The Billionaire's Wife (A Steamy BWWM Marriage of Convenience Romance Novel) (20 page)

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Chapter 31

Kiona

We didn’t have time to be in shock,
or time to wonder how this happened. Doctor Greene quickly explained the
possible complications, but was surprisingly confident that the procedure would
not only save his life, but also possibly –
possibly
– stop the disease at the source. There was a chance
Cole would reject the transplant, but I could see fire in Cole’s eyes. We were
out of time, but clearly, Cole had something to live for.

Cole was
prepped almost immediately, signing a brisk form and being quickly put under
heavy sedation. Afterwards, he was wheeled behind the swinging double doors for
emergency transplant surgery. I followed along as far as they’d let me go,
before I stopped at those sterile, official doors, afraid that my husband was
going to bleed out on the operating table.

I tracked
down Alphonse, and I updated them him on the situation. Even the hospital staff
seemed stunned at this sudden change of events, and all we could do was quietly
wait for a few hours.

After all of
the sharp, blindsiding turns of the night, I was completely and utterly drained.
It had started so simple, and yet now I was living in an endless nightmare with
sudden, unexplained compromises. I knew I needed to sleep, but my mind just couldn’t
let me. Nor did I want it to.

Instead, I
paced idly, trying to keep myself preoccupied.

But questions
nagged.

Larry’s death
broke my heart. I barely believed that it could be true. He was a good man, and
far too young for this to have happened. He deserved a long, fulfilling life,
and his entitled slice of the pie. The business deal was secured – the
company would be sold to Alphonse Megami, and now the one person I wanted more
than anything to enjoy the coming rewards was the one man who couldn’t.

And how is he even a partial match?
I couldn’t
figure it out. The way that Cole had put it, there was a snowball’s chance in
Hell that a pair of viable lungs would appear, especially within the small
window of time he had left. It seemed illogical, and I wanted to know more…

There was so many
questions, and I was caught in an endless loop: it was too painful to focus on
Cole’s condition pending a possibly
lethal
surgery, but the only other thing I could dwell on instead was Larry’s untimely
death. That in itself was horrible to contemplate, so I could only switch my
thoughts back and forth.

And on it
went.

Alphonse
Megami did his part to keep me as calm as he could. For all his bluster and
stone faced attitude, he seemed to be genuinely compassionate of my plight. After
our debate on the rooftop and Cole’s subsequent flare-up, the elderly
businessman was troubled and grave, but he tried to keep me preoccupied.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to discuss even the most
generalized details about myself, nor specifics about how I met Cole, but I did
appreciate him trying to keep my mind off of things.

The night
dragged on. It was over six painful hours before Doctor Greene reappeared,
stepping outside of the operating room to finally give us the official news.

I dabbed at
my tear-filled eyes as he spoke the best damned words he could have told me:
“Your husband is going to live, Mrs. Andrews. It’s too early to tell, but signs
point to his condition normalizing. It will be a long recovery, but we are as
optimistic as we can reasonably be at this time.”

*
      
*
      
*

Cole was
still mildly delirious when he was finally released from the hospital twelve
long days later. Alphonse had canceled countless meetings to remain in New York
for the duration. He was there as Cole’s driver Gregory arrived to bring us
back to the hotel. When we passed through the lobby with our ill survivor, the
staff present gave a cheerful but reasonably muted cheer. Alphonse and Gregory
helped me guide Cole into the elevator, and at the rooftop manor, they assisted
me in helping him to bed, where he began his longer road to full recovery under
my watchful care.

When I woke
up later that morning, Cole was sitting up in bed, reading a book from his
nightstand.

“You…you’re
awake,” I murmured quietly.

“I am.
Welcome back, darling,” he replied warmly.

“But I…how
long have you…?”

“Only about
an hour…but enough about me.
That
doesn’t look terribly comfortable,” he indicated the chair that I found myself
in. It appeared that I had dragged a chair into his room and fallen asleep at
his side. “Why don’t you get some proper rest? You look like you’ve had a few
long nights.”

“Oh, that’s
rich,” I smiled.

“I find it
suits me.”

We shared an
exhausted laugh and, seeing his longing gaze, I climbed into bed beside him. I
was careful to stay off of him, simply nuzzling carefully against his shoulder.
He shifted position slightly, allowing him to slowly and painfully put an arm
around me.

“How did I
get here?”

“Alphonse and
your driver half-dragged you in your pain medicated state.”

“Gregory?
Remind me to give that man a pay raise…”

“And what
about Alphonse?” I asked.

“Remind me to
take his money. So, tell me, what did the good doctor say about my condition?” Cole
asked solemnly, bracing himself for bad news.

“He said that
there’s a good chance that it will not reoccur now that the effected tissue has
been removed.”

“I…I see,”
Cole nodded carefully. “I feel strange Kiona, as if I I am breathing through a
fire hose.”

“The doctor
said you were down to thirty percent lung capacity before the transplant. It
was a miracle you were able to function,” I replied gravely.

“And I think
I have you to thank,” he told me, gazing deep and longingly into my eyes. “I’d
given up. I had resigned myself to this malady, this abomination inside me. My
impending, early grave was already inevitable. I was making the proper
arrangements to leave things as well as I could before I died and I had no
intention of accepting a lung transplant.”

“You don’t
mean that,” I replied, a concerned look flashing across my face.

“I did… But
then I met you, and I learned what it meant to love. For the first time in my
life, I understood what people meant when they talked about these
feelings…these indescribable, insatiable emotions.”

“Maybe
Alphonse had a point, then,” I responded slyly.

“Perhaps so.
Even sanctimonious assholes can be right once in awhile.”

“That reminds
me,” I told him, pulling myself from his grasp. Cole’s confused gaze followed
me as I wandered from the room, returning a moment later with a large,
legal-sized envelope. “Alphonse said to give these to you the moment you
stirred from your rest.”

“Oh?” Cole
took the envelope, unpinning the catch in the back and unsheathing the pages.
His eyes quickly scanned everything as his eyes lit up with the brightest
glimmer I’ve ever seen.

“Is that what
I think it is?” I asked, barely able to contain my overwhelming excitement.

“Now it’s
really
over,” he grinned, holding up the
final page. A large, magnanimous signature was scribbled along the open space
on the bottom. “Alphonse Megami – the Megami Corporation – has officially
bought Andrews Enterprises.”

I squealed
with satisfaction and curled back into bed with him, planting kisses along his
bare shoulder. “I’m so happy for you. Everything you’ve always wanted is here.”

“And I
couldn’t have done it without you, my dear.”

Cole’s smile
began to falter after he spoke the words, and he turned away.

“What’s the
matter?”

“I…this is
where I was going to die,” Cole told me, confessing his confusion and
hesitance. “I didn’t think I’d have enough time to see this deal through, and
now…I’ve sold the company I built from the dying promise of my fallen
friend…everything has led up to this. But now…what do I do
now?
”

“Whatever you
want, Cole. It’s all over,” I told him firmly. “You did it. You’ve fulfilled
your obligations. You’ve honored the wishes of your friend, your employees will
all be properly rewarded…everything is done. Now, I think that it’s time that
you find your own path. And the best part is?” I grasped his hand, holding it
up in both of mine. “You have plenty of time to figure it out…and I’ll be right
here by your side to help.”

Cole thought
on my words carefully, still gazing into space, but a crisp smile began to
cross his lips.

*
      
*
      
*

A few weeks
later, after Cole had bounced back enough from his surgery to move around
independently, he snuck away from our penthouse bright and early in the
morning. I thought about telling him that I’d woken up, but I decided to sleep
in – I trusted him completely. When he returned an hour later and woke me
again, I pushed down my curiosity, wondering what he had been up to.

Out of
spontaneity, he wanted to go back to New Orleans and enjoy it again for the
“first time.” I agreed, amused by his sudden enthusiasm, so long as he was fit
for travel.

That night,
after a delicious dinner at our restaurant again, he took me back to Frenchman
Street and to the soul and jazz club that we’d visited – where I’d
started to really fall for him. After a long night of powerful, soul-moving
music, he revealed the contract again – the one that we’d signed that
wiped our marriage clean from the books. Immediately, he dropped to a knee,
producing the most beautiful engagement ring I’ve ever seen – with a
stunning jade stone.

“Let’s do it all
again,” Cole told me, “and let’s do it the
right
way this time. You and me – we’ll take what we have and we’ll make
it better. Stronger.
Proper
. No
contracts. No lies. No playing pretend. Will you marry me Kiona?”

The musicians
blared into a passionate, perfectly happy jazz number as the crowd cheered us
on. The horns danced in unison, the music attuned to our very souls, and time
froze for that beautiful, magical moment.

“Oh God yes,”
I grinned triumphantly, chucking the old ring over my shoulder.

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Epilogue

Kiona

The gondolier casually drifted us
down the rivers of Venice as Cole and I relaxed, curled up in each other’s
arms. The refreshing spring sun bathed us in warmth as I listened to his
steady, strong heartbeat, smiling quietly to myself.

So much had
happened in the last twelve months.

Larry Higgins
funeral had been both a high and a low point. Hundreds of staff and family
gathered to spread his ashes and honor his good nature. From a tragedy had come
new life. His kidneys were now inherited by a young diabetic girl in Tulsa. His
heart went to a thirty five year old father of four… And of course… His lungs
had found a new life as well. In his own way, Larry was still with us. He may
not have had the money or charitable influence that Cole boasted, but his
sacrifice meant so much to so many.

Including me.

His
miraculous tissue type match was a lucky break, but Larry’s type O blood had
certainly improved the odds for all of his donor recipients. Four of his six
key antigens were matched with Cole, enough for a successful transplant even in
his weakened state. Thus far there hadn’t been any signs of organ rejection.

I’m not sure
Cole could ever make total peace with the idea that Larry had given
him the gift of life, but he worked hard to honor his fallen employee’s memory.
The charitable foundation Cole wanted to start upon his death became the Larry
Higgens Hope for Hearts organization. They specialized in making future
transplant patients comfortable in the months leading up to a suitable match,
and provided free emergency high-speed air transport for matched donors and
recipients when distance would be a factor in their ability to receive a viable
transplant.

Going with
Cole to visit the very first recipient of the new foundation’s assistance was a
high point. A little seven year old girl was alive because the organization was
able to orchestrate immediate cross-country travel with no expense spared to
shave seconds off her arrival.

In the
meantime, Cole had returned to Andrews Enterprises to oversee the transfer to
Megami and to weed out dissension in the ranks. With his health no longer a
weapon to be used against his net worth and his company’s value, Coppersmith
was Cole’s first target. After some impromptu and fearsome interrogations,
surprising and horrifying details came to light. Deprived of his leverage, the
careless and embittered Coppersmith found himself kicked from the board and
removed from the company.

In the
aftermath, Cole launched an investigation in interpersonal company
communications in the months leading up to his near death experience. What
stood out like a sore thumb was the massive amounts of communication between
Coppersmith and Cole’s executive assistant, Kylie. She buckled under the
pressure revealed her role in the plot to sweep Cole’s company out from under
him. Despite her cooperation, Cole took pity and fired her without involving
legal counsel. She met the same disgraceful fate as her associate, but many in
the building felt she deserved worse.

Turns out,
they hadn’t taken into consideration Cole’s connections in the business world.
No matter how powerful your friends are, the wrath of a young and vengeful
billionaire will make them turn their backs. The last I heard, Coppersmith was
retired and living on social security, and Kylie had taken up work as a
waitress in a San Francisco Denny’s.

Partially out
of punishment, partially out of necessity, the board was dissolved and
reintegrated into lesser positions in the company. A number of them balked and resigned
in disgust, but a few were willing to accept responsibility for the nest of
vipers that their group had ultimately become. They were rewarded when the
Megami deal went through and with it, the huge lump sum payments to all
remaining employees. With some strong restructuring and under Megami’s
intelligent leadership, the company was steeped to become more capable and
productive than ever.

Of course,
Alphonse had been made privy to Cole’s little magic box, and seemed to understand
the importance of protecting Hunter’s algorithms. Surely he would use his
newfound power to propel Megami corporation to new heights, but in his
enlightened state, he agreed to pitch in matching funds for any of Cole’s
future charitable endeavors. The world, it seems, would be a better place for
their partnership.

And Cole’s
former company prospered as a result. Surprisingly, a number of the staff
elected to remain despite their large lump sum payouts even after the one-year
deadline when they could have easily walked away. They worked well together,
and were prideful of everything they had accomplished, with or without their
founder.

However, all
of this leaves out an important detail, something that you might already be
wondering about…

Cole had family again.

Or at least he would, in another seven months…
I thought to
myself, moving my hand across my swelling tummy.

I had finally
found my place, and I didn’t have to adapt or change to fit the next big
opportunity anymore. This was just me, living my happy life with the man of my
dreams. It was something complete in the now, something concrete.

I had Cole. We
had each other. Forever.

And, as
you’ve undoubtedly noticed…

I got that
honeymoon in Venice after all, if only a little belated.

The End.