My Substitute CEO Bride101-200

Novel Catalog

Chapter 168
Sweedy closed her eyes, falling silent once more.
Walter stood beside her bed, hands behind his back, his expression darkening. “It’s come to this point. You should carefully weigh the consequences.”
He turned, walking slowly toward the door, but stopped just before leaving. Without looking back, he added coldly, “And don’t think about passing that secret through the nurses. If I find out you’ve tried… they won’t be the only ones to die.”
Three years ago, Walter had uncovered the truth—that the Kleins were the real masterminds behind the fire that destroyed the Young Family Village.
If that secret ever saw the light of day, the Kleins wouldn’t hesitate to crush both the Lanes and the Watsons to protect themselves. As one of the top three elite families in Capiton, the Kleins had the power to eliminate entire bloodlines without blinking.
In Rex District, Nash stepped into the bathroom, pajamas draped over his arm. He was just about to start his shower when his phone buzzed on the sink.
Theo.
Nash’s brows furrowed. Theo never called unless something serious had happened.
He picked up immediately.
“Nashy,” Theo’s voice came through urgently, “my grandfather uncovered something… The Ten Juggernauts of the Green Bamboo Association were all involved in the Young Family Village massacre. And leading them… was Howard. The ninth society leader.”
Nash’s eyes narrowed.
“Howard Lane?”
A sharp glint of murderous intent flickered in his gaze.
Meanwhile, outside, Hera had already finished her shower. She sat cross-legged on the bed, chatting with Skadi over text.
Skadi sent her a link, followed by a suspicious-looking red exclamation mark.
Hera typed curiously:

[Is this… a shopping site?]

Skadi replied with a grinning emoji:

[No, no, it’s a learning website!]

Learning?
Hera raised a brow and clicked on the link—only for a barrage of explicit videos to suddenly fill her screen.
She gasped, scrambling to close the page as inappropriate sounds echoed through the room. Her face turned crimson as she quickly cleared her browsing history.
[Damn woman, are you asking for a beating?!] Hera messaged, flustered.
Skadi responded shamelessly:

[Come on! I was worried you wouldn’t know what to do!
We’re besties—I’ve got your back!
Oh, and I ordered you some drinks. Go pick them up! Bianca and I are headed to boxing practice!]

Hera groaned, hiding under the blanket, her heart still pounding.
Her mind—despite her best efforts—began conjuring up images she couldn’t shake. She squeezed the covers tighter, completely overwhelmed.
She’d heard that the first time hurt.

She didn’t handle pain well.

Would she cry?

Would he… be turned off by that?

No! No! Stop!
She shook her head violently, forcing herself to calm down.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
The beverages must have arrived.
Trying to compose herself, Hera slipped on her slippers and made her way to the door. She smiled, imagining sharing a quiet drink with the man she liked. Skadi really was a good friend—she remembered even the small things Hera said.
She opened the door and reached out for the drinks—only to freeze when she saw the delivery person’s face.
“Ms. Lewis…? You?”
She blinked, startled. “Mr. Wilson? What are you doing delivering food?”
The man at the door was Hans Wilson, Baroque’s branch office marketing director—and second-in-command.
Even though the branch wasn’t doing great lately, his salary still hovered around 8,000 a month. So why…?
Hans let out a long sigh. “Trying to make ends meet. My wife’s pregnant with our second kid and on bed rest. My father-in-law’s in the ICU. My parents are getting old. It’s all on me now.”
Hera’s voice softened. “Life’s really not easy, huh? But don’t worry. Our company’s about to grow. When it does, I’ll make sure your salary goes up.”
Hans’s eyes filled with gratitude. He handed her the drinks, then hesitated a moment before pulling out a small black bag from inside his jacket.
“Also… I’m really sorry, Ms. Lewis. I couldn’t find the brand you wanted, so I picked up a substitute.”
“Oh?” Hera tilted her head, curious. “What brand is it?”
She took the bag and looked inside, unaware that her night was about to take another unexpected turn.
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