The Underdog Billionaire

Chapter 6: Nemesis

“We should seriously consider starting a family, Jake. We’ve been married for over a year now and I’m not getting any younger.”

“I agree. We’ll start tonight when we return from the party.”

He winked at Morgan and she giggled delightedly. They may not have very much in common but when they get in bed, magic always happens.

They finished getting dressed and went downstairs to join Linda who was waiting for them. Sherwood Holdings was about to receive the Most Enterprising Brand award at the annual Business League event.

It was one of the most coveted awards in the business world and the biggest compliment Jake has ever received since he resumed his position as President/CEO of Richard’s empire.

“You look dashing, my son,” said Linda when she saw him. “You and Morgan are going to have the cutest babies.”

“We were just talking about that upstairs,” Morgan laughed.

“Thank you, Linda. Shall we?” He said and presented his elbows to the women.

They took their positions beside him and together, they went outside and entered the sleek Maybach waiting for them there.

Rex got in the passenger seat beside the driver, while the family sat in the back. Once everyone was settled, the ride began.

Jake sighed with contentment. This time last year, he was a penniless pauper who was barely surviving. But tonight, he was about to be rewarded for being an exceptional businessman among other billionaires.

“I know I don’t say this much, but I am very proud of you,” Linda told him.

“My dad would be super proud of you too,” Morgan added.

“Thank you, ladies. I’m glad to have not let either of you down. I’ll forever be grateful to Richard for choosing me.”

“I chose you first,” said Morgan.

“And you will always have my gratitude,” he said and kissed her.

Linda cleared her throat. “Now, children, I know I said I want some grandbabies but I didn’t say you should make them in front of me.”

The couple laughed. Everyone was happy.

Suddenly, they heard the squeals of tires as two black trucks flanked them on both sides. One of them cut in front of them, blocking their way.

“What the hell!” Jake thundered. “Who are these idiots.”

The driver tried to reverse but the second truck had parked behind them. They were sandwiched between the two vehicles.

“What’s going on? Who are these people?” Morgan screamed in panic.

The doors of the truck in front of them opened and three men dressed in black jumped out. They approached the Maybach with guns in their hands.

“Shit!” Rex cursed and pulled out his pistol.

“They’re going to kill us!” Linda cried.

“Get down!” Jake yelled just as the strangers opened fire and began to spray their car with bullets.

Rex was shooting at them too but his lone weapon was no match for the rifles that were raining bullets on them. The car windows got shattered and glass poured on them while they crouched inside.

The shooting seemed to go on forever until they began to hear the sounds of sirens in the distance.

“Retreat!” One of the gunmen shouted.

The shooting stopped and they could hear the sounds of boots hitting the ground as the men ran away. Then they zoomed off to god-knows-where.

“Is everyone ok?” Jake asked tentatively.

“I got hit,” said Rex, clutching his injured shoulder. “Jim is dead.”

“Damn!” He muttered.

“Can we get up now?” Linda asked.

“Yeah. Morgan, are you ok?”

There was no response. He lifted his wife from where she was huddled on the floor of the car and was shocked to see her bleeding.

“Morgan!” He screamed.

“Oh my god! Morgan! How did this happen?” Linda cried. “Oh, my poor baby!”

Morgan was unconscious and barely alive. She’d been hit below the ribcage and was bleeding heavily.

“We need to get her to the hospital right now!” Jake screamed.

“The driver is dead,” Rex reminded him.

“I’ll drive,” said Jake. He stepped out of the car just in time to see a police car arriving.

“What happened here?” The first policeman asked him.

“We were attacked by gunmen. My wife and bodyguard got shot and our driver is dead.”

To his relief, the police offered to drive them to the hospital. It was a speedy ride but still not fast enough for Jake.

He’d never been this afraid in his life. He couldn’t lose Morgan now, not when their relationship was beginning to make sense.

When they got to the hospital, Morgan was immediately wheeled into the emergency room by the orderlies. Jake ran after them but he was stopped from entering the operating room.

“We’ll take it from here, sir,” said the doctor who received Morgan.

“Do everything you can to keep her alive,” said Jake.

“We will. Please, go back to the waiting area and take a seat.”

He obeyed the doctor and went to sit down beside Linda who was sobbing softly into her handkerchief.

“Everything is going to be all right,” he whispered to her.

“Who are those people?”

“I don’t know but I’m sure the police will figure it out soon.”

His phone rang. He removed it from his pocket and checked the caller ID. He felt a sense of déjà vu when he saw that it was a hidden number.

“Yes?” He said into the phone impatiently.

“Did you get my message or do I need to resend it?”

His blood boiled with rage when he recognised the voice on the other end of the line.

“You bastard,” he whispered.

Martin laughed. “What did I tell you, bitch? I said I was coming for all of you.”

“I am going to make sure that you never set foot out of that jail you’re locked in.”

Martin laughed harder. “I see you don’t watch the news, Jakey boy. I’ve been out of the slammer for two weeks now.”

Jake was shocked. Martin had been released from prison? How come nobody informed him? Or was his rival merely bluffing?

“Hello. Anybody home?” Martin cackled.

“How did you get out?”

“You see, Jakey boy. When you’re into my kind of business, you end up making friends in high places.”

“I see.”

“I took some time but my friends came through for me. I cut a sweet deal with the DA and he let me walk.”

“Hmm…”

“I can hear your heartbeat from here. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you if you agree to cooperate with me.”

“That will never happen. Morgan is fighting for her life right now because of you. If she dies, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands!”

“Promises, promises. Morgan is collateral damage. If it wasn’t for her stupidity, you wouldn’t be occupying my rightful position now. Well, I’m back to collect what’s mine.”

“You’re delusional and this conversation is over.”

Jake ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket. Oh, how he wanted to wring that bastard’s neck right now!

“Who was that?” Linda asked.

“Martin. He was behind the attack.”

She gasped. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s a sore loser who deserves what’s coming to him next. I’ll make him pay.”

“We should tell the police. They’ll go after him.”

“I doubt if the police can help us at this point. Martin has friends in top positions that can help him get away with his crimes.”

“So, what do we do?”

“Honestly, I don’t know right now but give me some time to think about it.”

He stood up and began to pace back and forth. All he could think about now was Morgan.

Finally, after several hours of surgery, the doctor came out. The expression on his face told Jake that something was terribly wrong.

“Please, tell me my wife is alive,” he begged. “Tell me she survived.”

“Yes, sir. She’s alive,” said the doctor.

Both Jake and Linda sighed with relief.

“But…” the doctor hesitated.

“What?” Jake asked.

“She was hit twice in the same spot. The bullets did some major damage to some of her vital organs.”

“What do you mean? What happened to her?”

“The bullets ruptured her uterus. We had to perform a hysterectomy to prevent her from dying of a haemorrhage.”

“Oh, no!” Linda wailed.

“I don’t understand any of this,” said Jake. “What you’re saying doesn’t even sound like English.”

“What I’m trying to explain to you is that your wife got shot in the lower abdomen twice. The bullet hit her womb and tore it apart. We had to remove it because she was bleeding heavily and could die if we didn’t take out the damaged organ.”

Finally, it all made sense. The implication of the doctor’s feedback hit Jake like an uppercut and he staggered backwards.

He and Morgan were never going to have a baby of their own!