Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
The rain in fall was not as mild as the summer showers. In Solana City, the nighttime temperatures during fall could plummet below freezing.
She pondered. Jeremy had been standing out there for hours in a thin outfit. If he stayed put…
It’d be a huge hassle to deal with the police if he dropped dead at her gates!
At the thought, she hurried back to her room and dialed his number. She was dismayed to learn that his phone was turned off.
She was completely baffled by his move. She might not have felt sympathy for him, but her curiosity got the better of her. Hence, she left the villa with a large black umbrella.
Jeremy had been standing in hunger and the rain for too long. He even momentarily mistook Alyssa’s petite figure as an illusion.
He was taken aback and touched when she came to a halt right in front of him. She schooled him in a shrill voice, “What on earth are you doing? Are you ever going to stop?”
“Aren’t you cold in that nightdress?” He was as indifferent as usual. He shakingly attempted to unbutton his jacket to drape over her, only to realize that he was completely drenched. He stopped himself in awkwardness.
“Why did you switch off your phone?” she demanded to know.
“It ran out of battery,” he replied honestly, much like a man who had been reprimanded by his wife.
Jeremy was oddly comforted by the tone of her voice. Indeed, he was just like the average man, who loved being yelled at and put in their place.
“Did you really plan to stand here all night if I hadn’t come to meet you?”
“Yes. I needed to talk to you.”
She laughed at the absurdity of it. “Why do you always make me look down on you? Do you have anything else up your sleeve apart from trying to earn pity? You are the president of Walsh Group, not some street hooligan!” t
“I don’t care what method I use as long as I get to see you.” His voice carried a chilly edge, but his eyes sparkled with intensity.
Her chest heaved as she took deep breaths, a sight that tempted him. Yet, he managed to restrain his desires, owing to his unwavering moral compass and the strict discipline Instilled in him during his days at military school.
“Did you have a good sleep tonight?”
“What?”
“I remember you always slept through the night.”
Feeling a rush of emotions, she clenched harder on the umbrella. When they were first married, they shared a bed for about six months.
He always had his back turned to her when they slept together. The distance between them felt as vast as the oceans.
She knew that Jeremy was a light sleeper, but she was more surprised that he had observed her sleep patterns.
“I thought you had something to discuss? Spit it out. It’s freaking cold out here.” She shivered.
“Let’s talk in the car.” He took her umbrella, swiftly opened the car door, and guided her inside.
The air in the car was damp. She finally noticed his lips quivering under the dim light. His hand, resting on his knee, had turned slightly purple from the cold.
She pressed her lips together, and to her surprise, he produced a blanket and wrapped it around her.
“I found the culprit behind the leak. She’s Abigail Grant, the daughter of Michael Grant. You probably know what’s going on by now. That was her attempt to seek revenge for her father.”
She looked up with surprise. “Is this the reason you came to meet me? To tell me about this?”
“Partly.” His voice trembled. “I also wanted to check if you were doing okay after all that happened.”
As Alyssa was no longer in love with Jeremy, she shed off any pretense of a demure lady and doubled over in laughter.
“Why would I be upset over nothing? I’m a Taylor. It’s hard to faze me. Don’t you think you’ve underestimated me?”
“That’s good to hear.” Jeremy looked glad.
“Why did you come all this way to tell me that? Alyssa wondered, never once considering that he might have done so out of love for her.
After all, he had had many chances to fall for her in the three years of marriage. It didn’t make sense for him to suddenly develop feelings now. That would be a ridiculously delayed response.
“Alyssa, at the end of the day, I am indebted to you. Ours might have been a paper marriage, but that was no excuse for my poor treatment of you,” he tried to explain his behavior. “So, if there’s a chance, I’d like to make it up to you.”
‘Make it up to me? Sure.” She cast him an indifferent glance. “How about you promise to keep out of my sight and stay out of my business? That’s all.”
He furrowed his brows, feeling like a sharp knife had pierced his gut.
She shook off the blanket and smirked. “Never mention making it up to me again. I’d prefer it if you said you were doing so to thwart Betty.”
Jeremy felt hollow inside as he watched her dash back to the villa in the rain. Deep down, he clung to the hope that she might still have feelings for him.
It felt unfair, but he was helpless.
Was this how she had felt throughout, their loveless marriage?
When Alyssa was back at the villa, she pressed her back against the door and took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
The distant roar of an engine outside signaled that Jeremy had finally left. She wandered back to her bed and looked out of the window.
Suddenly, a warm hand rested on her shoulder, sending a jolt of panic coursing through her veins. She wore a bitter smile when she turned around and saw who it was.
She complained, “Jonah, it’s in the middle of the night. You made me jump. Why were you moving around like a ghost?”
“I wasn’t particularly stealthy. You were just lost in thought, staring out the window.” Jonah let out a sigh and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Together, they turned their attention outside.
“Has he left?”
“Yeah. Sorry for waking you up.” She lowered her gaze sheepishly and leaned against his broad shoulders. “Just now, he dropped by to tell me that he found out about Abigail Grant.”
“Was that all?”
“Yeah.”
The two siblings fell into a shared, unspoken silence.
Jonah broke the silence after a while and pinched her shoulder with a smile. “What if Jeremy had fallen for you-“
“Jonah!” she playfully scolded him with a frown.
“It’s a hypothetical question. Would you give him a second chance if he were willing to make sacrifices because he had fallen for you?” Jonah inquired while staring squarely at her. “He was the man you spent your youth on.”
“No.” Bitterness seeped into her words. “Jonah, forgiveness and second chances are no longer my concern. I am simply fearful of a relationship.
“I’ve dwelled in disappointment and anticipation for far too long. I’d rather not emotionally invest in a man anymore.
*I am tired of waiting for him through the night, making his meals, and never receiving a word of appreciation. That’s tiring, Jonah. I won’t repeat the same mistake.”
“You’re right. Jeremy has no right to feel remorseful after all the heartless things he put you through.”
Jonah grasped her cold hand and sighed in pain. “He does not deserve you. Let him live in regret forever.”
The day after the KS World Hotel scandal, Betty dressed up nicely to meet with Ada at the presidential suite of Berenike Hotel.
It was clear to her that Betty fell short in comparison to Alyssa in terms of fashion sense, class, and eloquence.
In ordi ordinary circumstances, Ada would never have considered associating with such a superficial person were it not for the fact that Betty was a Walsh.
“Madam Ada, KS World’s contractual breach has led to the postponement of your wedding. Even I was worried when I heard the news. Their handling of the situation was amateur and careless.
“It was highly unprofessional of them to expose client’s information online. This case will no doubt be the perfect cautionary tale in the industry.” Betty indignantly bashed KS World Hotel, oblivious to the sullen look on Ada’s face.
She went on, “Had you chosen Berenike Hotel, you wouldn’t have gotten into this mess.”
“Are you implying that I was bad at decisions?” confronted Ada, who took a sip of the black tea in amusement.
Betty’s face froze. She stammered, “I-I didn’t mean that.”
“Ms. Walsh, I’d like you to know that the termination of my partnership with KS World Hotel does not mean I’ll choose Berenike Hotel.
“Ms. Alyssa is an excellent manager. Perhaps there were some untold issues behind their breach of contract. Who knows? Their competitors might have framed them.”