Billionaire’s Unlikely Bride - Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Mason glanced at his phone, seeing his father’s name flash across the screen. Steadying the wheel, he shifted the car into cruise control, pressing the phone to his ear as he sped down the highway toward the airport.
It was finally happening, he was finally going to get his wife back.
"Dad," Mason greeted, keeping his voice steady.
"Mason, where are you? I've been trying to reach you for hours," Charles’s voice came through.
"I'm heading to the airport. I'm going to Australia to bring Raven back home," Mason replied with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He didn’t mention Raven’s pregnancy to anyone yet, he wanted her with him so they could share the news.
"How did you know where she is? I'm guessing Damon saw her?"
"So you knew all this time, Dad, and you didn't tell me… wait, Damon knew???” Mason sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter how I know; all that matters is that I'm going to get my wife back."
Charles grunted approvingly. "Finally! That's good news, son. I've missed her presence around the house. I thought you were never going to come back to your senses."
"I can't waste any more time; I need her here with me. It's the only way I can be sure she's safe." Mason said, his voice more serious than it had ever been, even to his ears. He hesitated for a moment, glancing out the window and taking in the scenery. "Any news on the nurse?" He asked shifting the conversation back to the more pressing matters.
"No, nothing yet." Charles sighed. "But I'm moving forward with getting Lenora arrested for attempting to kill Margaret. That should give us more time to find more evidence against her. And I have my lawyer on it, too. He’ll make sure she stays in jail until the trial, he’s the best in the country. If he was on her side, she’d probably get away with everything."
Mason's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "That's a good idea. But... I'm not sure Margaret will press charges. She seems to be scared of Lenora. I don't know if she's going to be able to stand up to her like she said. That’s going to be a lot for her, I don’t know if she’s strong enough."
"I've spoken to her. She’s going to go ahead and press charges. That way, she doesn't need to hide anymore. She's willing to cooperate, she just wants her life back." Charles said, his tone shifted, growing more serious.
Mason nodded. "That's a relief," he said softly. "She needs to pay for all she's done. Mom deserves justice, and so does everyone else."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Charles spoke again. "Good luck with your trip, son. I'm looking forward to having Raven back."
Mason knew his dad was thinking about his mom again. It took a lot of courage for Margaret to tell him everything, and Mason had been so scared and kept praying that his father wouldn't suffer another attack after finding out everything Lenora had done about the tragedy that was the end of his best friend's life. He was a good man who deserved everything and had gotten nothing.
He couldn’t even begin to think about his wife...
Despite the devastation that filled his eyes and the pain of losing people, he loved so much, thankfully, his heart was able to withstand the truth.
Before Mason could assure his father that he would return soon, with his wife in his arms, the car suddenly jolted. His hands instinctively tightened on the steering wheel as he felt the brakes lose control. He shouted various expletives as he fought the steering wheel, trying to regain control. He pumped the breaks, but nothing worked.
The car veered wildly, and Mason’s heart pounded in his chest. He kept trying, unsuccessfully, to regain control. The tires screeched as the vehicle skidded across the road, but it was too late.
A massive truck barrelling on the other side of the road didn’t have time to stop as Mason crossed into that lane wildly.
"Mason? Mason, what’s happening?" Charles shouted through the phone, his voice filled with panic.
The last thing he heard before the call cut out was a meeting of screeching metal and shattering glass.
Back at the Barrett mansion, Charles was still holding the phone to his ear. His breath quickened as he thought of everything he had found out in such a short space of time. He could see Mason’s concern as Margaret spoke and he knew his son was worried about the strain it would all have on his heart. The thought of losing his sweet wife, his best friend, and all the atrocities raced through his mind, barely audible under the sounds of losing his son.
His chest tightened. A sharp pain shot through his heart, and his hand clutched at his chest. He staggered backward, collapsing onto the floor, his phone still held tightly in his hand.
Julie had just entered the study, carrying a tray of tea for her father. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw him fall.
"Dad!" She screamed, rushing to his side, tossing the tray aside as she dropped to her knees beside him, her hands shaking as she tried to shake him awake. "Dad, open your eyes, please! Help! Somebody help!"
Within seconds, the guards stormed into the room, their expressions darkening as they saw Charles’s unconscious form. They lifted the older man from the floor and carried him out of the study and down the stairs as if he weighed nothing. All Julie could think to do was follow them closely, her heart pounding in her chest.
She felt as if the world was caving in around her.
Julie sat beside her father in the hospital, her fingers gripping the armrest of the chair as the beeping of the machines filled the room. She hadn't left his side since they arrived. She stared at the unconscious form of her father, praying silently for him to wake up.
When her sobs began to die down, she reached for her phone to call Mason again and tell him about their father to beg him to come. She stepped out of the room to make the call, in order not to disturb her dad.
The television in the waiting room caught her attention.
A news report flashed on the screen, showing the wreckage of a car accident on a highway.
The moment she saw the car, her heart stopped.
The reporter’s voice echoed in her ears. "We have breaking news of a serious accident involving businessman Mason Barrett, who was en route to the airport earlier today… It was clear that the accident was potentially fatal as you look at the car tangled with this truck. The driver is being attended to by paramedics for shock, however, there is no news on the condition of-"
"No... no," Julie whispered, dropping her phone. She shot up from her chair, rushing toward the TV as if getting closer would change the news, unable to process anything else the woman on the screen seemed to be saying – her lips were moving but Julie heard nothing. She only saw Mason’s car, his pride and joy that Damon had always been trying to get from him, but Mason… "No, not Mason. Not my brother. This can't be happening."
She stumbled back, feeling dizzy. Without thinking, she bolted from the waiting room, rushed to her car, and barked instructions to her driver to go to the hospital on the other side of the city where Mason had been admitted. The driver seemed to have already heard about the accident as he had the car running and was typing in the address of the hospital to make sure he never took a wrong turn in his panic to get to the man who had always been good to him.
Mason was always good to the people that worked for the Barrett family.
Julie’s breath was ragged by the time she reached the reception desk.
"Please... Mason Barrett... Where's my brother? I need to see him." She gasped.
"He's in a critical condition. The doctors are doing everything they can to save him. Someone will come out as soon as they can, but they’re doing everything they can." The nurse said as her expression turned grim.