The CEO’s Substitute Lover

Octavia Gills looked at her mother, Elda Block, eyes wide with disbelief, “Mum, you??.” She couldn’t go on. To continue saying it would mean that she is refusing, and to refuse would mean that she selfishly did not care about her own brother’s health. But why does her heart hurt so badly?

President Banbury, who had been silent, but kept a close watch on Octavia Gills, finally spoke up.

“Octavia, if you come with me, you will take care of my father who has had a stroke, take care of my children, take care of the house, not to mention your brother, and even if your mother is sick, I will give you money for her treatment. As soon as you and I are registered, you, Durwin can immediately sign a twenty-year contract with me too! Think about it!” He picked up his chopsticks, sliced up the delicious lobster and put it in his mouth before raising his hand to signal everyone to eat!

A father who has had a stroke and needs care? A recently widowed gold-digger? If she married her, this man, Durwin would be offered a business partnership for twenty years! Not only that, but her brother would have enough money to save his life! Octavia Gills’ heart twitched slightly, and she was in no position to even grieve for herself, that it was her job as a sister, and even she put her heart out on the table and let her so-called relatives cut and stab it with a knife, none of them would even care she bled to death.

Octavia Gills didn’t know what she could or should say. It was hard to swallow the sumptuous feast, so she got up with a faint expressionless face and turned away with her bag in hand.

“Enjoy your meal! Have a good discussion! I’ll go back first!”

That night, Octavia Gills, in a long white dress, sat on a wicker chair on the balcony, alone and helpless, hugging her knees, there is not a single tear in her eyes that night, it was just as blank as a child whose soul had been drained, bruised and battered, she just felt numb, but calm and unconscious. Her father’s only advice to her before he died was that no matter what happened, she must not give up on her brother and save his life.

For over twenty years, it had been her life’s duty, her only mission in life! But what about Tredan, whom she loved so much? She needed to know that one day she would have to leave him, but she never thought it would be for this reason.

Octavia Gills picked up her phone and looked at Tredan’s handsome Facebook picture. Her fingers were trembling, and her heart was torn between answering or rejecting his call. At this moment she missed Trendan in her heart, and even longed for his embrace to feel the warmth of his body. She didn’t answer or refuse the call, she just held the phone, looking at the heart-warming avatar and listening to the crisp beep until the avatar disappeared from the screen, until the phone’s screen naturally went black. She shouldn’t have, she felt she had asked for too much!

The next day, Octavia Gills woke up at midday and looked out through the clear glass floor-to-ceiling doors into the smoky sunshine. Was it a good day?

Octavia Gills picks up the phone and answers!

“You damn girl, why did it take you so long to anwer the phone?” Elda Block’s anxious, sobbing voice came through the phone.

“Your brother, he… oooh… his condition suddenly deteriorated, and is now in the operating room and being resuscitated, come over quickly!”

“Mum, what are you saying?” Octavia Gills panicked and lost her mind. “I went to see him the day before yesterday and he was fine, wasn’t he? How… did it get worse?” Octavia Gills didn’t even change her clothes, grabbed her bag from the table and rushed to the shoe changing room to change her shoes.

“Mum, don’t worry, I’ll be right there, just wait for me at the hospital!” Changing her shoes Octavia Gills suddenly thought of something ran back to her room. She opened the drawer and grabbed the set of car keys that Tredan had kept as a spare for her, just in case she needed to drive herself somewhere when the driver is not available!

Although she had a driving license, Octavia Gills was a bit out of her depth, so she drove the luxurious red Ferrari through traffic jams and ran several red lights to get to the hospital where Gar Gills was staying!

“Mum, how is my brother doing and what did the doctor say?”

When she finally saw her daughter, Elda Block seemed to calm down a little bit. She took her daughter’s hand, held it tightly and said to Octavia Gills with tears streaming down her face: “Octavia, no matter what you do, you must find a way to save your brother, you must protect him, no matter what. I’m sorry for your brother, and I’m sorry for you, too, but you are the only one who can save him now!”

“Mom, can we not talk about this first? I’m going to save my brother no matter what, so tell me what’s going on first!” Octavia Gills was anxious to understand the situation, making her feel helpless.

“The doctors say that Gar’s condition taking a turn for the worse. What happened today is a bad sign, and that a heart replacement surgery must be performed as soon as possible or his life could be in danger at any moment.” Elda Block choked back a sob as Octavia Gills hugged her mother, trying to comfort her mother.

The lights in the operating theatre dimmed and Gar Gills’ attending surgeon slowly came out and said to Octavia Gills with a gloomy expression, “There is nothing serious wrong now, but at age, the patient’s condition can deteriorate, and it will not be good; so, I recommend a heart replacement within six months, otherwise, it will be difficult revive him should anything happen!”

The bad news was thrown hard and strong at Octavia Gills.

“Okay, I got it, thank you doctor!”

Looking at Gar Gills in his hospital bed, with no trace of red blood on his pale face, Octavia Gills wished she could replace her own heart with her brother’s so that he could live as healthy a life as she did.

“Octavia, you will marry President Banbury!” Elda Block stroked her son’s sleeping face, so pale. Elda was heartbroken, and so anxious that the boy would soon be free of this condition; President Banbury was her only chance to save her son’s life.

“Mum knows you’re upset, just think of it as what I owe you as a mother in this life, I can be a cow or a horse in my next life, to pay you back, Octavia, okay?”

“Mum… Mum, you…” Octavia Gills’ tears came unbidden, even without her mother saying the words, she would have done anything to save her brother’s life, but why was it so painful for her to hear her mother say that?

“I’ll save my brother, no matter what it takes! Don’t worry, Mom!”

Tredan, who was standing outside the ward, seemed to have overheard the conversation between the mother and daughter.

Tredan was unable to contact Octavia Gills last night, so he sped up his work and completed the final procedures overnight, then flew back on the first morning flight, but as soon as he got off the airport, he received a text notification on his phone about a red-light violation fine for the Ferrari he had left at home that Octavia Gills can use.