His Billion-Dollar Secret

Chapter 5

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Hailey."

Damson Cole smiled across the fancy restaurant table, his eyes moving over Hailey's red dress. She felt uncomfortable but tried to smile back. Her mother had insisted she come to this dinner, saying it was important for "family business."

"Thank you, Damson," Hailey said quietly. "But I still don't understand why we're here. You said you wanted to discuss business, but you haven't mentioned anything about business yet."

"Can't a man enjoy dinner with a beautiful woman first?" Damson reached across the table and tried to take her hand. Hailey pulled back.

"Damson, I'm married."

"To that delivery boy? Come on, Hailey. We both know that marriage is a joke." Damson leaned forward, his voice becoming softer. "You and I were supposed to be together. We dated for two years. We were happy. Then your grandfather ruined everything by forcing you to marry that nobody."

"Jayce is not a nobody," Hailey said, surprising herself. After seeing Jayce save her grandfather, something had changed in her mind. She kept thinking about the way his hands moved with such skill and confidence. The way he stayed calm even when everyone was panicking. That wasn't the behavior of a useless delivery man.

"Really? Then what is he?" Damson laughed. "Does he have a job besides delivering food? Does he have money? Does he have anything to offer you?"

Hailey thought about what her grandfather had said. Could Jayce really be the Miracle Healer? Could he really own a huge company? It seemed impossible, but her grandfather never lied.

"I don't want to talk about Jayce," Hailey said firmly. "If you have a business proposal, tell me now. Otherwise, I'm leaving."

Damson's smile faded. He pulled out a folder from his briefcase and placed it on the table. "Fine. Business it is. My father wants to merge Cole Diamond Company with Barker Medical Group. It would make both our families even richer."

"My grandfather would never agree to that."

"Your grandfather is dying, Hailey. Soon, you'll inherit everything. And when you do, you'll need someone strong to help you run it. Someone like me." Damson opened the folder, showing papers and numbers. "Look at these projections. Together, we could be the most powerful couple in Metro City."

Hailey looked at the papers but didn't really see them. Her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about Jayce standing in the rain, water dripping from his hair, asking for just a dry towel. She had been so cruel to him. And he had never fought back or said anything mean to her.

"I need to think about it," Hailey said, closing the folder.

"Think about it? Hailey, this is a limited-time offer. My father has other options if you're not interested." Damson's voice had an edge to it now. "Besides, your mother already agreed. She thinks it's a wonderful idea."

"My mother agreed? Without asking me?" Hailey felt anger rising. Her mother was always making decisions for her, treating her like a child.

"She wants what's best for you," Damson said smoothly. "She knows that delivery boy will never give you the life you deserve. But I can. Marry me, Hailey. Divorce that loser and marry me instead."

"Is that what this is really about? You don't care about business. You just want me to leave my husband."

"Can you blame me?" Damson stood up and walked around the table to her side. "I love you, Hailey. I always have. Watching you with him kills me every day."

Before Hailey could react, Damson grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair. He tried to kiss her, but Hailey pushed him away hard.

"Don't touch me!"

"Oh, come on. You used to like it when I kissed you."

"That was before! Everything is different now!" Hailey tried to walk away, but Damson grabbed her wrist tightly.

"You're not leaving until you agree to think about my proposal. Your family needs this merger, Hailey. Your mother said you're seventy-five million dollars in debt. Without my family's help, you'll lose everything."

"Let go of me, Damson!"

"Is there a problem here?"

Both Hailey and Damson turned to see Jayce standing a few feet away. He was wearing his old jacket and jeans, looking completely out of place in the fancy restaurant. But his eyes were cold and dangerous as he stared at Damson's hand on Hailey's wrist.

"This doesn't concern you, delivery boy," Damson sneered. "Go back to your motorcycle and leave the adults alone."

"I said, is there a problem?" Jayce took a step closer. "Because it looks like you're hurting my wife."

"Your wife?" Damson laughed. "She doesn't even wear her wedding ring! She's ashamed of you!"

It was true. Hailey had taken off her wedding ring months ago, saying she didn't want people to know she was married to a poor man. Now, looking at Jayce's face, she felt ashamed of herself.

"Let her go," Jayce said quietly. But there was something in his voice that made even Damson hesitate.

"Or what? You'll fight me?" Damson finally released Hailey's wrist and faced Jayce. "I have black belt in karate. What do you have? Experience delivering spring rolls?"

"I have this," Jayce pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Security, this is the owner speaking. Remove the guest at table seven immediately. Permanently ban him from all my properties."

Damson laughed harder. "The owner? You're crazy! Everyone knows the Plaza Hotel is owned by some mysterious billionaire who never shows his face."

Within seconds, six large security guards appeared. The head of security, a tall man named Marcus, walked straight to Jayce and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Walker, how can we help you?"

Damson's face went pale. "Mr. Walker? Did he just call you... no, that's impossible."

"Escort Mr. Cole out," Jayce said calmly. "And make sure he understands he's not welcome here again."

"Wait, wait!" Damson looked between Jayce and the security guards, confused and scared. "This is some kind of joke, right? You can't be Jayce Walker. You're a nobody!"

"I suggest you leave before I call the police for assault," Jayce nodded to Marcus. The security guards grabbed Damson's arms and started pulling him toward the exit.

"This isn't over!" Damson shouted as they dragged him away. "You'll regret this! My father will destroy you!"

After Damson was gone, the restaurant became quiet. Everyone was staring at Jayce and Hailey. Jayce took off his jacket and placed it around Hailey's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Hailey looked up at him, her eyes full of questions. "You really own this hotel?"

"I own twelve hotels in this city. The Plaza is just one of them."

"And Walker Global Technologies?"

"That too."

"And you're the Miracle Healer?"

"Yes."

Hailey felt her legs go weak. She sat down heavily in her chair. "Why? Why did you lie to me? Why did you let me treat you so badly when you could have told me the truth?"

Jayce sat down across from her. "Because your grandfather asked me to. He said you needed protection, and the only way to keep you safe was to stay close without drawing attention. If everyone knew who I really was, the danger would have found you faster."

"Danger? What danger?"

"Stephen Winchestar. He's been planning to hurt your family for years. Your grandfather knew this and asked me to help." Jayce looked into her eyes. "I agreed because I owe your grandfather a debt. But also because... I wanted to know who you really were. Beyond the money and the fancy clothes. I wanted to see your true heart."

"And what did you see?" Hailey whispered.

"I saw a woman who was spoiled and mean at first, yes. But also a woman who painted beautiful pictures when she thought no one was watching. A woman who cried at sad movies. A woman who secretly fed the stray cats behind the mansion even though she pretended not to care about anything." Jayce smiled sadly. "I saw someone worth protecting, even if she hated me."

Hailey felt tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry for everything I said to you. For how I treated you."

"Don't cry," Jayce reached over and gently wiped her tears. "You didn't know. And I chose not to tell you. This is not your fault."

"But it is! I judged you without knowing anything. I was cruel and mean and—"

"Hailey," Jayce's voice was firm but kind. "Stop. What's done is done. The question is, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, now you know the truth. Now you know I'm not a poor delivery man. So what do you want to do? Do you still want the divorce your mother is planning?"

Hailey thought about it. She thought about Damson grabbing her, about her mother making decisions without asking her, about all the times she yelled at Jayce for no good reason. Then she thought about Jayce standing in the rain, Jayce saving her grandfather, Jayce protecting her from Damson.

"No," she said finally. "I don't want a divorce."