Miles Yates truly couldn’t understand Simon Hawthorne.
He had always believed that Simon didn’t love Zoe Lancaster; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen a hidden marriage, leaving her without any support or reliance to suffer countless hardships.
Originally, he had received news today that Simon was tied up in Veridia and might not be able to attend this bidding conference in Seacliff. That was why he had resorted to such a poor strategy to protect Zoe.
Yet, in the end, Simon had come anyway.
For some reason, he did not regret what he had done today. Everyone said he was gentle and polite, but that wasn’t the case. He had a fierce streak in his bones and disliked acting secretively. Furthermore, he genuinely wanted to see what Simon’s attitude would be.
Simon showed no trace of displeasure. He looked at Miles calmly, reached out to wrap an arm around Zoe’s shoulders, and said slowly, "Thank you, President Yates, for personally stepping into the fray to save my wife from the line of fire. She is your subordinate, so a slip of the tongue in a moment of desperation is understandable. However, if a similar situation occurs in the future, it might invite unwanted gossip."
How could Miles not understand what he meant? He would tolerate a first offense, but not a second.
Many people were glancing their way, though they didn’t know the specifics of the conversation.
He raised his eyes coolly. "Which sentence does Mr. Hawthorne consider a slip of the tongue?"
Simon remained silent, his aura subtly shifting.
It wasn’t that Zoe didn’t notice. She hurriedly squeezed Simon’s hand, blinking her pretty eyelashes. "Let’s take our seats quickly. It’s about to start."
After all, their relationship had been exposed too suddenly. Miles and Simon were rivals, and today they had their eyes on the same bid. A bloodless war was inevitable. Now that everyone knew she was Simon’s wife, it would look awkward no matter whose side she sat on.
Decisively, Zoe let go of Simon the moment she finished speaking and left without looking back, not wanting to become the center of attention. She went to find Mason Sullivan, asking him to assist Miles with the upcoming tasks. At a time like this, it was best to avoid arousing suspicion and nip any potential gossip in the bud.
Watching Zoe walk away, Miles finally dropped a leisurely remark: "Mr. Hawthorne, don’t try to guess my true intentions. I’m not some teenage boy; I know exactly what I’m doing and saying."
Only after Miles left did Simon frown. An inexplicable surge of anger erupted from within, burning through his long-held calm and rationality. The brooding darkness at the corners of his eyes sharpened, making him appear completely unapproachable.
A man’s intuition was always accurate. There was a reason he hadn’t liked Miles right from the very beginning.
After a long time, with a darkened face and not a sliver of light reflecting behind his glasses, he muttered, "Overestimating his own capabilities."
He turned around, his expression blank. "Have everything the reporters captured today taken down. Try to keep this from blowing up."
Shane Shaw hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Hawthorne, it’s already trending."
Simon frowned and looked at the phone screen.
#Head of Hawthorne Family’s Hidden Wife Exposed!#
Staring at the trending hashtag, Simon’s eyes darkened to an abyssal pitch-black.
***
In the Hawthorne Residence’s annex, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Peyton Joyce was draped in a shawl. She bent over to tend to the potted camellias. The blooming season was fast approaching, and Simon would love them.
Seeing her busily working, the nanny came over to persuade her. "Miss, let me do that."
Peyton shook her head, her eyes sparkling with overflowing affection. "It’s fine. Simon likes these. I want to cultivate them with my own hands."
The nanny spoke from the heart. "You’re so good to Mr. Hawthorne, Miss. It’s no wonder you two used to be so close. If it hadn’t been for..." She paused, then added, "Those meant to be together won’t drift apart. Besides, Mr. Hawthorne has never publicly acknowledged Miss Lancaster. That says a lot already."
Peyton paused, unable to help the sweet feeling that welled up in her heart upon hearing those words. "You think so?"
The nanny answered earnestly, "Of course! Mr. Hawthorne definitely has a place in his heart for you. Keeping things private avoids a lot of unnecessary trouble. When the time comes, Miss Joyce, you’ll be the only one for him!"
Peyton didn’t say anything more. However, a touch of a smile finally graced her pale face. Suddenly, she asked, "Where’s my phone? I want to take a picture of the flowers and send it to Simon."
The nanny smiled warmly. "I’ll go get it."
After getting her phone, Peyton deliberately took several photos before hitting send.
[Simon, you’ve always liked these flowers, so I’ve been growing a lot of camellias. People always say I share a lot of traits with this flower. Is that true?]
Knowing that Simon was most likely busy and wouldn’t be able to reply immediately, she exited WhatsApp, planning to ask her teacher for specific instructions on how to maintain the plants.
Just as she was about to make the call, a news notification popped up from X. Although it flashed by quickly, she still managed to catch a few keywords.
The smile faded from the corners of her lips, and she opened X. She saw the top five trending topics, and her heart suddenly plummeted.
Clicking on one, she was met with a video. In it, a man shielded a woman in his embrace, enunciating every word clearly: "Zoe Lancaster is my wife... I love my wife dearly..."
Everything around her seemed to go deafeningly silent.
Peyton’s face turned ashen in an instant, and her phone slipped from her grasp, crashing to the ground. Her already frail and slender body swayed like a leaf in a storm. The world spun around her until she could barely stand.
By the time the nanny noticed, Peyton had already collapsed unconscious on the floor. She paled in shock and cried out, "Miss!"
***
The bidding conference ended at nine o’clock that evening.
Zoe had stayed in her room the entire time. Martin Lancaster and Wendy Lawrence had successively called her. Knowing exactly what they wanted to say, she figured what she didn’t hear wouldn’t bother her, so she simply blacklisted their numbers. Once she realized there was no room left for negotiation, she was the type of person who could walk away cleanly, regardless of the relationship.
Apart from that, she had also seen the trending topics.
She couldn’t quite describe how she felt. A faint sense of elation mixed with a hint of insecurity—it felt surreal, as if she were floating in a dream without any solid ground beneath her.
Having been secretly married for so long, there were times she believed that even when her and Simon’s marriage reached its end and they divorced, she would remain a nobody. He would still be the lofty, distinguished Mr. Hawthorne, and she would simply fade away in obscurity, as if she had never even existed in his life.
Everything today had unfolded far too unexpectedly, completely out of her plans!
She had even read the comments, which were surprisingly friendly.
—[This sweetness is driving me crazy!! He’s insanely handsome! She’s screamingly beautiful! This couple is top-tier!! Absolutely divine!!]
—[Mr. Hawthorne loves her so much! Protecting his wife like a boss! Now this is the real-life domineering CEO romance I signed up for!!]
—[Real married couples are just the best to ship! This is exactly the kind of premium content we deserve!!]
—[Mr. Hawthorne looks like the type of man with insanely strong fertility, if you know what I mean! Ugh, why can’t you two just bless us with some spicy content to satisfy a thirsty girl like me!]
A marriage that had never been blessed or viewed favorably, one that was practically shattered, had suddenly garnered so many voices of blessing. It left Zoe in a daze for a while.
DING-DONG—
The doorbell rang.
Jolted back to her senses, Zoe walked to the door and opened it.
The man stood there with his jacket draped over his arm, the vintage diamond brooch on his chest gleaming. He looked at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable. Beneath its cool exterior hid a scorching, scalding heat.
Yet, Zoe instinctively shrank back a little. She raised a hand to stop whatever Simon was about to say, took a deep breath, and asked, "The hidden marriage agreement is ruined, so... are we getting a divorce?"