THE BILLION DOLLAR DECEPTION

Sera’s POV The number on the billing sheet was the worst shock of my life. Apart from the fact that my own family abandoned me. I had been bracing this for three weeks, recalculating those figures every night, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this figure. "Excuse me doctor, what did you say this amount was for again?" “It's for dialysis. And then the surgery. The pace at which we go can't hold out any longer. Martha desperately needs this to survive. Her treatment does not…” His voice trailed out. How much do I even make to be able to afford 300,000 dollars? I felt like laughing, but they just might admit me in the psychiatric ward so I kept still. Dr. Amar snapped his fingers to pull me back to consciousness. “Can you hear me?” "Sorry, can you recap?" "The current medication isn't working anymore," he said. "We need to move to an aggressive treatment protocol. Four dialysis sessions weekly, minimum. This is until we can have the surgery—" "Right. How long is this

Sera’s PovThe first call I made was to Diane.We had been friends since college and she was the closest friend I had. She had a job at a marketing firm downtown, her boyfriend drove a decent car and they lived in an apartment that had a dishwasher. By my standards, Diane was doing well."How much?" she said."Whatever you can manage. Even if it's a loan, I'll pay it back.""Sera." She sighed. "I have rent due next week. I have my own things going on for me, I also need money.""I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just that Martha desperately needs this. The money isn't for me. You know how Martha has been there for me, even for you when mum died. Please I have no other—""Jeez Sera, calm down for a minute okay? Have you tried the hospital's large bill assistance?""First thing I did."Another pause. Longer this time. "Look Sera. I'm sorry about Martha. I really am. But there's nothing I can do for you right now. You need to understand that, okay?"She hung up. I sat with the phone in my

Sera's POV I threw up at five in the morning, kneeling on the cold marble floor of the hotel bathroom, one hand braced against the wall, the other gripping the edge of the sink. Only this bathroom was the size of my entire apartment. Even the tiles were heated, I'd never seen anything like it before. I never even knew such beauty existed. Richard Hale had done his thing and I can't lie, it was impressive. But for some reason my nerves were everywhere. This morning, I get married to the ‘absolute love of my life’ and assume a life as his lawfully wedded beloved wife. I rinsed my mouth and looked at myself in the mirror. The woman staring back at me looked exhausted. Dark circles sat beneath my eyes despite the expensive skincare products someone had left in the room, my hair was pulled back, my skin looked pale, my eyes were dull, no matter how much I tried to force life in them. I barely recognized me. Richard and his cohorts had moved me into The Meridian two days after I

Seraphina’s POVThe jet was waiting on the tarmac when we arrived, sleek and quiet under the runway lights. I'd never seen a private jet this close, it was massive.I still couldn't believe I was now married to one of the wealthiest bachelors in New York city.Last week, I was feeding on bland overnight oats to survive, this week I was…Mrs. Kingsley. He'd called me that.I was half expecting someone to pinch me out of this unbelievable dream but that never came.“Welcome aboard, Mr and Mrs Kingsley,” the air hostess greeted us. “Please make yourselves comfortable. Our flight takes off in exactly twenty minutes.”She had a clipboard tucked under one arm and a smile that seemed like it was permanently installed on her face."Can I get you something before takeoff, Mrs. Kingsley? Champagne, water, something to eat?""Water is fine," I said. "Thank you.""Of course." She turned to leave and I almost called after her to say thank you again, the way I normally would, but I caught myself jus

Adrian's POV She wouldn't look at me in the elevator, and she still wasn't looking at me by the time the suite door closed behind us. "Victoria, who sent that letter?" I asked. "I said It's nothing, can't you let it go?" She sighed and set her clutch on the centre table carefully, like it weighed more than it should. "It was a wedding note. From someone I know." "People don't usually go pale from reading a wedding note." "It's been a long day, Adrian." She finally met my eyes, chin up, the same posture she'd worn walking down the aisle that morning. "Don't forget I just fainted on a plane few hours ago. I probably still look pale from that. And I'm super exhausted. So don't let that bother you." Of course she'll try to play that card with me. What did she think I was? 12? Sure, she'd gone pale, almost as white as the seats themselves when she fainted, but the colour had come back to her fair face, and her almond shaped green eyes. Her eyes… it was a remarkable shade I don't