CEO's Substitute Wife

The heavy and nauseating air makes it difficult for Adelaide to breathe. She remains motionless against the wall, clutching the hem of her dress tightly, unable to take a step in any direction. The faint light seeping through the opening reveals the gloomy, dark, dirty, and musty place, intensifying her fear that some creature might pounce on her at any moment. Cursed be her luck. Why do all these things happen to her? Her eyes are swollen from crying. This place is so damp and bitterly cold. She can only hope that Egil will absolve her, that he will listen, and order her to be taken out of here before night falls, even if he later locks her back in her room. Anything would be better than this horrifying place. She hears the murmurs of men guarding the door, and a glimmer of hope arises in her. She lost count of how many hours she has spent in this place, and silence has been her only company since then—until now. "Gentlemen, please, I need to speak with my husband, Egil" She begi

At the Arrabal family hacienda, Gage looks at Egil with concern. He hasn't said a word in response to the news he just received, and he let Bahram Valencia's messenger go as if it were nothing, something he would never have done for such grave news.He hasn't given any orders either. That could be a good thing, but definitely not when it comes to Egil. He's not someone who sits idly by in the face of such dishonor; only someone truly reckless and unafraid of death could betray him in this way."Boss, maybe I can...""Silence!" Egil's powerful voice immediately silences him. The coldness in his tone is something his right-hand man is already accustomed to, as they have known each other since they were children, but there's something more going on inside that head, and he knows it well.Egil's long fingers don't stop tapping on the desk, a characteristic sign that he's planning something in which many lives will be lost, something Gage has witnessed before. Egil is not a man who leaves

The closer they get to Egil's room, the more dizzy and nauseous Adelaide feels. Her stomach churns, and she can't find a way to calm herself."Stay calm, my child," the maid urges, as if that were possible for her. She can ask her for anything except calmness. That's impossible right now. "Remember everything I've taught you. If you resist, it could be worse. You need to get used to these orders. Mr. Egil will be your husband from tomorrow, and today you are legally his fiancée, so it's normal that he wants some time alone with you."For Adelaide, hearing those words from the only person who has understood and cared for her since birth is a clear sign that very difficult days await her on this hacienda.Adelaide doesn't feel prepared for this private encounter between them. In fact, she's terrified just imagining that this man could use her body as he pleases."We've arrived, my child," they stop in front of a double door guarded by two armed and stern-faced men. "You should knock twi

"It's time, miss," says one of the maids, entering Adelaide's room. The young girl nods with a heavy knot in her stomach. She is still in disbelief. The woman in the mirror seems like someone else, certainly not herself. She looks beautiful and radiant this morning.Mercedes opens the drawer and takes out a perfume bottle to apply to her neck and wrist. The fragrance was her late mother Amaranta's, and no one has a perfume with the same scent because it was custom-made by a native from their village just for her. Mercedes cherished the perfume bottles like treasure after her mother passed away and gave them to Adelaide when she turned fifteen.The young girl closes her eyes and inhales that scent that reminds her so much of her mother, whom she never knew because she died the day she was born. It's as if her mother is with her now, and that gives her the courage for what lies ahead.She looks at herself one last time in the mirror while turning around to admire her dress. It's so exqu

The next morning, in the rose garden, Petra and other young women are talking and laughing among themselves, pointing towards Adelaide's room. In her calmness, she decides to ignore them, opens the book in her hands, and focuses on the romantic plot she's reading. Mercedes had taken care of her education diligently over the years, which is why she can read and write fluently and has knowledge in various areas. Her father, Bahram Valencia, had always been ruthless with his daughter, and Adelaide has no doubt that he hates her with all his might. Nevertheless, he ordered that she receive the education befitting a young woman of her age. If there's one thing Adelaide enjoys, it's studying, and she has always excelled in it. She reads, writes, and dedicates herself even more than her sister Nadia, as one of her teachers had once told her.The women in the garden eventually decide to leave. Petra, who had suggested they go there to bother Adelaide, is furious because she couldn't achieve h