Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

Elliot Sheridan just stood in the doorway, smoking a cigarette and watching her.

Once she was finished, Georgia Thorne was ready to head back.

Elliot Sheridan stood in the doorway, his broad frame blocking the path and making it difficult for her to leave.

"Mr. Sheridan, could I trouble you to step aside?" Georgia Thorne craned her neck to look up at the man’s handsome face.

Elliot Sheridan exhaled a puff of smoke. "Georgia Thorne, come out. We need to talk."

He tossed the cigarette butt to the ground, crushed it under his foot, and walked out of the room.

This was the first time he had ever called her by name. Strangely, her heart gave a hard thump.

’How strange. What could they possibly have to talk about?’

This was her second time in Elliot Sheridan’s room.

Standing in the doorway, she timidly stole a glance at Elliot Sheridan, vividly remembering the last time she was here—the sight of him fresh from his shower.

To her dismay, the tips of her ears flushed red again.

"Mr. Sheridan, was there something you wanted to see me about?" After a long silence, when Elliot Sheridan still hadn’t spoken, Georgia Thorne finally broke the silence.

Elliot Sheridan took a long, hard drag from his cigarette. Georgia Thorne silently counted. ’That’s three cigarettes he’s smoked now.’

She heard the CLICK of a lighter. The fourth cigarette.

"If Portmire U is your dream school, why did you apply to Qinghai University?" Elliot Sheridan asked, taking a drag from his cigarette and watching her through a veil of white smoke.

Georgia Thorne was taken aback for a moment. ’He sought me out just to ask about my application?’

"The cutoff score for Portmire U is a little high. I was afraid I wouldn’t get in," she admitted honestly.

Standing before Elliot Sheridan, her slender frame made it look very much like a student speaking with a teacher.

Even while seated, Elliot Sheridan’s presence was far more imposing than hers.

"Why Portmire U?" he pressed.

Georgia Thorne couldn’t understand why he was asking. ’And I don’t think I should have to answer him, either.’

"Because it has the best professors. Any art student would want to go there, and I’m no exception," Georgia Thorne replied after a moment’s hesitation.

She felt something wasn’t quite right about the situation and was just about to say she had to get back.

As she looked up, her gaze met Elliot Sheridan’s deep, ink-black eyes.

His sharp gaze seemed to peer straight into the depths of one’s soul, seeing through their every thought.

His stare made Georgia Thorne’s heart pound erratically. She lowered her gaze, not quite daring to meet his eyes.

"Is it your birthday today?" Elliot Sheridan didn’t press the matter, changing the subject instead.

"Huh?"

Georgia Thorne couldn’t quite follow his train of thought. She parted her lips to utter the single syllable, blinking at Elliot Sheridan in confusion.

Elliot Sheridan stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette. "Come sit down."

...

This time, Elliot Sheridan’s words truly stunned her; she couldn’t keep her composure.

Her feet felt as though they had grown roots, and she found herself unable to move.

"Not coming over?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Georgia Thorne was in a complete panic. ’What is going on?’

’Is Elliot Sheridan... inviting me?’

She lifted her gaze and fell into a deep, dark vortex, staring at him, transfixed, as if she had been mesmerized.

Then, the man’s icy voice echoed in her mind, "Miss Thorne, please have some self-respect!"

A flush of humiliation crept up her fair cheeks. ’What kind of game is this man playing now?’