Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

On camera, Meghan Everett wailed, heartbroken over her son’s untimely death. Zachary Lennox’s eyes were also red. He never imagined he would have to bury his own son.

To be fair, Nancy Hughes had harbored a secret crush on Zane Lennox for three years.

Even though she had moved on, she couldn’t remain unaffected by his death.

She spent the afternoon burying herself in work, trying not to think.

That evening, she finally called Georgia Thorne.

Nancy’s three-year crush had been unrequited, but Georgia had actually been on the verge of marrying him. It was different.

After Georgia Thorne acknowledged her with a hum, Nancy Hughes breathed a sigh of relief and offered some comfort. "Try not to be too heartbroken. The dead can’t be brought back. I’m sorry for your loss."

"I’m just focused on some things I need to find out," Georgia Thorne said suddenly. Nancy Hughes asked, "What do you want to find out?"

’My mind is filled with so many questions. I had hoped Zane could give me the answers.’

’Now that Zane is dead, the person who could give me those answers is gone. I can only bury these questions deep inside.’

Just then, Elliot Sheridan spoke up. "It’s time for dinner."

Nancy Hughes, on the other end of the line, recognized Elliot Sheridan’s voice. "All right, I won’t keep you two."

The call ended. Elliot Sheridan held up a bowl and brought a spoonful of food to Georgia Thorne’s lips.

The gentler Elliot Sheridan was, the more frightened Georgia Thorne became.

She sat up straight and snatched the spoon from his hand. "I’ll do it myself."

Elliot didn’t insist. He handed her the bowl. "There’s more if this isn’t enough."

Georgia Thorne ate in silence, her head lowered. The gaze from above felt too piercing.

Georgia Thorne didn’t have much of an appetite and ate very little.

After eating about a third of the food in her bowl, she stopped.

"Why are you eating so little?"

Georgia Thorne set the bowl aside. "I’m full."

"Eat a little more. You’ll get hungry later tonight."

"I won’t!"

Georgia Thorne refused curtly and burrowed back under the covers.

She was lashing out.

"Well, if you get hungry later, I’ll heat it up for you," Elliot Sheridan said, taking the bowl as he walked out.

That night, Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan did not sleep in the same bed.

Elliot hadn’t gone to the office that day, so a mountain of work had piled up. He spent the entire night working in the study.

Georgia and Elliot’s relationship wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.

For the past two days, Elliot hadn’t left the house. He’d moved all his work home and spent his days cooped up in the study.

When they ran into each other in the house, they would just exchange a glance and move on, each lost in their own thoughts.

When she couldn’t sleep, Georgia liked to draw and sketch, but she remembered her art supplies were in the study.

And he was occupying the study now.

Georgia paced her room in frustration. She didn’t understand why things between them had become so tense.

’None of this should have had anything to do with me.’

Georgia’s mental state was deteriorating. She had no desire to eat.

On the third night of Elliot sleeping in the study, they sat down to have dinner together.

This was their first meal together since the incident with Naomi Shaw.

Even though they were both at home, their mealtimes never seemed to align.

That evening, the housekeeper had intentionally cooked a large meal.

"Sir, Madam, please enjoy your dinner." The housekeeper took off her apron and left, giving the two of them some private space to talk.

Even an outsider could see something was wrong between them, to say nothing of the two people involved.

It seemed as if Elliot had deliberately waited to have dinner with Georgia.

The food was delicious, but Georgia had no appetite. She put down her chopsticks after only a few bites.

Elliot frowned, unhappy that she had eaten so little. ’No wonder she’s getting so thin.’

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down into her chair.

As he often did, he picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. "Finish this, then you can go."

Georgia Thorne’s delicate brows knitted together, a fire igniting within her. "I don’t want to eat."

"If you don’t eat, you’re not going to Zane Lennox’s funeral tomorrow!" Elliot slammed his chopsticks down with a sharp CLACK.

This was the first time they had spoken of Zane Lennox since his death.

"What gives you the right to stop me!"

"The right of a husband!"

"You can’t..."

"Just watch me!" For a moment, his icy eyes filled with a rage that flared up uncontrollably as he spoke.

Georgia was speechless.

She knew he was capable of it.

"Be a good girl. Finish this, and I’ll let you go."

Realizing his tone had been too harsh, Elliot softened. "You’ve lost weight. You need to eat more."

Georgia’s eyes instantly welled up. She stared at him. "The night of Zane’s... accident. Can you tell me where you were?"

"...At the office," Elliot answered after a brief hesitation.

"Okay. I believe you." Georgia sat back down, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and quickly finished her food.

Soon, the bowl was empty. She set down her chopsticks. "I’m going to Zane Lennox’s funeral tomorrow."

Georgia returned to the bedroom without turning on the lights. She felt her way to the bed, got in, and sat up under the covers.

’He’s lying. He didn’t tell me the truth.’

’How could the office smell like the sea?’

Georgia tossed and turned, unable to sleep. For two nights she hadn’t slept deeply, afraid that if she let her guard down, she would dream of Zane.

She rolled over again and picked up her phone from the bedside table.

It was past midnight. In just a few hours, Zane would be prepared for burial.

She felt thirsty and decided to go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

As she passed the study, her eyes were drawn to the door. ’He’s been sleeping in there for two nights. I wonder if he’s getting any rest.’

The study door was shut. Georgia stood before it, hesitating.

’Just one peek,’ she told herself. ’Then I’ll go right back to my room.’

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she heard a voice from inside. "Are you sure Zane Lennox is dead?"

Her hand flew back as if she’d been shocked. She stumbled backward in a panic, a terrible premonition washing over her.

Afraid Elliot would discover her, she rushed back to the bedroom.

’The last time I spoke to Zane on the phone, I heard someone in the background call out for President Sheridan. I suspected it was Elliot then.’

’He smelled of the damp sea air, like he’d just come from the coast. And Zane just happened to have drowned in the sea...’

’How could it be such a coincidence!’

Georgia didn’t sleep a wink. The next morning, she ran right into Elliot.

He was wearing dark blue loungewear, and his face was etched with fatigue, as if he hadn’t rested well.

The moment their eyes met, she remembered what she had overheard the previous night. A shiver went down her spine, and she quickly looked away.

She grabbed her bag and rushed out the door without even eating breakfast.

The door slammed shut with a BANG. Elliot stared at the empty doorway, an unpleasant feeling stirring within him.

Her departure felt more like an escape.

Zane Lennox’s funeral was scheduled to begin at nine o’clock that morning.

The sky was hazy and overcast.

Many people attended Zane Lennox’s funeral: relatives of the Lennox family, business associates, and his former classmates.

Georgia Thorne stood with Nancy Hughes; they had come as his former classmates.

Georgia made no attempt to hide, and many of the mourners recognized her.

They pointed and whispered behind her back.

Nancy tugged on Georgia’s arm and murmured in her ear, "I told you you shouldn’t have come!"

Georgia glanced over her shoulder, and the gossiping crowd fell silent.

"Let them talk," she said, unconcerned.

Nancy sighed. Unable to change her mind, she simply stood beside her.

Zachary Lennox was in poor health to begin with, and the shock of losing his son had caused a relapse that landed him in the hospital.

He had only just started to recover before rushing to attend the funeral.

Zachary Lennox sat in a wheelchair, nodding at the mourners. At his side, Meghan Everett wept into a handkerchief.

When it was Georgia’s turn, Zachary Lennox grew agitated. "Get out! Get the hell out of here!"

"Mr. Lennox, please calm down. Think of your health." Georgia placed the flowers she was holding in front of Zane’s tombstone and moved to console him.

Zachary Lennox’s eyes bulged with fury. He slapped her hand away and threw the flowers she’d brought to the ground. "Get out! My son doesn’t need your condolences!"

"Mr. Lennox!" Georgia cried out, which only provoked a more violent reaction from him. "Get away from me! My son died because of you! You’re a murderer! You have no right to be here! Get out!"

Zachary Lennox was overly agitated. Meghan Everett frantically tried to calm him. "Darling, please don’t get so upset." She then looked up at Georgia. "Miss Thorne, perhaps it’s best if you leave."

Her tone was almost a plea, leaving Georgia no choice but to turn and leave.

Nancy was also tugging at her arm. "Georgia, we should go."

Georgia bowed slightly. "I’ll take my leave, then."

With a heavy heart, she left with Nancy.

As she walked away, she could see Meghan Everett kneeling to soothe Zachary Lennox, urging him to calm down.

Georgia didn’t go far. Instead, she found a place out of Zachary Lennox’s line of sight to wait for the funeral to conclude.

Nancy sighed. "They literally told you to get lost. I really don’t understand why you’re still here."

The commotion Georgia had caused was like a stone tossed into a lake; it created a few ripples, but the surface quickly grew calm again, and the incident was forgotten.

There were many guests paying their respects, and among them was Elliot Sheridan.

Nancy was shocked to see Elliot. "Wow, I didn’t expect your husband to be so big-hearted, coming to his rival’s funeral. Georgia, does this mean you’ll have to leave with him later?"

Georgia stared silently ahead. Elliot’s expression was grave. He scanned the crowd, and his eyes finally landed on her.

’He saw me.’

She met his gaze evenly, neither flinching nor looking away.

The funeral was still going at noon when a light rain began to fall, blanketing the world in a hazy drizzle.

Many guests had already paid their respects and left, but Georgia remained.

She stood at the back of the crowd the entire time. "We should go, too," Nancy said urgently. "It looks like this rain is going to get worse."

"Just a little longer." The funeral wasn’t over, and Georgia stubbornly refused to budge.

"Okay, I’ll go get an umbrella from the car. Don’t you move from this spot!"

Nancy dashed off toward the parking lot.