All Chapters of The CEO’s Wife Was Never Ordinary: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Side hall.Diana sat beside her, eyes fixed on the bowl in Joy's hands."Drink up it's a slow-simmered broth, very nourishing."Under Diana's expectant gaze, Joy reluctantly lifted the bowl and took a small sip.Footsteps approached. Heavy. Fast. Carrying the weight of a coming storm.Joy looked up on instinct.Nathaniel had just come out of the tea room, tie loosened, collar wide open.His face was ashen, eyes bloodshot the look of a man who'd just lost an argument and lost it badly.Their eyes met.That look cut across her face like a blade.Her stomach heaved."ugh"She gagged, hand flying to her mouth, tears rising instantly.The sound flipped something in him.He crossed the room in a few strides.Smack.A single swipe of his hand sent the porcelain bowl flying, shattering against the wall, broth splattering across the floor.A second later, his hand closed around her throat.Joy's head snapped back, hitting the chair, air cut off instantly.His grip tightened, veins standing out

Once she'd heard the whole story, Megan pressed her fingers to her temples, eyes wide, and took a long moment to recover.She swallowed hard, voice hesitant. "So... you're actually his wife now?"Joy's mouth twitched, not quite a smile."How's your grandfather doing?" Megan asked."Good, actually. They're finalizing the surgical plan in the next few days.""But" Megan grabbed her hand, nails digging in slightly. "How long can you keep this quiet? What happens once you're actually showing?"Joy gave a bitter half-smile. "I don't know. One day at a time, I guess."She took a bite of plain rice. "I'll keep working as long as I can, then start maternity leave early. If I'm lucky, I can slide back into my old life after the baby's born.""And the chairman's fine with you staying on?""He's not doing it for me. He only cares about what's in here." She touched her stomach lightly.Megan's frown deepened as she kept rubbing her temples. "You changed your name, your payroll info"Joy's fork fr

The eight-hundred-square-meter penthouse held only three real rooms: a master suite, a study, and a guest room.Joy pushed open the guest room door to find nothing but a lone leather couch.She'd have laughed if Megan's words weren't still ringing in her ears "serious status."Living in the most expensive building in the city, and I don't even have a bed to my name.Joy lowered herself onto the couch, the leather ice-cold against her skin.She stared up at the moon through the window, mouth twisting into a short, bitter laugh."hiss"Freezing.She rubbed her arms and got up, heading for the living room to find something warmer.She'd barely opened the door when she stopped short.A messy heap of white fabric sat outside the master bedroom.Duvet cover, pillow, sheets. All of it everything she'd slept on the night before.Nathaniel had clearly decided it was tainted and thrown it out like trash.Joy didn't feel insulted. If anything, her eyes lit up.Perfect. I was just worried about s

Nathaniel walked in.He'd shed his suit jacket, left in just a black shirt, top two buttons open, sleeves rolled to the forearm.His expression was dark enough that everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath.Yesterday's incident with Vivian had already made the rounds through the whole social circle nobody was about to test him tonight."Nate." Ethan nudged the person beside him, clearing a space at the head of the table.Nathaniel sat, took the glass offered to him, drank without comment."This is my cousin, Owen James." Ethan gestured at the miserable figure in the corner. "Interning over at Cross Medical."Owen straightened instantly, practically standing at attention. "Hello, Nate."Nathaniel nodded once.A few rounds in, the alcohol finally loosened Owen's tongue."Nate man." He knocked back a mouthful of whiskey, cheeks flushed. "It was the strangest feeling. She smiled at me in that hospital room and I swear I floated. My whole chest just lit up, just for her."Someone n

Two days later, the phone lying face-down on the corner of her desk buzzed.The screen lit up: Deposit received $40,622.50 at 2:30 PM.Joy let out a long breath, the tension she'd been carrying for days finally loosening in her shoulders.Without hesitating, she pulled up the transfer screen and sent the rent straight to Zoe.Cleared the biggest hurdle. Life goes on.She'd just set the phone face-down and gone back to Nathaniel's schedule for next week when Mrs. Walker burst out laughing beside her."Hey, Joy." Mrs. Walker patted her arm, grinning.Joy glanced up. "Hm? What's going on?""The group chat's on fire. Those two chain-smokers from business development just got a written warning from HR.""For what?""What else breaking the rules, obviously."Mrs. Walker looked entirely too pleased, rolling her chair closer."For years the company technically banned smoking, but nobody enforced it. Everyone hid in the stairwell, and the ones with private offices just smoked at their desks, n