WARMING THE BILLIONAIRE COLD HEART

For more than thirty minutes, Mario waited anxiously outside the emergency unit room. Finding Kimberly suddenly fainting had clearly panicked him. What had actually happened to his friend? Was she ill? Was she under too much pressure? What burdens was she carrying? All these questions filled Mario’s mind. Kimberly’s pale face, swollen eyes – her condition was chaotic. Did all of this have something to do with Nicholas? If I find out that Nicholas caused all of this, he won’t escape from me!

Mario sighed deeply, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the emergency room door. Nearly losing his patience and contemplating breaking in, he finally saw the doctor he had been waiting for emerge and approach.

“How is she, doctor?” Mario asked, unable to conceal his anxiety.

“Is the young lady inside your sister?”

Mario chose to nod. “Yes, doc. How is she?”

“Her condition is unstable. Her blood pressure is very low. And, I apologize if this is forward, but are you aware if your sister is currently suffering from any illness?”

Mario furrowed his brow, trying to process the doctor’s meaning behind the question. “What do you mean, doctor?”

The doctor took a slow breath before explaining further. “When I examined Miss Kimberly earlier, one of my colleagues happened to see her medical history. He admitted to having examined your sister before. He mentioned that your sister is currently suffering from early-stage ovarian cancer.”

Mario was shocked. The doctor’s statement nearly took his breath away. His heart felt like it was being squeezed upon hearing the news that Kimberly was battling cancer. How could she hide this from him?

“Moreover, Miss Kimberly should undergo surgery immediately to prevent the cancer cells from spreading further,” the doctor added.

Mario sighed in frustration. At a time when Arthur was not yet fully recovered, their family had to face a new, equally worrisome problem.

“What should I do? Is her condition treatable?” Mario asked with hope. He certainly didn’t want anything bad to happen to Kimberly.

The doctor looked at him seriously. “Convince your sister to undergo surgery as soon as possible. If it’s delayed, it could have fatal consequences and even threaten her life.” The doctor then allowed Mario to enter and visit Kimberly.

Inside the all-white room, Mario saw Kimberly lying weakly. Her eyes were still tightly shut. He decided to sit right next to her, took Kimberly’s hand, and held it tightly.

Mario waited patiently by Kimberly’s side for quite some time until she began to awaken. She blinked several times until her consciousness fully returned. At that moment, she forced herself to sit up from her lying position. Clearly, Mario immediately stopped her and asked Kimberly to lie back down.

“Your condition hasn’t completely improved, Kimmy. It’s better for you to rest here for a while longer,” Mario requested.

Kimberly sighed softly. “I’m fine. There’s no need to overdo it.”

“Why did you keep this from me?” Mario suddenly asked, his gaze turning melancholic.

“What do you mean? I really don’t understand,” Kimberly replied, looking puzzled. The man next to her remained silent and seemed to have something heavy on his chest.

“Come on, Mario. Don’t keep me in suspense like this,” Kimberly urged.

“You’re sick, aren’t you? Since when?”

Mario’s question made Kimberly suddenly fall silent. She was confused about where to start in telling him about her recent illness. Kimberly just didn’t want people to pity her.

Seeing the woman in front of him bow her head with a sad face, Mario gently cupped Kimberly’s face with both of his hands, locking her gaze onto his.

“Answer my question, Kimberly Rayder.”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Kimberly finally met Mario’s gaze.

“I found out just a few weeks ago.”

“Then why didn’t you seek treatment immediately? What were you thinking, Kimberly? Don’t mention that you couldn’t afford it,” he said. Of course, financial concerns weren’t valid, considering Kimberly was the only granddaughter of a wealthy tycoon like Arthur Rayder, a well-known figure in the construction and shipping industry.

Meanwhile, Kimberly remained silent and chose not to answer Mario’s questions until he pressed further.

“How long are you going to stay quiet, Kimberly? Don’t you care about Opa if-”

“It’s not like that!” Kimberly cut in quickly. “Money isn’t the issue. I just hesitated to undergo surgery,” she continued.

Mario sighed deeply again. Talking to Kimberly always required extra patience.

“So, what’s the problem? Don’t beat around the bush like this, Kimmy. Please, get treated quickly. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you!” Mario said, his tone emphasizing that this was more of an order than a request.

“I’m scared…” Kimberly’s voice wavered, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“What are you afraid of? I’m here.” Mario gently wiped away Kimberly’s tears. He then took her wrist and held it firmly, signaling that he would never leave her.

Kimberly took a deep breath, gathering the strength to tell Mario everything. When she felt ready, she finally spoke.

“I’m afraid because the doctor assumes that after the surgery and recovery, there’s a possibility I might have difficulty having children in the future.”

Mario was taken aback. He was quite surprised by the revelation from Kimberly’s lips.

“That’s just an assumption; the doctor could be wrong,” Mario tried to be wise.

“But if that does happen, what then? Who in this world would want to marry a woman who can’t give birth? That’s why I chose death over life-”

“Ssshh…” Mario placed his index finger right on Kimberly’s lips. “Stop. You’re not the Kimberly I know. If no man wants to accept you, Kimberly, there’s still me. I’ll marry you, take care of you, and look after you for the rest of my life.”

Kimberly shook her head repeatedly. “You know I don’t like to be pitied.”

“I’m not pitying you. I’ve loved you for a long time, and that will never change. So, stop thinking that no one will accept you in the future.” The next moment, Mario embraced Kimberly tightly.

“I will marry you.”

****

Nicholas entered his apartment unit in a state of utter chaos. Throughout the journey back, he couldn’t stop thinking about everything Edward had said about Kimberly.

What if the man with Kimberly has no romantic involvement at all?

But why were they so intimate?

Nicholas closed his eyes dramatically. His head suddenly felt heavy from thinking about the ongoing issues between him and Kimberly all day.

Maybe I should listen to Kimberly’s explanation first? Besides, I did go overboard this morning. I shouldn’t have shouted at her like that.

Nicholas opened his eyes, took several deep breaths to clear the tightness in his chest.

I have to see her. Yes, I need to talk to her.

A moment later, with some hesitation, Nicholas made his way to Kimberly’s room. He knocked on the door several times, but there was no response, not even a reply.

Nicholas thought that maybe she was still angry with him. So he took the initiative to call out.

“Kimberly… open the door. We need to talk.”

Nicholas waited for a while, but the bedroom door remained closed. Feeling impatient, he turned the doorknob and found that it wasn’t locked.

Entering the room, Nicholas didn’t find Kimberly anywhere. He checked the bathroom, but she wasn’t there either. What’s more, her belongings were no longer in the room.

Sensing something amiss, Nicholas sat down on one side of the bed. His eyes scanned in every direction until he felt compelled to open the bedside table drawer.

As expected, Nicholas found their engagement ring placed inside. Next to it, there was a piece of paper that Kimberly had presumably written for him.

Quickly, Nicholas grabbed the paper and read it carefully.

Hi,

I don’t know where to start. But one thing’s for sure, thank you for your kindness all this time, for taking care of me, and for giving me your best.

I’m sorry,

For everything I did that made you angry.

Honestly, I never meant to betray you.

I should have told you from the beginning who I really am.

But, I think it’s all futile now.

I thought that God destined us to be together, but it turns out I’m not worthy to stand by your side.

Once again, I apologize.

So, I return the engagement ring to you.

Perhaps after this, we will never meet again.

Thank you for the beautiful days you’ve given me.

I will always love you,

Kimberly Rayder.