My Accidental Husband is a Billionaire novel Chapter 1

 

 

 

A glass door separated the lively sounds in the living room. 

Keira was staring intently at Lewis Horton, observing his reactions.

Upon hearing the way she addressed him, he became even more unapproachable. His dark eyes harbored a frosty gaze, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and he turned to head back to the living room.

Keira quickly stepped forward, blocking his way.

Lewis frowned a little. “Out of my way.”

His voice was deep and pleasant, and his tone carried a touch of elegance, which made people want to hear him speak even more.

Keira suspected something. “You… don’t recognize me?”

Lewis looked down at her. “Should I?”

Upon entering the Olsen family home, he felt that an odd pair of eyes were closely following him.

That gaze was open and transparent, a far cry from the obsequious and nauseating glances of others.

That was why Lewis gave her a few more glances.

The girl was very beautiful. Her skin was fair. Her amorous eyes and the mole at the corner of her eye were attractive but not flirtatious. Although she stood in the corner obediently, she exuded a vague rebellious aura.

And when she noticed him looking at her, she didn’t evade. Instead, she looked right back at him.

He had initially thought she was different from the women who threw themselves at him but didn’t expect her to be even bolder than them. She addressed him as “honey”.

Lewis was a little impatient as he emphasized, “Miss, I’m married. Please behave.”

Keira was a bit stunned.

This man clearly didn’t recognize her, yet he said he was married. Was there a mistake in the Civil Affairs Bureau’s registration?

She asked, “May I ask who your wife is?”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

His answer was short and cold.

Keira took out the photocopy of the marriage certificate and placed it in front of him, “Mr. Horton, this man is you, right?”

Lewis looked at the photocopy and noticed the name of the woman on it was Keira Olsen.

Looking up again, he mocked her. “Miss Olsen, an original isn’t expensive, right? You should be more professional if you’re forging this!”

With that, Lewis didn’t return to the living room. Instead, he strode off to the parking lot through the small garden.

Keira ran after him, trying to talk it through, but she was blocked by two black-suited bodyguards.

Keira stood her ground, calling out to him as he walked away. “Mr. Horton, this document is genuine. If you don’t believe it, you can check it with the Civil Affairs Bureau…”

Lewis didn’t stop. He got in the car and left straight away.

His personal assistant remained behind and returned to the living room, where he was met by Isla.

Isla had just witnessed Keira clinging to Lewis Horton but didn’t catch what exactly they were saying. Seeing Lewis leave and Keira riding out on her electric scooter to follow him, she immediately asked, “Why did Mr. Horton leave? Did someone offend him?”

The personal assistant smiled lightly. “Mr. Horton has some matters to attend to and had to leave early. Could you please inform the elders of the household, Miss Olsen?”

The boss didn’t reprimand the girl, which meant he didn’t hold it against her.

Isla immediately nodded, courteously seeing the assistant out.

After setting the wedding date and finishing lunch, the rest of the Horton family took their leave.

After seeing off the guests, Taylor was worried. “Why did Mr. Horton leave? Did we do anything to upset him?”

Thinking back to how Jake seemed distracted all day as if he was looking for someone, and then to Keira’s trouble-causing face, Isla clenched her fists.

Her eyes flickered. “Dad, I saw Keira pestering Mr. Horton. Mr. Horton seemed really angry when he left, and he left a message…”

“What message?”

“Mr. Horton said, he wants you to teach your daughter well.” Isla bit her lip. “With Keira behaving like this, will the Horton family think we’re not disciplining her properly?”

Taylor’s face turned ashen.

–

Keira was riding her electric scooter, and just as she left the villa area, she lost sight of Lewis.

As she was regretting her actions, her phone rang.

Upon answering, she heard her subordinate, Samuel’s voice over the line. “Boss, a lot of people have been looking into who Dr. South is lately.”

Keira raised an eyebrow. “They haven’t uncovered anything, have they?”

“Of course not. After all, no one would ever guess that Dr. South, who conquered the issue of hydrogen fuel, is actually a harmless-looking young woman who just graduated from college…”

“Anything else?” Keira cut off his rambling.

“Oh yes, I’ve found the information on Lewis Horton!”

“Tell me.”

“Lewis Horton is the second son of the Horton Family’s old master. Rumor has it that he has a violent and ruthless personality, hence he was sent overseas when he was little. Everyone thought that the family property would be handed over to his elder brother, that is, Jake Horton’s father. However, Lewis Horton returned to the country unexpectedly last week, using some ruthless method to force his old man to retire and take control of the Horton Group.”

Samuel curiously asked, “Didn’t you find a convenient person for a fake marriage today? How did the groom suddenly turn out to be such a cold-blooded fiend? Boss, if your marital status isn’t stable, it’ll affect the company’s IPO…”

Keira frowned. “Look up his contact information and schedule. I’ll go talk to him again.”

The reason she agreed to Poppy’s absurd demand for an immediate marriage was that being married as the legal representative of the company would be more favorable for the IPO.

But she was married to a stranger and didn’t know what plot she might be involved in.

Lewis Horton wasn’t an ordinary person, so the best solution would be to get a divorce as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary disputes.

After hanging up, Keira rubbed her temples.

Things were a bit troublesome. Given Lewis Horton’s status, he was escorted by bodyguards when he traveled, and it wouldn’t be easy to meet him.

She shouldn’t have impulsively called him “honey” earlier, which had upset him…

She sighed, started her little scooter, and slowly headed home.

Leaving the bustling city center, she arrived at a city village on the outskirts.

When she moved out of the Olsen family home in junior high school, she didn’t have much money and could only afford to rent an old house here. She had since grown accustomed to it and never moved.

As she was about to reach her home after turning a corner, an old lady in her 80s or 90s suddenly sprang out from the side of the road!

Keira slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision.

When she looked at the old woman, she initially thought the woman was trying to deliberately provoke an accident, but quickly realized something was wrong.

Although the old woman was thin and short, she was well-dressed and didn’t appear to be from an ordinary family. She had a tag around her neck, which had a contact number with a note that said, “If you find this lady, please dial this number. A reward will be given.”

It had to be Alzheimer’s disease.

Someone was missing a family member.

Keira immediately took out her phone and began to dial the number on the tag.

The old woman was staring blankly before, but she suddenly became active. She grabbed Keira’s wrist, her cloudy eyes shining brightly. “Granddaughter-in-law! You are my granddaughter-in-law!”

The corner of Keira’s mouth twitched.

She had been single for 22 years, but suddenly she had another husband.

Was the Civil Affairs Bureau doing husband wholesale these days?

She found it amusing and casually asked, “Granny, who is your grandson?”

The old lady racked her brains.

What was her grandson’s name again… Oh right, Lewis Horton!!

 

 

 

The old lady began. “His name is Lewis… What’s his surname?” 

The name she had just recollected slipped out of her mind again.

The old woman was somewhat anxious. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, yet she couldn’t form the words.

“Take it easy, ma’am. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember,”

Keira consoled her before making a phone call.

Meanwhile, in a street a few blocks away.

Lewis was sitting in a Bentley. His face was gloomy and his underling, Tom Davis, was too scared to even breathe. “I’m sorry, sir. I failed you. I lost old Mrs. Horton!”

Lewis didn’t respond, and his chilling aura made Tom shudder in fear.

Old Mrs. Horton would often get lost in her thoughts. Who would’ve expected that she would suddenly snap back to lucidity and sneak out when the others were all distracted?

Having checked the security cameras, they found that she had taken a bus to the suburbs all by herself.

This area was a bit run down, and many of the streets didn’t have cameras installed, making a thorough search the only option.

Just then, the phone rang.

Lewis immediately answered it. A serene female voice came from the other end. “Hello, I have the old lady you’re looking for.”

“…”

The air in the car seemed to freeze in an instant, and the temperature felt a few degrees lower.

Everyone jumped into action. Some prepared to call the police, and Tom was tracking the source of the incoming call.

Lewis’s eyes were sharp, and his voice was steady. “How much money do you want?”

“Just kidding… ” The woman’s voice sounded a bit cheeky. “I just want to tell you to take better care of the elderly.”

Then, she shared her address and hung up.

Tom sighed in relief, patting his chest.

What a cheeky do-gooder this woman was!

Lewis squinted slightly.

He suddenly found the voice on the phone… oddly familiar?

Five minutes later, they arrived at the location, but the young woman who had made the call was nowhere to be found. Only a police officer was there with old Mrs. Horton.

Lewis asked, “Grandma, how did you end up here?”

Old Mrs. Horton replied mysteriously, “I came to see my granddaughter-in-law. She lives nearby!”

Lewis paused and sighed. “Grandma, there’s no granddaughter-in-law…”

“Impossible! I met her!” Old Mrs. Horton complained, “That heartless girl handed me over to the police and just left. Right, give me your phone.”

Lewis handed her his phone. The elderly lady immediately wrote down the number from his recent calls in her little notebook.

At last, she had her granddaughter-in-law’s contact information!

–

Keira was worried that once the elderly woman’s family members arrived, they’d be overly grateful to her.

She wasn’t good at handling this kind of situation.

So, when she noticed the police patrolling, she handed the old lady over to them and went straight home.

The next morning, she got a call from her university advisor. “Keira, come to the university now!”

Keira didn’t know what was going on, but she hopped on her e-bike and rushed to meet Professor Miller in his office. As she entered, she found Isla and Poppy there already.

Keira narrowed her eyes slightly.

Both she and Isla attended Oceanion University, which was the best university in town.

Isla got in with her excellent grades.

Keira, on the other hand, had just founded a company and couldn’t run it remotely. Moreover, she didn’t want to outshine Isla, so she deliberately kept her grades on the lower end and chose the least popular field of study—energy and power.

Unexpectedly, two years ago, the concept of “new energy” suddenly became a hot topic.

Isla immediately changed her field of study, and once again, they became classmates.

It was normal for Isla to be here, but why was Poppy here as well?

Just as she was wondering, Professor Miller’s serious voice interrupted her thoughts. “Keira, your qualifications for the recommendation for postgraduate study have been revoked.”

Keira was astonished. “Why?”

“Your mother says your conduct and background are inappropriate and not compatible with the requirements for advanced-level students,” Professor Miller frowned. “Is there a misunderstanding between your mother and you? You should apologize to her as soon as possible. You have a promising future and should not jeopardize it over trivial matters!”

Isla sighed when she heard this. “Professor Miller, I’m sure Keira’s mother has her best interests at heart.”

She looked at Keira. “You offended Mr. Horton, and he made it clear that he wants you to disappear from Oceanion.”

It took Keira a while to understand that by “Mr. Horton,” Isla was referring to Lewis Horton.

But all she did was talk to him briefly, and anyway, he didn’t seem angry when he left the day before. Was he that petty?

On the other hand, Isla was known to lie impassively…

As Keira was considering this, Isla walked up to her and said, “Keira, this is a plane ticket that our dad bought for you. He said you should go overseas to avoid trouble. If not, even the Olsen family wouldn’t be able to protect you.”

Keira’s eyes flashed with scorn.

How nice. “Avoid trouble.” The Olsen family was just afraid that she would get them in trouble!

She glanced at the destination on the ticket. It was Argentina.

The country furthest away from Crera.

How much were they hoping that she would never come back?

She pushed the ticket back and said coldly, “Don’t bother.”

Seeing her refusal, Isla took out a bank card and sounded quite sincere. “Are you worried about living abroad? Here’s 6,000 dollars. It’s for your living expenses, coming out of my own pocket. I only have this much in savings right now. Take it. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more after I get my allowance … ”

Miss Keira Olsen, a daughter of the prestigious Olsen family, only has 6,000 dollars?

Keira found this amusing.

But Poppy snatched the bank card from Isla’s hand. “Isla! What are you doing? The Olsen family is already merciful enough to buy her an air ticket!”

She looked at Keira and ordered, “You need to pack your things and leave the country right away. I’ve already worked on your university withdrawal.”

Keira looked at her. “Who gave you the right to make decisions for me?”

“Because I am your mother! Besides, with your academic performance, further study is just a waste of time; you might even struggle to graduate! It’s better to start working abroad and earn money sooner.”

Professor Miller immediately retorted, “Ma’am, you’ve been mistaken. Keira has a solid academic foundation during her time at the college… ”

His words were cut short by Poppy. “Professor, you don’t have to defend her. I know her better than anyone else. Isn’t she pursuing further postgraduate studies just because Isla is? Why doesn’t she get real and see who she is? How dare she compare herself with Isla?”

Her coarse words left Professor Miller speechless, and then he turned his surprised gaze to Isla. “You want to do postgraduate? I remember that you didn’t have a student recommendation and hadn’t participated in the postgraduate exam.”

Isla smiled slightly and said modestly, “Yes, I’m taking a special admission route.”

If a supervisor really appreciated a student, they were allowed to recommend them personally.

The prerequisite was that they had to be a renowned professor.

Professor Miller understood and immediately asked, “May I ask who is the professor recommending you?”

Isla assumed a humble demeanor. “It’s Dr. South. His research on hydrogen energy oil cleaner fuel was successful. He has applied for a patent and was awarded a doctorate.”

Keira looked at her in astonishment upon hearing this. “Who did you say?”

 

 

 

Dr. South? 

Keira thought, “Why didn’t I know that I was to recruit Isla?”

Professor Miller also exclaimed, “You know Dr. South?”

Isla gave a slight smile, “It’s such a coincidence. My mom helped Dr. South get through school back in the day, so after Dr. South succeeded, he found my family and said that my mom was his lifesaver. For the past few years, he has been providing technical support to our company. He wouldn’t refuse any of my requests.”

Keira raised her eyebrows slightly.

When she was young in the Olsen family, she relied on Mrs. Olsen’s care to grow up.

Therefore, after she had her own career, she contacted Mrs. Olsen under the name “Dr. South” and invented that story so that she could have a reason to repay Mrs. Olsen’s kindness.

For the past few years, she had been helping Mrs. Olsen’s companies with any technical issues for free.

But when did she become so compliant with Isla’s requests?

That was such an exaggeration.

However, Professor Miller believed Isla. “Where is Dr. South teaching now?”

Isla replied, “I promised the dean that I would invite Dr. South to teach at our university.”

“That’s great!” Professor Miller was overjoyed and looked at Keira. “Keira, your research direction is the same as Dr. South’s. When the time comes, I’ll introduce you to him. If Dr. South is willing to speak for you, there might still be hope for your postgraduate recommendation!”

Isla pretended to be worried. “Professor Miller, are you sure? The Horton family is the richest family in Oceanion, and they allocate a lot of research funds to our university every year…”

Professor Miller didn’t take this seriously. “Dr. South is in high demand now. I heard that foreign universities like Heddon University and Oxford have all sent him invitations, and many businesses want to invest in him. If Dr. South is willing to step up, the university will definitely choose Dr. South!”

Isla feigned a sigh. “But Dr. South is doing this for my mother’s sake. If it were for me, he would definitely help us, but Keira is my father’s illegitimate daughter and stands in opposition to my mom… Keira, should I ask Dr. South for you?”

Keira said, “Don’t bother.”

She found Isla like a clown.

Keira smiled slightly and said to Professor Miller, “Professor Miller, don’t bother. As you know, I never wanted to do postgraduate studies.”

Professor Miller was surprised, and he felt sorry for Keira.

He was the one who discovered Keira’s talent in the major, and with that, he insisted that she got a postgraduate recommendation. He didn’t expect things to reach this point.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “Then I’ll write you a job reference.”

Poppy sneered. “Don’t waste your efforts. She offended Mr. Horton, and she still wants to find a job in Oceanion? She must be dreaming.”

Professor Miller was indignant. “I don’t believe that anyone can really do whatever they want in Oceanion! If you really can’t find a job, come and be my teaching assistant! I’ll hire you!”

A warm feeling surged in Keira’s chest. She explained, “Professor, there’s just a misunderstanding between me and Mr. Horton. Everything will be fine after we clear that up. You don’t need to worry.”

Professor Miller sighed. “If you can clear up the misunderstanding, come back and be my student again.”

Keira looked at the ardent expectation on her teacher’s eyes and spoke softly, “Sure. I’ll come back.”

It would be nice to be a tutor at the University of Oceanion.

However, Isla clenched her fists.

She didn’t understand. She was an excellent student, but why did Professor Miller only value Keira, who was just an average student?!

Was this old man also mesmerized by Keira’s pretty face?

Isla was furious, but she glanced at Poppy, then suddenly said, “Keira, are you going to bother Mr. Horton again? He’s already married. It’s not right for you to do this…”

Poppy was indeed consumed by anger.

Smack!

The sound of a slap echoed in the office.

Keira’s cheek was stinging, she couldn’t believe that Poppy would suddenly slap her in front of Professor Miller!

Poppy showed no guilt at all. She pointed at Keira’s nose and cursed. “You ungrateful wretch! After a few years, I see you’ve forgotten the rules of the house! Apologize to your sister right now! Promise that you’ll never see the Hortons again!”

The warmth in Keira’s eyes slowly faded, leaving only coldness.

It seemed that Poppy didn’t take her seriously when she talked about “the last time” the other day. She still treated Keira as the ignorant girl who used to obey everything and respected Isla.

Keira thought, “If she can’t be reasoned with, don’t blame me for being ruthless…”

Isla was watching from the side, and a sense of satisfaction arose from the bottom of her heart.

When they were little, Keira would cringe in front of her. She never retaliated when scolded or fought back when beaten.

After Keira moved out, they met again in college. Keira still looked poor, but she was no longer obedient.

Isla thought, “It seems that she hasn’t been beaten for years and has forgotten her place!

Let Poppy teach her a lesson today.”

Isla was still thinking about this when she saw Keira slowly come over to her, presumably to apologize.

Isla smiled, but something unexpected happened at the next moment!

Keira suddenly raised her head and slapped each of Isla’s cheeks in turn.

Smack! Smack!

Isla was stunned and befuddled by the sudden assault.

Poppy yelled and rushed over. “Keira Olsen, how dare you!”

Keira suddenly turned around!

Her eyes were filled with a chilling look. She looked like a demon who had crawled up from hell, exuding an aura of bloodthirst!

Poppy was frightened by her demeanor and froze in shock. “What… what are you going to do? You ungrateful wretch, I’m your mother! Are you actually going to raise your hand against me? You unfilial beast!”

“You’re a heartless mother, so don’t blame me for being unfilial!”

Keira’s voice was cold, and she stressed each word. “Stop casting judgment on my life, otherwise whatever you do to me, I’ll make Isla suffer double the amount!”

She turned away from them and bowed deeply to Professor Miller. “Thank you for looking after me over these four years. I’ll be back.”

Having said this, she turned around without hesitation and left.

It wasn’t until Keira left the room that Poppy came back to her senses. She quickly rushed to Isla’s side. “Isla, are you okay? How dare that bitch hit you? That’s outrageous!”

Isla touched her swollen cheeks, her body trembling with anger, but she calmly asked, “Where did she get the courage to do this?”

Poppy was stunned, “Does Mr. Horton really take a liking to her? That’s impossible. She’s married. How can Mr. Horton like damaged goods…”

Isla felt the same.

But thinking about Keira’s enchantingly beautiful face, Isla suddenly felt unsure…

Professor Miller was shocked by everything that had happened.

He looked at Poppy incredulously. When he heard her foul language, he couldn’t help but wonder,

“Is she really Keira’s mother, not Isla’s?”

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but Professor Miller suddenly felt that the two women in front of him looked somewhat alike…

*

Just as Keira walked out of the school gate, Samuel called.

“Boss, I figured it out! I know why Lewis claimed to be married but doesn’t know who you are!”

 

 

 

The school entrance bustled with people, their faces full of life and vitality. 

Keira walked beside her electric scooter, her lonely presence standing out among the crowd.

She licked the swollen corner of her mouth with her tongue, her voice raspy. “Speak.”

“The Horton family appears prestigious, but their inner strife has been intense over the years. The old man favors the eldest son’s family, intending to hand over the family business to the first branch. As the youngest son, Lewis Horton has been constantly suppressed.

“A few years ago, the old man arranged several untrustworthy individuals for Lewis to marry. The conflict was heated to the breaking point, until Lewis announced he had married a woman from an ordinary family, stopping further marital arrangements.

“Well, his wife is quite interesting. She has never appeared in public or attended any Horton family banquets.

“So to sum it up, the truth is…”

Samuel intended to create suspense, but Keira had already come to a realization. “Understood. Have you found out his schedule and contact information yet?”

Samuel was taken aback and awkwardly said, “I’ll send you his schedule for the next few days, but I was unable to find his private number.”

Keira calmly replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll find him in person.”

It was normal not to be able to find the private number of someone with Lewis Horton’s status.

Samuel immediately became curious. “He’s usually surrounded by bodyguards and isn’t easy to get close to. Do you plan to use force or…”

“Let’s stay low-key for now.” Keira’s lips curled up into a mischievous smile. “Besides, I’m a woman. I can’t just force myself in.”

Samuel didn’t know what to say.

*

Horton Group Headquarters was located in the city center of Oceanion, a massive iconic skyscraper that showcased the extravagant wealth of the Horton family.

Keira tidied her courier uniform and walked in holding a delivery box, telling the receptionist, “This is a package for Mr. Horton. He must sign for it personally.”

The receptionist called the secretary’s office before granting her approval to go upstairs.

 

Keira decorated the place she rented in a neat and cozy way.