One Night Stand with Billionaire: BOOK 1

*Chapter 04: After

Stand up and walk. You have two beautiful legs on your own, don't you? You don't need to rely on anyone.

– Edward Elrik, FMA

It was only around noon that everything hit me—my wake up call, so to say. I had built up that wall of confidence and felt that everything was alright. I believe that it would help me to move on. Yet, all it did was make me feel even worse. I was still in the dress from last night, so I slowly got out of it before throwing it in the corner. It was a token of a memory that I did not need.

I have gotten the hope I wanted, but it was a stained, impure hope. Remembering the whole reason for that one-night stand, I slowly got to my phone before dialing the number of Dr. Grainger who responded after the third ring.

"Dr. Grainger, how can I help you?" Her voice was as gentle as yesterday, and I sighed.

"Hi, it's me. Kaley Evansville, Ayden's elder sister and I . . . I've gotten the money. How fast can you make that transplantation possible?" I kept my voice neutral. She didn't need to know my problems either. No one did.

"I . . . Are you sure? You do? I mean, it's not that I—"

"Yeah, I met with an old friend of mine and told him my story. Apparently, he was very successful in life, so he offered to pay for the transplantation. He said that I can pay back whenever I can, even if it's in twenty years." I started chattering, even faking a happy voice as she kept silent for a while. I guess it was not normal that someone with a social standing like me managed to collect that huge amount of money so fast. Not that I blamed her for her approach.

"Well, then. Since it's been three days since we found out and he's a young child and everything, I can manage something by the end of the week. We have three people who have compatibility with his marrow, so it's easy," she continued and I nodded as tears invaded my eyes. Fortunately, fortunately it all went well.

"I got it, thank you." I sobbed and heard her sigh on the other side before she spoke again.

"Look, I . . . I know it's been hard and all, but you were lucky. It takes a lot to get the necessary money and even months to find a compatible marrow. Sometimes, it isn't even enough because the aftereffects aren't quite nice, but we're sure that he'll make it. You know that, right? Be happy, your brother will live. I'm sure that the compatibility will be good enough for his body to accept the marrow without a problem."

That alone helped me to move on. She'll never know, but she helped me. I needed to hear those words, I really did. Slowly, my brain started forgetting the night I sacrificed myself in order to save my brother.

* * *

Ayden's surgery was successful and I was informed that he will live. One week later, his body got better. A month passed, and he became cheerful again. Melissa claimed to have fixed her ties with her brother a week after Ayden's surgery, so she was helping me to pay for the medicines and treatment. I couldn't say no. She was really persistent with this choice. She even tried to get me to the carnival with her and Max, and although I went, I couldn't enjoy it to my fullest, because Ayden wasn't next to me.

I wasn't worried, but I couldn't relax until I got Ayden back home. Speaking of which, I now had enough to rent a better place. Ryan also increased my salary in an attempt to help me out. Even that annoying Max brought all kinds of toys and stuff for Ayden while visiting with Melissa.

Speaking of which, I often had this illusion that the two of them are kinda wrong for each other. I learned that they might like each other, but she was treating him like a brother all the time. It was as if she was afraid. I didn't think of it that much. It wasn't my business to probe in her private life. I actually thought for a while that Max was the father of her daughter, but she proved me wrong and said that Amy's father also died in a car accident six years ago.