Chapter 2

The next day, in the CEO’s office at Hayes Tower.

“Sir, the rumors have spread. I believe Ms. Jones will hear about them soon,” said Sam Allen respectfully.

“For example?”

A man dressed in a cold and sharp black suit leaned lazily on the sofa, his long legs propped up on the coffee table with his ankles crossed.

His slender fingers pinched a cigarette, and a trail of smoke rose up. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression seemingly disdainful yet indifferent. There was a natural air of nobility and arrogance surrounding him.

“Ahem... For example, they say you’re hideous, weigh over 200 pounds, have a violent temper, and even hit women.”

Julian exhaled a smoke ring, his voice low and mesmerizing. “That’s not enough. Add another one: I’m impotent.”

“Huh? R-Right!”

Sam’s mouth twitched as he thought, ‘Spreading rumors about yourself being impotent? Mr. Hayes, you’re really brutal!’

Julian was spreading these rumors about himself to force Ms. Jones to break off the engagement voluntarily. After all, his grandmother had insisted on this marriage, so he did not want to rebel too harshly and hurt the old woman’s feelings.

He never planned to marry a stranger, and it was even more impossible after what happened last night.

Last night, driven by desire, he conquered her body uncontrollably. The red specks left on the seat were both something he cherished and felt moved by.

It had been her first time, and he had told her to trust her.

He meant to marry her.

“Any news about the person I told you to find?”

Sam looked troubled. “There was a power outage in a large area of the parking lot last night, so we haven’t found anything from the surveillance footage yet. As for the umbrella...”

It was an old blue umbrella that Celia had left behind last night.

“Find the owner of this umbrella!” Julian crushed the cigarette, a hint of urgency appearing on his cold face. “She’ll be Mrs. Hayes in the future!”

...

One month later, Celia walked out of the pharmacy with her face flushed while she gripped a pregnancy test kit tightly in her hand.

Her period had not come on time this month. Could she be pregnant with that man’s child?

She rushed home, eager to do the test. When she reached the doorstep, she saw Zoe dressed in a wedding gown.

“Zoe, aren’t you marrying into the Hayes’ today? Why are you here?”

“No! I won’t marry him!” Zoe grabbed her hand desperately. “Julian Hayes is ugly and impotent. My life will be ruined if I marry him!”

Celia was stunned when Zoe suddenly hugged her, sobbing, “Cece, can you help me?”

Night fell.

A luxury car stopped at the entrance of the Hayes’ residence.

A bride in a white gown got out of the car. A veil covered her face, hiding her expression as the butler led her in.

It was a wedding without any ceremony. There were no witnesses or guests.

There was not even a groom.

The bride was escorted into the bridal chamber.

The butler told her kindly, “Rest early, Madam. Old Mrs. Hayes said you must be tired, so she’ll see you in the morning.”

“Where’s Julian?”

“The young master has urgent business to deal with at the office and won’t be coming tonight. Hope you understand.”

“Okay.”

After the butler and servants left, the room fell silent.

The bride lifted her veil. It was not Zoe, but Celia!

An hour ago, she and Zoe had swapped clothes, and she took Zoe’s place in the Hayes’ luxury car.

Zoe had tearfully begged her to marry Julian on her behalf.

“Cece, Julian and I were betrothed as children. I just returned to the Joneses and can’t bring up breaking the engagement! Cece, marry Julian for me. In a year, once my foothold in the Joneses is more stable, I’ll boldly propose a divorce...”

Once they got divorced, Celia, the stand-in bride, could leave the Hayes.

Celia felt that it was an absurd idea, but Zoe had given her the money to save her grandmother. Furthermore, Zoe was her only friend, so she could not bring herself to refuse her pleas...

The spacious bedroom in front of her had none of the festive atmosphere of a bridal chamber. The silver-gray bedding seemed to reflect the master’s coldness.

The image of a terrifying, 200-pound beast appeared in her mind...

For a moment, her heart tightened, and she found it hard to breathe.

“Fortunately, Julian isn’t here tonight...” Celia patted her chest gently and comforted herself, “Let’s not think too much for now. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself in the pure white wedding gown. It truly looked beautiful, but it did not belong to her.

Her slender hands reached behind her and pulled down the zip, gradually revealing her fair skin.

Unbeknownst to her, not long after the butler left, Julian returned.

At that moment, he was in his study. He pulled up the surveillance footage from the bedroom, curious to see how his ‘bride’ would react to spending the night alone.

Unexpectedly, he saw...

The woman’s hand slowly tugged her neckline down, revealing smooth shoulders, a delicate collarbone, and her soft and fair back...

Her slow movements made the scene even more enticing, especially as the mirror reflected her perfect curves.

Julian’s gaze was glued to the screen. When the dress fell down to her ankles, revealing her long and slender legs, she suddenly turned toward him...

He narrowed his eyes dangerously and slammed his phone face-down on the desk!

The loud bang snapped him out of his wandering thoughts.

However, his throat felt dry, and his lower abdomen tightened. A restlessness surged within him.

He walked to the window and lit a cigarette. His profile was handsome and dark, and his eyes were as deep and cold as the night outside.

When his desire died down, he picked up his phone again, only to see the woman stepping out of the bathroom after showering.

He was just about to turn off the surveillance when he noticed she was holding... a pregnancy test kit?

In the rush to switch clothes with Zoe, Celia had accidentally stuffed the test into her handbag and brought it to the Hayes’ residence.

Julian was not around, so she took the opportunity to use the test while showering.

After a long time, she mustered the courage to open her eyes. On the test was a single red line...

That meant she was not pregnant!

“Thank goodness!”

Just as she sighed in relief, there was a click!

The next second, a tall and handsome stranger appeared before her. He exuded a cold and gloomy aura that instantly filled the room with tension.

“Zoe Yale, what are you holding in your hand?”