All Chapters of Cold Husband Out, Secret Mogul In: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Back in the hospital room, Malcolm had already fallen asleep after taking his medicine. Noah told Alison to go home, rest, and come back in the morning.She agreed without protest.When Alison walked out of the hospital, the smell of disinfectant faded. She kept her head down as she walked and bumped into someone."Sorry," she mumbled without looking up. She stepped aside and kept going.Theodore Statham stood where he was, turning to watch her back as it got farther and farther away."Theodore?" The man beside him, Gabriel Jamison, nudged him. "What's wrong?"Following Theodore's line of sight, Gabriel glanced over, then let out a knowing sound. "Oh, it's her. Her uncle's been admitted here. Second floor, regular ward.""Doesn't this hospital belong to the Hale family?" Theodore's fingers balled into fists."It is." Gabriel lowered his voice. "I heard Erik Hale gives her 20,000 dollars a month for living expenses, but her in-laws don't give her a penny. No company shares, no d

Alison arrived at Hale Manor to find her mother-in-law, Anita Ford, arranging flowers in the living room. She stood in the entryway and slipped into a pair of indoor slippers while greeting softly, "Hey, Mom.""Well, look what the cat dragged in." Anita didn't even look up. "How come you had time to come back here today? Aren't you supposed to be busy running around for your own family?""Erik asked me to come back and get something," Alison answered, forcing herself to be patient.Anita finally raised her head and looked Alison up and down. Her gaze swept over the latter's dress, faded from one too many washes, and landed on her bare face. She curled her lip. "More like he told you to come and borrow something."Alison knew Anita had never thought much of her. She'd grown up in an ordinary family and was nowhere near good enough for Erik or the Hales."The jewelry's all in the safe. Come with me." Anita put down the scissors and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. She rose unhur

Erik was equally taken aback, a storm of emotions flickering in his eyes. Once the shock passed, a cold displeasure settled in. Someone had actually dared to embarrass him on his own turf.With the auctioneer's repeated urging, Alison had no choice but to walk up on stage.Inside the jewelry box, the flawless pearls glowed under the lights. Alison had never felt so dazed."Additionally, Mr. X has one more request." The auctioneer's voice rang out again. "He hopes Ms. Reese can put on this set of jewelry here on stage, so everyone can witness it."Another wave of gasps swept through the room.The lights suddenly dimmed. A single spotlight snapped on and locked onto Alison, making her slim figure look even more delicate.A female attendant picked up the necklace, walked up behind her, and fastened the cold string of pearls around her neck, letting them rest against her collarbones.Alison looked down toward the audience. Maybe it was the lighting, but she got the feeling that Erik

The private room fell quiet. Feeling the mood dip, Erik turned back to Owen and continued chatting with him.After a while, Timothy came back alone. Monique wasn't with him."Where's Monique?" Erik asked.Timothy slumped onto the couch and pointed outside. "She said it was too stuffy and went out to the terrace for some air."Erik glanced through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The terrace light glowed a warm yellow. Monique stood alone by the railing, the wind lifting the hem of her dress. Her back looked slim and fragile.He remembered she had still been in the hospital yesterday, her fever only just broken."I'll go check on her," he said, getting to his feet and turning to Owen. "She just recovered from a fever. She shouldn't be out in the wind."Owen nodded and didn't ask anything else.He knew about the history between Erik and Monique. He also knew there were things between the two of them that they'd never really let go of.Erik pushed open the terrace door and slowly wa

It was close to noon, and a lot of family members were arriving at Hale Corporation's Anwell Hospital with home-cooked meals.Alison walked into the ward carrying insulated food containers and a flask of soup. She called out, "Uncle Malcolm, Noah, I'm here. I spent the whole morning making this soup. Drink it while it's still hot."She set the flask and containers on the bedside table, then bent down to take some disposable utensils from the cabinet. She began ladling out the soup."Ally, we have a guest. Let me introduce you," Noah said.Alison turned around, finally noticing the man sitting off to the side. She hadn't paid attention when she came in. At a glance, she'd just assumed he was another patient's family member.With the light behind him, she couldn't make out his features clearly. He was extremely calm and still. Logically, with his tall, lean frame, he should've been very noticeable, but he just sat there as if he'd blended into the sunlight itself.The curtain behin