Taming My Ruthless Billionaire Brother

Liora was busy at the hospital attending to various patients, a lot of patients, nurses, and doctors admired her so well because of her dedication and hard work as well.

Many also envied her marriage with Leanders Abernathy, a famous painter, she was living the dream of every lady.

She was exhausted so she returned to her office to get a break. She misses her husband so much, and not hearing from him makes her feel incomplete.

She brought out her phone and saw his message that read, "Hi love, what should we have for lunch?”

She was about to reply to his text when a call came in, she answered the call and immediately her countenance changed into sadness. The phone fell off her hands as a result of shock and she passed out.

Still in her unconscious state, she remembered how they first met.

Leander met Liora at the school's art exhibition hall.

She had stood in front of this oil painting, holding a transparent glass bottle in her hand.

"Whoever painted this is the real deal!” She said mentally.

"Don't tell me you are loving this piece of art or the person behind it?” Her classmate inquired from her but she didn't listen, she just nodded to whatever they said.

"No way, that means you are so interested in Leander's painting?” Her blonde classmate inquired.

"It's beautiful!!”

She was so carried away with the masterpiece and didn't know the time Leander stood beside her wearing a subtle smile, with raised eyebrows and gentle eyes.

Leander thought she was also an artist because of her demeanor. However, the next time he saw her, she was wearing a white coat coming out of the laboratory in the drizzling rain without an umbrella, and going to the supermarket to buy bread and milk.

"I'm glad I listened to the weather forecast news today, now my umbrella will serve its purpose in helping a lady in distress!” Leander said to himself as he approached Liora.

He held the umbrella over her head, Liora, with a straw in her mouth and cheeks puffed out, turned to look at him.

She was sleepy, her eyelids drooping with some raindrops on her eyelashes. Perhaps the sudden appearance of a stranger made her somewhat alert. She took a closer look at Leander, and the drizzle fell on his shoulder. He remained motionless, just tilting the umbrella above her head.

New junior students often came into the lab. She thought Leander was also new and thanked him, “Thank you, Junior.”

Leander smiled and handed her the umbrella, saying, “I'm Leander Abernathy.”

"Oh mine, silly me, I am so sorry, I thought you were a junior here.“

"It's okay, I have been called so many names but a junior, that's new.” He teases and lets out a smile.

"You are so funny, well my name is Liora, a pharmaceuticals.“

"Are you serious right now?“

"Why? Are you doubting me?”

"I guess I also mistook you to be an artist like me, remember the other day at the art exhibition, you were so focused on one of my works!“

"OMG, you are the brain behind it, wow, I have a lot of questions to ask about it!” The conversation grew between them and at that time, no one ever thought they would fall in love and eventually get married.

Liora finally woke up and rushed to the hospital, she saw her mother-in-law who called her earlier in tears, she hoped it was not what she was thinking.

"Mom!!” She called in tears.

"Liora, you are here!!” She hugged her.

"Where is my husband? He is going to be fine right?”

"A moving truck hit him at the spot he was standing, luckily he survived but the pregnant lady beside him died at the spot!”.

"Oh no!!”

"But I don't know if Leander will survive this, I am so scared to lose him, I want to take his pain as his mother but I feel so helpless!!” She broke down in tears and her eyes got swollen.

"What did the doctor say, Mom, please tell me!!” She kept asking because she was scared of hearing the news that might end her in sorrow.

"He has a high-level spinal cord injury!!”

"No!! Not my husband!! This can't be!!!” She fell to the ground and burst into tears.

Liora's husband ended up with a high-level spinal cord injury. He could only move his neck and nothing else. When Leander woke up, he couldn't even speak. He spent two full weeks in the intensive care unit. The first thing he said when he spoke was to tell Liora that he wanted a divorce.

Liora disagreed, but she remained silent, tears streaming down her face.

Leander was a spoiled boy. He came from a wealthy family, was handsome and cheerful, and had a talent for painting. No matter how you looked at it, his future was bright. Who would have thought that fate would play such a cruel joke on him?

He might have to spend his whole life lying in that hospital bed, unable to live like a normal person, unable to pick up a paintbrush, or even wipe away the tears from his wife's face.A

*

Liora looked so pale and lean, that she barely ate or slept, she stared at her husband's portrait everytime with tears in her eyes.

She still remembers their wedding day when Leander vowed never to leave her, regardless of life, old age, sickness, or death. But now, he was about to break that promise and betray her.

"You promised Leander, I know you to be someone that keeps his words, tell me why can't you keep your words now? I miss everything about you!” She broke down the more thinking about him, he wasn't getting better.

She received a call from her parents to come to the house for dinner, she was about to decline but she thought of her mother Calista, and she decided to go.

The driver was ready and she was driven to her parent's home.

They invited her to have lunch with them but she refused, "My little pumpkin you are too young to be going through this stress.”

"My husband is not a stress to me Mom!” She corrected her mother.

"Okay fine, since you can't tell her I will.” her dad interfered.

"Listen, child, I know you love him so much but right now love is not enough, Leander is in a vegetative state and who knows he might die very soon, you are too young to waste your life on someone who might never get better, divorce him and get a new life.”

She got angry at her family, "I will never leave my husband, I will keep my married vow to him, in sickness or health.”

"I understand my little pumpkin, but look at things the other way round!”

"Mom, Dad, thanks for your concern this conversation is over, I am going to watch over my husband now so my mother-in-law can get some rest.” she walked away with tears flowing down her eyes, she never expected her family to lose hope but she told herself she is not giving up.

"Liora we love you and we are saying this for your good!” Her mom yelled but she gave deaf ears.

She remembered what the doctor said to her, "Your husband's chance of survival is low if you are lucky a miracle could happen but if you are not, you are going to decide if we should give him a painless death or leave him in his vegetable state full of pain!!”

A Few Weeks Later.

Liora wiped off the lipstick from her lips and looked into the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was only twenty-seven years old, but her face was pale and sickly.

She looked at her reflection expressionlessly, picked up a pink lipstick to apply it to her lips, and then didn’t glance at the mirror again. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs.

On the second floor leading to the first floor, the back wall was filled with oil paintings, most of which were painted by Leander. There were vibrant flower seas, colorful bird flocks against a bright blue sky, and receding crimson sea reefs.

At the very end, there was a painting inspired by the Hungarian painter Mihaly Von Zichy’s work “Romantic Encounter.” In the painting, a demon killed the bridegroom on the bride’s wedding night and kissed her with lips covered in venom, causing her to die and ascend to heaven.

Liora didn’t like the story of this painting, but Leander did. He said love