Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

"Okay, I’m heading out!"

Nancy Hughes’s original home was in the other direction. She had to walk to town, then take a half-hour bus ride to get there.

She hadn’t been back in three years and felt a bit lost, the roads seeming unfamiliar.

But when she saw the large willow tree by the front door, she recognized it.

Her father, Peter Hughes, had an older brother named Philip Hughes.

Nancy stood at the door. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

Having not seen her for so long, Philip Hughes’s first glance at her was one of unfamiliarity, until she said, "Uncle, it’s me, Nancy."

Only then did Philip Hughes recognize her, welcoming her into the house. "What brings you here today!"

"It’s been a while, so I wanted to come back and see everyone."

’It felt like she didn’t have a real home anymore. She was a stranger in the Caldwell Family’s house, and now, she was a stranger in the Hughes Family’s house, too.’

When Peter Hughes was alive, they rarely had contact with Philip Hughes.

It was only normal that they felt like strangers.

She had lunch, hosted by Philip Hughes’s wife.

Philip Hughes had a son and a daughter. The daughter was older than her and already married with children, while the younger son was still in high school.

Philip Hughes’s son didn’t recognize Nancy, but he was incredibly curious upon hearing she had gone to university in a big city.

"Cousin Nancy, is university fun?"

"It’s fun. You should study hard and try to get in on this year’s college entrance exams!"

Micah Hughes said confidently, "Of course I will! Is your university any good? I’m still trying to figure out which school to apply to!"

Micah Hughes’s grades were excellent; he was always first in his year, and his teachers had high hopes for him.

After lunch, Philip Hughes sat in the living room watching TV.

The sofa was by the window, and warm sunlight streamed in, illuminating one half of Philip Hughes’s face while leaving the other in shadow.

For a fleeting moment, Nancy thought she was looking at her own father.

Philip Hughes looked very similar to Peter Hughes, especially around the eyes, but Peter had always had more of a scholarly air about him.

"Uncle, I’d like to go visit my dad in a bit," Nancy said aloud.

Philip Hughes, smoking in the sunlight, paused for a moment before replying, "I’ll go with you later!"

"Okay!"

So much had changed in the years she was away. The moment Nancy saw the familiar headstone, her eyes instantly welled up.

A heavy snow had fallen the night before last, covering the ground in a thick white blanket.

Philip Hughes walked over and brushed the snow off the headstone. "Your father would be so proud to see how successful you’ve become!"

Nancy sobbed uncontrollably. The man in the photograph was still as young as she remembered, but she was no longer the little girl who held his hand.

After visiting Peter Hughes, Nancy and Philip Hughes walked back.

"You need to be careful out there on your own, you’re a young woman. And you’re not getting any younger. You should find a boyfriend soon, so your dad can rest in peace!"

"I know!"

After paying her respects to Peter Hughes, Nancy wanted to leave right away. Philip Hughes tried to get her to stay. "You’re not staying the night?"

"No, I have to get back."

"Alright then, be careful on your way." Seeing her determination, Philip Hughes added, "No matter what, you’re still a part of the Hughes Family. As long as you want to come back, this will always be your home."

Those last words made Nancy’s eyes well up again. "Uncle, please take good care of yourself. I’ll be going now."

Nancy didn’t go back directly. Instead, she lingered in the town for a few hours.

The town was small; you could walk through the whole thing in an hour.

From elementary school, to middle school, to high school—she had spent almost the first half of her life in this place.

It was winter break, so the students were all away. The school gates were deserted, and all the shops were closed.

Closing her eyes, she could still picture scenes from her school days.

Not many from her graduating class had gone to university, and even fewer ended up in the same city as her.

She had lost touch with most of her high school classmates.

She wandered aimlessly along the roadside. The streets were still quite crowded.

Most of the people out were children, their faces bright with radiant smiles as they chased each other through the crowd.

She didn’t return home until it was dark.

Zoey Zane was waiting for her at the door. Seeing her return, she asked, "Why are you back so late!"

Nancy was warm from all the walking. "I went to see Dad!"

Zoey Zane suddenly fell silent, giving her a strange look before changing the subject. "Let’s go inside first!"

After walking all day, she was so tired all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.

She washed up in a hurry, made her bed on the floor, and went to sleep.

She closed her eyes and slept for a while. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard the deafening CRACKLE and POP of firecrackers outside.

The noise woke her up. She suddenly remembered that it was the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the day to welcome the God of Wealth.

The noise made it impossible to sleep, and the bed felt increasingly cold.

She fished her phone out of her pocket and pressed the button, but there was no response. Then she remembered the battery had died and it had turned off automatically.

She crawled out of bed, plugged it in to charge, and turned it on.

A text message popped up. It was from that same unknown number.

"Sorry, I turned my phone off before boarding the plane and forgot to turn it back on afterward."

’So that’s what he meant. He hadn’t seen the message; he hadn’t ignored her on purpose.’

’No wonder he hadn’t replied for so long.’

She scratched her head, wondering if she should reply and, if so, what she should say.

After some thought, she typed out a message. "Are you having a reunion with your family?"

She put her phone down, rolled over, and curled into a ball. Hearing a DING, she quickly turned back and snatched her phone.

It was as if he had been waiting for her message; a reply came almost as soon as she sent it.

"No, I don’t have any family."

’Uh... how was she supposed to reply to that? No family... It seemed he was a bit like her.’

As she was fumbling with a reply, another message came in from him. "I’m here to take care of some work."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah."

Nancy put down her phone, but it buzzed again. "Get some sleep. Good night."

"Good night."

Nancy returned to Portmire on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

The day before she left, she withdrew all her savings and gave the money to Zoey Zane.

"Mom, if you’re not feeling well, please go to the hospital. Don’t just endure it," Nancy said, worried about Zoey Zane.

"I don’t want your money. Life isn’t easy for you out there on your own. You keep it." Zoey Zane tried to give the money back to Nancy. "I don’t have anything valuable to give you. When you get married someday, I won’t be able to give you much money, so you should keep this for yourself."

Every family has its own problems. Zoey Zane wanted to provide for her daughter, but she also had a son to raise.

"It’s fine, I have other money. You keep this." Nancy forcefully stuffed the cash into Zoey Zane’s pocket.

When Zoey Zane tried to return it, Nancy called out loudly, "Uncle, you’re here!"

Julian Caldwell looked awkwardly at the mother and daughter. Nancy stood up. "Well, I’m going to my room to sleep now."

She returned to Portmire practically penniless, with only a few hundred yuan left to her name.

She rested at home for a day, then pulled herself together and went to work.

Returning to work right after the New Year, she was immediately swamped with tasks, not even having a moment to take a sip of water.

In the morning, she had just returned from running an errand at another company to pick up documents for Gwen Gunn. She was only halfway through coloring a design draft when she was told she had to attend a meeting with him.

At the meeting, the department head detailed the work for the new quarter, and each team member reported on their progress.

Thankfully, she had organized her materials the night before last, or she would have had a hard time reporting.

At noon, she finally got a moment to rest.

She had just taken a bite of lunch when Gwen Gunn suddenly called, saying they had to go out that afternoon.

She quickly shoveled a few more mouthfuls of rice into her mouth. "I’m full. You guys take your time."

Picking up her tray, she hurried out.

The "important matter" Gwen Gunn had mentioned turned out to be a visit to an art exhibition.

Nancy was a little speechless. She still had a mountain of work to do. Wasn’t it a bit inappropriate to be openly slacking off like this?

"The New Year just ended, you should be relaxing! Look at how busy you’ve been all morning!"

Nancy’s mouth twitched. ’He sure knows how to take it easy.’

’But if she didn’t do that work, it would just keep piling up.’

She followed Gwen Gunn to the company entrance and saw him stop. Confused, she asked, "Mr. Gunn, aren’t we going?"

"A friend is coming to pick us up. Just a minute." Gwen Gunn glanced at the time and looked ahead.

A few minutes later, a black car approached. "There he is!"

The car stopped smoothly in front of them, and a man got out of the driver’s seat. "Traffic was bad. Sorry I’m late!"

"No problem, we only just got here," Gwen Gunn said with a smile. "By the way, Hughes, you’ve met him before, remember?"

Nancy’s eyes widened in astonishment, too shocked to speak.

It was Dylan Heston who spoke first. "Miss Hughes, hello."

"Hello, Mr... Mr. Heston!"

Sitting in Dylan Heston’s car, Nancy felt completely on edge, sitting stiffly and properly to the side.

Her gaze was fixed straight ahead, but she kept stealing glances at Dylan Heston’s expression in the rearview mirror.

’Going to an art exhibition with Dylan Heston... why did it make her feel so flustered?’

She swallowed nervously, not having heard a word of what Gwen Gunn was saying.

She let out a blank "Huh?" and asked, "Mr. Gunn, what did you say?"

"You silly girl, why do you keep zoning out? Are you thinking about your boyfriend?"

"Of course not!" Nancy denied softly, her face turning red.

"If you don’t have one, I can introduce you. I know quite a few nice young men."

"N-No, that’s not necessary!" Nancy refused hastily. She had no intention of dating right now.

"If you know so many nice young men, how come I’ve never seen you introduce one to Hannah?" Dylan Heston, who had been driving silently, suddenly chimed in.

"Hannah is still young. It’s too early for her to date!"

"She’s in university. She’s not that young!"

"We’ll talk about it after she graduates." Gwen Gunn turned his attention back to Nancy. "Hughes, tell me what you’re looking for in a partner. I’ll see if I can find someone for you!"

Nancy was mortified. ’Mr. Gunn, do you have to be so enthusiastic?’

’It would be one thing if it were just the two of them, but there’s a stranger in the car!’

Nancy laughed awkwardly. "Mr. Gunn, really, it’s fine. I already have someone I like."

"Oh, is that so!" Gwen Gunn nodded as if in understanding.