arrived.

I ran to the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how is my grandma?"

"Let's talk over there." The doctor asked a nurse to wheel my grandmother, who was still in a coma, into a ward. He then took me to a corner and handed me a report.

"She had a heart attack. She needs a heart transplant as soon as possible. Otherwise, she won't be around for much longer."

My hands trembled as I looked at the report and listened to the doctor's words. "But everything was fine yesterday. How come her health deteriorated all of a sudden?"

"I hate to break it to you, but you need to know that your grandmother most likely hid her illness from you for a long time. The surgery needs to be done soon. It's unwise to delay it," the doctor said calmly.

"How much would the operation cost?" I asked anxiously, folding the report.

"Fifty thousand dollars."

"Fifty thousand dollars? Okay, doctor. I'll get the money ready as soon as possible," I uttered after pursing my lips.

My mind was a complete mess as I walked back to the ward. It seemed like the doctor was right. My grandmother was fond of hiding away her pain from me just because she didn't want me to be worried about her.

In the past, I thought she was just a little weak due to her old age. It never occurred to me that she was so ill. I should have paid attention to her. This was all my fault!

I became frightened by how the situation would have turned out if Cindy didn't live nearby and rushed my grandmother to the hospital in time.

Fifty thousand dollars was a huge sum of money. I didn't have that amount. I had to find a job to raise the money before it was too late.

When I got to the door of the ward, I took a deep breath to calm myself. I wiped my face and put on a fake smile.

Afterwards, I pushed the door open. My grandmother was awake at this time. Cindy was peeling an apple for her by the bed.

My grandmother waved at me excitedly as soon as she saw me. "Hey, my little munchkin is here. Why do you look so sad?"

Despite my fake smile, she saw right through me. I fought back the tears that were welling up in my eyes as I walked to the bed. Holding her hand, I asked, "Are you feeling better now?"

"Don't worry your pretty head about me, dearie. I'm old. It's only normal that I fall sick," she replied, shaking her head.

"No, you are not old at all. You aren't even up to a hundred years old. It's not your time yet," I said uneasily.

Smiling brightly at me, my grandmother patted my hand and insisted, "Paula, death is inevitable. Everyone in this world would grow old and die one day. You have to accept it."

I lowered my head and didn't say anything. My grip on her hand tightened just as my heart became filled with immeasurable sadness.

"You are a grown woman, Paula. You will be fine. My only regret is that I failed to find your biological parents." Granny sighed with regret.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need them. Since they abandoned me, there's no point looking for them. You are enough for me. Please stay with me," I said stubbornly.

"I agree with Paula. You shouldn't worry about anything else. You have to be more concerned about your health now. It's not your time to die yet. I want you to anticipate Paula's wedding. You have to witness the day she will put on a white dress and you will give her out in marriage." Cindy skillfully changed the topic as she sliced the apple and fed a piece to my grandmother.

Her technique worked like magic. My grandma was distracted immediately and she began to talk about my marriage.

I had a severe headache as I listened to their conversation. Cindy was big-mouthed. She always told my grandmother all my secrets whenever they chatted. However, she was different today. She didn't tell her about my bad breakup with Jake.

About an hour later, my grandma fell asleep. Cindy gently pulled me to the window and asked anxiously, "Where the hell did you go last night?"

After biting my lower lip for a while, I faltered, "Ermm...I... I was with a man..."

"What? You were with a man?" Cindy screamed in horror.

I hurriedly covered her mouth and scolded her in a low tone, "Shush! You would wake Grandma up."

Cindy pushed my hand away and pointed at me in disbelief. "Did you..."

I nodded without uttering a word.

With a sad expression, she said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Paula. I should have taken care of you last night."

"Come off it. What happened is not your fault. You don't have to apologize. I made a terrible mistake by getting drunk last night." After sighing deeply, I continued, "Thank you for sending Grandma here. Please you have to take care of her for me. I need to go back home and pack up some of her belongings."

"Are you all right?" Cindy looked at me worriedly.

I forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

My response was a big lie. I was far from being fine. However, my grandmother's life was in danger and she urgently needed surgery. That was all I could think about now, not my first sex.

I walked out of the hospital with my shoulders slouched. Just as I was waiting for a taxi, a black luxury car stopped in front of me.

The door of the front passenger seat swung open and a man in a suit got out. He walked up to me and greeted me politely.

"Hello, Miss Edwards! I'm George, the assistant of Mr. Voltaire Farusco. My boss wants to see you."

"Huh? Did you just say Voltaire Farusco?" I asked with surprise.

The mention of that name took me off guard. It was a popular name in the business world. The owner of that name had built a magnificent business empire and he controlled two-thirds of the capital's economy. In summary, he was a force to reckon with.

Honestly, I wasn't much of a business news kind of person. But Cindy had filled my ears with different stories about this Voltaire Farusco.

"Yes, you heard me right. Mr. Voltaire Farusco, the investor of your school wants to see you." George opened the backseat door and did a welcome hand gesture.

Was this a prank or something? Why would a powerful person like that want to see me? Was it about the scholarship? Or could it be that he was offering part-time jobs to students?

Numerous thoughts swirled in my head as I stared at George. I scratched my head and slowly got into the car. My heart was beating fast at this moment.

The ride lasted for a few minutes. I asked George tons of questions which he didn't answer. He just took me to a landmark building in the city center. The place was so beautiful that even the exclusive elevator was luxurious. It felt as if I was in a dream.

It wasn't until I met the legendary Voltaire Farusco that I came back to my senses.

A tall man was standing in front of the French windows of the luxurious and spacious office that I was ushered into. He was dressed in a high-end suit. The golden sunlight from outside reflected on him. Although I couldn't see his face, his side profile looked like that of a Greek god.

His aura filled the entire office. It made me so nervous that I couldn't breathe.

For what seemed like eternity, I fiddled with my fingers before taking a deep breath and said, "Good day, Mr. Farusco. I was told you wanted to see me."

"Have a seat," the man said in a deep voice.

His voice rang in my ears and sounded rather familiar.

I was still trying to figure out where I heard that voice from when he suddenly turned around.

Holy moly! My eyes widened in shock at the sight of his face.

The man in front of me was the same one I had a one-night stand with last night.