The CEO's Secret Replacement Bride

The Burn on Her Wrist

Elena woke up at six o'clock the next morning, the faint sunlight seeping through the gap in the curtains, casting a thin layer of light on the cold floor of the guest room.

Her wrist was still sore from where Asher had kicked her yesterday, the red mark clearly visible, and there was a small cut on her finger from the broken glass. She washed her face quickly, then went downstairs to the kitchen. The maids hadn't come to work yet, so she decided to make some breakfast. She had gotten used to cooking for her mother when she was in the hospital, so she was very good at making simple, warm food.

She made a plate of fluffy blueberry pancakes, a pot of warm oatmeal, and poured two glasses of milk. Just as she was putting the food on the dining table, she heard the sound of a wheelchair rolling behind her.

She turned around and saw Asher, wearing a dark gray silk pajamas, his hair slightly messy, looking less cold and sharp than he did yesterday. His eyes fell on the breakfast on the table, and he raised an eyebrow: "You made this?"

"Yeah." Elena nodded, wiping her hands on the apron, "The maids haven't come yet, so I made something simple. If you don't like it, I can make something else for you."

Asher didn't say anything, he rolled his wheelchair to the dining table, picked up a fork and took a bite of the pancake. His expression didn't change, but he didn't spit it out either, just ate slowly. "It's too sweet." He commented coldly, but he still finished the entire pancake, and drank half a glass of milk.

Elena stood beside him, not daring to sit down without his permission, her hands twisted together nervously. She noticed that his gaze fell on her wrist, where the red mark from yesterday's kick was still very obvious.

Asher frowned, reached into the pocket of his pajamas, and threw a small white ointment tube at her. The tube hit her arm lightly, then fell onto the table. "Apply this." He said, his voice awkward, not looking at her, "The scar will not stay if you apply it twice a day. Don't let others see the injury and think I'm abusing you, it will damage the Hale family's reputation."

Elena picked up the ointment tube, her heart skipped a beat. The ointment was a high-end scar removal product that she had seen in the pharmacy before, very expensive, a small tube cost nearly 200 dollars, enough to cover her living expenses for a week before she got married. She looked up at Asher, but he had already turned his head away, pretending to look at the view outside the window, the tips of his ears slightly red, looking a little unnatural.

"Thank you." She whispered, clutching the ointment tube tightly in her hand, the cold plastic tube feeling warm for some reason.

Asher just grunted, didn't answer. Just as Elena was about to sit down to eat her own breakfast, her phone on the table rang loudly. The caller ID showed it was Luna, her sister.

Elena's face turned pale. She hesitated for a second, then pressed the answer button, planning to hang up quickly, but before she could speak, Luna's arrogant voice came out of the speaker, loud enough for Asher to hear clearly: "Elena, you little b***h, you are really good at pretending, aren't you? I just found out that Asher's leg can be cured! There is a top orthopedic doctor in Switzerland who agreed to treat him, and he will be able to walk again in half a year! I regret it now, I'm coming back tomorrow to take back my position as Mrs. Hale. You better pack your things and get out of the Hale mansion before I come back, otherwise I will make you regret being born!"

Elena's fingers turned cold. She didn't expect Luna to call at this time, and even said these things in front of Asher. She looked up at Asher nervously, afraid that he would get angry again, and blame her for what Luna said. After all, he had always hated the Carter family, and Luna's words would only make him more disgusted with her.

But to her surprise, Asher's face didn't have the furious expression she imagined. He just raised his hand, took the phone from her hand, pressed the speaker button, his voice cold and full of murderous intent, even the air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees: "Luna Carter, I heard what you just said. Let me tell you clearly, the position of Mrs. Hale, you will never get it in your life. If you dare to step into the Hale mansion even one step tomorrow, I will let the entire Carter family go bankrupt immediately. Do you understand?"

There was a sharp scream from the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of something breaking, then the call was hung up abruptly.

Elena stared at Asher in shock, she didn't expect him to stand up for her at all. She thought he would be angry and drive her out of the house immediately.

Asher threw the phone back on the table, his face returned to its usual cold expression, but his tone was a little softer than before: "Don't take her nonsense to heart. She won't dare to come."

Before Elena could react, he added another sentence, making her freeze completely: "There is a commercial banquet at the Hale Group tonight. You will come with me as my wife. Go to the mall later and buy a suitable dress. The assistant will transfer 10,000 dollars to your card later. Don't dress too shabby, don't embarrass me."

Elena nodded in a daze, still not coming back to her senses. She looked at the man in front of her, the golden morning sun falling on his handsome face, softening the sharp lines of his jaw. For a moment, she forgot the humiliation of yesterday, and her heart beat wildly for no reason, the tips of her ears turning red.

She didn't know that tonight's banquet would be the beginning of all the bigger storms, and the relationship between her and Asher would be completely changed after tonight, and the secret she had been hiding for years would also be exposed to the public.