SAVED BY THE BILLIONAIRE

I have a lot of work to do today.

Two part-time jobs. Two. One in the morning as a delivery girl, one in the evening cleaning at a restaurant. My body was tired, but I had to be quick. I had to meet up in time.

Because I needed money. A lot of money. Money to send to David.

David, my fiancé.

For five years, David has been overseas studying medicine. For five years, I have been the one feeding him, clothing him, paying his school fees. Every single kobo I make, I send to him. I don't buy new clothes. I don't eat good food. All for David.

That Thursday morning, I was at my delivery job. I was standing outside the company warehouse, waiting for my package.

But as I entered the compound, something was strange. Everyone was on their phone. Everyone was whispering, looking at me.

"Twice and twice," I heard someone say. "See her."

I could not believe it. What was going on? What was going on?

Then my best friend, Sandra, ran out from nowhere. Her face was red. She was breathing fast.

"Lucy! Lucy! Have you seen what is trending online?!" she shouted, holding her phone.

I frowned.

"What trending? I have been working since morning. My phone was down."

"Your fiancé! Your fiancé David!" she said, shoving her phone to my face. "He is proposing to your sister with gold diamond ring! It's all over online!"

I looked at the phone and laughed.

"Whose fiancé? Are you silly? How many fiancés do you know? My fiancé David is out of town. He is studying. He is overseas. It cannot be him."

Sandra looked at me like I was mad.

"How many David do you know?" she replied angrily. "How many fiancés do you have? Look very well, Lucy!"

I looked again. My blood went cold.

It was David. My David. Wearing a fine black suit I had never seen before. Kneeling down in front of Alice. My own blood sister. In our own living room. Holding a gold diamond ring that was shining like the sun.

The caption said: _"She said YES! Finally, my forever. I love you, Alice Johnson."_

The video had 10k likes already.

"Ah!" I screamed. "No! No! No!"

"Lucy, how many years is David supposed to study overseas?" Sandra asked me, holding my hand.

I was shaking.

"Five years," I whispered. "Five years. He promised five years. I pushed him. I suffered for him."

Sandra shook her head.

"Lucy, this is six years now. Six years. He came back last week. He did not even tell you. He went straight to your family house."

I could not believe it. I could not breathe. My legs became weak.

I did not even take excuse properly from work. I just dropped the delivery package and ran. I ran like a mad woman. I ran all the way home. My uniform was dirty. My slippers cut.

Once I got home, I saw it with my own two eyes.

David's car was in our compound. The gate was open. Music was playing inside. People were laughing.

I entered. David was there, sitting in our sitting room, eating the food my mother cooked, laughing with Alice. Alice was wearing the diamond ring. It was shining on her finger.

My mother, Mrs. Victoria Johnson, and my father, Mr. Johnson, were there, smiling at them like they were already husband and wife.

I could not take it anymore.

"David!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "What sort of thing is this?! What is this I am seeing online?!"

Everyone turned and looked at me. David stood up, surprised.

"Lucy? What are you doing here? Why are you not at work?"

I walked to him, my whole body shaking with betrayal.

"What is this? What is this video? You are proposing to my sister? After everything I did for you? After all the money I sent to you?"

David adjusted his suit and sighed, like I was disturbing him.

"Lucy, please calm down. Let's not do this here," he said.

"Calm down? Calm down!" I screamed. "I have not eaten good food for five years because of you! I work like a slave for you! And you come back and propose to Alice?!"

He looked at me with disgust.

"Lucy, you need to understand," he said coldly. "I cannot be with you anymore. We don't match. You are harsh. You talk too much. You are not educated. You only went to college. I am a doctor now. I need a decent wife, a gentle wife. Look at Alice. She is gentle. She is obedient. She is loving and caring. You are not like her."

"So because I am not educated you will leave me?!" I cried, tears falling. "Because I hustled to pay your school fees, I am not good enough now?!"

Alice stood up and came to me, pretending to cry.

"Lucy, please," she said softly, touching my arm. "Please leave David for me. I love him. You can still marry another man. You and David don't match. His family will never accept you."

That was it. My heart burst.

"How could you do this to me, Alice?!" I screamed. "How could you?! You know how much I love him! You are my sister!"

In my anger, in my hunger, in the hot betrayal stamping my heart, I rushed at Alice. I could not control myself. I pushed her to the ground.

"Ah!" Alice fell and started crying louder. "She pushed me! Lucy pushed me!"

"I pushed you because you stole my life!" I shouted, crying.

Before I could say another word, my parents came out from the kitchen.

My father, Mr. Johnson, came straight to me. His eyes were red with anger. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across my face.

PAK!

"Lucy, are you out of your mind?!" he shouted at me. "Are you out of your mind?! Why will you push Alice?! Why will you push your sister?!"

I held my burning cheek.

"Daddy, he... he..."

"David's family will never accept you!" my father shouted. "That is why he chose Alice! Alice is better than you! You are a disgrace!"

My mother did not even look at me. She rushed to help Alice up.

"Are you okay, my daughter?" she said to Alice.

Nobody helped me. Nobody looked at me.

With my cheek burning, my uniform torn, my heart broken into a thousand pieces, I ran out of that compound. I ran into the street with nothing. No fiancé, no family, no money.

I sat on the lonely road and cried like a baby. The world had ended.

And then, my phone rang again.

It was not David. It was a strange number. A foreign number.

I picked it with shaking hands.

A deep, calm, powerful male voice spoke. A voice that made my body shiver.

"Is this Lucy Johnson?" he said. "The girl who has been sending money to David Martins for five years?"

My heart stopped.

"Yes..." I whispered.

"I have been looking for you for five years," he said. "Meet me at the old bridge by 9pm today, or you will lose everything that rightfully belongs to you."

The line went dead.

Who was this man? How did he know about the money I sent to David? How did he know my name?

I looked at the time on my phone. 8:30pm.

I had already left my family house. I had nowhere to go. I had nothing to lose.

With my torn uniform, my bare feet, and tears still on my face, I stood up and started walking towards the old bridge.