The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

After the car accident, Mason calmed down and thought about it. His instincts told him Helen must've had something to do with it.
But no matter how thoroughly he investigated, he couldn't find a single clue. Whoever was behind it had covered their tracks with chilling precision. The mastermind was too calculated, and it didn't feel entirely like Helen's doing.
That was when Mason finally started paying real attention to Richard, the one who always trailed after him and asked questions with an innocent look and a book in hand. Mason realized that Richard wasn't as harmless as he seemed.
After the crash, Katherine's parents didn't blame Mason. On the contrary, they comforted him, saying it must've been their daughter's fate, and that she didn't have the fortune to marry into the Knight family. Their words only deepened Mason's guilt.
When they later decided to emigrate, Mason, wanting to do something for them, paid an astronomical sum to acquire Gordon Group.
The moment the deal went through, Helen and Richard both launched fierce objections. They accused Mason of using the family's assets without board approval, insisting he had no authority to make such decisions on his own.
Mason understood exactly what they were trying to do: push him into giving up his grandfather's inheritance voluntarily. That same inheritance had nearly gotten him killed twice. He'd long grown weary of the endless power struggles and backstabbing. So Mason agreed.
But after the acquisition was finalized, he discovered the truth that Gordon Group was nothing but an empty shell.
He had burned through nearly half of his grandfather's fortune for the company. It wasn't just Helen, but people across the Knight family started voicing their dissatisfaction.
Sensing the opportunity, Helen convinced Martin to strip Mason of his chairman position. The excuse was simple: the acquisition was a failure and had brought enormous losses to the company.
It was a perfect justification for a power grab, yet no one could object.
Of course, Helen knew full well Martin was good for nothing. But now her son was a grown man. It was time to clear the path for him.
Martin, who had never been one for independent thinking, quickly fell in line. With a bit of coaxing, he became convinced Helen was right. He moved to kick Mason out and install himself as chairman instead.
Just when their scheme was about to succeed, Delilah stepped in. She abruptly announced that she would resume the chairman role herself and appointed Martin and Richard as general manager and deputy general manager.
She then reassigned Mason to manage the newly acquired Gordon Group.
No one dared protest. Helen knew full well this was Delilah's way of protecting Mason under the guise of demotion, but she had no grounds to object.
Within just three years, Mason saved Gordon Group, turning losses into gains. He didn't stop there. A year later, it was already showing signs of competing neck and neck with Knight Group itself.
Helen was jealous again. She demanded a share of Gordon Group's dividends. But Delilah told her that if she wanted dividends, the original terms of the inheritance needed to be restored.
Richard was 22 by then. Mason, still haunted by Katherine, refused every arranged date and marriage offer that came his way.
Helen believed that it increased her chances. If Mason never had a child, then Richard's son would inherit everything. Thinking she had the upper hand, she agreed to Delilah's terms.
What she didn't expect was the sudden news that I started working for Knight Group.
It hit Helen like a bolt of lightning. She would never allow anything or anyone to block the path she'd so carefully laid for her son.
And I was the biggest obstacle.
She hadn't even had time to act before I began moving fast inside the company. I took down a marketing manager first, then managed to get the general manager removed.
My actions set off alarm bells for Helen. She didn't dare make a move too soon. Instead, she started watching me closely and tracking my every decision in the shadows.
I had no idea about all that. Mason quietly cleaned up the messes behind me, erasing my tracks, making sure there were no loose ends. He made it possible for me to act recklessly.
As for that "coincidental" encounter with Richard outside Lane Villa? It wasn't random at all. He was tailing me.
The only reason he showed himself was because he saw me leaving. He was hoping I'd slip up and show even the tiniest crack so he could dig into it and take me down.
After hearing Mason lay out everything about the Knight family in such detail, I broke out in a cold sweat.
It turned out that from the moment I showed up at the company, I'd already stepped into the scope of their surveillance. No wonder Mason always warned me not to reveal my identity or tarnish my reputation.
One wrong step from me could have ruined the entire plan.
A deep wave of guilt rose up inside me. I said to him, "I'm sorry. I was being selfish before." I truly meant it—no sarcasm, no pride, just a sincere apology.
Mason gave a faint smile. "Save the apologies. Just take over the truth-finding from here, will you?"
"Mm-hmm." I nodded without hesitation.
At the time, I didn't catch the loophole in what he said. It wasn't until much later that I realized it.
That conversation lasted the entire afternoon. It only ended when Nadia showed up with dinner.
After dinner, I still wasn't allowed to walk around. But lying in bed all the time was unbearable. I wanted to visit Delilah. Delilah's story made me admire her even more.
Mason had a nurse bring over a wheelchair and personally pushed me to Delilah's room.
Delilah was already out of danger, but she refused to see Helen's fake concerned face. So when we arrived, the room was quiet, just the caregiver tidying up.
"Grandma, I came to visit you," I said sweetly.
"Sweetie, how could you be out and about with that injured foot? You absolutely mustn't put any weight on it," she said.
Her voice was warm, and she looked pretty fine, far from someone who'd just suffered heart issues. Gentle and composed, she reminded me of my own grandmother.
Delilah and I clicked instantly. Actually, that was my feeling. As for her, she just thought I was Katherine, and she never once brought up how the Gordon family had sold them an empty company for a sky-high price years ago.
Mason sat quietly to the side, listening to our conversation. After the caregiver left, he took over the role. Pouring water, peeling fruit—he moved about the room like a well-trained cat.
Delilah suddenly said, "Kate, if you two had gotten married five years ago, I'd probably have a great-grandchild in kindergarten by now. Mase is thirty already. Time to settle down. I want to see my great-grandchild before I leave the world."
Her words hit me in the chest. I nodded and replied, "We'll do whatever you say, Grandma. You have the final word."
She replied, "Good. I already checked the calendar. Three days from now would've been perfect, but your foot's still healing. How about we set it for three months from now? First the engagement, and the wedding comes a month after that."
I was so stunned that my jaw just wouldn't close. Was this the same sweet, kind, soft-spoken old lady from two minutes ago? She suddenly transformed in an instant into a sharp and decisive person.
Mason patted me on the shoulder, chuckling under his breath. "Take notes. You could spend your whole life trying to match Grandma's skills."
I nodded. He was damn right.
My days at the hospital were anything but lonely. Every evening, I had the caregiver wheel me to Delilah's room so we could chat.
I made sure to only go at night. Helen, always eager to show off her fake care, would visit Delilah during the day. So I chose the evening hours to avoid any head-on run-ins with Helen and Joey.
After all, I was in a wheelchair. If they decided to play dirty, I'd be a sitting duck.
I definitely couldn't give them any chance to push me around.