Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

Georgia Thorne crawled back into bed, but she was no longer sleepy.

She decided to get up and take a shower. Her skin felt sticky, and her pajamas were uncomfortably clinging to her.

After her shower, she noticed the notification light on her phone blinking. She flipped it over and saw a missed call from Vivian Sawyer.

"Miss Thorne, is your cold any better? Can you come to work tomorrow?"

Georgia Thorne replied with an "Of course," and a few seconds later, Vivian shot back a quick "Okay."

The next day, when Georgia Thorne returned to the office, Vivian Sawyer greeted her with a warm welcome and a big hug.

Georgia teased her, "I have a cold. Aren’t you afraid I’ll infect you?"

Her fever had returned in the middle of the night, and her voice was still so hoarse she could barely speak.

Vivian patted her own shoulder. "I’m as healthy as a horse! A little virus like this is nothing."

After their joke, Georgia Thorne sat down at her desk.

Just as she sat down, a text came in from Elliot Sheridan asking how she was doing.

"Don’t worry. If my fever comes back, I’ll go to the hospital myself." ’Is he treating me like a child?’

"Tell me first," he replied.

Georgia was speechless. She slumped onto her desk and lazily typed out a line, "No looking at your phone while driving. That’s all. I have to start working now."

Her cold hadn’t fully cleared up, so Elliot hadn’t been keen on her going to work.

Only after some coaxing and wheedling did he finally relent, on the condition that he drive her.

She took a deep breath of fresh air. Her desk was in a pretty good spot, right where the sunlight could fall on her, warming her up.

She shook her groggy head, opened her laptop, and started to work.

Georgia Thorne didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news, especially during the Lunar New Year. She had been on vacation in Simara at the time, so how could she have known about Tiana Underwood attending Fashion Week?

It was Vivian who had sent her the news, along with the photos, followed by a string of thumbs-up emojis.

During the three days of Fashion Week, Tiana Underwood had worn the three outfits in the sequence Georgia had suggested. Just as expected, Tiana’s appearances instantly captured the attention of the foreign media.

It had to be said, Tiana Underwood was truly stunning and very photogenic, looking gorgeous in every shot.

Just as Georgia had intended with her designs, the first outfit was striking, the second showcased the beauty of a classic Eastern woman, and the third was pure, unadulterated glamour.

These three outfits made Tiana the darling of every photographer and landed her on the front pages.

The beautiful clothes, combined with the beautiful woman, caused Tiana Underwood’s fame to skyrocket.

After Fashion Week, Tiana Underwood gave interviews to the press.

The most frequently asked question was about the designer of her three outfits, and Tiana answered truthfully, "They were designed by Designer Georgia Thorne of Archetype Company."

Archetype Company’s name thundered through the design world. If it claimed to be number one in the industry, no one dared to claim number two.

Even rookie reporters knew of the company’s existence.

The name Georgia Thorne, however, was completely unfamiliar to them. They had never heard it before.

But what do reporters do? They love to dig into people’s backgrounds.

Just one day after Fashion Week ended, the still-feverish reporters had already dug up Georgia Thorne’s identity.

A few days later, the clothes Georgia Thorne had designed became a hot topic again after a famous foreign designer praised them, putting them back in the news.

In addition to the three outfits worn by Tiana Underwood, several outfits previously worn by Chloe Gardner also started appearing on the front pages.

This news broke abroad yesterday and only reached the domestic audience today.

Tiana Underwood didn’t mind; she could strike while the iron was hot and use the exposure to take her fame to the next level. But it was different for Chloe Gardner.

She quickly dialed Chloe Gardner’s number.

Hannah Gardner answered the phone.

Hannah recognized her voice and exclaimed happily, "Ms. Thorne!"

"Where’s your mom?"

"My mommy took Grandma to the hospital in town. Ms. Thorne, did you need Chloe for something?"

"When your mom gets back, have her give me a call."

"Oh, Ms. Thorne, Chloe said I should be starting elementary school, so Grandma and I have to move somewhere else. After we move, will you come visit, okay?"

"Of course."

Georgia Thorne hung up, feeling more than ever that children were especially adorable.

Especially a child like Hannah. Even though he was a boy, he was still young, with big, fluttering eyes as beautiful as his mother’s. If you didn’t know, you’d never guess he was a boy.

That morning, Seth Shields held a team meeting and assigned everyone new tasks.

Georgia’s task was to design clothes for a Mr. Tate.

Georgia rarely designed menswear; it wasn’t her forte. She raised this concern with Seth Shields.

Seth glanced at her. "Mr. Tate saw the clothes you designed for Tiana Underwood. He personally requested you."

"But I’m not an expert in..."

"Don’t worry. You’re not designing for Mr. Tate. You’re designing for his female companion."

Hearing this, Georgia Thorne relaxed.

The surname Tate was quite rare, just like Sheridan.

When Georgia returned to her office, she saw Vivian Sawyer fiddling with the hyacinth on her desk.

She had started growing it before the new year, and after coming back to work, she found that it had actually bloomed.

A hyacinth is normally quite pretty, but the problem was that this one was growing crookedly. Vivian had been fussing with it for ages but couldn’t fix it.

"These days, it’s not just men who turn out crooked, even the flowers are bent! You deviant hyacinth!" Vivian poked it again, but it was no use.

"But it looks perfectly fine!" Georgia said, looking at her in confusion.

"Miss Thorne, if this flower were a person, it’d be a gay flower!"

"..."

"Alright, let’s get to work. Call this Mr. Tate and schedule a meeting." Georgia pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

Vivian took it and glanced at the name on the card: Eugene York. "Miss Thorne, are you sure you didn’t give me the wrong card? This person’s surname is York."

"I didn’t." Georgia took it back and saw it wasn’t Mr. Tate. "Then he must be Mr. Tate’s secretary or someone like that. You make the call first. I’m going to get a glass of water."

Her voice was still shot; she was afraid she’d scare the person on the other end.

Vivian, with her sweet voice, quickly dialed the number on the desk phone. "Hello, may I speak to Mr. Eugene York? This is Vivian Sawyer, assistant to Designer Georgia Thorne from Archetype Company... Excuse me..."

When Georgia returned with her water, Vivian gave her an "OK" sign. "The appointment is set. Three o’clock this afternoon at the Grandview Hotel."

She moistened her dry throat and handed a stack of files to Vivian. "Help me organize these. I’ll need to take them with me this afternoon."

"Got it."

They prepared the materials and left promptly at two in the afternoon.

Georgia had her face completely covered with a scarf, leaving only her eyes visible. Vivian gave her an exaggerated look. "It’s not that cold in the car!"

"Just drive, we don’t want to be late!" Georgia pulled down her scarf, revealing a flushed little face.

"Miss Thorne, you look so young! You look even younger than me!" Vivian said, looking at her rosy cheeks with envy as she stepped on the gas.

At the Grandview Hotel, Mr. Tate’s assistant, Eugene York, was there to greet them at the entrance.

"Hello, Mr. York," Georgia Thorne said in greeting. "I’m Georgia Thorne, and this is my assistant, Vivian Sawyer."

Eugene York seemed unaccustomed to being called Mr. York. As he led them inside, he said, "You can just call me Secretary York."

Georgia didn’t meet the so-called Mr. Tate. Instead, she was led directly to his female companion—or perhaps his fiancée.

"Hello, Miss Summers. I’m Georgia Thorne."

Shirley Summers, just as her name suggested, was a gentle woman.

"Miss Thorne, hello." Even her voice was gentle.

Shirley Summers asked Eugene York to get them two glasses of water. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you for coming all this way."

"It’s my pleasure."

Georgia took a sip of water and spent the rest of the time listening to Shirley Summers describe the gowns she wanted.

Shirley wanted a total of four outfits, and she did her best to clearly describe the style and color she envisioned for each one.

Then she added, "Miss Thorne, I absolutely loved the three outfits you designed for Miss Underwood."

"Thank you." Georgia jotted down her requirements and then asked, "Miss Summers, may I ask what these four outfits are for?"

At the mention of this, a bashful look appeared on Shirley’s face. "In two months, my fiancé and I are getting married. I want to wear dresses designed by you, Miss Thorne."

"For a wedding?"

Shirley Summers nodded. "You’re welcome to attend the wedding, Miss Thorne. I’ll have an invitation sent to you."

"Thank you."

Shirley was clearly a woman in love, full of beautiful hopes for her future happiness. Seeing that blissful look on her face, Georgia suddenly felt a keen curiosity to see what the mysterious Mr. Tate looked like.

"Miss Thorne, I heard you’re married too?" Shirley asked with a curious look. "How is married life for you and your husband?..."

Shirley had so many questions. Facing her marriage in two months, she was filled with both anticipation and fear.

"Miss Thorne, you don’t mind me asking so many questions, do you?" Shirley suddenly stopped and asked.

Georgia paused her pen, looked up at her, and said with a smile, "My husband and I get along very well. We’re very happy."

Shirley smiled. Georgia stood up. "Miss Summers, why don’t I take your measurements now?"

"Of course."

"The preliminary sketches will probably be ready for you in about a week."

"That’s no problem. I’ll be staying here for the next month," Shirley said gently.

"Here’s my card. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need anything."

Secretary York escorted them downstairs. Georgia handed him a business card as well. "Secretary York, my number is on here."