His Billion-Dollar Secret

Chapter 3

"Get out of my house!" Old Master Barker tried to sit up, but he was too weak.

Stephen Winchestar laughed, a cold sound that made everyone uncomfortable. "Your house? Oh, that's funny. You see, in about three days, this house will belong to me. Just like Barker Medical Group will belong to me. Just like everything you own will belong to me."

"What are you talking about?" Rose stepped forward. "This house has been in the Barker family for fifty years!"

"Not anymore," Stephen pulled out some papers from his jacket. "You see, your husband, Robert Barker, took a loan from my company five years ago. Fifty million dollars. He never paid it back. And according to this contract, if the loan isn't repaid, everything you own becomes mine."

"That's a lie!" Rose grabbed the papers. Her face went white as she read them. "No... no, Robert wouldn't..."

"But he did," Stephen smiled. "And now the loan is due. Fifty million dollars, plus interest. That's seventy-five million total. Pay up, or get out."

Hailey looked at her mother. "Mom, is this true? Did Dad really borrow that much money?"

Rose's hands were shaking. "He said it was for a business deal. He said we'd make millions. But then he got sick and died before..."

"Before he could pay it back," Stephen finished. "Such a tragedy. But business is business. You have seventy-two hours to pay, or I take everything."

"We don't have that kind of money!" Hailey cried.

"Oh, I know," Stephen's smile got bigger. "But there is another way. I'm willing to forget the debt completely if you do one simple thing." He looked directly at Jayce. "Give me Jayce Walker."

Everyone turned to look at Jayce.

"What do you want with him?" Old Master Barker demanded.

"That's between me and Jayce," Stephen said. "So, what do you say? Hand over your useless son-in-law, and I'll tear up this contract. Keep him, and you lose everything."

Hailey looked at Jayce, then at Stephen, then back at Jayce. "What's going on? Why does he want you?"

"Because Jayce Walker killed my brother," Stephen said, his voice turning icy. "Ten years ago, Jayce's family and my family were in business together. But Jayce's father betrayed us. He stole fifty billion dollars from Winchestar Industries. When my brother tried to stop him, Jayce killed him."

"That's a lie!" Jayce's voice was loud and angry for the first time. "Your brother killed my parents! He burned down our house with them inside! I was the only one who escaped!"

"Prove it," Stephen challenged. "Where's your evidence? I have witnesses who saw you at the scene. I have documents showing your father's theft. What do you have? Nothing!"

"I have the truth!"

"Truth?" Stephen laughed. "Truth doesn't matter. Power matters. Money matters. And I have both." He turned to Rose and Hailey. "So here's your choice. Give me Jayce, or lose everything. You have until Friday at noon."

Stephen walked toward the door, then stopped and looked back. "Oh, and Jayce? I know about Walker Global Technologies. I know about the Miracle Healer. I know all your secrets. And soon, everyone else will too. I'm going to destroy everything you've built, just like you destroyed my family."

After Stephen left, the room was silent. Then Rose turned to Jayce, her eyes full of anger.

"This is your fault! All of this! You brought this monster to our door!"

"Mom, wait," Hailey said, but Rose ignored her.

"We're giving you to Stephen," Rose declared. "It's you or our family. And I choose family."

"You can't do that!" Old Master Barker shouted, but his voice was weak.

"I can, and I will," Rose looked at Jayce with hate. "You have until tomorrow morning to pack your things and leave. Go to Stephen yourself, or I'll call the police and tell them you attacked me. Either way, you're out of this family."

Jayce looked at Hailey, hoping she would say something. But Hailey just looked down at the floor, saying nothing.

"Fine," Jayce said quietly. "I'll leave tomorrow."

He turned and walked out of the room. Behind him, he heard Old Master Barker arguing with Rose, but the words became unclear as he walked down the hallway.

Back in the storage room, Jayce sat on his cot and pulled out his phone. He called R.H.

"Sir?" R.H. answered immediately.

"Stephen found me. He's threatening the Barker family. I need you to dig up everything we have on him. Every crime, every dirty deal, every secret. We're taking him down."

"But sir, if we expose Stephen, we'll have to expose your identity too. Everyone will know who you really are."

Jayce was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Maybe it's time they knew. I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of pretending to be weak. Stephen wants a war? He's going to get one."

"I'll gather everything we have. Sir, there's something else. That girl, Lily Henry, the one you're supposed to operate on tomorrow? She's Stephen's niece."

Jayce's blood ran cold. "What?"

"Stephen is Robert Henry's brother. They have different last names because Stephen changed his after their parents died. Sir, this could be a trap."

"Or it could be an opportunity," Jayce said slowly. "If I save Lily, Robert will owe me. And Robert is the only person who knows the truth about what really happened ten years ago. He was there. He saw everything."

"That's risky, sir."

"Everything is risky now," Jayce stood up and looked out the small window. The sun was starting to rise. "R.H., I need you to do something else. I need you to find Leonard Warden. Tell him it's time to call in Phoenix Legacy."

"Phoenix Legacy? Sir, that's the emergency protocol. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Stephen wants to play dirty? We'll show him what dirty really means."

Jayce hung up and checked his watch. Four thirty in the morning. In thirty minutes, he needed to be at Memorial Hospital to save Lily. After that, everything was going to change.

He opened the storage room door and found someone standing there. Hailey. She had been crying.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have defended you up there. I should have told my mother she was wrong. But I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared that everything is true. Scared that you really are this powerful person my grandfather says you are. Scared that I've been horrible to someone who didn't deserve it." Hailey looked up at him, tears running down her face. "Is it true? Are you really the Miracle Healer? Are you really rich and powerful?"

Jayce looked at her for a long moment. Then he said, "Yes. It's all true."

"Then why did you let us treat you so badly? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because your grandfather asked me to protect you. And sometimes, the best way to protect someone is to let them think you're not a threat." Jayce gently moved past her. "I have to go now. I have a surgery to perform."

"Wait!" Hailey grabbed his arm. "Don't go to Stephen. Please. Let me talk to my mother. I'll make her understand. We'll find another way to pay the debt."

"There is no other way, Hailey. Your family is seventy-five million dollars in debt. Even if you sold everything, it wouldn't be enough."

"Then I'll... I'll marry Damson Cole! His family has money! They can help us!"

Jayce pulled his arm free. "You're already married. To me."

"A marriage you didn't want! A marriage my grandfather forced on both of us!"

"Maybe," Jayce said softly. "But it's still a marriage. And I take my promises seriously, even when others don't."

He walked away, leaving Hailey standing in the hallway, crying.