All Chapters of From Substitute Wife to the CEO’s Obsession: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The sudden ring of her phone interrupted her thoughts. It was her mother, asking her to come home for lunch the next day. Victoria thought about that house, that home that had never truly felt like hers. Even so, she would have to face it. She arrived at the Altomare residence shortly before lunchtime. The guards recognized her car and opened the gate. She drove in slowly, an uneasy feeling settling in her chest. Returning to the place where she had always been compared to Francesca made her uncomfortable. The residence sat atop a hill. The garden was still as immaculate as she remembered. The lawn was perfectly trimmed, the white roses were in full bloom, and the fountain was maintained almost every day. As soon as Victoria entered the living room, the butler approached to greet her. "Mrs. Montgomery, your parents are waiting for you in the dining room."In her parents' house, that last name carried more weight than her own. She was no longer the family's younger daught

Victoria stood in the studio, studying the blueprints spread across the table. It wasn't the kind of project that could change her life. It was a proposal for a line of office furniture, and her job was to optimize one of the functional components. The work wasn't particularly complicated, and the pay wasn't extraordinary, but to her, it meant so much more. She picked up a pencil, drew a guide line across the blueprint, and pointed to one of the structures. "If we modify the support here, we could reduce the weight a little more without compromising the overall stability. It would also lower the material costs." Laura leaned over to examine the area Victoria had indicated, an approving expression crossing her face. "That's exactly why I insisted on finding you," she said with a smile. "I don't need someone who only knows how to design pretty things. I need a designer who can actually solve problems." Victoria smiled faintly. "It's a small project." "But it's your projec

Victoria returned to the Montgomery house alone. The driver opened the door for her, but she barely glanced at him as she stepped out. She thanked him quietly and went inside without waiting for anyone to accompany her. The house was exactly as it always was. Clean, orderly, and far too large for a woman who no longer knew what place she held within it. Once, that same foyer had seemed imposing to her. Later, she had tried to think of it as home. That afternoon, it simply felt like someone else's house where she had spent too long trying to earn the right to stay. She didn't call or text Adrian. She didn't ask whether Francesca was still stable, whether the doctor had said anything else, or whether he planned to come home for dinner. She slipped her phone into her purse and calmly walked upstairs. In the master bedroom, she placed the medical folder on the vanity. The rescheduled appointment was still written on the top sheet. She stared at it for a few seconds, then turned i

Victoria arrived at the hospital shortly after Adrian's message. She had stopped by the house only long enough to change and leave the project folder on her desk. She would have liked to stay there, go over her notes, and make progress on something that was actually within her control. But Adrian's message was still sitting on her phone like an order disguised as a family obligation. [The family expects you to be there.] Victoria understood exactly what that meant. They didn't need her as a wife. They needed her to complete the picture. The woman who was supposed to be there so no one would talk, so everything would appear stable while Francesca showed signs of improvement. When she reached the neurology floor, she found several people gathered near the room. Regina Montgomery, her mother-in-law, was speaking with a doctor. Ernest and Isabelle Altomare were sitting together. A few aunts, uncles, and close acquaintances from both families were there as well. Everyone seemed

The call came shortly before noon. Victoria was in the study, reviewing her project presentation, when the house phone began to ring. She didn't think to answer it. Clara could handle it. But on the third ring, something made her look up. She heard hurried footsteps in the hallway, followed by the housekeeper's distressed voice. "Ma'am, it's the hospital." Victoria stepped out of the study. "What happened?" Clara handed her the phone with both hands. "They said Miss Francesca woke up." For a second, Victoria said nothing. The world seemed to carry on as usual. The house was still quiet. Her project papers were still spread across the desk. Adrian's gift remained unopened where he had left it the night before. But everything had changed. "Thank you," she finally said. She took the phone. The nurse explained that Francesca had opened her eyes for a few minutes, that she was responding in limited ways, and that Dr. Robinson had asked them to notify the family. Ad