Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

His hands explored her waist. He knew she was ticklish, and he was doing it on purpose.

"It’s under the pillow!" she yelped, having had enough of him.

Elliot Sheridan smiled in satisfaction. He pulled the lipstick she’d used for her prank from under her pillow and grinned wickedly. "So, tell me, how should I punish you?"

"Darling, you wouldn’t dare, would you?" Georgia didn’t want her face covered in red scribbles like Elliot’s. She hurriedly put on a pitiful expression.

"Now, now, it’s just a bit of fun between a husband and wife. Come here, let me draw something pretty on you." Elliot smiled gently, tilting Georgia’s chin up as the lipstick slowly neared her face.

Georgia closed her eyes in resignation. "Fine, but make it look good!"

Georgia couldn’t expect Elliot to show any mercy. He scribbled all over her face, creating a mess that rivaled the one on his own.

The two of them stood in front of the mirror. Thanks to their struggle, the lipstick had smudged everywhere. They looked as ridiculous as could be.

They couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight of each other. If anyone found out, they’d never believe the lofty Elliot Sheridan would do something like this in private.

The longer she spent with him, the more she realized how different he was from the rumors that circulated about him.

At the very least, in her eyes, he was overflowing with masculine charm.

Georgia shot him a sidelong glance. "So ugly!"

"I’ll take you no matter how ugly you are!"

There was no denying it; hearing his words made her heart feel as if it were overflowing with honey.

"Hmph. All your assets are in my name. You wouldn’t dare get rid of me!"

"That’s right. I’m just afraid some ungrateful little thing will run off with my money, and I’ll have to trail along behind her with puppy-dog eyes."

"Hmph. As long as you know your place!"

Elliot Sheridan had been on a business trip for nearly a week. Today, he was resting at home.

Georgia was sunbathing on the balcony when she noticed a lot of cigarette butts on the ground.

He was the only smoker in the house. Georgia stormed back into the living room to find a certain man casually watching television.

"Did you smoke last night?" Georgia leaned in close, sniffing him carefully. There was no trace of smoke.

He didn’t smell of smoke at all. If she hadn’t just seen the butts on the ground, she would’ve actually believed he was trying to quit.

’So sneaky.’

"It was a special situation last night. You..."

"I don’t want to hear your excuses! Tonight, you’re sleeping in the study. I’ll sleep with Blue!"

Georgia didn’t believe a word of his excuses.

Staying up in the middle of the night to smoke on the balcony... his nicotine craving must have hit.

Blue meowed from the side as if in complete agreement, excitedly rubbing against Georgia’s hand.

Elliot chuckled, completely unfazed by Georgia’s words.

At noon, the two of them whipped up a simple lunch. After they ate, Preston Larkin called.

Today was the submission deadline for the competition, and he was calling to ask if she was ready.

Georgia replied with an "OK" and they agreed to meet at the entrance of Archetype Company at one in the afternoon.

"I’ll take you!" Elliot grabbed his keys and followed her.

"No need. You just got back from your trip, you shouldn’t tire yourself out. You should stay home and rest. I’ll be back soon."

"Then give me a call when you get there."

"Okay, I will."

Georgia grabbed her things and hurried out the door.

She hurried to the company and submitted her work.

Because there were only ten contestants left, the company called them together for a meeting.

After this round of the competition, five people would be eliminated. The remaining five would advance to the finals, and the top three would get jobs at Archetype Company.

After the meeting, Nathan Rhodes and Preston Larkin were waiting for her outside.

"So? What’d they say in the meeting?" Preston Larkin asked curiously. "I heard the prize money’s been raised to five million, and the winner gets sent to study abroad." The sum alone was astonishing.

"Didn’t I tell you the prize money would be raised!" Nathan Rhodes clapped her on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, you’ll definitely make it to the finals."

As for what place she’d get, that would depend on Georgia’s own skill and fortune.

This elimination round was a quick one. There was no need to wait for days on end; the judges had already taken the submissions for review. The results would be announced in an hour or two.

Compared to previous rounds, the results were coming out incredibly fast.

Georgia herself wasn’t nervous. Instead, it was the two people with her who were on edge.

"I wasn’t even this nervous when I was competing back in the day," Nathan Rhodes said, squeezing Georgia’s hand.

Georgia smiled calmly. She was confident in her work, and besides, even if she lost, she knew she had done her best.

"I’m going to use the restroom," Georgia said. After getting directions, she headed off.

In the restroom, Georgia was washing her hands when a woman next to her, who was touching up her makeup, looked over.

She shot Georgia a disdainful look. "You’re that Georgia Thorne?"

Georgia was taken aback for a moment before she recognized the woman.

Like her, the woman was also one of the contestants.

Georgia had seen her work. Most of it was in a luxurious, extravagant style, and it was quite beautiful.

Georgia offered a gracious greeting. "Hello."

The woman scoffed. "Don’t think you’re so great just because you have connections."

"..."

’Connections?’ Georgia thought, confused by the woman’s strange accusation. ’Who? Why am I the last to know?’

Georgia was talented, which made some of her fellow competitors jealous.

They spread malicious rumors, and since she was close to Nathan Rhodes, everyone assumed she had only advanced this far because of him.

Georgia never paid attention to gossip, so she was completely unaware of all this.

But hearing the woman’s words now left her feeling a little frustrated.

She dried her hands, and the phone in her pocket rang.

"Zane Lennox?" she asked, uncertain.

After Zane Lennox had called before, she had made a point to call his parents.

Zane’s father had never liked her and had angrily rebuked her. Zane’s mother, however, was more reasonable and exchanged a few words with her.

From Zane’s mother, she learned that Zane had not yet returned to the Lennox family home.

’That’s strange. If he’s back, why hasn’t he gone home?’

His parents were very worried about him.

Georgia had made a point to save the number, just in case Zane called again.

"Georgia, don’t say a word right now. Just listen to me!" Over the phone, Zane’s voice was weak and strained, yet he spoke in a rushed torrent, punctuated by coughs.

"Zane, what’s going on? Why..." Georgia asked worriedly.

"Don’t talk! Georgia, for your own good, divorce Elliot Sheridan right now! He’s not someone you can deal with. He has ulterior motives. Your mother’s death is connected to him! If you don’t want to end up like me, leave him immediately! ...Quick, he’s over there, after him! ... Georgia, did you hear me? You have to leave him!"

Georgia’s heart pounded as she listened, completely clueless as to what was going on. It sounded like someone was chasing him on the other end of the line.

"Zane, what is all this about? I..."

Georgia was utterly baffled. She couldn’t make any sense of what Zane was saying, and halfway through her question, the line went dead.

Before the call disconnected, she thought she heard someone on the other end call out "President Sheridan".

Her heart suddenly began to pound violently, seized by a terrible premonition.

"Georgia, what are you doing just standing there? The results are about to be announced. Come on!" Nathan Rhodes called out. He’d been waiting for her in the lounge for a while.

He had come looking for her and found her standing in a daze outside the restroom, her face pale and tense. ’And she said she wasn’t nervous,’ he thought.

Nathan hurried over, took Georgia’s hand, and pulled her toward the waiting area.

The judge in charge of announcing the results came out with a list.

For a moment, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the list in anticipation. Their futures were on the line.

Georgia sat numbly beside Nathan, her mind a blank. Zane’s words replayed over and over in her head, and she couldn’t hear a single word the judge was saying.

She was completely lost in her own silent world.

’No, I have to call Elliot.’

’I have to confirm things before I can rest easy.’

’There are lots of people named Sheridan in Portmire. It couldn’t possibly be him.’

Georgia scrambled to her feet, but Nathan, who was next to her, pulled her into a fierce hug. "Georgia, you made it to the finals! Congratulations!"

Georgia turned her head, dazed, a dull ache throbbing in her mind. "What?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Were you not listening? Or are you so excited you forgot?" Nathan said, delighted. Seeing her confused expression, he repeated, "You made it to the finals."

The words finally registered with Georgia.

This should have been a happy occasion, but she couldn’t feel any joy right now.

It felt as if a thousand-pound weight were pressing on her chest. "Sorry, I have to go make a phone call."

Georgia clutched her phone and hurried outside.

"Hey, what’s gotten into her? That’s weird," Nathan muttered, puzzled.

He turned and looked at the other contestants in the waiting hall.

Those who had advanced to the finals were beaming, while the rest, who had been eliminated, looked crestfallen.

Georgia went outside alone, finding a deserted spot before calling Elliot.

The long, drawn-out ringing of the phone kept Georgia’s heart in suspense. After a few seconds, someone picked up.

"What are you doing? Why did you take so long to answer?"

"What’s wrong? Is it something urgent?" Elliot chuckled and explained, "I was just in a business meeting. I had to step away to take your call."

"A business meeting? Didn’t you say you were going to rest at home today?"

"Something tricky came up at the company suddenly, so I had to go out."

"So where are you having this meeting? At the office? I’ll come find you!"

"..." The silence on the other end stretched for a moment, making Georgia even more anxious. She desperately needed to know where he was.

"You don’t need to come to the office. I’m just out handling something. I’ll be back soon," Elliot said quietly. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it when I get back."

"Elliot—"

The line went dead. A heavy sense of unease settled over Georgia.