The Secret Billionaire Heir

Chapter 1

THIRD PERSON’S POV

The headlights from the oncoming truck burned into Jake's vision before everything went black.

When he regained a bit of consciousness, the world was spinning. His ears rang so loud he couldn't think. Slowly, his senses returned. The scent of burnt rubber hit him had. He heard the hiss of steam escaping from the crumpled hood. He could taste blood in his mouth.

"Mom?" His voice cracked. He turned his head and felt pain shooting down his neck.

For a moment, he was confused and felt disoriented.

What happened?

His mother was slumped against the driver's seat with blood pouring down her temple. Her breathing was shallow. The dashboard had crushed inward, pinning her legs.

Jake’s eyes went wide with horror when he saw her.

"Mom!" Jake reached for her, but his seatbelt held him back. He fumbled with the buckle, his hands shaking so badly he could barely grip it. When it finally clicked free, he moved toward her. "Mom, can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened slowly. she was breathing heavily "Jake... get out..."

"I'm getting you out. Hold on." He tried her door handle but it wouldn't budge. He tried again, throwing his weight against it. Nothing. The metal frame had warped in the impact. This jammed the mechanism completely.

“Shit” Jake cried.

They were trapped. What would he do?

"The car... it could explode..." His mother whispered. "Just go..."

"I'm not leaving you!" Jake screamed.

His chest tightened. His mind was running with different possibilities. He could smell gasoline now. His hands moved to his pocket, pulling out his phone. His fingers shook as he scrolled through his contacts and pressed Emily's name.

She answered on the third ring. Music echoed in the background. He heard voices laughing and shouting over each other.

"What?" Emily's tone was flat, sounding annoyed.

"Emily, listen to me” Jake was panicking “I need you to unlock the car doors right now. We've been in an accident. My mom is trapped and I can't-"

"Oh my God, Jake." She laughed, actually laughed. "Are you serious right now? Another one of your little games?"

Jake was confused. What?

"This isn't a game!" His voice rose as he frantically spoke "My mother is bleeding. The door won't open from inside. Just open the app and unlock it. That's all you have to do. Please!"

"You're unbelievable. I'm at a party and you're calling me with this garbage?"

Jake's vision blurred with tears of frustration. His mother's breathing was getting worse. Time was running out. The gasoline smell was getting more intense. The car would explode any minute now.

Jake cried "Emily, I'm begging you. Just press one button. One button and you could save her life."

"Jake, I'm done with your manipulation." Her voice turned cold. "Every time you want attention, it's some crisis. I'm not falling for it anymore."

"I'm not lying!" His voice broke. He moved the phone closer to his mother, closer to the shattered windshield and the hissing engine. "Listen! Just listen to what's happening!"

The sounds of the wreckage filled the line. His mother's ragged breathing. The drip of fluids hitting the pavement.

"If you don't believe me," Jake said "open the app. Look at the car. See for yourself."

There was silence. He could hear her moving, could imagine her pulling up the app on her phone. He waited. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

"Oh my God," Emily said, but her voice wasn't filled with concern. "The window is smashed."

Jake felt relieved. "Yes! Yes, that's from the crash. Now please, just unlock-"

"You think I'm stupid?" she shrieked. "You smashed the window yourself. This is a setup. You and whoever you're working with are trying to steal from the car."

Jake's blood ran cold. "What? No, Emily, that's not-"

"I can see everything on the camera, Jake. You probably have some friends waiting nearby to grab whatever they can once I unlock it. I'm not an idiot."

"Emily, please-"

The app notification popped up on his phone. All doors were locked. She had locked them. She had actively locked the doors on his dying mother.

"You're insane," Emily said. "Goodbye, Jake."

The line went dead.

Jake stared at his phone. His mind was unable to process what had just happened. The woman he had loved, the woman he had taken care of for years, had just sentenced his mother to death.

"Jake..." His mother's voice was fading. "It's okay... just save yourself..."

"No." Something shifted inside him.

The desperation transformed into pure determination. He looked at the door, at the warped metal and jammed lock. If Emily wouldn't help, he would do this himself.

He climbed into the back seat, positioning himself. Then he kicked. The pain shot up his leg but he kicked again and again. Each movement sent shockwaves through his body but he didn't stop. His mother needed him. Nothing else mattered.

The window cracked. He kicked harder. The glass spiderwebbed. His shoe was soaked in blood but he couldn't feel it anymore. All he felt was rage and fear and love.

Finally, the door gave way. Jake forced it open with his hands, ignoring the edges that cut into his palms. He reached for his mother, carefully unhooking her seatbelt and pulling her free from the wreckage.

She was so light in his arms, too light. He lifted her and ran. The car could explode any second. He had to get distance. He had to get her help.

He made it to the sidewalk before collapsing, still holding her against his chest. People along the road screamed and rushed towards him.

Jake’s eyes were spinning. He could barely keep conscious but he had to, for his mother. He heard people talking. Someone was calling 911. Someone else brought a blanket. Jake barely registered any of it. He just held his mother and prayed.

The hospital was chaos. The lights were harsh and the place was filled with doctors shouting medical terms Jake didn't understand. They took his mother away and he stood there, covered in blood, unable to move.

Jake waited outside. He was injured too but he was too worried to care. He kept pacing, hoping his mother would survive.

When the doctor finally came out, Jake's heart stopped.

"Your mother is alive," the doctor said, and Jake nearly collapsed with relief. "But her injuries are severe. She needs immediate surgery. The cost will be approximately one hundred thousand dollars."

The number hit him hard. It felt like his heart stop. One hundred thousand?. He didn't have a hundred dollars to his name.

"We'll keep her stabilized for twenty-four hours," the doctor continued, "After that, if there's no payment, we'll have to discontinue advanced life support. I'm sorry. Hospital policy."

Jake nodded, unable to speak. The doctor left and Jake pulled out his phone with shaking hands. He stared at Emily's number for a long moment before pressing call.

She answered immediately this time. "Jake, I swear to God-"

"I need money." His voice was hollow. "One hundred thousand dollars. My mother needs surgery or she'll die."

Emily burst out laughing. It was a sound he had heard a thousand times before, but never like this. Never so cruel. "Oh, this is rich. The car thing didn't work so now you're just directly asking for money?"

"She's dying, Emily."

"One hundred thousand dollars, Jake. Do you have any idea what that is? You're not worth that kind of money. You've never been worth it."

In the background, someone's voice came out clearly. "Emily, this party is incredible! Five hundred thousand was so worth it!"

Jake felt something inside him die. Five hundred thousand for a party? While his mother lay dying.

"Emily," he said quietly, "forget everything I've done for you. Forget all the years. My mother is in a hospital bed right now. She's unconscious. The doctor says she'll die in twenty-four hours without surgery. I'm not lying. I'm not playing games. I need help."

Emily sighed dramatically. "You're really exhausting, you know that? Fine. Come to my location. We'll settle this face to face."

She hung up.

Jake stood in the hospital hallway with his mother's blood still drying on his clothes, and wondered how he had ever loved someone so heartless.