Chapter 2

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Conrad's handsome face darkened like a gathering storm.

He struggled hard, trying to yank his arm out of my grip.

I pressed even closer, holding onto him tightly.

"We're legally married. What exactly are you so nervous about, boss?"

He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper.

"Celine, what exactly is wrong with you tonight?"

"I'm accompanying you to the anniversary gala, of course."

He stared at me, a clear warning in his tone.

"I'll deal with the photo in the chat. You just need to keep your mouth shut and cooperate with me."

But I simply let out a soft laugh.

"How are you going to deal with it? Say I'm just an unlucky employee you gave a ride to? Or say I crawled into your bed?"

Conrad's eyes instantly turned cold.

"Do you have to make this so ugly?"

I was just about to shoot back when the elevator pinged to signal our arrival.

The moment the doors opened, deafening music and chatter flooded into the small space.

The company had thrown a massive anniversary celebration this time.

All the employees, core investors, and top partners were present.

The crystal chandeliers were blindingly bright, and a crowd had gathered around the champagne tower.

When we walked out of the elevator side by side, all eyes in the room swept over us like spotlights.

My hand was still tightly hooked around Conrad's arm. I wore the perfect expression of a loving wife.

A few exaggerated gasps could be heard from the crowd. The first person who rushed over to greet us was Ivy.

Her eyes first landed on my hand holding Conrad's arm. For a second, the smile on her face almost slipped.

But just a second later, she immediately switched back to her pitiful, innocent look.

"Mr. Conrad, you're finally here."

She raised the wine glass in her hand and held it right in front of Conrad.

"I specifically asked them not to over-chill your champagne. You have to give a speech on stage later, so don't drink anything too cold. It might hurt your throat."

Conrad reached out to take it subconsciously.

I was faster. I reached out and intercepted the glass midway.

Ivy froze.

I swirled the glass and smiled. "Thank you so much, Ivy. You certainly know my husband's preferences very well."

It was as if a pause button had been pressed on the noisy room. Everything went dead silent.

Conrad's face instantly turned livid.

"Celine."

But I completely ignored him.

I calmly turned to the onlookers who were all ears. My voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"Since everyone is here, I think it's time I reintroduced myself."

"My name is Celine."

"I'm Conrad's legal wife."

The entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A few seconds later, the chatter exploded.

"Wife?!"

"The CEO has been married all this time?"

"Hasn't Ivy been hinting to us every day that he is single?"

Ivy's eyes quickly turned red, and she looked at Conrad with extreme hurt.

"Conrad, she's joking, right?"

That heartbroken tone made her sound exactly like the actual girlfriend who had been wronged.

At this point, Ryan squeezed out of the crowd in a hurry, frowning at me.

"Celine, we have both the media and investors here today. Don't act crazy!"

He was the Marketing Director, and more importantly, Ivy's most loyal puppet in the company.

During the online hate storm in my previous life, he was the one at the very front lines tearing me apart.

He had publicly humiliated me in the company chat.

"Some women's professional skills are pure trash, but their skills in pleasing men in bed are absolutely top-tier."

I looked him up and down coldly.

"Ryan, you're jumping to defend her so quickly. Are you afraid I'll expose some dirty secrets?"

Ryan let out a contemptuous sneer.

"Secrets? If you really are married to the boss, why has Conrad never mentioned a single word about you to anyone?"

"You don't even think before you lie?"

That was a fantastic question.

I wanted to know the answer to that too.

I slowly turned to face Conrad and stared at him.

"Mr. CEO, why don't you explain it to everyone yourself. What exactly are you afraid of?"

"Why won't you make our marriage public?"

Conrad's jaw was tight. It took him a long time to squeeze out a single sentence.

"Celine, stop causing a scene."

It was that damn phrase again.

In my previous life, whenever I tried to fight for a little bit of equal respect, he would always condescendingly accuse me of being unreasonable.

My smile turned even colder.

"I just want to make my legal marriage public. Is that called causing a scene?"

Ivy's tears rolled down her cheeks at exactly that moment.

Regardless of everything, she took a step forward and hugged Conrad's arm tightly in front of everyone.

Conrad froze for a moment, but he didn't immediately shake her off.

Ivy lifted her chin slightly, the undisguised provocation finally showing in her eyes.

"Conrad said it himself that he's single."

"Celine, no matter how desperate you are for his money, you should look at the occasion today, shouldn't you?"