Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

Her face burned again under his gaze. Georgia Thorne bit her lip and nodded emphatically.

Knowing her personality, Elliot Sheridan had a feeling Georgia Thorne remembered that night all too well. Fleeing in a panic was definitely her style.

"Have you forgotten? We’re a legally married couple!"

"..."

When it came to dealing with Elliot Sheridan, Georgia Thorne was always awkward.

After lunch, Chloe Gardner asked her to take Elliot Sheridan for a walk around town.

Georgia Thorne’s gaze turned to Elliot Sheridan. He put down his chopsticks and said, "Sure!"

And so, after lunch, Georgia Thorne took Elliot Sheridan for a stroll around town.

It couldn’t compare to the hustle and bustle of a big city, but the town had its own lively charm.

They walked and browsed the small shops lining the road, and before they knew it, dusk had fallen.

Perhaps because it was a Friday, more and more tourists had come to visit, and the narrow little bluestone path was packed with people.

There were several times more people than when they had arrived.

The path was crowded with pedestrians. Elliot Sheridan suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a protective embrace. "It’s crowded here, don’t bump into anyone!"

"Oh."

’In every way, Elliot Sheridan was a perfect boyfriend and a perfect husband. What more could I ask for?’

Georgia Thorne held the cotton candy in her hand. She had only given it a passing glance, but he had thought she wanted it and stood in line to buy it for her.

’Besides, he’d come all the way from Portmire after me.’

For dinner, the two of them ate at a local restaurant in town.

The restaurant was small and packed with customers. They had to wait in line for a long time before they got a table.

The waiter enthusiastically recommended the local specialties, and Georgia Thorne casually ordered a few.

Elliot Sheridan, however, was quite generous and asked the waiter to bring one of every specialty they had.

Georgia Thorne didn’t have a big appetite, but not wanting to be wasteful, she ate a little more than usual.

After eating, the two of them walked back.

By the time they got back to the house, it was already past nine o’clock.

"Why don’t you find a hotel to stay in for the night?"

Elliot Sheridan’s face darkened. "You’re not coming with me?"

Georgia Thorne was staying at Chloe Gardner’s house, and Elliot Sheridan refused to leave.

Miss Gardner always went to bed early, so the house was completely dark.

Georgia Thorne quietly pulled Elliot Sheridan by the hand into Hannah Gardner’s room. "Keep your voice down!"

’Watching Georgia tiptoeing like that, are we supposed to be burglars or something?’

They successfully entered Hannah Gardner’s room. Just as they were about to turn on the light, they were startled by Hannah Gardner, who had jumped up from the bed.

"Ms. Thorne, you’re finally back!"

Visibly startled, Georgia Thorne stumbled back a step into Elliot Sheridan’s chest. She clutched her wildly beating heart. "What are you doing sleeping in here!"

Seeing the child suddenly pop up from the bed, Elliot Sheridan’s expression soured even more.

"Ms. Thorne, my mommy said you weren’t coming back tonight, but I didn’t believe her, so I waited for you!" the little girl said smugly. "My mommy was wrong, Ms. Thorne, you came back!"

"But, Ms. Thorne, who’s the man behind you?" Hannah Gardner looked at Elliot Sheridan, her face full of curiosity.

"Before you ask about others, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?"

"Oh, my name is Hannah Gardner. What’s your name, mister?"

"..."

Elliot Sheridan didn’t much like Hannah Gardner. Mainly because this kid was sleeping in Georgia Thorne’s bed. ’If I wasn’t here tonight, would the two of them have slept in the same bed?’

Georgia Thorne had always been good with children. She went forward to cover her with the blanket. "Get back under the covers quickly, or you’ll catch a cold tomorrow."

Hannah Gardner was still curious about Elliot Sheridan’s identity. "Ms. Thorne, is this man your husband?"

Kids these days were so sharp. Georgia Thorne nodded in confirmation.

The bed was small to begin with. It was more than enough for Georgia Thorne and Hannah Gardner, but adding Elliot Sheridan would make it too crowded.

There was no way Elliot Sheridan was leaving to get a hotel room tonight, not unless Georgia Thorne went with him.

That left only one option.

Elliot Sheridan walked to Chloe Gardner’s room, knocked politely, and asked Chloe to come take her child.

Chloe Gardner, dressed in her pajamas, said, "I thought you two weren’t coming back tonight!"

"Chloe, can’t I sleep with Ms. Thorne?" Hannah Gardner asked as Chloe Gardner picked her up and started to carry her out.

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because Ms. Thorne has a husband now, there’s no room for a third wheel like you!" Chloe Gardner replied perfunctorily.

Hannah Gardner was an understanding child. She just said, "Oh," and followed her mother into her room.

The only ones left in the room were Georgia Thorne and Elliot Sheridan.

She looked at Elliot Sheridan. "Why don’t you go take a shower first?"

"I didn’t bring a change of clothes."

"Why don’t you wear mine for now?" Georgia Thorne turned around hastily, pulling a set of her own pajamas from her suitcase. "Go shower and change. I’ll wash your clothes for you. They should be dry by tomorrow!"

The bathroom facilities were simple. Georgia Thorne took the clothes he’d taken off and started washing them in a basin.

His clothes were all high-end, so they couldn’t be put in a washing machine; they had to be hand-washed.

She poured in some hot water and began to scrub the clothes bit by bit.

He changed his clothes daily, so they weren’t very dirty. She just gave them a quick scrub and rinsed them twice.

After wringing them out, she hung them up in the hallway.

When Elliot Sheridan finished his shower, he came out wearing Georgia Thorne’s pajamas.

He was all long limbs, and Georgia Thorne’s clothes looked short and terribly ill-fitting on him.

"Get back in the room, it’s too cold out here!" Georgia Thorne urged, pushing him toward the room. Elliot Sheridan grabbed her hand in return. "What about you?"

"I haven’t showered yet!"

Since she had given her pajamas to Elliot Sheridan, Georgia Thorne just put her own clothes back on after her shower and returned to the room.

This wasn’t the first time they had shared a bed.

Georgia Thorne was a bit hesitant at first, but after a prompt from Elliot Sheridan, she slowly climbed into bed.

’In any case, even if I didn’t get into bed willingly, I have a feeling a certain someone would have found a way to make me.’

The weather outside was cold, and Georgia Thorne was still chilly from her shower.

Elliot Sheridan had already warmed up the bed. As soon as Georgia Thorne slipped under the covers, she was enveloped in a cozy warmth.

"Why are you so cold?" Elliot Sheridan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, his hand sliding down her arm to clasp hers.

Her hands were especially icy.

Elliot Sheridan held her tighter. "Still cold?"

"I’m okay!"

About half an hour later, neither of them had fallen asleep.

Georgia Thorne shifted. She was starting to feel a little hot.

Bright moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the floor in a silver glow and chasing away the darkness.

"Georgia, have you thought about what I asked you last time?" Elliot Sheridan couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t the least bit drowsy, and he knew the woman in his arms wasn’t asleep either.

"What?"

"About us getting back together," Elliot Sheridan said, his voice dry and raspy.

The last time he’d brought it up, Georgia Thorne hadn’t given him an answer on the spot, and then he had to leave on a business trip.

When they met again, she didn’t object to him introducing himself as her husband, so he thought she had agreed to reconcile.

But things took a dramatic turn. Her hasty escape that morning made him doubt that conclusion.

Georgia Thorne turned over to face Elliot Sheridan. Her face was reflected in his dark, shining eyes.

"Elliot, you’ll be good to me, right?"

"Of course!" ’Who else would I be good to, if not her?’

Hearing this answer, Georgia Thorne smiled with satisfaction. "Good night!"

Good night?

"That’s it?" Elliot Sheridan was far from satisfied with this answer, but he saw that Georgia Thorne had already closed her eyes to sleep.

’After all her hesitation, does this mean she agrees, or not?’

"Georgia?" Elliot Sheridan whispered her name in her ear, but Georgia Thorne didn’t make a sound, pretending to be asleep.

Georgia Thorne slept soundly through the night, while Elliot Sheridan tossed and turned until midnight, completely conflicted.

In the end, he decided he didn’t care whether Georgia Thorne agreed or not. Even if she didn’t, he would make her agree.

With that thought, he felt much better and, holding Georgia Thorne’s body close, he finally fell asleep.

Georgia Thorne had been too optimistic. In such cold weather, there was no way clothes hung outside would dry overnight.

When she woke up and felt the damp clothes, she had no choice but to ask Chloe Gardner where she could buy men’s clothing.

Chloe Gardner, worried that Georgia Thorne didn’t know the way, offered to go with her.

Just as the two of them left, Hannah Gardner came bouncing into her room.

"Mister, are you from Portmire?" Hannah Gardner asked, leaning on the edge of the bed and looking at Elliot Sheridan with curiosity.

At the moment, Elliot Sheridan didn’t want to see anyone other than Georgia Thorne. The reason being, the clothes he was wearing were completely unfit for public viewing.

He gave a noncommittal "Mhm," which only made Hannah Gardner more curious. "Then do you know my daddy?"

’How would I know!’

"What’s your dad’s name?"

"My daddy’s name is Barry Larkin!" Hannah Gardner said, scratching her head. "Mister, do you know him?"

There were thousands of people in the world named Barry Larkin. Elliot Sheridan had no recollection of the name.

"Then why isn’t your last name Larkin?"

"My mommy and daddy aren’t married, so of course I have my mommy’s last name!" Hannah Gardner said very seriously.

Elliot Sheridan was speechless. "..."

Hannah Gardner asked him many more questions, about Portmire, and about her father.

"You keep talking about how great your dad is, but do you have a picture?" He’d been listening for a while now, but he still had no idea if this Barry Larkin was fat or thin, tall or short.

"Of course I have pictures! I’ll go get them for you!" Hannah Gardner ran out of the room hastily and returned a moment later with a photo album in her arms.

The album had a lot of photos. Hannah Gardner searched for a long time before her chubby little hand pointed to one. "Look, that’s my daddy!"

The photo was taken seven or eight years ago, but it had been well-preserved.

A younger Chloe Gardner looked fresh-faced and innocent in the picture, and the boy beside her looked the same.

"Are you sure that’s your dad?" It was just that this boy looked incredibly familiar.

"Of course!" Hannah Gardner said proudly. "My mommy says I look just like my daddy. Anyone who sees us would think we’re father and daughter!"

Elliot Sheridan looked back and forth between the Barry Larkin in the photo and Hannah Gardner’s face. There was indeed a strong resemblance.

’It’s just... the person I know isn’t supposed to look like this.’