What did they just hear?
A girl had called their CEO "husband"—from his phone!
Yes, their cold, workaholic boss was being called "husband" in a soft, sweet voice.
Who was Nathaniel Fu? He was the untouchable golden bachelor of the business world. The man who never looked at women, who supposedly lived in a glass tower of ambition and discipline. And now?
That high pedestal had just crumbled.
Nathaniel was quick to realize the voice message had been overheard. He turned slowly, his hawk-like eyes narrowing on the senior executives in the room.
"We didn't hear a thing, sir! The meeting notes are complete—we'll excuse ourselves."
They scrambled away with files in hand, vanishing as fast as they could.
Now alone in the office, Nathaniel played the voice message again. That soft "husband~" played through the quiet air once more.
And then, he texted:"Send me a selfie."
Celia was stunned.
She thought calling him "husband" was already crossing a line. But now he wanted a selfie?
She hesitated, then typed:"Husband, let's skip the selfie. It's too dark here."
His reply came almost instantly:"I want to see you. Is that not allowed?"
…Of course it was.
She gave in.
Celia lay curled up on the companion bed in the hospital. Since there were no other visitors, she was dressed casually in a small floral camisole. It wasn't revealing, but even so, she pulled the blanket up over her chest.
She turned on her camera and snapped a quick selfie—only half her face showing.
Ding.The photo arrived in Nathaniel's inbox.
He opened it. Under the warm yellow bedside lamp, her porcelain-white skin glowed. Half her delicate face peeked out from the covers. A few strands of her black hair curled softly down, and her creamy shoulders were barely visible beneath two thin floral straps.
She'd pulled the blanket high to hide everything else, clearly nervous he'd see too much.
Nathaniel's lips curled slightly. A low sound vibrated in his throat, like a suppressed growl.
He sent a voice message.
Celia clicked on it.
"Hooking me?"
Her cheeks burned.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Pretending," he replied.
Celia yanked the blanket over her head and buried her face in it.This Mr. Fu… was really something else.
After a moment, she texted again:"I'm sleepy. Going to bed now."
He responded seconds later:"Good night."
And just like that, their chat for the evening ended.
Celia slid her phone under the pillow. She realized that being Sylvia's stand-in had evolved. At first, she was only expected to sleep with him. Now, she had to chat with him and send selfies too.
She exhaled slowly.To him, she was Sylvia. So he wasn't talking to her at all.
Is this how he always flirted with Sylvia?
He must really love her.
Meanwhile, in the president's office, Nathaniel stood by the window, staring at her photo for a long time.
Eventually, he tapped the "Save" icon and added her photo to his private collection.
Then, he headed into the lounge, unbuttoning his shirt as he went—ready for a cold shower.
The next evening marked the highly anticipated Fu family banquet. The event had made waves across the entire city. But Celia had no interest in attending. She hadn't received an invitation and assumed it had nothing to do with her.
Until her phone rang.
It was Nathaniel.
Why was he calling now?
She hesitated before picking up, "Hello, Mr. Fu?"
Nathaniel's deep and smooth voice came through the line."Celia, come to the banquet now. Bring my watch."
His tone left no room for argument.
Why now? Why didn't he ask for the watch earlier? Why wait for the most high-profile event of the year?
Celia was dumbfounded. She didn't want to attend the Fu family banquet—she didn't belong in that kind of world.
But his voice had already disappeared. He'd hung up.
"…Seriously?" she muttered.
Left with no choice, Celia took a cab and headed straight for the Song family's hotel.