My Child and I Married a Billionaire

The two of them were plunged into darkness.

Rain hammered on the roof above. Under their feet was a bone-chilling, penetrating flood. Outside, the wind howled and animals shrieked. It felt as if every sound had been amplified several times over. Grandma King finally felt a surge of fear.

"My pig! Did the pigsty collapse? Why is it squealing so much? I have to go check on it!"

’Is she still thinking about her pig at a time like this? We need to save ourselves!’

Cecelia Archer bent down in front of Grandma King.

"The pigsty collapsed, and the pig is gone. I’ll have the company compensate you with two more later! If the house collapsed, we’ll build you a new one! Don’t worry about these material things. While we can still move, I’ll carry you to the village secretary’s house. If we wait, it’ll be too late!"

"But... but..."

"No more ’buts,’ Grandma. My daughter is only three years old. She can’t lose me. Let’s go, quickly!"

Grandma King finally climbed onto Cecelia Archer’s back.

Cecelia Archer stood behind the door, turning sideways as she told Grandma King to open it.

Even though they had prepared, pressing themselves as close to the wall as possible, a torrent of floodwater burst in the moment the door opened, sending them staggering.

Cecelia Archer fought to steady herself. She and Grandma King finally escaped the condemned house, but the situation outside was even worse.

The large raindrops, no longer held back by a roof, pelted down. They hammered relentlessly against her face, stinging her skin and forcing her eyes shut.

Inside the house, the water had only reached their calves, but the moment she stepped outside, it instantly rose to her waist.

If not for their combined weight, one on top of the other, the buoyancy of the water would have swept them off their feet.

The path ahead was pitch-black. She couldn’t see anything but the churning floodwaters. Cecelia’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.

But she desperately told herself not to panic. She was carrying another person’s life on her back. Candy and Annie were waiting for her at home, and Shane Grant was waiting for her at the hospital.

She couldn’t die here, no matter what.

"Grandma, I can’t see a thing, but I remember the general direction. I’m going to try to head for the secretary’s house now. If there are any potholes or anything on the path, you have to tell me. We’re going to be okay!"

"Okay, okay."

Cecelia Archer carefully felt her way forward while Grandma King gave directions. They finally made it out of the yard.

She had thought only Grandma King’s house was in such a dire state, but as soon as they left the yard, she heard screams and the shrieks of animals from all over the village.

It was just like the apocalypse depicted in disaster movies.

The village secretary’s house was on higher ground, with a small, steep slope in front of it. Halfway there, the water was already up to Cecelia’s chest. A wave of pessimism washed over her; she might not actually survive the night.

The water was this deep on flat ground; the slope ahead was probably a raging waterfall by now.

She was so tired she felt like she couldn’t take another step. She wouldn’t be able to carry Grandma King up that "waterfall" to save her life.

The moment a person loses hope, their strength evaporates.

Cecelia’s steps became unsteady and her breathing grew labored. Even Grandma King on her back could feel her exhaustion.

"Luna, are you out of strength? It’s been hard on you, carrying an old woman like me for so long when you’re so thin. You can put me down."

"No, Grandma. The water’s too deep."

"Just help me stand. If it really comes to it, just leave me here. I’ve lived a long life, more than long enough. You’re still young. You should go on your own."

Cecelia gritted her teeth and forced herself forward, trying to last for one more second, and then another.

"Don’t say things like that. I’m not leaving you behind. Maybe my colleagues are out looking for me. They might be waiting for us just up ahead."

She was just trying to psych herself up, but to her surprise, the words had barely left her mouth when she heard Lee’s familiar voice.

"President Linden? Is that you, President Linden?"

"Lee? It’s me! It’s me! Where are you?"

"I’m here! I’m over here! The rain is so heavy, we were worried something happened to you and Grandma King, so we all came out to find you. But the power’s out and we didn’t dare take out our phones, so we lost our way. I don’t even know where I ended up. Thank god I found you! Stay put and keep making noise, I’m coming to you!"

In that instant, tears of gratitude mixed with the rain and streamed down her face.

’Her colleagues were worried she was in trouble, so they all came out to find her?’

To be in someone’s thoughts at a time like this was incredibly moving.

Lee felt his way through the dark, finally reaching them and taking Grandma King just as Cecelia’s last ounce of strength gave out.

Without the added weight of Grandma King, Cecelia’s legs immediately grew unsteady, and she was about to lose her footing in the water. Lee freed a hand and grabbed her.

"I’m always telling you to eat more, but you never listen. Now you see how a little extra meat can save your life in a crisis, huh? Grab onto me."

With that, Lee shouted into the pitch-blackness ahead.

"Hey! Where are you guys? Where is everyone? President Linden is here! I found her! Get over here!"

Soon, someone responded from a short distance away. One by one, four or five people gathered around Cecelia.

They discussed what to do next.

"The secretary’s house is on higher ground, so it’s safe for now, but the roof tiles on the house we were staying in have all been blown away. If this rain keeps up, it’s only a matter of time before it floods. Besides, there’s no way we can climb that steep slope in front of it now. We can’t go back."

"Then where do we go?"

"Let’s go to the school. Thank god President Vaughn had it renovated. We can take shelter in a classroom on the second floor. There’s no better place in the village."

Shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, they tested each step. After what felt like an eternity, they finally saw the school’s main gate.

They waded through the first floor and climbed to the second. Out of the wind and rain, with no more floodwater at their feet, everyone’s strength gave out at once. They all collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion.

"What the hell is this? Why is it suddenly raining so hard? Is this storm trying to kill us?"

"It’s probably a typhoon. It’s not going to stop anytime soon! Fuck!"

"I’m freezing to death. Don’t tell me we have to spend the night in these wet clothes? Shit, are we even going to be alive tomorrow?"

"Grandma King? Grandma King?"

Grandma King was old, after all. Though she hadn’t exerted herself, she had been battered by the wind and rain and terrified by the ordeal. The moment she relaxed, she suddenly began to convulse.

Cecelia didn’t have time to rest. She quickly laid the old woman flat and began performing chest compressions.

The others lost their mood for complaining and watched her nervously.

"Grandma King’s going to be okay, right?"

"It’s hard to say. She’s too cold."

Grandma King’s body felt frigid to the touch, and Cecelia’s own hands were so stiff they were going numb.

She scanned the classroom and, left with no other choice, gave an order.

"Does anyone have a lighter? If we don’t get warm and dry our clothes soon, it won’t just be Grandma King—none of us will make it through the night. Let’s break up these desks and chairs for firewood."

The rain had been relentless, and they had waded through water for who knows how long. How could any of them have a working lighter?

One by one, they grew so dejected they wanted to slam their fists on the floor.

"We don’t have any, that’s the problem! Even if we did, they’d be useless after being soaked in water for so long. This damn weather!"

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