The Billionaire's Ex

41|and without doubt

Alicia Saunders stood before Austin now, in anger.

"Why didn't you just let us leave?" She retorted. "If we would have left, my son wouldn't be dead. He was the only one I had left." Alicia blurted out.

"Why do you always take everything away from me? You took my freedom and now you take my only source of joy!" She screamed.

"What is going on here?" Elizabeth questioned, as she strolled into the sitting room. The guards that would've stopped her form gaining entrance into his home when she blatantly told them that she wanted to see Mr. Ryder whether he wanted to or not, stood far behind them witnessing the whole scene.

"Nothing Lisa-" Austin tried.

"Oh there's something. Till how long will you keep hiding it." Alicia yelled at him.

"You be quiet!" Austin snapped.

"Who do you think you are to come into my house and yell at my husband?" Elizabeth icily said.

The woman walked closer to Elizabeth. Lisa raised a brow at her in question. "You really do not know?" Alicia asked but then said. "I'm the mistress,"

---

Freya sighed when she walked into the room and saw that Ashton and Thea hadn't changed from the position that they were in 30 minutes ago.

"Won't you even let go of her for a minute only, the doctor has to check on her." Freya told them and Thea finally unwrapped her hands from his waist.

"I won't be long," the doctor now stood outside the ward staring at the both of them hesitatingly. Ashton let go willingly and she stood walking out of the ward with the doctor.

"How's the head?" Ashton looked up at his sister before speaking.

"It's fine. I feel better now," Freya nodded in understanding.

"So... Andrew saved her,"

"She told me," Ashton said. "I still can't believe what he did. I was never a fan of him."

"He didn't do it for you, he did it for her, Ashton." Freya said. "You wouldn't tell me you don't know that he had feelings for her, would you?"

"I knew but I never knew he still did, he should have forgotten about her after graduation."

"But he didn't. What I don't understand is why he gave his life for someone he knew did not love him." Freya said to him after a while. "Are you still planning on leaving the city?"

Ashton said, "I decided that we hold the marriage here inside after everything. Then, we will leave the city obviously."

"So you are planning on proposing soon?"

"I already did," Ashton said and Freya almost yelled in excitement.

"Well what did she say?" Freya asked curiously.

"I got a yes,"

"Oh my God!"

"What's happening here?" Freya turned stiffly to the source of the voice. "Ashton?" Thea called, her brows raising in curiosity.

"It's nothing Sweetheart," Ashton said standing up from the bed he sat and walking towards her. "What did the doctor say? Are we free to go home now?"

Thea nodded. "Hmm, he said we can go home now."

"Good because you really need rest," she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself into his chest.

"I'm really tired Ash, tired but I'm not sure I'll be able to get some sleep." She told him.

"It disturbs you, I know and it's alright to be sad sometimes." He said.

"I still can't find a reason why he risked his life for me. He would have let me-" his hold on her tightened.

"It's hard seeing the one you love suffer." She finally looked up at him. "Andrew was in love with you Thea and everything he did was out of selflessness and love."

Tears formed in her eyes once again when she recalled all the moments he was with her. All the times, he told her that he wanted to spend some time with her. The expression on his face when she told him that she didn't want to be friends anymore. How could she have been so blind all these while.

"Ash," she sobbed and he received her hug once more.

"It's okay, I would have done the same for you too."

---

Elizabeth actually burst out in laughter and Alicia, for a minute there, almost lost her self confidence but she pulled on her act effortlessly.

"The mistress?" Elizabeth walked towards her until she was right in front of her. "You are my husband second woman? You didn't think of anyone else to lie about but my family? Who paid you to do this?"

Alicia frowned. "I wasn't paid to do this, it's the truth."

"I can throw you in jail for trying to blackmail my husband if you do not leave my home this instant!"

"Blackmail? You don't know me Elizabeth. I wouldn't just come in here to lie to you for some cash. Why don't you ask your husband instead? Twenty-three years back he was involved with me! And we have a son," Lisa's demeanor began to shift.

"And when I found out that he was already married, I ran away. Since then, he has been after me, threatening to take away all I have if I didn't come back to Sydney. Ask your husband if I'm really telling the truth or if I'm lying."

Elizabeth folded her hands, acting in disinterest. "Why have you come now? Have you come to my house to make him settle you?"

"I got a call from the police that my son saved a woman and died in an explosion!" Pool of tears ran down her cheeks. "If it wasn't for him, I would've remained in Auckland when he was still younger and we would have never had a life here!" Alicia blurted out. "Now I have lost my son for good, what am I to do now?" She shook her head, lamenting.

"You've finally succeeded, have you not? You have finally succeeded in taking everything away from me but I promise you Austin, you'll live to regret it." She made a move to turn but halted.

"But you," she said and locked eyes with Elizabeth. "You don't know half of what your husband is like. What he goes around doing in the night, do you?"

"Just be quiet!" Austin finally snapped.

"She won't be quiet now Austin," Lisa said to her husband. "You haven't said a word since she spoke and now you think you have something to say? Let the woman speak, I have a feeling that I really need to know what you have been up to."

She continued, "Tell me Alicia, Where does he go?"

"Elizabeth-" Austin tried again but Lisa raised her hand to stopped him from speaking.

"He is frequent at a whore house now, a place where he became friends with John Brooks." Lisa paled.

The owner of the largest strip club in Australia...

"He-"

"Father?" The voice sent chill to their spine immediately. Ashton walked into his house with Thea behind him. He just couldn't believe his ears, he wasn't sure he heard right.