Chapter 2
As I walked outside into the cold wind, I felt my temperature start to rise again. Fighting off
a headache, I rasped, “No, I have other things to attend to.”
But suddenly, Gianna seemed to slip, and her entire glass of red wine spilled onto me. The coldness made me shiver as a deep stain spread across my white shirt.
“Oh dear, sorry, my hand slipped.” Gianna’s lips held a smile with not a hint of apology in her eyes. “Consider this a warning not to covet what belongs to others. Now, get lost.”
I took one step forward when she stretched out her foot, tripping me. I lost my balance and fell, crashing into a server who was bringing over a cake. The cake smashed against me, leaving me looking utterly ridiculous, like a clown.
Gianna covered her mouth and laughed. “Hahaha, Secretary Brooks, how clumsy can you
be? Zachary, doesn’t she look just like a little lapdog?”
Zachary gave me a disdainful glance and sneered, “What an embarrassment. Now, hurry up and get out.”
Late that night, I returned to my apartment, took a quick shower, and found my throat was already burning hoarse. For some reason, I’d been getting fevers frequently lately. I’d gore to the hospital for an IV drip, and the fever would break, only to return a few hours later. I took an ibuprofen and wrapped myself in a blanket.
I didn’t know how long I’d slept when I was startled awake by a glaring light. I opened my eyes to see Zachary standing by the bed, looking down at me with a deep gaze.
“You seem to sleep quite peacefully.”
I didn’t respond, burying my face in the blanket, pretending to sleep. Zachary grasped one of my legs, his cold touch making me shiver. I opened my eyes to see a silver anklet around my ankle. My skin was pale, and with the anklet on, there was an inexplicable hint of
allure.
Zachary’s gaze darkened as he leaned down, his kisses landing across my skin, leaving me breathless. That wave of dizziness hit me again, and for the first time, I resisted him.
14:30
Fake Wedding, True Pain
87.8%
Chapter 2
“Mr. Cooper, I’m not feeling well today. Can we do this another time?”
Zachary gripped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Is it your body that’s unwell, or your heart? Gianna was just teasing you. Do you have to be so sensitive?”
“Don’t forget, I bought you. If it weren’t for your face resembling hers, who knows whose bed you’d be rotting in now. Don’t entertain any delusions!”
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten. From the moment I became Zachary’s lover, I knew I was othing more than a stand–in. Back then, my family’s business had gone bankrupt. My father jumped from a hundred–story building, and my mother, unable to bear the shock, passed away from illness.
I was chased by creditors, forced to pay off debts with my own body, and ended up working as a hostess in a club. All it would take was fifty thousand dollars for someone to take me home for the night. There were a few well–dressed men in the VIP room, but Zachary sat at the center, casually toying with his wine glass, his whole demeanor exuding elegance.
“This one–I’ll take her.” He lifted my chin, his dark eyes swirling with emotion. When I saw his face, I was momentarily stunned.
Zachary paid off my debts, and I became his personal secretary and lover. This relationship was unequal from the beginning. I never held any foolish hopes for him.
Zachary tugged open my nightgown, his eyes gradually filling with desire. His voice was hoarse and low, “It does feel a bit warm, but holding you is very comforting.”
I stopped struggling, letting him do as he pleased. The lights above swayed, and I stared blankly at Zachary’s refined face, so perfect it almost seemed unreal. In a daze, I muttered a name: “Zack.”
It sounded just like his own, so Zachary thought I was calling for him, and his eyes darkened evert further.
Zachary kept me up until late into the night. The next morning, I still had a slight fever. As I was washing my face, I noticed two lines of blood slowly trickling from my nose. I paused, stunned, then grabbed a few tissues to hastily wipe it away.
14:30
