ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO A MAD BILLIONAIRE-Chapter 54: PAST

This Chapter is dedicated to DaoistnrKflM. Woah! I love you. Thanks for the gift.

.

.

Ariana stood by the door of the large penthouse, ignoring the warning from both her mother and the rest of the family.

Who cares if he was mad?

Penny couldn’t be the only one that could tame him. Plus the last time she was here Osvaldo didn’t hurt her at all. She would have to prove to these people that she can do Penny’s job too and that she isn’t needed.

She knocked hard, again and again, until the heavy locks finally clicked and the door creaked open.

Hughes appeared. The older maid’s eyes widened in shock the moment she saw who it was. Was she free already?

"Uhm miss Ari..."

"I’m not here to chat. Bring Penny out. I have something for her," Ariana snapped, her voice sharp as broken glass. She was dressed in a black mini-dress, showing all of her beautiful curves. Her blonde hair fell in waves down to her shoulder.

Before Hughes could respond, Penny stepped into view, calm as ever.

"What do you want?" Penny asked softly, her eyes following the huge book in Ariana’s hands. That was because her dear sister was finding it hard to hold her book.

Without a word, Ariana yanked a thick book from her hands and slammed it straight into Penny’s face.

The sound echoed in the lounge.

Penny staggered back, blood immediately dripping from her nose as the book crashed to the floor with a dull thud.

"Make sure you finish every damn thing in that before next week. My life depends on it Penny, don’t fail me." Ariana smirked, turning away with a cruel swing of her hips.

She didn’t look back. She didn’t have to. That project was her last and final, test that would turn her into a doctor. Penny has been helping her with the other project, this one will not be bad.

"I’ll send it in time Ari." She said out loud enough for her sister to hear before crouching slowly, her fingers wrapping around the heavy book. She shut the door gently behind her.

Hughes rushed over with a towel, face full of concern.

"How long will you keep letting them treat you like this, Miss Penny?" she whispered, pressing the cloth to Penny’s bleeding nose. "They don’t even own this house. And yet they act like they do." Penny smiled at her maid’s concerned voice.

"Life has taught me not to react to things so quickly Hughes. I will deal with my dear sister my own way." She said.

Penny started walking away. She was headed for her new favorite place, hoping that one moment, Osvaldo would snap back into his true self again and maybe tell her what she needed to do to help him.

She had also decided to travel to the outskirts of the city, where her mentor lives. Osvaldo’s case seems so complicated for her and she needed a little help. After all, there is no part of their contract that said she wouldn’t get help if she wanted.

When she reached the lab, she was greeted by a now quiet Osvaldo. He was seated on the floor, his head bent to the floor. His long hair strands covered his face so Penny couldn’t tell if he was asleep or away.

She placed the book on the table and walked towards him. "Mr Osvaldo, are you asleep already?" Penny asked squatting to his level. She gathered a few strands of hair, tucking it to the back of his left ear. She gathered the remaining half and was about to tuck it away when...

"How long have I been this way Penguin?"

"Ah!" She flinched, stumbling back a little.

Was he awake?

Did Osvaldo finally wake up?

"Then I must have been gone for so long for you to react this way." He smiled, his silver eyes finally on her.

"Three days. It’s been three days." Penny watched him raise his hands as if examining himself before staring at her.

"No bruise. I must have stressed you a lot."

"You did. But I’m used to it now." She rose to her feet.

"You usually don’t take this long to be sane again. What happened?" Penny asked. At least for the two days she had stayed with him, he wasn’t mad at every hour. At first, she thought it was just at night, and then Osvaldo shocked her. And now, he had become sane in the afternoon.

She finally concluded that Osvaldo didn’t have a specific time he was mad. He could be gone for months and never recover.

But what if he never recovers again? The thought scared Penny but she pushed it off. She would never let herself harbor such thoughts.

"It happens Penguin." Osvaldo suddenly said.

"It’s the first time it lasted for three days. Usually, I go off for three months or more. What an improvement." Osvaldo smiled.

"I wonder why?" He added staring at the woman before him.

"You stopped my work for days, Mr Osvaldo. Who knows how long I would have gone with my research." Penny suddenly said.

"How so?"

"You haven’t told me anything about your health. If I’m going to be your doctor, Mr Osvaldo, don’t you think it’s right I know everything?" Penny asked and Osvaldo sighed.

His Penguin seemed pretty serious with her quest of healing him so he had no other option than to tell her the truth.

At first, Osvaldo had thought her demand was just mere words. What would a young girl like Penny know if the world’s best doctors couldn’t treat him? Not even his genius father’s antidote worked on him.

"Come sit Penguin." He tapped the spot next to him. "The story about my health issue is so... so... Long." Osvaldo drawled, his deep lazy voice echoing in her ears.

Penny sat on the floor across from him, maintaining her distance. She crossed her legs as she rested her back on the next counter.

"It happened a long time ago from what I can remember and what the others told me," Osvaldo said.

"I was seven, and there was a party..."

####

Soft classical music floated through the golden-lit ballroom as guests poured in, dressed in vibrant silks and glittering suits. Laughter mingled with clinking glasses. The chandeliers sparkled like stars,

"Wow, what a wonderful son you have Dewitt." a man in a striking red suit said, his smile polished, but his eyes sharp.

Beside Dewitt stood young Osvaldo, barely ten, dressed neatly in a black tuxedo. His dark eyes scanned the room with the calmness of someone much older.

He had memorized this night for weeks. The rules were simple, stay close to his parents all night. Watch his surroundings and always stay on alert. When he asked his father why, he said they had a lot of enemies.

That night, family members arrived, the ones he knew and the ones she didn’t. There were several government officials, each greeting his father with so much respect.

Back then, the Adkins family were the richest, and even now, they still are the biggest.

"Of course he is. He took after his father." Dewitt said proudly.

"I heard about the medical discovery," the man said, lowering his voice. "Twelve nations are fighting to get it. How are you holding them off?"

Dewitt’s lips curved into a cool smile. "Actually, it’s not mine."

The man blinked in surprise. "What?"

"The cure, Osvaldo created it. I’m just the father of a genius. I’m afraid my son has just found the cure to one of the world’s deadliest disease."

His hand gently ruffled his son’s hair. Osvaldo didn’t smile. He simply nodded once, like he’d heard it all before.

"You must be proud," the man said, watching Osvaldo with a calculating look.

"Proud enough to host an entire ball in his honor," Dewitt said. "The world needs to know the kind of man my son is becoming." the man nodded.

"But I wound still say this Dewitt. You have been a very good friend of mine for the longest and you know I can’t lie to you." The man started.

"You should take the money, Dewitt. People are offering billions. Why not accept it?"

Dewitt’s smile vanished.

"And then what?" Dewitt frowned. "Only the wealthy get to benefit when the masses die?"

"You can’t fight the authorities, Dewitt. No amount of power or money can fight the authorities. If you don’t agree, they will kill you and take everything away." The man warned.

Dewitt didn’t chase his son away. He allowed Osvaldo to listen to every conversation, to everything that left that man’s lips. He wanted his son to see how cruel the world could be.

"They can come after me Polar, I’ll be here waiting for them," Dewitt said stubbornly. And even if I die in the process, at least I die a good man."

"Don’t be stupid. No one will remember you for good. Not when they wipe your entire existence and take the boy. He would be a good tool." Dewitt frowned pulling his son close.

"You will never take my son from me, never." Just then, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed through the ballroom.

Screams followed. Chaos erupted like a wave. Women screaming in high pitched voice.

Dewitt didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Osvaldo’s hand and ran.

"Dad—Mom!" Osvaldo cried, twisting to look back.

But his father’s grip only tightened. This was the plan. Save Osvaldo first. Everything else could wait.

Dewitt’s eyes brimmed with tears. He didn’t have to turn around to know, his wife had taken the bullet.

Osvaldo paused midway.

"Why did you stop?" He stared at the innocent-looking girl before him.

"I need help Penguin. I can’t hold it any longer." Penny followed his line of sight to see his erection standing so boldly.