Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

Elliot Sheridan wasn’t drunk. On the contrary, his mind was painfully clear.

Sitting in the back seat, he pinched the bridge of his nose as the car pulled up to his apartment. "Who told you to come here?!" he snapped. "Go back!"

Owen Sawyer jumped. ’If not here, then where? The Sheridan residence?’

After wracking his brain, that was the only other place he could think of.

’This fight with his wife must be really, really serious!’

Owen Sawyer managed to get Elliot into the Sheridan residence, where some of the staff were already up and about.

"Keep your voices down. Don’t wake my wife."

The butler nodded profusely and worked together with Owen Sawyer to help Elliot upstairs.

Trouble had struck on Georgia Thorne’s second day of work. Returning after more than a week off, she was naturally the subject of endless gossip and speculation.

Thanks to Laura Chase’s "accidental" and not-so-accidental spreading of the news, nearly everyone in the company knew about Georgia’s alleged plagiarism during the competition.

To have plagiarized someone else’s work and still land a job at the company—everyone guessed that Georgia must have some powerful connections.

They were torn between contempt for her and curiosity about who exactly her backer was.

The moment Georgia Thorne walked into the office, she noticed the strange looks everyone was giving her.

Acting unbothered, she returned to her desk and greeted Yvonne Chandler, who sat in front of her. "Hey!"

Yvonne Chandler just glanced at her, gave a curt nod, and went back to her work.

It was a greeting, technically.

Georgia sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and found she had nothing to do.

Work felt strange today. No one was giving her any tasks. Everyone else was busy with their own work, bustling around the office, while she alone sat there in a daze.

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally lunchtime. She wanted to ask Yvonne Chandler to eat with her and maybe find out what had happened during the week she was away.

She stood up. "Yvonne, want to get lunch together?"

From nearby, Laura Chase’s voice cut in. "It’s time for lunch! What are you still dawdling for?"

Yvonne Chandler looked at Georgia, then over at Laura, and said apologetically, "Laura and the others asked me to eat with them. I’ll get going!"

Georgia smiled. "Go ahead!"

Georgia had understood the concept of cliques and factions since she was a child.

Laura Chase didn’t like her, and she was determined to make everyone else dislike her too.

Georgia sat at her desk for a while before Nathan Rhodes called and asked her to lunch. She agreed.

The company benefits weren’t bad; at least the cafeteria food was decent.

Nathan Rhodes was wracked with guilt. "Eat up. Otherwise, Byron Shaw will think our company is bullying new employees!"

"You don’t have to worry about it. What happened wasn’t your fault!"

"How could it not be my fault? Georgia, I know you’re a good person and can’t bring yourself to blame me, but..." Nathan’s eyes reddened as he spoke. "I’m so, so sorry."

Georgia gave a weak smile. "I guess I just wasn’t blessed."

She wasn’t a good mother. A good mother would have protected her child.

Nathan Rhodes let out a short sigh. "Eat up!"

"Okay!" Georgia lowered her head and slowly ate her meal while Nathan stared at her, lost in thought.

’How did she end up marrying Elliot Sheridan? What about Quentin?!’

After lunch, Georgia returned to the office, still with nothing to do.

She opened her sketchbook and started doodling with a pencil out of boredom.

Georgia’s reputation in the company was in tatters. Everyone was keeping their distance from her.

At first, she didn’t know why, until she later heard from others that the story of her plagiarizing during the competition had already spread throughout the company.

The way everyone looked at her had changed. Their eyes were filled with contempt, disdain, and ridicule.

On the surface, she pretended not to care, but deep down, it bothered her immensely.

Everyone in the company was busy, except for her. She sat at her desk, doodling aimlessly, feeling utterly miserable.

In truth, she wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended to be.

Before the end of the workday, Byron Shaw called to say he was coming to pick her up.

Georgia refused, but Byron insisted, saying it was raining outside and that she should wait for him at the company.

Georgia glanced at the misty drizzle outside the window, an indescribable discomfort settling in her heart. She rested her head on her desk, watching as her colleagues left one by one, before finally packing up her things and leaving the office herself.

She waited at the company entrance for about ten minutes before Byron Shaw called and told her to come out.

"Thanks." Georgia got into the car and took the towel Byron handed her, thanking him.

The rain was coming down hard by now. She had walked a short distance through it, and her hair was soaked, plastered to her forehead with water dripping from the ends.

He looked at her, seeming to want to say something but holding back. After a moment’s pause, he said, "The autumn rain is cold. I’ll make you some ginger tea when we get back."

"Thank you!" Georgia said softly.

What Byron really wanted to say was, ’We’re family. You don’t have to be so polite with me.’

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he couldn’t get them out.

Right now, Georgia wasn’t ready to accept the relationship between them.

Byron Shaw drove Georgia to the supermarket first, where he bought some ginger tea and other ingredients.

Georgia was in poor health and needed to be properly nourished.

Having lived abroad alone for many years, Byron was a skilled cook. He tied on an apron and went into the kitchen.

Georgia felt bad. She was already staying with him for free; she couldn’t just eat his food for free as well. She proactively went into the kitchen to help.

In her three years with Elliot, her cooking skills had improved considerably, and her movements were deft and efficient.

Byron stood to the side, watching her slender figure. He really had to wonder how on earth Elliot had been "taking care" of her to let her get so thin.

Seeing her delicate wrists, which looked as if they could barely hold a knife, he frowned slightly. He finally couldn’t watch anymore. "Let me do it!"

With that, he took the kitchen knife from Georgia’s hand and brought it down heavily, separating the fish’s head from its body.

Georgia didn’t really like fish. The strong fishy smell often made her feel sick.

Now, the smell was unbearable. She pinched her nose, only to catch an even stronger fishy scent on her own hands, causing her delicate brows to furrow tighter and tighter.

Byron chuckled. "Let me handle things here. Go wash your hands."

The smell was truly awful, so Georgia didn’t try to act tough. She turned and walked out.

After she washed the smell from her hands, the phone in her coat pocket began to ring.

She walked over to the sofa, took out her phone, and saw it was a call from Selena Sheridan.

Her eyes darkened. She silenced the phone and put it back in her pocket.

During this time, she didn’t want to see anyone from the Sheridan family.

Meanwhile, Selena Sheridan, whose call had been rejected, looked over at Mrs. Sheridan. "Great-Grandma, Georgia isn’t answering her phone!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Sheridan gripped her cane and sighed. "Forget it. We’ll ask her out to eat some other day!"

Standing behind them, the light in Elliot Sheridan’s eyes instantly dimmed. ’She’s unwilling to forgive me. She won’t even answer Selena’s call.’

Elliot had kept the news under tight wraps; no one in the Sheridan family knew about Georgia’s miscarriage.

Today was Mrs. Sheridan’s birthday. In keeping with the principle of frugality, she hadn’t invited any outside guests—it was just a simple family dinner.

James Sheridan had personally gone to the old residence to pick her up. Upon arriving, Mrs. Sheridan scanned the room and saw everyone except her young granddaughter-in-law, which displeased her.

She shot a look of displeasure at Elliot, who pretended not to notice and simply ignored it.

Mrs. Sheridan just assumed Elliot wasn’t ready to bring Georgia back in her official capacity as his wife, so she had Selena try calling the young woman over instead.

Unfortunately, the call went unanswered, which was strange.

Unable to see her granddaughter-in-law, Mrs. Sheridan grew grumpy. She kept a stern face throughout dinner, making everyone wonder if they had done or said something wrong to upset her.

Elliot remained silent from beginning to end, saying very little.

After dinner, no matter how James Sheridan tried to persuade her, Mrs. Sheridan refused to stay the night at the main family residence.

The old madam was a stubborn woman. She glared at them, and everyone else immediately fell silent.

After her gaze swept around the room, it finally landed on Elliot. "You’re taking me home!"

She happened to have a few things to say to him.

Elliot drove while Mrs. Sheridan sat in the back. "Why didn’t you bring that young woman home today?"

Elliot focused on driving without a word. Mrs. Sheridan waited for a moment, and when he didn’t reply, she asked again, "Why aren’t you talking? Is it because the girl thinks you’re too old and is throwing a tantrum at you?"

No matter what she said, Elliot remained completely silent, which infuriated her so much that she wanted to throw her cane at him.

’This rascal,’ she thought. ’The older he gets, the less anyone can control him.’

Elliot escorted Mrs. Sheridan into her house. In the entryway, a pair of elegant black high heels sat neatly on the floor.

Hearing the commotion, the butler immediately ran to the door. "Madam, you’re back!"

As Mrs. Sheridan changed into her cotton slippers, the butler announced, "Miss Donovan is here!"

Mrs. Sheridan drew out a long "Mmm," her eyes flicking sideways toward Elliot, her expression lukewarm.

Elliot’s face was impassive. "I’ll be heading back now."

"Joanne rarely comes to visit. You’re leaving already?"

A look of clear impatience crossed Elliot’s face. Right now, aside from Georgia Thorne, he didn’t want to see any other woman.

He took two steps toward the door, then turned back. "Grandma, don’t go looking for her for a while, even if you have a reason. Just don’t."

Everyone knew exactly who "her" was.

Mrs. Sheridan just huffed, paying no mind to Elliot’s words.

’I can’t even go see my own granddaughter-in-law now?!’

Joanne Donovan was sitting primly on the sofa when she thought she heard the faint sound of Elliot’s voice outside. Uncertain, she stood up and walked toward the door.

Just as she reached the doorway, she saw a fleeting glimpse of Elliot’s figure disappearing into the night.

Joanne Donovan had learned it was Mrs. Sheridan’s birthday and had come over specifically to celebrate with her.

At the same time, she was also trying her luck to see if she might run into Elliot.

After waiting for several hours, it seemed her efforts hadn’t been in vain. Seeing Elliot leaving, Joanne grew anxious and wanted to go out after him.

However, Mrs. Sheridan let out a soft cough. Joanne lowered her head to look at the old madam, her impulse checked by the sound.

"Grandma, you’re back!" Joanne said with a gentle smile.

Mrs. Sheridan was a shrewd woman. She gave Joanne a sidelong glance. "If I hadn’t coughed just now, I imagine your soul would have been completely carried away by that boy of mine!"