Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

She frantically pushed away the man in front of her and scurried off.

She didn’t dare to hear another word from Dylan Heston, afraid that he was hitting too close to home.

Nancy Hughes returned to Gwen Gunn’s side. "Mr. Gunn."

Mr. Gunn was a conscientious mentor and taught Nancy Hughes quite a lot.

Nancy Hughes forced herself to focus, trying hard to remember everything Mr. Gunn explained.

But as she was looking at an article of clothing, she saw the man across the way through the glass.

The moment their eyes met, her chest tightened, and she quickly lowered her head.

No one noticed her pale cheeks gradually flushing crimson.

When she got home, the living room was brightly lit, and Georgia Thorne was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Georgia Thorne was a quiet woman. They had been roommates for three years and had always gotten along splendidly.

She was good-tempered and patient with others, and Nancy Hughes really liked that about her.

’No wonder Zane Lennox fell for her, too.’

She and Georgia Thorne were very different. Georgia liked design, while Nancy’s passion was traditional Chinese painting.

Not wanting to return to *that* house, she had deliberately chosen a school far away, accepting the university’s offer to switch her major from Chinese painting to design.

Nancy Hughes grinned, walked over, and plopped down beside Georgia Thorne, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "I’m starving!"

Georgia Thorne smacked her hand away. "There are leftovers in the fridge. Go heat them up yourself!"

"Georgia, how could you be so cruel as to make me eat leftovers!" Nancy Hughes gave her a pitiful look. Georgia Thorne gave her cheek a firm pinch. "Didn’t you have some nice food today?"

"Ugh, don’t even mention it. It was just a tiny piece of cake, not even enough for a snack!" Nancy Hughes continued to cling to Georgia. "My dearest Georgia, I want meat."

"There’s some in the fridge. Heat it up yourself!"

Nancy Hughes huffed and then skipped cheerfully into the kitchen.

Georgia Thorne had been waiting up for Nancy Hughes; otherwise, she would have gone to bed long ago.

"Go ahead and eat. I’m going to bed!"

In the kitchen, her smile gone, Nancy Hughes stared blankly at the microwave. She didn’t respond until Georgia Thorne had entered her bedroom, and even then, it was just a delayed, "Oh."

The microwave went DING!, signaling that the food was ready.

She opened the microwave and, forgetting an oven mitt, grabbed the bowl with her bare hand, burning her fingers.

She quickly turned on the faucet and ran her hand under the cold water.

It didn’t seem to do much good. A blister was already forming on her finger, and she furrowed her brow in pain.

She put the reheated food on the dining table but had no appetite whatsoever.

Her head ached just thinking about how she’d embarrassed herself tonight.

’How did I manage to run into Dylan Heston, of all people!’

She clutched her head. ’Dylan Heston’s eyes are just too sharp.’

A man like Dylan Heston, with his experience, could see through all sorts of people.

He could discern anyone’s intentions with a single glance.

Especially someone like Nancy Hughes, who was an open book and couldn’t even hide her own feelings.

Recently, Lynn Thorne and her husband had been going through a divorce, so Lynn and her daughter, Leah, were staying in Nancy’s room.

That meant Nancy was sharing a bed with Georgia Thorne.

She cleaned up the dishes, telling herself not to overthink things.

Back in Georgia Thorne’s bedroom, Georgia was lying on one side of the bed, apparently already asleep.

She called out to Georgia but got no response, so she lifted the covers and climbed into bed.

But once again, she couldn’t fall asleep.

She’d been having trouble sleeping lately, always finding her thoughts inexplicably drifting to someone who should be a complete stranger.

The more she told herself not to think about him, the more his name and his eyes would stubbornly surface in her mind.

In all her life, Nancy Hughes had never been looked at so closely by a man.

His intense gaze had scrutinized her face. They had been so close she could clearly feel his breath on her skin.

’I’m done for. I can’t stop thinking about it.’

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, threw off the covers, and shot up in bed. ’Why do I keep thinking about Dylan Heston?’

’Oh, right. Today, Dylan Heston asked why I left without saying goodbye to him.’

That question was even more baffling, and Nancy Hughes couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

’When did I ever leave without saying goodbye to Dylan Heston?’

’No, that’s not right. We’re not even that close, are we? Is saying goodbye really necessary?’

’Ugh, Dylan Heston is taking over my entire brain.’

Unable to sleep, Nancy Hughes tossed and turned.

Georgia Thorne, who was lying beside her, suddenly spoke up. "Nancy!"

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No! I can’t really sleep either!" Georgia Thorne’s voice sounded different from usual.

"What a coincidence, me neither!"

"What’s wrong?"

"Is something bothering you?"

They both spoke at once, then both fell silent.

In the darkness, they glanced at each other, and silence fell once more.

Nancy Hughes chuckled. "What else could it be for me? Work, of course!"

"And you? Is it because of Elliot Sheridan?" Nancy Hughes leaned closer. "You know, I don’t think you should let a breakup get you down like this. Don’t be so sad. What’s meant to be yours will be yours, and what isn’t, you can’t force it."

To be honest, Nancy had been genuinely shocked when Georgia first admitted she was dating Elliot Sheridan.

No matter how she looked at it, the two of them seemed like they belonged to different worlds. They were a completely unexpected match.

And yet, they had been together for three years.

After Nancy finished speaking, a silence fell over the room.

Thinking she might have gone too far, she nudged Georgia’s shoulder. "Asleep?"

"No, just thinking."

"What’s there to think about? Let’s just get some sleep."

"Nancy..."

"Yeah?"

"I’m going to Akashima."

"On a business trip?"

"Something like that."

"When?"

"This Friday."

"..."

Nancy Hughes felt Georgia Thorne’s decision to go to Akashima was too sudden, leaving her no time to prepare.

Nancy Hughes didn’t go to see Georgia Thorne off on the day she left.

But before Georgia left, Nancy hugged her tightly, her eyes turning red. "Georgia, do you really have to go?"

Georgia Thorne patted her on the shoulder. "It’s only for six months. I’ll be back before you know it!"

Nancy Hughes was miserable about Georgia leaving and moped around at work.

Her thoughts drifted to Zane Lennox, and she wondered if he knew Georgia had left.

Lynn Thorne won her court case and received a large alimony settlement.

Feeling it would be an imposition to stay any longer, she and her son found a new apartment.

Now, she was all alone in the empty apartment.

After Georgia left, she left a big problem for Nancy Hughes.

A check that she was supposed to give to Elliot Sheridan.

’I’m going to have a breakdown.’ Her relationship with Elliot Sheridan was purely that of a boss and a subordinate—they never even saw each other. ’How am I supposed to give this to him!’

The check felt like a hot potato. She wouldn’t be at ease until it was in Elliot Sheridan’s hands.

She took advantage of her lunch break to sneak upstairs.

The top floor was nearly empty at this hour. Nancy Hughes had planned to just slip the envelope under the door and run, but Owen Sawyer spotted her.

In a panic, she shoved the envelope into Owen Sawyer’s hand. "From Georgia Thorne!"

With that, she scurried away.

An elevator chimed, and she dashed inside without a second thought.

There was someone else in the elevator, about to step out, who was knocked back inside by Nancy’s abrupt entrance.

Nancy Hughes apologized profusely. "I’m so sorry, so sorry!"

Dylan Heston saw it was her again. ’This is the second time, isn’t it?’

"It’s fine."

Nancy’s ears burned. She saw that the man beside her wasn’t getting out, even though they were on the top floor.

"Um, aren’t you getting out?" she asked, looking up. Her expression turned to one of shock when she saw Dylan Heston’s face.

She was already filled with regret, and now she just wanted the ground to swallow her whole. ’How did I run into *him* again?’

"I was just about to head down."

"Oh, right!"

Nancy Hughes frantically pressed the ’close door’ button, then the button for her floor. Her finger hovered over the panel. "Excuse me, Mr. Heston, are you going to the first floor?"

"Yes."

She quickly pressed the button for the first floor and stood primly in front of Dylan Heston.

The elevator walls were mirrored, and Nancy Hughes snuck glances at Dylan Heston out of the corner of her eye.

Dylan Heston was incredibly handsome. His features were exactly her type, especially his eyes, which were as dark as obsidian.

’An outstanding man like him must have tons of women chasing after him.’

Dylan Heston was on par with Elliot Sheridan. Thinking about how popular Elliot was, she could only imagine how many women were crazy about Dylan Heston.

The elevator chimed as it arrived at her floor.

’Damn it, why am I thinking about the women who like Dylan Heston?’

"Well, goodbye, Mr. Heston!"

"Mm."

Dylan Heston responded without any expression. If his eyes hadn’t been on her, she would have thought he was talking to thin air.

Nancy felt a pang of awkwardness. ’Well, at least this time he can’t say I left without a word.’

Back at her desk, Mr. Gunn happened to be there and handed her a design draft. "Take care of this."

"Okay." She took the design file and let out a long sigh of relief.

She tapped her forehead. ’Nancy, what on earth were you thinking about?’

’Just a jumbled mess.’

Georgia Thorne seemed to be doing well in Akashima, contacting Nancy occasionally.

Georgia would talk about her life in Akashima, and Nancy would talk about her life back home. They would complain to each other about their problems, venting all their frustrations.

Mr. Gunn thought Nancy Hughes had a good aptitude. If she applied herself and studied hard, she could have a bright future.

His willingness to mentor Nancy made the other interns who had started at the same time very envious.

Mr. Gunn was well-known in the field, had a great temper, and wasn’t arrogant at all.

This was a huge relief for Nancy, and she moved her things to a desk next to Mr. Gunn’s that very day.

Working under Mr. Gunn, Nancy began handling design plans every day.

She no longer had to run errands or do menial tasks for others. The sudden free time left her feeling a little out of sorts.

These quiet days continued for a week before the company broke for a holiday.