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A beautiful young woman in a white custom bridal gown was standing beside the french window, looking outside in a state of stupor. Her eyes were empty, devoid of hope. She just got married to the young master of Grantham, the most handsome and tyrannical president of the multi-billionaire business empire of Bey city. She should be happy, right? But her perfectly symmetrical oval face was pale and clouded by sorrow. Her red lips were tightly pressed together as though she was suppressing her emotions. Many women envied her, but she knew this marriage was nothing but a joke.
He didn't love her. He thought she manipulated his grandfather into marrying the Grantham family. He hated her because of this.
His hateful remarks still resonate in her ears, "You are nothing but a contract bride. Don't expect anything from me. Just stay as a good wife for two years and then get lost from my life."
Flashback.
"His condition is getting worse. He needs a heart transplant. Otherwise, he can't survive."
Zara's face turned pale, as though all the blood drained out of her body. The doctor's words were like a thunderbolt that struck her heart. Her hands under the table were shaking uncontrollably. She wanted to ask something, but her voice didn't come out of her mouth.
"Did you apply for the heart?"
Zara only nodded feebly in response. It was almost a year she had applied for the heart transplant, but her brother's number was still after a hundred patients.
She had no idea how long it would take to get the heart. Even if his number came, she couldn't afford the bills of the surgery. In either case, she couldn't see any way to save her dear brother. This thought brought tears to her eyes. It took her whole to send the tears back.
She sniffed and lifted her chin. Looking straight into the doctor's eyes, she mustered her courage to ask, "Is there no other treatment but a transplant?"
"Brian was born with congenital heart disease. It is a miracle that he survived till 19 years without the transplant. But his heart is getting weaker day by day. It can't pump the blood his body needs. He needs the transplant soon. I know someone who can arrange the heart immediately. If you want, I can get through to him. But it is a bit costly." The doctor peered at her cautiously.
Zara bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands on her lap, contemplating the doctor's words.
When the doctor saw her hesitation, he sighed deeply and said again, "Anyway, I am not forcing you to do that. I will try my best to keep his condition stable until he receives the heart. But I am telling you again, he can't wait long."
"How much?"
Zara's voice was low and faltering. She was holding hard not to break down in front of the doctor.
Her question stunned the doctor for a few seconds. He didn't expect her to ask this.
"Well, normally it takes a few hundreds of thousands for the transplant, but he will charge a million."
"A million?"
She raised her head to look at the doctor and repeated the word in a frenzy. Her jaw dropped in shock.
"I know this is costly for you, but if you can arrange it, he will survive."
Zara felt like the sky had fallen upon her head. Arranging a few hundred thousand was difficult for her, but a million was an astronomical figure for her. From where could she arrange so much money? She felt as if her surroundings were spinning.
She didn't know how she came out of the doctor's chamber. Her mind was in a mess. She didn't go back to the ward. At that moment, she could face neither her brother nor her mother. She walked out of the hospital and went to the nearby park. Sitting on a cemented chair, she broke down into tears, covering her face with her palms. Her shoulder was shaking continuously. A low sob could be audible from time to time.
"Hello, Miss Morris."
A deep, crisp voice came from the top of her head. Zara stopped crying instantaneously and raised her eyes to the source of the voice, only to see a middle-aged man standing tall next to her. His expression was unreadable, and his gaze was indifferent while staring at her.
She recognized him. He was the butler of the Grantham's. But his appearance stunned her. She wondered why he came looking for her.
She wiped her tears and opened her mouth to ask something, but before that, the middle-aged man said with the same crisp voice,
"Sir wants to talk to you. He is in the car."
He pointed his finger outside the park. Zara turned her head to look in the direction where he was pointing and saw a limousine opposite the park. She was even more perplexed, thinking why the older master of Grantham's wanted to meet her.
She took a few deep breaths, collected herself, and stood up, "Alright."
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