The Replacement Bride : Contracted to the Cruel CEO のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

IVY'S POV"Your place is…""Gorgeous?" Elliot offered, flashing that boy-next-door smile."I was going to say predictable," I said, gesturing at the minimalist decor and the shelf of self-help books. "But sure, gorgeous works too."He laughed hard.Elliot had a certain vibe to him. Unlike Adrian, he was soft and gentle, like the kind of man you would see straight out of a rom-com."Coffee or tea?" he asked as he ran his hand through his hair."Tea," I said, and a few minutes later, Elliot appeared with a small cup of Arabian tea. I took a sip, and my eyes almost rolled to the back of my head.Arabian tea. Of course, he made Arabian tea. Elliot probably learned it from some influencer he met at a yoga retreat. Meanwhile, Adrian thought "tea" was what you drank when you were too weak for whiskey.I took another sip. God, it was good.The sweet taste of cinnamon danced on my tongue.Maybe that was the problem. Everything about Elliot was good. Too good. And I was so used to bad that good

IVY’S POV The Sterling mansion I felt like I was losing myself with every passing second. Being stuck in this mansion felt like a curse—one I had no way of escaping for the next three years. I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror. The dark roots at the center of my head were starting to show. I needed to keep up with the disguise. I applied another layer of dye, waited for it to settle, then rinsed it off. “Good,” I murmured to myself, letting out a long sigh. I was mentally exhausted, completely drained. The one thing I needed right then was an end to this horrific life. Adrian treated me like property, and now he had threatened the only person I wanted to seek comfort from. I punched the mirror. Tiny cracks spidered out from the point of impact. A thin trail of blood ran down my hand. He was going to pay for all of this torture. One day, I would burn Adrian Sterling to the ground. I cleaned up and stepped out of the bathroom, headin

IVY’S POV‘It's alright. I think I would like to make breakfast myself this time,’ I said to Martha.She raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you sure—’‘Yes, Martha.’She let out a quiet sigh. ‘I'm here if you want to talk.’I gave her a small nod and a smile. She left the kitchen without another word.The counter was cool under my palms. I reached for the pancake mix, measuring it into a bowl the way my mother used to when I was small. A pinch of sugar. A dusting of cinnamon. The scent rose as I stirred, warm and familiar, and for a second it almost worked. Almost.Then the memory of last night slid back in—Adrian’s voice, the weight of his words, the way the air had gone thin between us—and the spoon slowed in my hand.If my father was connected to the Sterlings, that would explain the marriage. But the question that kept circling was the same one that had kept me awake: why Elaina? And why did everyone treat the answer like something I was never meant to hear?I kept stirring.Footsteps came

ADRIAN'S POVMy eyes locked onto those words faster than anything else in the room.Northstar Holdings.So that was why Elaina had been in my study the other night. She had been snooping.I snatched the paper from Lisa’s grip before things could spiral any further.“Excuse me?” Lisa blurted.Elaina only stared at me, her expression unreadable.“Lisa,” I said, voice low and final, “go home. Now.”She scoffed, chest rising with indignation. “You can’t possibly be taking that bitch’s side.”“Lisa.” My gaze hardened. She swallowed hard, then bolted from the room without another word.I turned to Elaina. “My room. Now.”Her soft footsteps followed close behind. The door shut with a quiet click, sealing us in silence.Minutes stretched. Elaina simply watched me, eyes fixed on mine, lips pressed into a thin line, saying nothing.“You can spend the whole day staring,” I said, “or you can start talking.”She rolled her eyes. “I have nothing to say to you, Adrian.”“Of course you do.” I closed

ADRIAN’S POVWhen my bodyguards told me Elaina had left the house without a word, my blood began to boil.Lisa had been the first to break the news.“So you’re really going to drive all the way there for that stupid wench?” she said, stroking her fingers down my chin.She pressed a kiss to my lips, eyes dancing with excitement. She was enjoying this. Humiliating Elaina had always been her favorite hobby.“That stupid wench is my wife,” I managed to say. Wife. The word felt foreign on my tongue.Lisa’s face twisted in disgust. “Wife? You know I hate when you call her that.”I pulled away and grabbed my coat. “I know, babe.” I kissed her forehead. “But until we figure this out between us, Elaina stays.”Just as I was about to leave, Lisa caught my hand and pulled me back. “Promise me. I need you to promise you won’t leave me for her.”I turned to face her. Pain was written all over her expression. I had never stopped to consider what it was like for Lisa—living in the same house as a ma