The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 39: Chapter 39

I instantly raised my arms to block Joey and dodged to the side. I said to her, "Let's talk this out, alright? Calm down."
"Calm down my ass. I swear I'll beat the crap out of you today," she shot back. Seeing me back off, she thought I was afraid of her, and that only made her even more aggressive.
We ran circles around the sofa in the living room—me trying to stay ahead, her chasing after me like a madwoman. She was screaming all the while, "You damn whore, don't you dare run. Shameless bitch! Think you can marry Mason? I haven't nodded yet."
I shot her a glare over my shoulder but didn't say a word—just kept circling the sofa.
I was fuming inside. If I hadn't hidden a recording device under the coffee table, I wouldn't have taken this crap from her for even a second.
Seeing that I remained silent, Joey just kept running her mouth. "Don't think just because Mason's protecting you, you can do whatever the hell you want. The Knight family isn't yours to rule, bitch.
"If it weren't for that old hag... always favoring Mason, you couldn't even get to... enter that door..."
Eventually, she ran out of steam. Panting hard, she flopped onto the sofa, completely out of breath.
She even tried to win me in the chasing game? What a joke. Back in school, I always came first in both sprints and long-distance runs. I might have slacked off over the last few years, but she was still not my match.
I seized the chance to set her up. "How can you address your grandma like that?"
As expected, Joey fell right into the trap and lashed out, "Bullshit! That old hag never liked me or Richard. She only dotes on Mason. Wait, why am I even telling you this?"
She warned me, "Listen, apologize to my mom. Or I swear, we're not done."
I protested, "Apologize? For what? Mrs. Knight slapped Mase so hard. His face is swollen. I just asked her to stop. How's that wrong?"
Thinking I couldn't lie? Don't underestimate me. I finally understood that fighting vicious people with logic would do no good. Letting them have a taste of their medicine was the most effective way.
But still, a part of me was confused. Weren't women from rich families supposed to play mind games? I remember my teacher saying that the real heiresses could seethe with rage on the inside and still smile like angels on the outside.
So what was this heiress doing? She acted like a full-on street thug.
But somehow, she bought my nonsense. She wasn't as furious as she was a moment ago.
She smirked, "Good, Mason deserved that slap. He's always making my mom mad every chance he gets."
I continued, "You're family. Harmony matters most. I'll apologize to Mrs. Knight. Even if you don't allow me to marry Mason, that's fine. I just want peace for your family. I truly wish you all happiness."
"Now that's more like it," Joey said with a smug grin, throwing me a cocky glance. "And don't you dare tell anything to Mason." With that, she got up from the sofa and swaggered out the door.
Nadia, who had been watching nervously from the side the whole time, rushed to close the door as soon as Joey stepped out. She then ran back to me and reported, "Madam, I'll call Mr. Knight right away."
"No need. Just go back to your work," I said to her.
What was the point of telling Mason? I had the recording. That was way more useful. When and how to use it would be decided by Mason.
After the scene Joey caused, I had no mood left for TV. I decided to take a nap in my room. Getting cursed out like that and not being able to yell back just to maintain my virtuous act was suffocating.
As I made my way up the stairs, my thoughts drifted to what kind of impact the recording might have. I was so distracted that I missed a step. With a loud cry, I tumbled down the staircase.
"Madam, are you alright? Oh no, what do we do? Does it hurt?" Nadia asked in an urgent voice.
Where did it hurt? Everywhere, of course. But mostly my ankle—it felt sprained. The pain was killing me.
I gritted my teeth and said nothing. Nadia took one look at my expression and stopped asking questions. She immediately called Mason and alerted the hospital.
The ambulance arrived before Mason did. They loaded me onto a stretcher. Just as they were about to carry me into the ambulance, Mason rushed back.
"How are you? What happened? How did you fall down the stairs?" Mason's face was clouded with worry.
I didn't cried when I fell. I didn't even cried when the pain hit. But the moment I saw Mason, the grief that had been welling up in my chest burst like a dam.
"There, there. I'm here, babe." Mason climbed into the ambulance beside me, and the siren wailed to life as we sped toward the hospital.
Coincidentally, it was the same hospital where Mason's grandma stayed. We were just on different floors.
After a full round of exams, the results showed I had fractured my right ankle. I'd need a cast. The rest were just scrapes, and some disinfectant would take care of those.
I lay half-reclined on the bed, staring at the thick white cast on my foot with dread. Bone injuries would take a few months to heal. Thinking that I had to lie on the bed for a few months devastated me.
"What's on your mind?" Mason walked in, carrying a thermal container.
"Just thinking... if I have to stay in bed for a few months, how should I spend my days?" I replied.
He shot me a glare. "Stop with the nonsense. Tell me how you actually fell."
I didn't believe for a second that Nadia hadn't already told him how I tumbled down those stairs. Mason's expression was pure calculation. I knew he was clearly trying to use this incident to his advantage.
I asked, "What do you want me to say?"
He gave me a thumbs up and answered, "Smart girl. How about this: Joey pushed you?"
I smiled, "Perfect. Let's go with that."
Just like that, we happily agreed to frame Joey. After all, I never asked her to come. She barged into my house looking for a fight.
I asked, "What's in the container? It smells amazing."
Mason opened the lid, and the rich aroma wafted out, filling the room. "Chicken soup. The doctor said it's nutritious."
He ladled the soup into a small bowl. I reached for it to feed myself, but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he spooned it up and fed me himself. It made me feel like the fall wasn't that terrible.
"Why so considerate?" I asked while sipping the soup.
He smirked, "You went all in with this pitiful act. Just consider this your reward."
His words snapped me right back to reality. So that was what he thought—he believed the fall was all a performance. And sure, I could've gone along with the misunderstanding and milked it for more goodwill, but I didn't want to.
I corrected him. "I didn't fake it. It was really an accident."
He looked a bit surprised. "So you didn't fall on purpose to frame Joey?"
I shrugged. "Not at all. So technically, your reward is unnecessary."
Instead of being disappointed, Mason burst out laughing. "You're honest. That's good. Means I picked the right ally."
Then his voice turned casual. "My family's coming by to visit you later. Try not to be too honest, yeah? Stick to what we agreed on."
"What? Why are they coming?" I was confused.
"My fiancée got pushed down the stairs by my sister. Of course they're coming to visit you," he said with a smirk.
I seemed to understand what he was plotting. He hadn't come to ask me to play along. He was just informing me. The story had already been spread. He just didn't want me to mess it up.
"But your dad just said this morning he didn't approve of our marriage," I said.
He smiled, "That's why your fall was so well-timed."
I nodded. Right now, Mason and I were in the same boat. If one went down, we both did. I cursed his cold-blooded cunning in my head, but deep down, I couldn't help admiring how fast and clean he moved when it counted.