Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

It took over an hour by bus to get to the Grandview Hotel. As soon as Georgia Thorne arrived, she entered the elevator with practiced ease and went straight to Shirley Summers’ room.

She knocked. After hearing a response from inside, she pushed the door open and went in.

After asking the staff, she learned that Shirley Summers had stepped out and would be back in a while. Georgia Thorne sat down and waited patiently.

Having spent time with Shirley Summers on a few occasions, Georgia had discovered she was a truly multi-talented woman.

That Mr. Tate was certainly a lucky man to be marrying such a considerate and sensible wife.

After a few minutes, Elliot Sheridan called. She stepped outside to answer the phone.

"Are you home yet?"

"Not yet." Georgia Thorne glanced at the sky outside. It was dark and gloomy, looking as if it might rain. "I’m out meeting a client for work right now, so I might be home late. What about you?"

"Aidan’s been hospitalized. I’m outside the operating room now."

Elliot Sheridan’s voice sounded exhausted and deep. Georgia’s throat felt dry. "But you said he was perfectly healthy!"

"I don’t know. Mom said he was fine this afternoon, then he suddenly collapsed. By the time the caregiver found him, he had already passed out."

"Should I head over now?"

"No, there’s no need. We’re just waiting outside the operating room anyway. Finish your work first, then give me a call before you come over."

"Okay."

After hanging up, her heart grew heavy, mirroring the tone of Elliot’s voice.

’Even though Elliot doesn’t say it, he really does care about Aidan. After all, Aidan is also that person’s brother.’

’If that person knew his own brother was unconscious and in surgery, would he suddenly appear before everyone?’

Georgia Thorne shook her head, laughing at her own wild imagination.

As she turned to go back into the room, she suddenly slammed into what felt like a solid wall.

The impact sent her stumbling backward, but the person quickly grabbed her wrist. "Watch out," he said in a deep voice.

Georgia Thorne apologized profusely. "I’m so sorry, so sorry!"

"Are you the designer Shirley was talking about?" the man’s voice sounded again.

Georgia Thorne looked up and saw a strikingly handsome man. She let out a small gasp, her brow furrowing as she studied him. His face was incredibly familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

A second later, a name popped into her mind. "Are you Barry Larkin?"

"Sorry, you have the wrong person."

The man denied it. Georgia Thorne scratched her head. "Oh, really? I guess I was mistaken."

She looked up at the man again, ’feeling certain that his face matched that of the young man in the photograph.’

The man straightened his collar. "My surname is Tate."

’Tate... Then he must be Shirley Summers’s mysterious fiancé!’

She gave an awkward smile and introduced herself. "Mr. Tate, hello. My name is Georgia Thorne. I’m Miss Summers’s designer."

"Mm."

"..."

’This Mr. Tate really was cold. That one-syllable response left her completely at a loss for words.’ She fidgeted with her sleeve.

"Shirley will be back soon. You should come in first."

"Okay."

Shirley Summers had felt cooped up in the room and had gone out for a walk. When she returned and saw Mr. Tate, she was clearly overjoyed, throwing her arms around him in an affectionate hug.

Mr. Tate’s expression softened slightly. He whispered a few words to her, then turned and went into an inner room.

Watching this, Georgia thought, ’Mr. Tate must be busy with work and took time out of his packed schedule just to see Shirley.’

Having seen her beloved, Shirley Summers was in a wonderful mood. She didn’t even have any objections to the dress designs Georgia showed her, only saying, "Miss Thorne, just do whatever you think is best!"

’So all her previous objections were just because she was a little grumpy about not seeing her fiancé.’

Georgia Thorne gathered her sketches. "Miss Summers, you and Mr. Tate are a wonderful match."

"Thank you!" Shirley Summers smiled sweetly, a girlish shyness in her expression.

Not wanting to disturb their sweet moment, Georgia quickly took her leave.

Just as she reached the hotel entrance, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

Georgia Thorne turned to see Eugene York approaching. "Miss Thorne, Mr. Tate would like to have a word with you."

’Such a cold and aloof man.’ Georgia could just imagine how awkward it would be sitting with Mr. Tate.

What she couldn’t figure out, however, was what he wanted to talk to her about.

’Something about Shirley Summers?’

’But she didn’t know Shirley that well. A few interactions didn’t mean they were close.’

Georgia Thorne looked uneasily at the man across from her, but he remained silent.

She cleared her throat and was just about to speak when he cut in, "Who is Barry Larkin?"

He asked a question completely unrelated to Shirley Summers. Georgia Thorne froze on the spot. After a long moment, she managed a sound. "Huh?"

"Who is Barry Larkin?" Mr. Tate unexpectedly asked again.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

She shook her head.

"Then who is he to Chloe Gardner?"

"..."

Georgia Thorne had no idea why this Mr. Tate was so concerned about the name Barry Larkin, or how he even knew Chloe Gardner’s name.

After a few seconds, she answered, "He’s Hannah Gardner’s father."

This evasive answer clearly didn’t satisfy Mr. Tate. "I asked about Chloe Gardner!"

"Mr. Tate, why don’t you ask me what the relationship is between Chloe Gardner and Hannah Gardner?" Georgia Thorne said, suddenly composed.

Mr. Tate evidently didn’t want to answer that question. His face darkened, and he said nothing.

Georgia Thorne asked again, "Mr. Tate, do you know Chloe?"

"I do."

’Georgia considered her memory to be quite good. The more she looked at Mr. Tate’s face, the more he resembled the Barry Larkin from the photograph Hannah Gardner had given her.’

’It wasn’t just a resemblance; it was more like one was the youthful Barry Larkin, and the other was the mature version.’

"Actually, Barry Larkin was a classmate of mine. I just thought you looked like him."

"Didn’t you just say Barry Larkin was Hannah Gardner’s father?"

"My apologies. That was just a little white lie. Please don’t take it seriously, Mr. Tate."

"..."

Mr. Tate didn’t seem satisfied with Georgia Thorne’s answer. He stood up and left.

When Georgia Thorne left the hotel, a fine drizzle was already falling from the sky, misting over the pedestrians on the street.

She opened her umbrella and hurried toward the roadside.

The pedestrian signal was red. Only a few people were waiting at the crosswalk when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.

Seeing it was a call from Justin Sullivan, Georgia Thorne hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Hello?"

"It’s me." Justin Sullivan paused for a moment on the other end. "Next weekend, Teacher Shepherd wants to visit an orphanage to teach the kids how to draw. We’re a bit short-handed, and she was wondering if you could come help."

’Teaching kids to draw...’ Georgia Thorne stared down at her feet. She had driving lessons every weekend. "I can’t on the weekend, I have something on."

"...Oh, I see. Well, never mind then. I’ll just have Teacher Shepherd find someone..."

"I have a driving lesson that weekend, but would Saturday work?"

"Of course!" Justin Sullivan replied without a second thought. "What time are you free on Saturday? I’ll come and pick you up."

"Just tell me the address of the orphanage. I can get there by myself."

Georgia Thorne rejected his kind offer. Seeing the crosswalk light turn green, she said, "Wait, just text it to me later. I’m afraid I won’t rem—Ah!"

Justin was just about to agree when he heard Georgia Thorne’s scream from the other end of the line. The piercing cry shook his eardrums. "Georgia, what’s wrong? Georgia!"

But Georgia’s voice never came again.

Just as Georgia Thorne stepped onto the crosswalk, a black car sped toward her, knocking her to the ground and rendering her instantly unconscious.

Her phone fell to the ground, and the call disconnected.

Horrified onlookers who had witnessed the entire incident quickly called the police.

Georgia had screamed, and then the call had been cut off for no reason. Justin Sullivan tried calling back immediately, but the phone was already off.

A terrible premonition welled up inside him. ’No, I have to go find her.’

He snatched his jacket from the sofa and headed for the door, calling his secretary as he went. "Book me the first available flight to Portmire. I’ll be at the airport in an hour!"

As soon as he got to the door, a petite figure blocked his path, spreading her arms to stop him from leaving.

Justin Sullivan looked at her pale, delicate face and felt a surge of frustration. "Move. I have to go out!"

"Justin Sullivan, you’re in the middle of your treatment! You’re not allowed to go anywhere but stay right here!"

"Selena, stop it. Something’s happened to Nina!"

Justin Sullivan pushed Selena Sheridan’s hands away and strode outside.

’Ever since she’d found out that the person in Justin Sullivan’s heart was Georgia Thorne, she knew that the "Nina" he always spoke of was her.’

’She had thought about giving up on him, but then he had come to her.’

’Justin was the man she had truly loved, and even after their breakup, her heart hadn’t changed.’

’During her days here in Breccon, she had been by his side almost every day, but in his eyes, the only person who existed was still his Nina, his Georgia Thorne.’

Unwilling to let him go, Selena Sheridan chased after him, blocking him just as he took out his car keys and was about to open the door.

"Justin Sullivan, what’s more important, Georgia Thorne or your health?" Selena Sheridan demanded, blocking him with her body as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Nina is more important." Justin Sullivan clenched his fists. "Selena, stop this. She screamed on the phone, and now I can’t get through. Something must have happened! Now move!"

"Even if something happened to Georgia, this is Breccon! By the time you fly back from here, you won’t be able to stop whatever’s happened. I won’t let you go!"

Even if what Selena Sheridan said was true, he still had to go back.

’He hadn’t seen Georgia Thorne in so long. He had to go back and see for himself.’

"Selena, stop it!"

He repeated the words, his resolve to leave unshakable.