The True Heir’s Ex Regrets: I'm The Real Billionaire!

Chapter 6

To keep his true identity an absolute secret, Dane lived in a very cheap, ordinary apartment building. He used public buses and subways, never bringing his luxury cars to his home.

 

When they arrived, he gently handed Mara over to his asistant  and instructed the assistant to help change her out of her torn, ruined dress and into a set of clean, warm, ordinary clothes.

 

An hour later, the drugs finally began to wear off.

 

Mara slowly opened her eyes. The room was small but very clean. She sat up on the soft sofa, clutching a warm blanket to her chest. She looked across the small living room. Dane was sitting quietly in a chair, watching over her.

 

Before she had lost consciousness at the mansion, she had heard a man's furious voice shout, Let her go! Looking at Dane now, she knew it was him. This poor, ordinary student had risked his life to save her from a monster.

 

Tears instantly welled up in Mara's eyes. "Thank you," she choked out, her voice trembling with deep emotion. "Thank you for saving me."

 

"Are you hurt?" Dane asked gently, his voice soft and warm.

 

Mara shook her head, crying quietly. But her relief quickly turned into absolute terror. She grabbed the edge of the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

 

"Do you have any idea who Vaughn Croft is?" Mara asked, panicking. "His family runs the underground in this city! They kill people and hide the bodies! You crippled him... he will send killers after you! You shouldn't have saved me! I dragged you into my nightmare!"

 

Dane smiled softly. "I'm not afraid of him."

 

Mara thought he was just putting up a brave front to make her feel better. She felt a crushing weight of guilt. She had ruined this good man's life.

 

Dane moved closer and handed her a warm cup of water. "Tell me everything. From the beginning. Why were you at his house?"

 

Mara took a shaky breath. The tears spilled over her cheeks. The emotional weight of the past few weeks finally broke her.

 

"My mother died," Mara whispered, her voice breaking. "She left behind a company called Horizon Corp. It was everything to her. But my father made terrible investment decisions, and the cash flow completely broke. We are heavily in debt. So, my stepmother... she decided to sell me. She took money from Vaughn Croft. If I married him, my family would get a financial bailout."

 

Dane clenched his fists, hiding his anger. "Is there no other way to save the company?"

 

Mara wiped her eyes, a tiny spark of desperate determination flashing in her gaze. "There is. I just need a miracle. Mercer Group, the biggest company in the city, is looking for partner companies right now. If I can secure just one small contract from them, I can resolve the debt. With Mercer Group as my backer, Vaughn Croft wouldn't dare touch me openly. And I can save my mother's legacy."

 

Suddenly, Mara's cell phone rang violently on the coffee table. The caller ID flashed Stepmother.

 

Mara flinched, but she slowly reached out and answered it, putting it on speaker.

 

"You ungrateful little bitch!" her stepmother's shrill voice screamed through the phone. "Where are you?! Get back here right now and go apologize to Mr. Croft! Without his money, we are ruined!"

 

Mara's hands shook, but she forced her voice to stay steady. "I am not going back. I will never apologize to that monster. And I won't marry him."

 

"Then Horizon Corp will go bankrupt tomorrow!" her stepmother shrieked.

 

"No, it won't," Mara said firmly. "I am going to get the partner contract from Mercer Group. I will save the company myself."

 

Her stepmother laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "You? Get a contract from Mercer Group? Don't make me laugh! I am giving you exactly two days. If you don't bring that contract home, I will personally drug you, tie you up, and drag you back to Mr. Croft's bed myself!"

 

Click. The line went dead. Mara dropped the phone. She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying desperately to hold herself together.

 

Dane looked at her, his heart filled with deep respect. She was terrified, abused by her own family, and facing impossible odds. Yet, she was still fighting. She was so incredibly brave.

 

"You can do this," Dane said firmly, his deep voice carrying absolute certainty. "You will get that contract."

 

Mara looked up at him, deeply moved by his absolute faith in her. A poor student with nothing was the only person in the world who believed in her.

 

She took a deep breath and stood up. "I have to go. I need to prepare my business proposal immediately. Tomorrow night, Mercer Group is holding a massive banquet to publicly announce their partners. I am going to find their management. I have to fight for this."