The Billionaire’s Bargain Bride

Sulking with Bad News

SADIE

So I finally planned to go home. As much as I loved how luxurious my stay in the hotel suite, I missed home.

I still found the house empty, our bedroom untouched. Cenric was right. He was out for the weekend. Even if it was Sunday, he hadn’t come back yet. So I spent the whole day sleeping and sulking.

Lately, I didn’t feel like talking. I could barely eat. Cenric’s out for the weekend had affected me more than I realized. He called me once, maybe by mistake—if he intended to talk to me, he would have called back. It didn’t happen.

I checked out our website, which just launched last Friday. We had reached ten thousand visits so far. My team planned on social media advertisement, boosting our exposure, and making a big deal if successful.

So far, I have loved my work. The ideas we shared during the meeting were enlightening. Now, with the help of Wollf Corporation, we got a few clients lined up.

I might have done a bang-up job with my work, but I was terrible at fixing my relationship.

“Sadie?” It was Devin. He’d constantly been checking out on me. “You might wanna have lunch now.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You missed your breakfast too.”

“I just don’t feel like eating.”

He walked in. “Tell me what do you want to eat. I’ll bring it for you.”

I shrugged as I scrolled up and down the website page. “I’ll let you know.”

“You’ll gonna be sick if you keep missing meals, Sadie. If you so much enjoy your job, you have to stay healthy.”

“Has he been back?”

He shook his head. “He will be back on Monday.”

“Thanks.” I laid back.

“Sadie, you know I’ll lose this job if you get sick in my care?”

“Just bring me a sandwich.”

“I’ll be right back.” He quickly walked out.

While waiting for my sandwich, I sat in bed and checked my phone. Cenric hadn’t called or texted me. I knew he was okay wherever he was. Otherwise, Devin would have told me if Cenric was in trouble. Maybe he just needed more time.

After I ate my sandwich, I went to shower. I felt great. I should have never underestimated the revitalizing power of a hot shower.

I found Linden on the phone in the living room.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Was that Cenric?”

He turned around. “Beck. Cenric is okay.”

I nodded and sat on the couch.

Silence stretched.

All I could hear was the keypad sound while typing on his phone. I mean, why wouldn’t he turn that clicking sound off.

I curled into a ball, helpless. I had no strength left. I might have overreacted and become melodramatic.

“Are you okay?”

“I hope you all stop asking the same question every five minutes.”

“He’ll be home soon.”

“It’s not about him, Linden. It’s about how we don’t talk out our issues. I don’t feel guilty for kicking him out. He deserved it. From the start, I knew this marriage wouldn’t last. I’m still grateful for him. He gave me the job that I love. I’m still here in his house, and he’s not avenging what I did to him. So, I’m grateful.”

“You two should sit down and talk about it. He may be impulsive and doesn’t think straight when it comes to you, but he has reasons of walking out on you.”

“When he gets back, I’m planning on leaving this house. I’m renting an apartment.”

He pinned me with a searing gaze before he spoke. “Do you think it’s a good idea? You’re here for a reason. He wants you to be safe.”

“I think my brother is not a risk anymore. I think he learned his lesson not to challenge Cenric.”

“You still don’t know a lot of things, Sadie.”

I sat straight on the couch. “What do you mean?”

“About your family.” I was a Greer, yet I was the last person to know about my father. So, he did know about my family business as well. If this was his way of protecting me, he just did a bang-up job. “I’m not at liberty to talk about it, but I’m sure Cenric will explain to you when the right time comes.”

“I’m gonna go back to bed.”

“Do you wanna watch Netflix?”

I smiled. “You don’t watch Netflix, Gabe. Thanks for the offer, though. Go out, have fun. I promise I’ll still be here when you come back.”

“No can do. I’m watching Netflix whether you join me or not.”

“Very well. Enjoy your Netflix. Try Extraction. You just remind me of Tyler Rake.”

I was on the couch googling about my family, but I couldn’t find anything as if we didn’t exist. How did it even possible? Did my father hire someone to wipe out anything related to him?

I had Facebook and Instagram, but I had not updated them since college. Maeve even asked me about it, and I thought it didn’t matter. The marketing had created social media accounts for PrimerTech instead.

I checked the Centh website instead. I scrolled through its Info, whitepaper, roadmaps, distribution, and the men behind its success. Cenric was downright good at what he did. I admired him. He always made things possible. That was why he became one of the top self-made billionaires.

When he was with me, he was not that arrogant filthy rich type of guy who showered you how much he earned money in seconds or told you what kind of yacht he bought yesterday. He was just him, Cenric, a man of vision, a thoughtful husband, and generous in bed.

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts—it was from an unknown number. It might be Cenric using a new number. I answered it quickly.

“Hello?”

“Sadie Wollf?” It was a voice of a man, but definitely not my husband. My hope crumbled down.

“Yes, it’s me. To whom am I speaking to?”

“I am Special Agent Miller. I’m calling you regarding your husband. I’d like you to come to us and ask you a few questions. I can send someone to fetch you.”

“Special Agent Miller? You’re calling about my husband, and you want to ask me a few questions? How about you come to my house? Is this some kind of a joke? Get lost, and don’t call this number again!” I hung up the call.

Was he now pranking me as well? This insanity between Cenric and me had to end.

I put some pants and a blouse on. I grabbed my coat and went downstairs. I was still in the middle when I stopped to a halt. Devin and Linden seemed in alert mode.

“What’s going on?”

They froze, and no one seemed interested in answering me.

“Linden? Devin?”

Linden cleared his throat. “Did you receive a call from someone?”

“A guy was pretending to be an FBI, yes. I hang up.”

“He’s a real FBI.”

My stomach twisted. My heart just sunk. “You’re kidding, right? Why did he wanna talk about my husband?” I squeezed my eyes shut. My chin started to tremble. I’d been asking the wrong question all this time. “I-is is he okay? Is Cenric okay?” I began to get panicked.

They looked at each other.

“Answer me, damn it!”

Even for them, they seemed couldn’t find the right answers.

I fumbled to find my phone in my bag. With my tears rolling down, I struggled. I poured and emptied my bag instead. Contents clattered on the floor until my phone fell next.

I knelt, wiped my tears, and grabbed the phone. I was already shaking as I tried to access open for fingerprint—it didn’t work. My fingers were wet. “Damn it! Damn it!”

“Hey. He’s gonna be okay.” Devin helped me out.

“You don’t know that. You don’t even know where he is.” He helped me on my feet. “Let go of me. I’m going to find him.”

Linden held and squeezed my hand. “We’re going to find him, Sadie.”