All Chapters of From substitute bride to CEO : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Lucien got home later than usual. The butler took his coat before wishing him a good evening. Lucien nodded absently and headed upstairs.As he reached the hallway, a soft light caught his attention. Chloe's bedroom door was slightly open. From where he stood, he could see her sitting by the window, her head lowered over a sketchbook, a pencil moving steadily across the page. She looked completely absorbed in what she was doing.Lucien stopped walking. For a brief moment, he simply watched. It reminded him of the night he had stood outside her room, raising his hand to knock before changing his mind. This time, he didn't walk away.He took a slow breath before making his way to the door. His knuckles tapped lightly against the wood.Chloe looked up from her sketchbook. When she saw him standing there, surprise flashed across her face."Lucien?""Can I come in?"The question caught her off guard. He had never asked before. After a brief pause, she nodded."...Yes."Lucien stepped insid

The morning after their argument, Chloe came downstairs for breakfast as she always did. She greeted the butler politely. She thanked the house staff whenever they brought her something. Nothing about her routine changed.And yet, everything had.There was a distance around her now. Not coldness. Not anger. Just distance.After breakfast, she returned to her room with her sketchbook tucked beneath her arm. By midday, she was reviewing samples from Blue Designs. In the afternoon, she attended an online meeting with one of their designers. When evening came, she continued sketching until dinner.She fulfilled every responsibility expected of her. She simply stopped trying to be anything more. She no longer glanced toward the front door whenever she heard footsteps. She no longer wondered whether he would knock on her bedroom door. She had finally accepted something: hope was exhausting.Lucien noticed it almost immediately. That evening, he arrived home a little earlier than usual. As

Lucien remained seated long after the office around him had come back to life. Meetings continued outside his door. Phones rang. Employees walked past the glass walls of his office. None of it reached him.His attention stayed fixed on the old photograph resting on his desk. He turned it over once again. The name was still there.Margaret.His brows remained furrowed. He quietly repeated the name to himself. "Margaret..." It sounded familiar. Not familiar enough for him to remember where he had heard it, but familiar enough that it refused to leave his mind.He looked back at the photograph. The young woman smiled gently, the silver necklace resting around her neck. The same necklace. The one he had spent years associating with Amelia. The one Caleb had just shown appeared in old Carter family records.None of it made sense.Lucien leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a brief moment. His thoughts drifted back to his childhood. The little girl beneath the tree. Her quiet smil

The following morning, Chloe woke up feeling unusually tired. She opened her eyes slowly, expecting the feeling to pass, but instead a dull ache settled through her body. She sat up carefully, pressing a hand against her forehead.Her head throbbed."Maybe I didn't get enough sleep," she murmured to herself.After everything that had happened at Blue Designs, and her sister coming to her home and touching her things, she had stayed up late making small changes to several designs. She convinced herself she only needed a little rest.After washing up, she tried to continue working. She opened one of her sketchbooks and picked up a pencil. A few minutes later, she quietly put it back down. She couldn't concentrate. Even looking at the page made her head hurt.With a small sigh, she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.---Downstairs, the butler noticed immediately that Chloe hadn't come down for breakfast. She was never late. Concerned, he knocked gently on her bedroom door."Mrs. Gr

The evening settled quietly over the penthouse. The only sound in the living room was the soft scratching of a pencil against paper.Chloe sat at the dining table with several sketchbooks spread neatly in front of her. A cup of tea had long gone cold beside her, forgotten as she adjusted the details of a necklace design. She still looked pale. The fever had gone, but it had left traces behind. There were faint shadows beneath her eyes, and every now and then she stopped to press her fingers lightly against her temple before continuing to draw.She didn't want to fall behind. Blue Designs had trusted her. She intended to keep proving they had made the right choice.The front door opened. A few moments later, Lucien walked inside. The butler stepped forward to take his coat."Good evening, sir."Lucien gave a distracted nod. His eyes had already found Chloe. She hadn't noticed him yet. She was completely focused on the sketch in front of her, gently erasing one line before drawing it ag