The Billionaire's Bride

"Sir, an urgent call, from the hospital." Max's heart fell as he heard his secretary announce.

His awkward secretary had her head stuck between the two glass doors of the conference room as she spoke.

The marker in his hands dropped noisily to the floor as he lost feeling in his hands. It was the dreaded phone call he'd been avoiding and it had come for him, it was time for him to face his

darkness.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen."

He cleared his throat and adjusted his suit jacket as he walked away from the board members he'd been giving a presentation to.

"Joe, please take charge." He said to his partner as he hurriedly walked to the door.

"Hurry, give that to me." He pushed the door open so that his secretary could come in and he snatched the phone from her hands.

Walking back outside, he took a deep breath, his hand on the railings as he answered the call.

"Hello, Dr. Juan."

"Maximilian, I'm afraid I don't have good news, you have to fly over immediately." The doctor paused and then he added. "She doesn't have much time left."

"Understood." He swallowed. He had prepared for this day, they both knew since she had been diagnosed with the terminal illness that the day would come when they would have to say goodbye.

"I'll be there in a few hours." He tried to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"I'm on it." His secretary spoke as soon as he turned back to her.

This was why he loved his team, they were very professional and efficient, just like now.

"Thank you, Ingret." He said and

returned the phone back to her. "I'll be in my office, inform me once the jet is ready." He added and walked away.

He didn't need to tell her where he was going, she already knew.

He was Maximilian De La Cruz, the CEO of

the De La Cruz corporation, a multi-billion dollar company, so it was safe to say that he could afford just about anything he wanted in life.

He could afford to pay the best doctors, buy the most expensive of medications but alas, it still wasn't enough and life had proved to him that his money was as good as worthless when it came to saving the most precious life to him right now.

"Sir, the jet is ready." Ingret knocked on the door, disturbing him from his thoughts.

"Good, let us go." He said and stood up from his seat.

"S-sir, am I going with you?" She asked, trembling slightly.

He never could understand why she was still working for him if she was so terrified of him but he couldn't care less about how she felt working for him, he only cared about how efficient she was and she really was very efficient, also she was very quiet.

"You're my secretary, Ingret, of course, you're going with me."

"Alright, sir." She nodded her head and led the way.

Max was lost in his thoughts as the plane flew to the hospital, he could not believe that he was about to lose the most important person in his life.

"Sir." Ingret's touch to his arm startled him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to get your attention."

"Just speak."

"It's Miss Courtney, she's been calling nonstop since we left and she's now sending texts," Ingret said.

"Where is she this time?" He asked, uninterested.

"She's in Paris for the fashion week, she wants to fly over next week."

"So?" He asked.

"Um, she wants to meet you."

"She has a key to the penthouse, Ingret, please deal with this and don't bother me about that." He said and shut his eyes.

Looking back now, he couldn't understand what possessed him to date Courtney, she was obsessive about her looks, annoying, and very spoiled since she came from a very important family. She was the granddaughter to the second in line for the British throne.

She was very vain and he doubted she would look the same as she was the last time he saw her, he'd tried to end things with her but she'd never let him.

She didn't care if he fucked other women, she just wanted to be known as his woman and he let her, it was better to allow her to live her illusion than argue with her because she could be very unbearable, besides there wasn't any reason to argue with her anyway, it wasn't like he was serious with any of the women he hooked up with.

***

"Where is she?" Max asked immediately as he stepped out of the elevator, his secretary immediately left to carry out all the paperwork while he marched straight to Dr. Juan's office.

"Am I too late, please tell me I am not too late."

Dr. Juan had been one of the few people who had seen him vulnerable before.

He was a very cold man and a ruthless billionaire and he seldom cracked a smile.

"No, she's been waiting for you." Dr. Juan said and stood up from his chair. "After you, Max."

Max wanted to ask the Doctor if there wasn't anything else they could do, he wanted to fall on his knees and beg God or anyone that was out there to help him but he knew the reality of things and he'd never delude himself.

This was the end.

"Son." His mother whispered weakly as he walked into her ward.

"Mother." He rushed to her side and held her hands. "Mother, my sweet mother." He tried to hold in his tears as he kissed her hand repeatedly.

He wanted to beg her to fight, to stay with him, she was the only family he had ever known, he didn't know his father and he didn't really care to know the man, his mother had always been more than enough for him and now she was leaving him.

They had agreed that he'd not cry or complain or plead when the time came, they'd agreed to let her go amidst laughter and not tears.

"My son." His mother coughed badly and he watched as the cough racked up her entire body.

She looked very thin and pale, her beautiful black hair looked dried out and dead, her blue eyes lacked the usual brightness and her lips were like two thin white lines.

She'd suffered enough and he could only hope that she would find peace wherever it was that she was headed.

"I love you so much, my son." A line of tears poured down her eyes, she'd betrayed their agreement.

"I love you too, mother, please can't you wait, just a little longer, I promise I'd get married, I'd have children, won't you like to meet your grandchildren." His heart broke and the grown man sobbed like a little child.

"Maximilian, my child, don't please." She begged him.

"I'm sorry mother, I tried but I can't, I don't want you to go, I don't accept it, it's so unfair." He held onto her hands and sobbed.

"Max, you have to calm down." Dr. Juan took him out of the room and hugged him.

"How the fuck do you want me to calm down." Max pushed him and stormed away.

"Come back, she still needs to talk to you." Dr. Juan called out but he'd already left.

Max was so angry and sad he was not looking and he collided with a young woman carrying food and drinks.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry." The woman pleaded even though they were both at fault.

"Fuck is wrong with you, are you blind," Max yelled at her and brushed past her angrily.

"Hmph! what a rude man." He heard her say behind him but he didn't look back.

He walked to the balcony and tried to catch his breath. He wanted badly to smoke but he didn't have any cigarettes on him.

"There you are." Dr. Juan walked over to him. "Why are you over here when you could be spending her last hours with her."

"It hurts, it hurts really bad to watch her like that, she's suffered so much already, I haven't even begun to shower her with gifts and luxuries that she deserves, I have paid her back for all that she's done for me and now she's leaving me."

"She'd never want to be paid back, Max, she loves you, save the hurting for later, what you need to do is spend her last hours with her or you'll regret it later."

"Thanks, Juan," Max said and hugged the doctor.

Max frowned immediately he entered his mother's room, the young woman he'd knocked down in the halls was there and she appeared to be really close with his mother.

He didn't notice her the first time they met but she was really young, he was twenty-five years old but the lady in front of him seemed like she was seventeen or eighteen at most, he didn't know her and he didn't know what she was doing here.

"Son, you're back." His mother looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry mother, sorry for leaving like that."

"It's okay, son, I understand, I want you to meet someone." She said and held his hand. "This is Estella, she's Marie's daughter."

"Hello sir, nice to finally meet you, your mother talks a lot about you." She smiled at him and stretched her hand towards him like he hadn't been rude to her earlier.

"Yes, she loves me very much." He said, avoiding her hand. "Marie isn't here?" He turned to his mother and asked.

He was particularly fond of his mother's housekeeper but he never knew that she had a child.

"No, her husband Carlos is ill, she's taking care of him."

"She went back to Mexico?" He asked somewhat angry. "Who has been taking care of you since?"

"Beautiful Estella here, she's a true darling." His mother said and he would have responded angrily but then she coughed and he stopped.

"Thank you for taking care of my mother, you're such a young girl, how old are you, and why are you not in school?" He asked her.

"Um, I turned eighteen a few months ago and I'm done with high school, I'm taking a gap year before applying for college." She said and he nodded.

"I have a wish son and I hope you will fulfill it, even after am gone." His mother said and he grew uneasy instantly.

"Anything ma, I'd do it for you."

"Thank you m my son, it has always been my dream to see you married to a nice girl from a good family and with great values." She said.

"That's fine mother, Courtney is coming next week, we can make it official then."

"No, not Courtney, I never like that woman." She shook her head slowly, she was getting weaker and he could feel her slipping away from him.

"What are you saying, mom?" He asked as he noticed that she was holding his hand and the girl's as well.

"I want you to marry someone." His mother's weak voice cracked as she forced herself to speak and she coughed badly.

"Yes, mother, I'll agree to it, I'll do anything, please just don't leave me." He cried as he watched his mother struggle on her death bed to let out another word.

"Her name is Estella, son, she's a good woman, she'll make you a wonderful wife, promise me, son, promise me you'll fulfill my last wish."

"Mother, she's still a child, I'm sure she doesn't want to get married so soon." He tried to reason with the dying woman.

Estella stood in silence, it was clear from the look on her face that she was as shocked as he was.

"You'd do it, right my child, Estella, you'd fulfill my last wish won't you?" She asked her.

"Yes ma'am, I'd do anything for you." The girl answered and I looked at her in shock.

"What about you, my son?" She asked me.

"Yes mother, anything for you," I answered and pecked her on the cheek.

"The Priest is here." Dr. Juan announced, walking into the room with an elderly priest.

"Thank you for coming father." My mother smiled and shook his hand as he came closer to her.

"Bless you, my child." He said and did the sign of the cross on her.

"Nurse, please take her away and get her ready, my son is already in a suit." My mother said and I looked around in confusion as the nurse led Estrella away.

"What is going on mother?" I asked.

"I want to witness your marriage before I die son."