Married To The Heartless Billionaire

Chapter 1

Dana furrowed her brow as she got out of the cab. She noticed a car parked in front of their house. From it, a man got out carrying a briefcase, whom she estimated to be in his forties.

Approaching the man as she walked towards their house, Dana greeted him politely, "Good morning, sir," she greeted as she got near him.

The man stopped walking and turned to her. "Good morning," he replied kindly. "Do you live here?" he asked, pointing towards their house.

Dana nodded in response. "Yes, sir. This is where I live," she replied politely. "How may I help you?" she asked, as she didn't recognize the man, and he seemed to be a stranger in their area.

"I'm Attorney Enriquez," he introduced himself. "I’m here from David’s Empire."

Upon hearing the name David’s Empire, Dana's heart raced. The David’s Empire was the company where her older sister, Doreen, worked.

The David’s Empire was a large company. Dana heard that its owner was a majority stockholder in big companies like banking, oil, mining, and airlines.

Weeks ago, Dana had received a letter. It wasn't just any letter—it was a subpoena for her sister, Doreen. From the letter, she knew about her sister's actions in the company where she worked. Her sister had stolen millions, and her accomplice in the theft was her boyfriend, an accountant in the company. Dana never expected her sister to commit such a crime, especially considering her relationship with the owner of the David’s Empire. According to the rumors, her sister had gotten involved with the eldest billionaire—her boss—in order to improve her life. Their family isn't wealthy; their mother is a housewife, and their father worked as a security guard. They had to work hard to put both Dana and her sister through school. Dana's scholarship had also helped her finish nursing school.

There was only a two-year age gap between Dana and her sister. Dana was twenty-six, and her sister, Doreen, was twenty-eight. Her sister had huge dreams; after graduating from college, she moved to New York and found a job there. She rarely came home. She switched jobs frequently until Dana heard that she was working as a secretary of the owner of the David’s Empire.

At first, Dana didn't believe that her sister would get involved with an older man, but over time, she noticed something’s different about her whenever she came home. Sometimes when she visits, she arrives in an expensive car. Once, Dana asked her whose car it was, but her sister got mad and told her not to ask. And she told Dana not to interfere in her life.

Her sister also wore expensive clothes and carried expensive bags. She even wore expensive jewelry. Especially when their father had a heart attack, they needed a lot of money for his operation. And it was her sister who paid for their father's surgery and hospital bills.

Since then, Dana had suspected that her sister was working as more than just a secretary. She had only been working there for less than a year, but how could she earn a large amount of money? How could she afford to buy expensive cars and luxury items? Dana's suspicion was confirmed when she once found her sister's phone left in her room. She saw on the screen of her sister's phone that "Daddy" was calling her. Dana suspected that it was her sister's sugar daddy, Franco.

Truth was, Dana was mad at her sister. It’s fine with her if her sister got involved with a rich old man. It was her life, after all. But what she didn't like was her sister stealing from someone who had helped her and, worst of all, having an affair with another man. Didn’t she think about their parents?

Dana didn't inform her parents about what had happened. She didn't want to add to their problems, especially since her father had just come home from the hospital. He had suffered a heart attack, and her father was half paralyzed. Fortunately, he had survived the ordeal. But if he found out what her sister had done, he might have another heart attack. And he might not survive a second attack. And she loves her father so much.

"Can I talk to your parents?" he asked after a while.

Dana bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, but my parents don't know what my sister did," she said. She noticed a hint of surprise on the man's face, so she continued speaking. "I received the subpoena for my sister. I haven't told my parents about it. My father just came home from the hospital. He had a heart attack, and he's still recovering. I'm afraid he'll have another attack if he finds out what my sister did," she explained about her father's condition.

"I understand you, Miss. But Mr. David is an impatient man. He's really mad at your sister. If your sister doesn't show up and return the millions she stole, your parents will have no choice but to pay for what your sister stole," he said.

"But we don't have that huge money," she said. Where would they get one million dollars, when they didn't even have half of it? Her parents were unemployed. And she only earned enough as a nurse at a private hospital for their daily expenses.

"I can't do anything about it. I am just doing my job. Mr. David is giving you and your sister a week to talk to him. But if your sister doesn't show up, prepare the one million dollar," he said before bidding her farewell and leaving with his car.

Dana bit her lower lip as the man's car drove away. She walked into their house with slumped shoulders. She jumped in surprise when her mother greeted her as she opened the door.

"Who was the man you were talking to, Dana?" her mother asked quickly.

"He was just asking, Mom. He seemed lost," she lied.

"Is that so?" her mother answered. "By the way, have you talked to your sister?" her mother asked right away. "I've been trying to call her, but I can't reach her. I wonder what happened to that girl."

She bit her lower lip again. Her mother really had no idea about what her sister had done. "I haven't talked to her yet, Mom. I'll try calling her later," she said to her.

"Oh, alright. Once you talk to your sister, tell her to call me.”

"Okay," she replied. After that, she excused herself and went to her room.

She walked to her room. As soon as she entered, she took out her phone and tried to call her sister. But like the first time she called her ever since she found out what she did, she couldn’t reach her.

"Argh, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into?" she couldn't help but to mumble in frustration.

***

After Franco's meeting with the David’s Empire board of directors, he stood up and walked out of the conference room, followed by his secretary.

As they walked, Franco's secretary began speaking. "Sir, you have an appointment—"

Before she could finish, he interrupted her. "Cancel it," he said curtly.

"But Sir—"

Franco glared at his secretary, his expression was blank and cold. He noticed the fear in her face. "I'm... sorry, Sir," she quickly apologized, her voice shaking. "I'll cancel your appointment."

He averted his gaze from her and continued walking. His pet peeve was disobedience.

When they reached the door of his office, he turned to his secretary again. "Call Attorney Enriquez. Tell him that I wanted to talk to him now," he ordered.

"Okay, Sir," she replied. She opened the door to his office, and entered. He sat at his executive table and began reading the papers on top of it.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door of his office. Shortly after, his secretary entered. "Sir, Attorney Enriquez is here," she informed him.

"Let him in," he ordered, lowering the papers he was holding as Attorney Enriquez entered the room.

Attorney Enriquez walked towards him. "Good morning, Sir," he greeted.

Franco nodded in response. Then he gestured towards the visitor chair in front of him, and Attorney Enriquez took a seat.

Franco leaned back in his swivel chair before speaking. "Any update about Doreen and Mark?" he inquired.

"According to the agent, they were trying their best to locate them. They will call as soon as they have news of their whereabouts."

Franco couldn't help but furrow his brow at what he heard. "What about Doreen's family? Did you do as I instructed?" He had instructed Attorney Enriquez to visit Doreen's family and to warn them about their daughter's actions.

"I only spoke to Doreen's sibling," he replied, causing Franco's brow to furrow even more. He continued speaking. "Doreen's sibling stopped me from talking to their parents. She said their father had just come home from the hospital. She was afraid he would have another heart attack if he found out what Doreen had done," he explained. "I also informed Doreen's sister of your instructions. That if Doreen doesn't show up, her parents will have to pay for what she stole."

Franco nodded. "Okay, give me updates from time to time," he instructed him.

"Okay, Sir," he replied, before taking his leave.

Doreen was his secretary. She was beautiful, with a good figure and an innocent face. And she was competent at her job. Her work was organized and polished.

She was different from his previous secretaries who practically flaunted themselves to him. She was prim and proper. She was nice and kind, too. He admired her dedication to her work and her love for her family. He had heard her talking on the phone once. Based on her conversation, it seemed like she was talking to her family because her voice was filled with affection and longing. And that's when he admired her even more. That was one of the qualities he liked in a woman.

He was attracted to her. Franco had been attracted to that woman for a long time.

At the age of thirty-two, Franco had never been in a serious relationship. He had girlfriends, but none of them were serious. Well, he hadn't found a woman he would take seriously because most of the women he had been with were only after his money.

He was a good catch, after all. He was good-looking and rich. What he wanted in a woman is someone who wasn't blinded by his wealth, someone who would accept him for who he was. Not because he was Franco David.

So, Franco tried to date and court Doreen. He took her to expensive restaurants and tried to give her expensive gifts, but she returned everything he gave her. She said she didn't need those things and that she isn't a materialistic woman. Franco realized that she was very different from the women he had met before. She wasn't dazzled by his money.

Franco continued to pursue her because he wanted to have a serious relationship with her. Maybe she was the woman he would love. It took her a month before she finally accepted him. She quickly gained his trust, but he didn't know that she was already stealing from him, and her accomplice was the accountant of his company, Mark. Her behavior was the opposite of her innocent face. Everything she showed him was just an act.

That's when Franco found out that the two of them were in a relationship and that Doreen's working for him was planned. And after they stole millions from his company, they escaped.

They both broke his trust. And one of Franco's pet peeves was losing his trust. Add to that what they did, deceiving him.

And he was Franco David—one of the young CEOs and billionaires. No one wanted to mess with him because they were afraid of what he could do. But they still managed to deceive and steal from his company? They would pay for what they did. They would see how mad a man named Franco David could be.