The Billionaire's Angel In Disguise

"I'm coming to you, baby. Please don't give up and let's get through this together. I love you." He husked.

His hands squeezed the steering, increasing the speed limit of the Maybach with a cellphone trapped between his ear and shoulder.

He heard her groan in agony. This time the doctor spoke, "She's finding it harder to push by each second without your presence, and we're running out of time, Mr. Walton."

He breathed, "Do everything possible to save my wife, please doctor, I'm almost there." Tears shimmered in his eyes as she howled in pain again while he hung up.

His vision blurred as he overtook a truck, not knowing it was a U-turn junction and, like in a trance, he collided with the truck's giant tires.

The last thing he remembered was dizziness while his car somersaulted.

"Master Walton?" His eyes flew open, migraine shooting up his skull, he sighted Kent's vague image leaning over him.

"Kent? Where am I?" He sprang up in alarm.

"My Master is awake, Doctor!" Kent exclaimed and turned to him.

"You were in an accident, Master, don't you remember?" A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes as he jumped to his feet, grabbing his jacket.

"Where are you going to, Master? You're still a patient." He shot a murderous glare at Kent.

"Get me my damn clothes, Kent. My wife is still in the hospital, she needs me!"

Kent trembled with a lowered gaze which made him suspicious.

"Have you turned deaf?!"

"Missus is d...e...ee

He gripped Kent's collar in impatience.

"Spill it, damn it!"

"Missus is dead," Kent confessed.

He slowly released him, staggering backward with a dead expression.

The world seemed to twirl around him, firing stray bullets into his whole body as he saw just one color.

Red, the sign of death.

His world was painted with a deep red color since his soul died along with hers, and he became a walking corpse throughout her funeral.

He neither spoke to anyone nor gave anyone a chance to speak to him, leaving all the funeral arrangements to his valet, Kent.

But he occasionally gave small smiles to the only light she left behind, which was their newborn baby.

The sole reason why he was still breathing. Kent sorted out his son's welfare by introducing a young, fragile girl to him.

He doubted if she even had the bones for the job but hoped for Kent's assurance and interviewed her.

She mumbled every answer to his queries and couldn't hold a stare at him that frustration ticked his being.

"If you need this job, you need to speak up, so I won't blindly hire a dumb person."

"Elena!" She suddenly corrected in a high-pitched voice that startled him, but didn't show much in his expression.

"That's it! That's how you should speak, but not so loud next time Se... Uhm Elena. And I trust you're experienced with babies in fact, Kent told me your agency claims you're a professional."

"Yes Sir, I love babies." She confirmed with a broad smile.

"Just call me Mr. Walton and you can start tomorrow," he said.

"I'll start today if you permit me, can I?" She seemed enthusiastic about starting such a tedious job, which baffled him, as most nannies preferred toddlers to newly born infants.

One week into the job, he was blown away by her expertise and her preciseness when it came to his son's health and happiness. She took on the role of a parent instead of a nanny that it relieved him so much except for one fateful morning.

She broke his wife's portrait hung on the wall while cleaning.

"Who told you to touch that! He exploded and she instantly broke down in tears.

"I can get a new frame arranged today, Master." Kent chimed in through the doorway.

"Selena loved that frame Kent. Will you take responsibility for her mistake?" He fired back and turned to leave, but Kent's crisp voice halted him.

"But Missus' name was Isabel. Who's Selena, Master?"

He pivoted to meet Kent's dumbstruck look, which made him challenge his memory.

"You don't remember, Master?"

"I'll go get your pills then." Kent added when he noticed his bewildered look, which he was trying to hide.

Shame flushed through his body and he yearned to stab his guts.

How could he have forgotten his wife's name? He only lived for her memories, yet he didn't even remember her name?

"Get out! Both of you!" He snarled.

They both scurried off for a second, and he slowly crouched to pick up her photo from the broken glasses.

"F**k can't even remember your name. I'm so sorry." He cursed, as a lump rose in his throat. Unexpectedly, a voice shrieked from behind.

"Mr. Walton, Justin isn't breathing!" Jolted, he scrambled to his feet, seeing her puffy eyes and shivering body.

"What happened?" He stammered, approaching her with a pounding chest.

"I think he's..... she paused to wail, and he violently shook her shoulders.

"What!"

"I think he's dead." She trembled.

Unable to utter a word, he dashed into his son's room, a knife piercing through his heart at the sight of Justin's limp body in a crib.

"No, no, no please, no, don't leave Daddy." He pleaded, taking his son into his arms as a tear dropped from his eyes.

Soon, the ambulance blared outside, Kent and Elena hurried in, and they all went to the hospital.

"Thanks to the admission of CPR to your son by his nanny, unless he wouldn't have made it alive." The Doctor revealed.

Elena saved his life. Justin was his life. There couldn't be a better mother figure than her. In his eyes, she was perfect.

"You're not leaving until I say, so!" He thundered, making her flinch and sob for the second time since she announced she was quitting her job.

"Please, I promise to pay you up as soon as I get back to my hometown." She pleaded. But he surged forward to grip her arms, making her wince.

"A hundred grand? Can you pay that up in a month's time because I hate liars...... she sniffled, ready to cry.... "And don't give me those fake tears, you're the one terminating your freakin' contract when I paid you in advance." He snarled.

Tightening his hold on her, she whimpered, and he released her roughly.

"I urgently need to leave. My life will be ruined if I don't." She begged, crouching to cover her face with her hands, she wailed.

"Do you think I care? I can only let you off if you become my contract wife, then you won't have to pay your debt."

His voice was calm now, like he regretted venting his anger on her.

Colors draining from her face at his last statement, she slowly stood up with trembling knees.

"You're really heartless. You think you can buy everyone else with your money. I'm human, not a puppet, and I won't dance to your tunes." She yelled at him, for the first time in five years that he closed in on her.

"You have the guts to yell at me now?" He asked in a murderous tone, running a dark gaze over her.

"I...m s...orry." She stuttered, feeling his perfect height dwarf her shaky body. Turning his intimidating back to her, his voice boomed, mixed with wrath.

"If you leave now, you can only return after becoming my contract wife or pay up your debt within a month. Your pick." He uttered before walking out on her while she landed her butt on the cold floor to sob some more.

She also didn't want to leave Justin behind, he was her life and she cherished him dearly. Her years as a nanny in Walton's mansion were memorable because she got the golden opportunity to love a motherless baby.

Justin was precious to her, but Dylan was the air she breathed.

Their five-year relationship was finally getting a happy ending, and a wedding would seal their union.

She didn't mind that she used up her entire savings to sponsor the wedding arrangements. It was her dream to wear a veil and say 'I Do' to the love of her life.

But now Mateo was hindering her happiness by demanding she pay an outrageous fine for ending her contract untimely. It sounded unfair because it only remained a month.

However, she wouldn't let anyone on earth, not even the almighty Mr. Walton, get in her way.

And a few days ago, Dylan had sent a text saying he was going to wait for her by the train station today. Now, Mateo was trying to trap her with his threats, but she was never going to miss her wedding, even if he would kill her for leaving.

He could kill her after she said her wedding vows.

"Hi baby, I'm waiting by the ticket office. Hope you've gotten the money ready. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Elena." When she saw his text, butterflies fluttered in her belly in anticipation.

She trusted him and would give her life to be with him.

Even if it meant going against her ruthless boss, she slipped out in the dark of night and boarded a taxi to the train station.

Her chest pounded in half excitement and half fear as she got off at the train station, dragging her luggage along.

Grinning hard, she dialed his number and he picked it up immediately. "Hey babe, I can't find you anywhere."

Her neck stretched into the bustling crowd, the announcement speakers were disturbing her call, so she moved into a corner.

"Can you hear me? Dylan!" She shouted,

"Yes baby, can you see a red signboard near the platform by the ticket office?" He asked. She peered for it and found it instantly.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Drop the cash bag there, my friend will pick it up. Then come up to the waiting area, so we'll pay for a couple's seat." He uttered.

"But is it safe to leave such a huge amount of money with a friend? I mean this is my life savings. I even got in trouble with my boss because I didn't wait until my contract ended." She complained.

"Don't you trust me, sweetheart?" He sounded hurt, and she quickly apologized in guilt.

"I do. I'm sorry, and I love you more." She did like he instructed and headed to the waiting area but couldn't find him there.

She dialed his number at least a hundred times, but it kept saying it was unreachable.

Panic was beginning to strike her guts, so she thought it was smart to check if the money bag was still there, but it was gone with no trace of who took it.

From minutes to hours elapsed, and she started weeping and maundering in dejection. Dylan couldn't possibly have abandoned her. Who would he get married to if he did?

He betrayed you. Admit it, stupid! A little voice in her head mocked her, and she thought she would go insane if she accepted the truth.

So she left her luggage behind and started screaming 'Dylan' at the top of her lungs. Out of desperation, she showed random people his photo, but nobody had seen him and midnight was creeping in.

Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach as she blindly ran into the main road just in case he didn't board the train, and a heavy downpour began abruptly.

In a minute, she was drenched and shivering, while she cried loudly and bent to hug her knees in the middle of the road.

"Dylan!" She cried, not caring if she heard the sound of an approaching vehicle.

Instead of moving out of the way, she heaved herself up, standing like a frozen chicken.

She had always thought people who committed suicide were psychopaths, but now she was ready to die.

She realized you didn't need insanity to welcome death.

Shutting her eyes in anticipation as the headlights shone in her direction, she sensed her body floating in the air and there was blackness.

"Selena?" Her eyes blinked open to see his towering figure over her.

He looked displeased, like he could bite her head off. "Mr. Walton?"

"What the heck is wrong with you? You can't die without my permission." He uttered, snapping her back to full consciousness as her head cleared enough to notice she was in her bedroom.

But how? Was she dead or not? Oh, no, she was alive! Why did he have to butt in? Her head throbbed thinking about it.

"Did you save me, Mr. Walton?" She asked, sitting up with sore limbs that made her whimper.

"I didn't save you, I saved my contract wife." He rasped, and her eyes widened in shock.

"But I'm not your contract wife yet." She said, Following his movement, he picked up a file from the nightstand tossing it to her.

"Have a look. And don't waste my time," he warned.

"There's no signature. I was almost dead some minutes how.......... He closed their gap and leaned to gaze intently at her.

Swallowing hard, she pushed her back into the bed, but he grabbed at her shoulder and she gasped.

This time it wasn't a grip but a soft, gentle hold.

"I warned you, didn't I? You're signing the contract or paying off your debt......

"Within a month." She said in a shaky voice, but he smirked.

Watching her with hawk-like attention that chilled her nerves, he moved his mouth to her ear.

"I changed my mind, I want it now." He slurred.

Her face went pale with disbelief as she scurried off the bed.

"But you said.......

"My terms changed when I saved your life. I had Kent tail you the moment you snuck out, and this is what you get for trying to act smart with me." He retorted.

She sobbed at her stupidity as she remembered Dylan's betrayal.

Maybe she should have listened to Matteo. She shouldn't have been so desperate to leave.

Guilt flashed in his eyes, but he brushed it off, turning to her.

"I give you only twenty-four hours to decide. When it's over, you'll have no say in whatever I choose to do. Do yourself a favor and don't try to run off because you'll detest me if I have to look for you again." He threatened, striding to the door.

Weeping in regret, she knew she had to decide quickly because Matteo wasn't the type to be this patient.

He was giving her a second chance to live. Her life was over anyway. Dylan made sure of that.

"I'll sign it now!" She shouted, and he halted, his hand on the doorknob.

From almost becoming a legal wife, she ended up as a mere contract wife. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew it was grass to grace, not vice versa.

A simple and loving family of her own, that was all she ever wanted. Even if they earned pennies, it was going to be okay. But her life could only get complicated by becoming a contract wife.

She felt it, the next day, just by being in the same space as Mateo Walton in the spacious home office.

"Listen, Selena, I'm doing this for my son...... "I'm Elena." She corrected for the millionth time since she started working at the Walton's.

"Elena, he needs someone to take care of him and stand in for me when I'm away. Being his nanny wasn't enough, and I had to do this because he wanted it." He said, reclining in his swivel chair with an air of authority that made her realize he wasn't explaining himself but giving out orders as usual.

"You must know I love Justin as a Mother would. But I don't get why you had to resort to blackmailing to trap me in your lives." She said as hot tears gathered in her eyes.

Dylan's betrayal still pricked her, each time she remembered he gave her no choice but to become a contract wife.

He stood up in a predator-like manner. The type he did when he got furious.

"I just did what was best for you. And when you didn't listen to me, what happened?" He taunted her, closing their distance while she scuffled from him, yet he was faster and grabbed her arm, making her puff.

"Don't shed a tear for him in my house. I don't want my floor to get stained because that bastard isn't worth it." He said with icy calmness, brushing a teardrop from her eye.

"You knew everything?" She asked in surprise. He nonchalantly slipped his cellphone out of his pocket and showed her a video.

"I watched everything. Even when you cried in the rain because of that jerk, he fooled you real good, didn't he?" He asked, but all of a sudden, she let out a wail like a little girl.

He guessed her tough girl act must be over and moved to crash her into his arms.

Patiently allowing her cry to her heart's content, he stroked her hair. "I didn't know you could be so fuckin' loud. Will you take responsibility for soaking my shirt with your baby tears?" He asked.

As his words brought her back down to earth, she jerked out of his embrace.

"Justin's waiting." She lied with obvious flushed cheeks as she lowered her gaze and hurried off.

Too embarrassed to face him again, she managed to steer clear of him for a few days.

But bumping into him was inevitable, she reasoned, while she brushed Justin's hair for school.

"Daddy says you're my new mommy now, are you?" Justin asked. His innocent puppy brown eyes searching hers for the truth, she ruffled his hair affectionately, pecking his cheeks.

She nodded an answer. "But I'm still your favorite nanny, right?" She asked.

"Yes!" He hopped on the bed in excitement, and her heart swelled with joy.

She was determined to love him wholeheartedly and not give Dylan the power to ruin her mental health.

A mental breakdown was the last thing she needed. And going to a movie night with Justin and his Dad. No, her contract husband was also the last thing she wanted to do.

Kent made it clear it was an order from Mateo, not a request.

"You have to get ready. We're going to get you a dress from the store." He instructed.

"Can I refuse not to go? Because I have no money to get any expensive dress...... stroking her crumpled dress with a frown... Besides, I wouldn't want to disturb their quality time."

She continued, hoping the excuse was big enough to change his mind.

"It's my Master's order, you have no choice," Kent said with his usual deadpanned expression. Knowing Kent was anything but friendly, she obediently left with him.

On arriving at the elegant boutique, she gawked as they got off the SUV. "Are you sure I can buy anything here? Maybe we should leave. I've only seen celebrities enter this store." She told Kent, who didn't bat an eyelid.

"Of course, you can't afford anything here. It's been taken care of." Reaching for a black credit card, he extended it to her.

"Master gave you this for the dress ......... she reluctantly accepted it with an alarmed expression.

It was a black card, for goodness's sake. She might have grown up living from hand-to-mouth, but she knew only elites used this card. Why on earth would Matteo give her this card just for a dress? She opened her mouth to argue.

"You must make it snappy and come back in time. Something urgent has come up. You can take a taxi home." He continued. Only giving her the card pin, he didn't leave any room for more questions and left.

"You can do this, Elena." She whispered, bracing herself to walk into the building.

Exactly how she imagined, the place was swarmed with rich-looking folks that in their midst she looked like a church rat.

From their designer's clothes down to luxury heels making click-clack sounds as they pranced.

They were chattering and giggling like they hadn't a single problem in the world.

Of course, they didn't. She breathed nervously, walking towards the dress section, but a voice halted her.

"Excuse me. How did you get in?" A red-haired lady asked, advancing towards her with a scowl on her face.

Judging from her suit dress, she seemed like one of the sales attendants.

"Uhm mm, I want to buy a dress." She said, and the lady coughed a laugh, folding her arms across her chest.

"We don't sell cheap clothes here, so you can leave now before I call the security." The redhead warned, running her eyes over Elena's figure in disgust.

"I have the money to buy a dress. Is it proper to harass a customer like this and for no good reason? And why would you call security as if I stole something." She argued, not sure what the lady had against her.

"Not yet, but you'll definitely steal something and our job is to keep cheap beggars like you out of here. Now leave while I ask nicely." The redhead threatened.

"Hey, hey, leave the poor woman be." Another voice chimed in and they both turned to spot a stunning lady dressed in blazers approaching them.

She looked like a celebrity. The redhead instantly switched into the most polite tone with a broad smile.

"Ma'am, she's just a nuisance I've been trying to get rid of. Don't bother with us and continue shopping please." She convinced. "You don't get to judge people by their clothes now, apologize." She ordered, sending a tiny grin to Elena, who was almost in tears.

"I'm so sorry, Miss." The redhead quickly apologized and gestured towards the array of beautiful dresses. "You can pick a dress of your choice. Please."

"Thank you." Elena said to her savior, her eyes grateful to the diva that had just helped her out. Not all rich people were bad after all.

"It's okay dear. Happy shopping." She winked at Elena and disappeared out of sight.

Careful not to touch anything because the price tags were worth more than her life at that point. She wanted to pick a dress for the lowest price possible, so she took a longer time to settle for one dress.

Just as she stretched to take it off of the hanger stand, an alarm buzzed, and she heard frenzied feet run towards her.

It was the security team and, like a bad dream, they pounced on either of her sides, grabbing her arms.

"What are you doing? Let go of me." She cried, confused, but onlookers were already whispering and sending irritated stares at her.

"I knew it! She was bound to steal something!" The redhead from earlier exclaimed as she trotted behind the security men dragging her out.

"I didn't steal anything, I swear. Check my bags. I have not bought anything. Let go. I promise, I'm not a thief." She begged and struggled to break free from the stone-faced men, but they didn't stop pulling her along.

"We saw you from the CCTV cam, you liar, you'll rot in jail." The redhead said in an excited voice like she was enjoying the whole show.

By now, people were shaking their heads in sympathy as she was being treated no more than a trashcan.

"Please stop. You're hurting me." She winced as they yanked her to the floor, cuffing her wrist. Meanwhile, she spotted her savior from before, quietly standing near the redhead.

Her heart leaped in joy knowing the diva was still there, at least someone like her would believe her. Escaping their clutches by hair's breath, she scrambled to the diva with tears.

"You saw me earlier, right? I'm a simple girl who came to get just one dress, and now they're accusing me of stealing. Please help me." She lamented, and when the diva patted her back in empathy, she saw a ray of hope.

The diva was going to save her again.

"Thank you for believing me........ in a second a slap landed across her face, blinding her vision and she flew to the floor.

Her ears went deaf, and her cheeks throbbed painfully, only to raise her head and see the diva's smug face glaring down at her.

"I saw you grab that dress and shove it into your bag, you lowlife. Arrest the thief!"