The CEO’s Substitute Lover

“Lilian, you know what Tredan likes in a girl, but it’s never someone who is dictatorial and doesn’t give him a little freedom, don’t you think? Of course, my words are for your information only, you are both my friends for many years, I am just saying these words on the side, whether you take them or not is up to you.”

When he finished, he gestured to his secretary to follow him out.

Then he stopped at the door to eavesdrop while he gestured at a young nurse to keep quiet, who nodded and left instead of going in to do something in the ward.

Inside.

Lilian Drye sat quietly at Tredan’s bedside, looking at his sleeping face, and whispered, “Tredan, I won’t bother you. You like a girl who is gentle and well-mannered. I will control my emotions, I will not lose my temper with you or anyone else, and I will not stay to annoy you. I’ll see you and then I’ll go, I just want you to get well soon, we’ll be good, we must be happy for those who are waiting to see us laugh.”

Lilian Drye wiped the tears from her eyes and walked away.

Looking at her back, Woodrow sighed, what a relief it is.

He told his secretary to take the papers back and that he would stay with Tredan Davi tonight.

It was almost dark when Lilian Drye left the hospital, and she was in a bad mood so she took a taxi to the Time Bar.

By coincidence, she saw Eddison at the door, and Eddison saw her.

“Hello, Sister-in-Law!” Eddison was courteous as always.

Lilian Drye ignored him and sat down on a barstool. The bartender handed her a well-mixed cocktail, and without thinking, Lilian Drye tilted her head and downed it, coughing and sticking out her tongue in annoyance, “Pete, what did you give me to drink? It’s bitter and choking!”

The bartender smiled at her, “The new one, the Red Dust, Ms. Lilian, the Red Dust is supposed to be bitter.”

Lilian Drye was surprisingly unruffled.

Taking the beer Pete handed her, she murmured, “Yes, the Red Dust is inherently bitter.”

“Hah, Sister-in-Law’s has been enlightened?” Eddison sneered.

Lilian Drye gave him a look but didn’t say anything.

“What? Did you hit a nail in the coffin with my big brother again?” Eddison teased.

“There’s no nail in the coffin, he’s just sick.” Lilian Drye said breathlessly.

“Sick? What is he sick of?” Eddison was surprised.

Lilian Drye shook her head, “I don’t know, Woodrow said he drank a lot as soon as he got back from Japan, then got alcohol poisoning and is now in the hospital, sleeping all day.”

Eddison’s heart flutters.

Looking at Lilian Drye, “Sister-in-Law, what a great opportunity.”

“Use plain words, I don’t understand?” Lilian Drye gives him a blank look.

“But he’s even ignoring me. I’m the princess of the Drye Family, and I’ve been begging and pleading to him for years, and he still treats me like this.” Lilian Drye’s heart was full of anguish and she could not help but shed tears.

“Sister-in-Law, you can’t give up, do you know what he did in Japan?” Eddison said slowly.

Lilian Drye looked at him sideways, “You know?”

Eddison nodded, “He went to see Octavia Gills, only to see me and Octavia Gills together with his own two eyes.”

Lilian Drye froze.

“Sister-in-Law, this illness of my big brother means he’s dead to Octavia, you’re finally seeing the light and you’re giving up?”

Lilian Drye jumped out of her chair. “I’m not giving up! Thank you for telling me.”

Coming from the hospital, Domino went to the Orchid Heart Bistro, it has been a long time since she had helped out, it was that damn Tredan Davi that was killing her and her Woodrow.

It’s Monday and business is not as good as it was on the weekend, so Domino sighs as she works.

Gar gets curious and chases Domino to ask her why.

Domino can’t stand Gar’s pestering, she knows how Octavia Gills has felt about Tredan Davi all these years, and now, looking at Tredan Davi, she truly feels sorry for the two lovers.

So she told Gar what had happened.

Gar was saddened by what he heard.

“Ms. Domino, I like Tredan’s brother too, so why don’t we just let my sister come back.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t know your sister yet, she is determined to leave, and she did it so she can avoid Tredan, why will she come back.”

Gar’s eyes twinkled, “Then we can give her a good reason to come back!”

Japan.

Octavia persuaded Eddison to return home.

Octavia Gills’ cough cleared up a bit and she started working regularly.

The publicity department reported to her that their film was being released in the UK next month and they had to arrange for someone to go with them to the UK to do publicity. The collaboration with Steam Network in the UK is also going well and the two parties need to meet to discuss the details, but it has not yet been decided whether they will meet in Japan or the UK.

Octavia Gills stared at the report.

Eddison made her think about his idea to start a company in the UK, to be near her family and to have some peace of mind, after all, Gar’s health had always been a concern, and her mother and Eldwin were getting older.

As for herself, Tredan was married, I think? She hadn’t asked Eddison, and Eddison hadn’t mentioned it either.

Tredan had appeared and left suddenly that day. If he hadn’t been married, shouldn’t he have come to tell her with joy? Since he didn’t, it meant that he was still someone else’s man and had come to see her just to declare his sovereignty, I guess, and he had been misunderstood again. But it didn’t matter.

The phone suddenly rang, startling her.

“Domino? What made you call at this hour?”

“Octavia, come back quickly, Gar he, he??”

“What’s wrong with Gar?” Octavia Gills stood up in shock.

Domino cried, “Octavia, come back quickly, Gar’s body is rejecting his and the doctors have told him to stay in hospital for observation, come back quickly.”

Hanging up the phone, Domino rubbed her chest and said to Woodrow and Gar, “I’m scared to death, I’m glad she didn’t ask me to turn on the video, otherwise we would have been exposed.”

Woodrow patted her on the back, “That was tough wasn’t it?? tough?? I’ll ask Tredan to give you a bonus in the future.”

“What about me, Brother Woodrow? I’m cursing myself!” Gar resented being left out.

“Well, you’re Britain’s best brother-in-law!” Woodrow gave him a thumbs up.

Gar counted the words in that sentence on his fingers and muttered, “Hmmm?? something’s weird about that deal!”

Octavia Gills was frightened out of her wits and trembled as she called her assistant in to book a flight home and to make arrangements for all the work she was leaving behind.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

By the time she arrived at the airport, Octavia Gills’ emotions had calmed down a little, and before boarding the plane, she sent Eddison a Facebook message, “I’m agreeing to go back home and start my own company.”

Octavia Gills breathed a sigh of relief when she finally made a decision.

Sometimes, some decisions are just a matter of chance.

They were met by Woodrow, Domino, and Gar.

As Gar came alive and embraced Octavia Gills, all her anxiety vanished, and her adrenaline waned that she leaned limply against Domino, gasping, “Gar? You’re not???”

Octavia Gills’ appearance startled everyone.

Gar hurriedly hugged her and patted her back soothingly, “Sis! Sis! Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for scaring you, Sis, I’m sorry, I was wrong, I was wrong.”

Gar was in a hurry and incoherent.

Domino and Woodrow were also taken aback and rushed to help Gar apologize to Octavia Gills.

Octavia Gills was in tears, “You guys, you guys, that’s too much! Gar, you’re too much, do you know, I almost went crazy.”

Gar apologized unceasingly.

“And you two! He doesn’t know any better, but what on earth are you two up to? Domino, you scared me to death.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Octavia, I’ll never dare to do that again, scold me, hit me!” Domino looked at Octavia Gills’ pale face that was truly crestfallen.

“Sis, don’t blame Ms. Domino, it was my idea, it was my fault, but look, I’m alive and well, shouldn’t you be happy? Would you rather get off the plane and hear bad news about me?”

“You talk too much nonsense!” Octavia Gills scolded him with tears in her eyes.

Woodrow had mixed feelings as he watched the three crying and laughing at the same time.

“Octavia Gills, Gar’s fine, but there’s someone who’s dying.”

Octavia Gills’ heart skipped a beat as if the pendulum had stopped swinging.

“Will you go and see him? I’ve never seen him like this in all my life.” Woodrow’s eyes reddened and he looked away.

The three of them arrived at the hospital.

Woodrow had made prior arrangements to make sure that Lilian Drye will not be there.

Pushing the door to the hospital room, Octavia Gills saw Tredan Davi sleeping in a hospital bed, so thin that even his face looked gaunt.

Tredan Davi had not been eating or drinking, so the doctors had to give him nutritional supplements. To help him regain his strength, a sleep aid had been added to his medication so he was sleeping all the time.

As she looked at Tredan Davi’s pale face on the snowy sheets, Octavia Gills covered her mouth with her hand, not daring to cry out, but tears were falling down her face.

Something suddenly tickled her throat causing her to cough violently, a cough she could not stop.

“Octavia Gills!”

“Octavia!”

“Sister!”

Waking up, Octavia Gills saw the snowy sheets first, then the doctors with their stethoscopes in their ears, Gar, Domino, and Woodrow.

“She’s awake. It’s okay, the patient seems to have experienced emotional highs and lows, and her recent cold-triggered pneumonia was not treated in time. It’s best to make her fully cooperate with the treatment so she can recuperate fast.” The doctor said a few words and left.

Gar was terrified and clutched Octavia Gills’ hand.

Octavia Gills reassured them, “It’s okay, I’ve been coughing for the past few days and the doctor said it was okay. It’s just as well I’m back, so I’ll stay in hospital for a few days.”

“I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have lied to you about Gar’s condition that made you anxious and nervous.” Domino and Woodrow couldn’t tell how guilty they felt.

Octavia Gills laughed softly, “Remember this lesson well, no more next time!”

The three nodded their heads like dutiful children.

Octavia Gills looked at Domino and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is he?? is he alright?”

Domino bowed her head sadly, “When he came back from Japan, he kept on drinking for three days, Woodrow and I had to get someone to unlock the cellar door to get him out. It took all night to open it and get him to the hospital, and the doctor said he would have been dead if he had been brought in any later.”

“He was saved, but he wouldn’t wake up, he wouldn’t eat or drink, he wouldn’t speak, Woodrow and I were afraid he didn’t want to live anymore, and we had no choice but to come up with such a bad idea to trick you into coming back.”

“Octavia, Woodrow, and I take turns watching him. Woodrow keeps talking and talking to him, but he just wouldn’t respond, as if, as if all his thoughts were gone and he was dead to life.”

At this point, Domino covered her mouth and burst into tears.

“Octavia, Tredan went to Japan to find you. Did you, or did you not meet?”

Octavia Gills said softly, “We met.”

“Then… you guys…”

“When he came, I was with Eddison.” Octavia Gills said quietly, but her heart was beating fast.

“You guys should go back home, I’m tired and want to rest for a while.”

It was a peaceful sleep, a dream having rows and rows of cherry blossom trees, pink and white cherry petals flying everywhere, and a hazy figure standing under the tree that Octavia Gills knew was Tredan Davi.

With his back to her, Octavia Gills tried to look at his face, but no matter which way she walked, his back was always to her.

She was so tired of walking, and Octavia Gills was discouraged. What a distance it was, no matter how hard she tried, she could never get to him, all she could see was his back.

In her dreams, Octavia Gills was in a state of darkness, “Let go, Octavia, don’t dwell on it.”