My contract marriage with the billionaire

The Family Saga

Bella's POV

I couldn't shake the feeling that the maid's words lingered in the air long after she left. "This family has secrets, dark ones." I repeated it in my mind, each syllable digging deeper into my heart. The gravity of her warning weighed on me, the ominous notion that those who defy the Chairman don't end well resonating like a death knell.

My throat tightened as I recalled the maid's worried eyes. "What about Sam? Is he part of it?"

The maid's gaze had darkened at the mention of Sam, and her reply chilled me. "Sam... Sam's loyal to his family. But loyalty can be twisted in this house. Be careful. They've dragged you into something that could destroy you."

I couldn't breathe. The thought of being enmeshed in a web of secrets and loyalty that could lead to destruction made my stomach churn. What was I doing here? Was Sam truly a part of this dark legacy? I had only just begun to understand him, and now this uncertainty loomed like a shadow.

Before I could ask any more questions, the maid was gone, leaving me alone in the vast, silent room, my thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and dread. 

The sudden buzz of my phone startled me. A text from Sam flickered on the screen: 

Stay there. I'll be back soon.

I stared at it, my heart racing. Why did he sound so distant? I typed back, fingers trembling: 

Is everything okay?

I waited, but silence reigned in the mansion. Minutes felt like hours as I paced the room, my anxiety spiraling. I had to know what was happening, what kind of darkness I had stumbled into.

As I moved toward the door, a soft sound caught my attention—whispers wafting from the hallway just outside the dining room. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear.

"I don't care what he says," a man's voice hissed. "If the Chairman doesn't make it, things will change. The will, the company... it all comes down to who has the upper hand."

"Kelvin won't let it slip that easily," another voice replied, one I recognized as Ruth's. "He'll fight for control, but we can't let him."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "If things go out of control with Kelvin, we're finished. We need to act fast."

My blood ran cold. This was no ordinary family drama; it was a power struggle, and I was stuck right in the middle of it.

As the whispers faded and footsteps echoed down the hall, I slowly stepped back from the door, heart racing. I needed to uncover the truth before it was too late.

Sam's POV

The fluorescent lights in the hospital waiting room buzzed above, casting a sterile glow over the anxious faces around me. The atmosphere was thick with tension, every second stretching into eternity. I stood in a corner, arms crossed, jaw clenched, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

Kelvin, my older brother, was pacing like a caged animal. Anger radiated off him, and he finally snapped. "This is all your fault, Sam!" He pointed an accusing finger at me, venom dripping from his words. "If you hadn't brought that girl here, none of this would have happened! Father wouldn't be lying in there fighting for his life, and everything wouldn't be falling apart!"

I didn't respond, letting Kelvin's fury wash over me. I kept my icy blue eyes on the floor, refusing to let his anger penetrate my composure. 

"You think you can take what's mine?" he continued, voice rising. "You think bringing some outsider into this family will give you the right to claim what belongs to me?"

"Kelvin, stop," Peter, the Chairman's third son, interjected, stepping between us. "This isn't the time to be pointing fingers. Father's life is hanging in the balance, and all you can think about is who gets what? We need to stay focused on his recovery."

"Recovery?" Kelvin scoffed, glaring at Peter. "Did you hear what the doctors said? Heart failure. He hasn't opened his eyes since the surgery, and even if he does wake up, the time he has left is short. And you think we should just sit around and wait for him to die?"

Peter's frustration was palpable. "I'm trying to keep this family together, Kelvin. The last thing we need is to fall apart while Father is lying there. We should be supporting each other, not tearing each other down."

Kelvin sneered. "You always were the peacemaker, Peter. But this isn't about peace. It's about survival. And I'm not about to let Sam waltz in here with his bride-to-be and take everything our father built."

Finally, I found my voice, calm yet filled with steel. "I don't want to take anything from you, Uncle. But this isn't the time for this. Our father is in critical condition, and your anger won't change that."

Before Kelvin could retort, the doors to the operating room swung open, and the doctor stepped out, his expression grave. All eyes turned toward him, tension spiking in the room.

"How is he, doctor?" Peter asked, stepping forward, voice tight.

The doctor sighed, pulling off his gloves. "The Chairman is stable, but the heart failure was severe. He hasn't regained consciousness since the surgery, and at this point, we'll have to wait and see if he wakes up. His condition is critical, and the time he has left… is uncertain."

A heavy silence descended. Kelvin's fists clenched, his face pale with barely contained fury.

"I'm the eldest son," he declared, voice hard. "No one is to enter my father's room except for me. I will not have any outsiders disturbing his rest." He glared around the room, daring anyone to defy him.

Uneasy glances passed among the family members. Some nodded in agreement, but Maya, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.

"Kelvin, you're not the one in charge here," Maya said, voice steady and unyielding. "Sam's parents were the directors of this hospital. That makes him the one in charge of who gets access to the Chairman, not you."

Kelvin turned on her, rage flashing in his eyes. "You think that matters right now? This is *my* family. Sam isn't going to waltz in and "

"He doesn't have to," Maya cut him off, her voice firm. "Because he's already in control here."

For a moment, it seemed like Kelvin might explode, his face twisted with rage as murmurs rose among the family members. Slowly, they began to shift their support toward me. The tension between us crackled in the air.

"Sam," Peter said quietly, "you should decide who gets to see Father. Not Kelvin."

Kelvin spun around, fury etched on his face. "You're choosing him over me?"

Before I could respond, the argument erupted again, voices rising as family members bickered. Kelvin's accusations filled the air, while Peter tried to mediate once more.

Then, something cut through the chaos: a sharp, high-pitched sound that froze everyone in their tracks.

The Chairman's heart monitor flatline.

Panic coursed through me as everyone turned toward the closed doors of the Chairman's room, the blaring sound piercing through the tension like a knife.

Kelvin's face was drained of color. "What the hell is happening?"

A nurse rushed out of the room, urgency etched on her pale face. "We need to get in there *now*!"

I surged forward, heart pounding. The rest of the family scrambled to follow, but the echo of the flatlining monitor continued to ring in my ears.

It wasn't just a warning; it was a race against time.

As the medical team rushed through the doors, I was left standing in the hallway, pulse racing, wondering if the Chairman was already too far gone. 

As the hospital lights flickered above, uncertainty loomed over both our lives. The darkn

ess was closing in, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the real battle was only just beginning.