Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

The rehearsal hadn’t even started, and Iris Warner was already working her to death.

Iris Warner may have been arrogant, but she was a true professional when it came to her work.

Once she changed into her outfit and put on the jewelry, she was absolutely dazzling under the spotlights, instantly outshining the other models.

There were two rehearsals in total. As soon as the first one ended, Iris Warner had an assistant help her off the stage and into the dressing room.

After sitting down, she saw Georgia Thorne standing idly to the side and shot her a glare. "Well? What are you just standing there for?"

Georgia Thorne stared at her, completely baffled. Seeing Iris raise her hand in a fury, another assistant quickly mouthed to her, "Water! Get her some water!"

Once Georgia understood, she frantically grabbed a nearby water bottle. "Miss Warner, your water."

Iris Warner didn’t take it, just stared at her. "Aren’t you going to open it for me?"

Georgia did as she was told, twisting the cap off before handing her the bottle. Iris flared up again. "You’re just going to give it to me like that? Do you even know how to be an assistant?!"

Georgia was baffled by the scolding. The other assistant whispered, "Hurry, get a straw."

’A straw? Where am I supposed to find a straw around here?’

"Miss Warner, please wait a moment." Georgia rushed out, found the nearest bubble tea shop, and asked for a straw.

As she pushed the door open, she heard Iris Warner’s cloyingly sweet voice. "Mr. Irving, I was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me!"

Georgia Thorne and Erin Irving had barely interacted. You couldn’t even count the number of words they’d exchanged on two hands.

Georgia walked in calmly, stuck the straw into the mineral water bottle, and said in a neutral tone, "Miss Warner, your water."

’Her tone was hardly friendly; she just wanted to get away from them and leave this place as quickly as possible.’

With Erin Irving present, Iris Warner didn’t dare act out. She gave Georgia a radiant smile and said, "Thank you."

’She wanted to appear gentle and magnanimous in front of Mr. Irving.’

Georgia said nothing. After delivering the water, she turned and walked out without a backward glance.

This suited Iris Warner just fine. She turned and glanced at her other assistant, signaling for her to leave as well.

The assistant had been with Iris for over six months. She knew how to read the room and that it was best not to interfere in matters between these two. She left without a word, closing the door behind her.

Now, only Iris Warner and Erin Irving were left in the dressing room.

Iris deliberately tugged at her collar, revealing her delicate, pale collarbones as she pressed herself against him. "I thought you weren’t going to make it."

Erin Irving’s gaze was distant, his mind still on Georgia Thorne. ’This woman, acting like she doesn’t know me... Has she really forgotten me, or is she just pretending?’

When he didn’t react, Iris grew bolder, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing softly as she leaned in.

’She had wanted this man for a very, very long time.’

The hot breath on his neck snapped Erin Irving back to his senses. He looked down at Iris in his arms, a flicker of disgust in his eyes that he quickly masked with his usual gentle smile before she could notice.

His slender fingers slowly tilted her exquisite face upward as he spoke in a low voice, "Who was that, the one who brought you water?"

As he spoke, he discreetly removed her hands from his neck.

The radiant smile on her face froze. Iris grew wary. ’What does a girl who fetches water have to do with Erin Irving?’

Iris’s smile returned. "I’m not sure. Probably just one of the event staff."

Erin Irving hummed noncommittally, seeming to lose interest.

Iris watched him carefully for a moment. ’He doesn’t seem interested in that woman.’ Only then did she relax.

Her slender fingers kneaded his shoulder. "You haven’t come to see me in ages. I was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me!"

Her coquettish voice purred in his ear. Erin Irving smiled, his expression gentle and refined. "How could I?"

Seeing he was willing to engage, the smile on Iris’s face softened. She gathered her courage to move closer again, but just as she leaned in, Erin stood up, making her lunge at empty air.

"I have some things to attend to outside. I’m going to step out."

"Alright!"

Iris didn’t try to stop him, simply letting him go.

The moment his back was out the door, her smile vanished. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

’She had no idea what was going through that man’s head!’

’He was the one who approached me first, so why does it feel like I’m the one throwing myself at him?’

She looked at the bottle of mineral water and, in a fit of anger, swept it to the floor. The clear water splashed onto the carpet, turning the already red fabric a deeper shade of crimson.

Iris walked over to the mirror and ran a hand through her hair. She smiled beautifully at her reflection, fully confident in her looks and figure.

’Making Erin Irving hers was only a matter of time.’

After leaving the room, Georgia was immediately roped in by a coworker to help move several large boxes to the warehouse out back.

Georgia agreed and immediately started helping.

She must have had terrible luck today. She had just managed to avoid Erin Irving, only to run right into him.

Georgia was carrying a large box by herself. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but just as she set it down, a familiar figure appeared before her.

This was a warehouse in the very back of the venue. Besides staff members like her, almost no one ever came here.

’As for when he had arrived, or if he had followed her all this way, she had no idea.’

He was still the same man, as high and mighty as ever, his sharp brows knitted. He looked a little older.

Georgia fell silent. Pretending she hadn’t seen him, she turned to walk away.

She had only taken two steps before the man caught up to her.

A long, slender arm appeared in her line of sight, blocking her path. She turned, her gaze falling to the back of his hand.

A long scar snaked across his hand. It started faintly over the web of his thumb and snaked up his arm, disappearing into his black sleeve.

Her eyelashes trembled as she lowered her gaze. She heard him speak, his voice hesitant. "I haven’t seen you in a few days. Are you... are you doing okay?"

His voice was so hoarse it sounded as if it had been scraped with sandpaper, and it was painful to hear.

’How many days had it been since they’d last seen each other?’

Georgia couldn’t remember either. After she had said her piece at the hospital that day, he had left in silence, and they hadn’t seen each other since.

’She suspected Elliot Sheridan must be sick; otherwise, how could he not even know how many days it had been? Wait, when was I discharged from the hospital?’

’I must be sick, too!’

Georgia sidestepped him. "Excuse me, Mr. Sheridan. You’re interrupting my work."

’She didn’t want to get entangled with him here. She was afraid she’d be the one who couldn’t break free.’

"Georgia, I know I was wrong about the baby. Please, don’t be angry anymore, okay?" For the first time, Elliot Sheridan felt utterly powerless.

When he faced Georgia, he was consumed by guilt. He didn’t even dare to meet her gaze, afraid to see the profound disappointment and hatred in her eyes.

It wasn’t just anything. It was their child. A child they’d had together.

At the mention of the baby, Georgia’s eyes instantly welled with tears, blurring her vision as she looked at him. "Mr. Sheridan, how could I possibly be angry at you?"

Her choice of words was deliberate—not a fearful "how would I dare," but a detached "how could I." Even her tone had become painfully distant.

Elliot suddenly felt that coming all this way to find her had been completely in vain.

’He knew exactly what she was like, yet he still wasn’t willing to give up. He just couldn’t accept it.’

"I’m sorry." The words, heavy with sorrow and carried on a mournful sigh, hammered against Georgia’s heart.

Georgia tore her gaze away and fled.

’She didn’t want to see him, yet he had come in person, and at a time like this.’

Georgia walked back to the exhibition hall in a daze, where she saw a few more boxes still on the floor.

The thought that he might still be in the warehouse made her refuse to go back there for any reason. She pawned the remaining task off on someone else and instead busied herself running back and forth around the main hall.

’She didn’t even know why she was running around like this, breaking down simple tasks like fetching water into several trips. She just had to keep busy, to force him from her thoughts.’

While Georgia kept herself busy, the rest of the venue was thrown into a flurry by Erin Irving’s arrival.

Erin Irving was the primary investor, and Seth Shields followed close behind, explaining the event’s proceedings.

Little did Seth know, as Erin Irving listened, his gaze was fixed on the bustling figure of Georgia Thorne.

The corners of his lips curved into a smile. ’Such a petite girl, but she’s quite strong. Everyone else is slacking off, but she’s the only one actually working.’

’Is she a little too dedicated?’

Seth Shields didn’t notice where Erin’s gaze was directed. When he saw the smile, he simply assumed Mr. Irving was pleased with the event’s arrangements and breathed an inward sigh of relief.

Georgia couldn’t get even a moment’s rest until the rehearsal finally began.

Even then, she was only resting on her feet. Her legs were sore and numb, her dizziness was returning, and her body felt completely overdrawn.

The multicolored spotlights flared to life, focusing on the models on the runway. The jewelry on their necks and wrists glittered brilliantly. The final model to walk, the star of the show, was Iris Warner.

Iris Warner’s stage presence was undeniable; the moment she appeared, she outshone everyone. A dazzling diamond necklace rested above the neckline of her strapless, lake-blue top. She was stunning.

Georgia glanced once before lowering her head, her attention clearly not on the woman on stage.

She kept shifting her weight from one leg to the other, trying to relieve the soreness and numbness.

Erin Irving turned his head and happened to see her shifting her weight to rest her legs. He leaned over and said a few words to his assistant.

The assistant, though surprised, said nothing and promptly brought a chair over.

Georgia was still standing when she saw someone carrying a chair toward her. "Miss Thorne, please, have a seat."

Georgia recognized him. He was the man who had stopped her car to give her a business card—one of Erin Irving’s men.

All the event staff were standing; the only people seated were the VIPs like Erin Irving and Seth Shields.

Georgia looked questioningly toward Erin Irving. He was looking right back at her, the corners of his lips quirked into a faint, gentlemanly smile.

Georgia’s brow furrowed even more deeply. ’What is he trying to do?’

She looked away from him and back to his assistant, her voice cold. "Thank you, but I’m fine standing."

’With so many people around, if I’m the only staff member sitting, those rumors will probably be cemented as fact immediately.’