Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

No longer smelling the cloying chicken soup, Georgia Thorne’s stomach finally started to settle.

In truth, she hadn’t thrown up much. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night, so all she’d brought up was water, at most.

Georgia drank a few sips of water and turned on the TV, just in time for a news report.

It was a local news segment about someone who had drowned after jumping into the sea.

News like that was a daily occurrence. Georgia glanced at the screen, about to change the channel.

But when the man on the screen turned his face to the camera, the glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

Shards of glass and hot water hit her feet, but she didn’t even notice.

Her eyes were glued to the person on the screen. ’How could it be Zane Lennox?’

The body had been discovered in the early hours of the morning by fishermen heading out to sea.

Zane Lennox’s face was swollen from the seawater, but his features were still recognizable.

The body was quickly transported to a local hospital. At the entrance, reporters captured footage of Zachary Lennox and Meghan Everett rushing inside.

The housekeeper was in the kitchen cleaning up the chicken soup when she heard the crash and hurried out.

The glass lay shattered in pieces, littering the floor.

"Ma’am, don’t move! I’ll clean this up right away," the housekeeper said, grabbing a broom and rushing over.

Georgia’s mind went blank. Her beautiful, reddened eyes stared vacantly ahead.

’Zane Lennox was dead!’

Dazed, she took a step back, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh, Ma’am, you’ve stepped on the glass!"

The housekeeper cried out in alarm. A small cut had opened on Georgia’s ankle, but she felt nothing.

She stumbled backward again and again until she tripped and fell onto the sofa.

’How could Zane Lennox be dead?!’

’She refused to believe it!’

’He had called her just two days ago! How could he be dead in the blink of an eye?’

Georgia shot up from the sofa and strode quickly toward the door.

She stepped on more glass shards, adding new cuts to her feet.

"Ma’am, you stepped on it again! Oh, where are you going?"

The housekeeper shouted after her, but Georgia heard nothing as she ran outside.

’The missus really hasn’t been herself these past few days!’

The housekeeper was deeply worried. She put down what she was holding and immediately called Elliot Sheridan.

The phone rang several times, but no one answered.

’Why isn’t the mister picking up either?’ the housekeeper worried.

Georgia ran all the way outside and hailed a taxi, heading for the hospital.

When they arrived, Georgia reached into her pocket and realized she hadn’t brought her wallet.

She looked apologetically at the driver. "I’m sorry, I don’t have any money on me!"

Hearing this, the driver’s expression soured. "You dared to take a cab without any money?!"

His disdainful gaze swept over Georgia. Her face was as pale as a patient’s.

If it had been a short trip, he might have let it go. But they had come a long way, and he was out a significant amount of money. He insisted on dragging Georgia to the police station.

The police station was bustling with people.

Georgia had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought anything with her. Resigned, she had no choice but to call Nancy Hughes.

When Nancy heard Georgia was at the police station, she was so shocked she immediately requested time off from work and rushed over.

Georgia sat alone in an interrogation room, staring silently at the tips of her shoes.

The driver, unable to get his fare, refused to leave and waited nearby.

After about half an hour, the door to the interrogation room opened.

The sound of firm, powerful footsteps echoed, and a pair of shiny men’s leather shoes appeared in her line of sight.

It wasn’t Nancy Hughes. It was Elliot Sheridan.

Georgia looked up at him, her reddened eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion before settling into complete calm.

He was here. The knot of panic in her heart completely disappeared.

Elliot squatted down, looked at her, and said gently, "Why did you run all the way here in your pajamas?"

Without a single word of questioning, Elliot swept Georgia into his arms and carried her out.

With his arrival, the matter was naturally settled.

The driver didn’t recognize Elliot, but anyone with any standing at the police station did.

Even the bureau chief was bowing and scraping before Elliot.

"Keep this quiet," Elliot instructed the bureau chief after setting Georgia down in the car.

The chief nodded repeatedly. He wouldn’t dare publicize anything about Elliot even if he had a hundred times the courage.

As the car drove away, Georgia sat quietly in the passenger seat.

Elliot glanced at her. Her gaze was unfocused, staring ahead, her thoughts unreadable.

’There was only one reason Georgia would have rushed here in such a panic.’

’Zane Lennox!’

That morning, the news of Zane Lennox’s death had spread like wildfire.

It was impossible not to be jealous. He gripped the steering wheel, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and sped forward.

Back at the apartment, the housekeeper was pacing anxiously, wondering if the mister had found the missus yet.

’Running out like that, something was bound to happen.’

The housekeeper sighed at the thought. Hearing a sound at the entrance, she hurried over to open the door.

Seeing Elliot and Georgia had returned, her tense nerves relaxed. "Sir, Ma’am."

Georgia was being carried in Elliot’s arms. She was even paler than she had been that morning, resting limply against his shoulder.

Elliot laid Georgia on the bed. The heating was on in the room.

Georgia’s constitution had always been weak, and after spending over half an hour in the cold, damp police station, she was now chilled to the bone.

Worried she might develop a fever, Elliot specifically asked the housekeeper to make some ginger tea.

"Sir, the ginger tea is ready," the housekeeper said softly from the doorway.

The bedroom door was cracked open. Hearing Elliot’s voice, the housekeeper came in with the tea.

Georgia was on the bed with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep, while Elliot sat beside her, watching over her.

The deep affection in his eyes made the housekeeper envy Georgia.

She had worked here for many years and had never seen another woman in the apartment, let alone seen the mister act so gently toward one.

Elliot took the ginger tea from the housekeeper and placed it on the bedside table.

The housekeeper tactfully excused herself, closing the door behind her.

Georgia wasn’t asleep. Elliot called to her softly, "Georgia, be good. Get up and have some ginger tea."

Georgia kept her eyes closed and didn’t move. Elliot called her name a few more times.

"I don’t want any," she replied coldly, turning her back to him.

Right now, she just wanted some quiet to think.

Elliot didn’t force her. He watched her with a deep, profound gaze. Georgia remained motionless, as if she had finally fallen asleep.

Georgia’s feet were injured. Elliot brought the first-aid kit and began to clean her wounds, bit by bit.

After about ten minutes, Elliot stood up and took off his suit jacket.

Georgia thought he was about to leave and continued to feign sleep.

She didn’t hear the door open, but she felt a draft of cool air behind her.

Then, the man’s warm chest pressed against her back, and a strong arm wrapped around her waist, taking hold of her cold hand.

Her whole body was cold, as if she had been soaked in ice water. Elliot held her tightly and felt the body in his arms suddenly stiffen.

’She wasn’t asleep yet.’

Neither of them spoke. It felt like they were in a cold war, yet at the same time, they weren’t.

Lying together, each was lost in their own thoughts.

Elliot’s heart was heavy. When the part-time housekeeper had called him, he had been talking with Naomi Shaw.

He had known for a long time that Naomi was Georgia’s mother.

As he had expected, Naomi, desperate to win back her daughter, had told Georgia everything.

That was why Georgia had been so preoccupied and cold toward him when she returned that night.

Naomi had asked for his help in getting her daughter to acknowledge her.

Elliot gave a bitter laugh. Georgia might seem easygoing on the surface, but she was incredibly stubborn underneath.

’And now, he could barely save himself.’

Elliot held her for three or four hours. Neither of them slept.

Georgia’s thoughts were a tangled mess. She couldn’t sort anything out while lying next to Elliot.

She just wanted to slowly sink into his embrace and not think about anything at all.

Later, Georgia managed to sleep for a little while, only to be jolted awake by the image of Zane Lennox’s waterlogged, swollen face.

Her body trembled, and she heard a gentle voice behind her ear. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

It took a moment for Georgia to come to her senses.

She placed a hand on her forehead, which was covered in a cold sweat.

Elliot turned her over and pulled her into his arms.

Pressed against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, her frantic mind gradually began to calm.

Georgia didn’t know how long she had slept, but the sky outside had already grown dark.

Clear moonlight streamed in. Elliot asked her, "Are you hungry?"

Leaning in his embrace, Georgia hummed softly in affirmation.

Elliot got out of bed and left the room.

Left alone, Georgia remained huddled under the covers, feeling hot all over.

The part-time housekeeper hadn’t left yet. When she saw Elliot emerge, she reheated the food.

When she brought it in, Georgia was on the phone with Nancy Hughes.

Nancy was saying, "You nearly gave my poor heart a heart attack today! You should have seen President Sheridan’s face—it was so dark and murderous, he looked like he could eat someone alive."

Nancy had originally planned to rush over herself, but she felt uneasy and mustered the courage to call Elliot Sheridan instead.

After all, Georgia was his person. If she was at the police station, he, as her husband, definitely had a right to know.

When she called, Elliot had just arrived at the company in a hurry. Nancy was truly startled when she saw his murderous expression.

She had guessed that something major must have happened.

Georgia hummed in response, her eyes on Elliot as he walked in.

He was looking at her, too, their gazes meeting in mid-air.

The next second, Georgia averted her eyes, looking down at her fingernails.

Nancy continued chattering on the other end for a bit before asking, "Georgia, did you go there because of Zane Lennox?"

Nancy had been buried in work all morning and didn’t know anything.

It wasn’t until her lunch break that she saw the news about Zane Lennox, who had been missing for a long time.

The body had been positively identified by the hospital as Zane Lennox. Upon hearing the news, Zachary Lennox and Meghan Everett, who were at the hospital, nearly fainted.

They had finally gotten some news, only for it to be the news of his death.