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Abandoned XXL Wife：My Second Husband Is a Tycoon

Novelix Completed

CEO

The night my husband threw me into the rain, I had $20 to my name and a dying mother in the ICU. Then a lost little boy grabbed my hand—and his billionaire father offered me $2000K a month to be his contract wife. The deal was simple: fix his son's emotional problems, fake a marriage for six months, and walk away. No feelings allowed. But Ethan Foster didn't just pay my mother's medical bills. He crushed my ex-husband's empire with a single phone call. Now he was holding my hand in front of the whole city, asking me to marry him.

Chapters (4)

第1章

The night I caught my husband cheating, the rain was freezing. He shoved me straight into it. "Look at you. You're overweight. Sloppy. A complete mess." His new girlfriend's perfume still clung to his collar. "I'm done with you." The door slammed behind me. The lock clicked. I had nowhere to go. So I walked. Two blocks. Then three. Water soaked through my shoes until every step squished. Then a little boy suddenly grabbed my hand. His fingers were ice-cold. His shirt was torn at the shoulder. "Mommy, can you take me home?" My breath caught. Those eyes. He had the exact same eyes as my stillborn baby. The baby I had lost this morning. So I took him with me. The last twenty dollars I had went toward a motel that smelled like bleach and urine. I hadn't even been there an hour when the door didn't just open. It was kicked clean off its hinges. Men in black suits stormed into the room. Then a man stepped through the doorway. Custom-made shoes. Impeccable suit. A face that showed nothing. His eyes settled on me. "So you're the woman my son picked to be his stepmother?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Good. Two hundred thousand a month. We're getting married. Today." ... He pulled out a black card with a gold finish and held it toward me. I didn't take it. My hand slipped into my pocket. The hospital bill was still there, folded twice. The ink had started to bleed along the creases. $47,820. My mother was dying in the ICU. If payment is not received by 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, medication will be discontinued. I had less than a dollar in my bank account. I looked at the man. Then I looked at the little boy. I didn't say no. I just asked, "Can I get an advance?" Half an hour later, I dragged my broken suitcase behind the butler as we headed to the Foster estate. The house had twelve-foot ceilings, polished marble floors, and more lights than I'd seen in weeks. I stood just inside the foyer, dripping rainwater onto an expensive wool rug. A dark stain spread beneath my shoes. The butler looked at the stain. Then at my soaked clothes. Then at my battered suitcase. Without a word, he handed me a clean set of pajamas. Then he turned and walked down the long hallway. I followed a step behind, dragging my broken suitcase over the polished floor. "I'll be straight with you, Ms. Vance," he said without looking back. "Mr. Foster is allowing you to stay here because of Young Master Charlie." His voice dropped. "Don't get the wrong idea. Mr. Foster wouldn't give a second glance to a small-town divorcée like you." I hugged the pajamas against my chest. "I understand." "And I know my place. I won't cause Mr. Foster any trouble." The butler opened the dining room door. Warm air washed over me. Food covered the long table. Roast pheasant. Butter-basted asparagus. Lobster bisque. Freshly baked brioche. Little Charlie Foster sat in his chair with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "I don't want it!" he shouted. His plate sat untouched in front of him. "Roast pheasant again? Lobster bisque again? Asparagus again? I hate this!" Across from him sat Ethan Foster. The billionaire I'd seen on magazine covers. And... My new husband. Right now, he was holding a spoon. His tie was loosened. His sleeves were rolled up. He looked completely defeated. "Charlie, buddy. Just one bite." He held the spoon closer. "Come on. Just one bite of the roast." "No!" Charlie turned his head away. Ethan sighed and rubbed his temple. "How about this? You finish your plate, and I'll buy you a real plane this afternoon." Charlie shoved his plate away. "I don't want a plane! I want Mommy!" The spoon clattered against the table. Ethan finally looked toward the doorway. His eyes landed on me. There was a warning in them. A silent urging. I took a deep breath and walked over, forcing a smile. "Charlie, sweetie." Charlie turned toward me. Then his dull eyes suddenly lit up. "Mommy!" He jumped out of his chair and ran straight to me, wrapping his little arms around my soaked legs. Then he looked up at me with a bright, open smile. Ethan's cold expression changed instantly. His gaze dropped to Charlie's arms, wrapped tightly around my legs. "Charlie hates being touched," Ethan said, his voice laced with disbelief. "He has severe psychological issues. I've brought in countless specialists. Not one of them could get close to him." "He won't even let me hold him." His dark eyes lifted back to mine. "And now he's clinging to you like this." His gaze lingered on my face. He glanced down at Charlie, then back at me. For just a second, something flickered in his eyes. Jelousy? His jaw tightened. "Get him to finish that plate." His voice was calm. Cold. "Or you're fired." My eyes widened.

第2章

But only for a second. I looked down at Charlie. At the small fingers curled into the fabric of my trousers. At the way his whole body leaned into me like I was the only safe place he'd ever known. Something inside me melted. Then I looked back at Ethan. "Then, Mr. Foster, from now on I'll start fulfilling my duties as mother." I bent down and picked Charlie up. "Come on, baby. Mommy's going to feed you." Charlie went stiff in my arms. Then he murmured, "I don't eat." I smiled. I just carried him back to his chair. "It's okay. Charlie doesn't have to eat. Then Mommy has to go feed the other babies now, okay?" Charlie froze for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. "Okay." I picked up a few plain fried eggs and drew little smiling faces on them with ketchup. I lined them up across the table. "Okay, babies. Mommy wants to see who eats the best." "The winner gets to sleep with Mommy tonight." I spoke to the eggs in a soft, serious voice. "Oh, look at this little egg. Such a big mouth. What a good baby. He just drank a whole glass of milk." I caught Charlie staring at the eggs. I pretended not to notice. "Oh, wait. There's another little baby here." "He doesn't look like he wants to sleep with Mommy tonight." "That's okay. He doesn't have to join the contest. We never force anyone." "Mommy, I want to sleep with you!" Charlie grabbed my sleeve. I put on a troubled expression. "But you don't like eating. I don't want to make you do something you don't like." "I like eating!" His little face turned red. "I love eating so much!" As if he had something to prove, Charlie grabbed his milk and gulped it down. Then he picked up the bread and started stuffing it into his mouth. I almost laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan standing against the doorframe. He was watching me. His eyes stayed on me for a long time. First suspicion. Then scrutiny. And finally, something softer. Approval. After dinner, I took Charlie upstairs to get him ready for bed. After Charlie got to his room, the butler stopped me in the shadows of the hallway. His expression was still full of contempt. "Ms. Vance, even if Mr. Foster agrees to marry you, you're nothing more than an expensive treatment for Young Master Charlie." "The Foster family has hired the best specialists in the country." "You won't fool him for long with little tricks like this." I stopped. I looked at him calmly. "This isn't a trick. It's security." I held his gaze. "If you think I'm just playing games with him, then you don't understand what Charlie actually needs." The butler's face stiffened. I didn't say another word. I went into Charlie's room. After changing into his pajamas, Charlie looked like a little rabbit. He held tightly onto the hem of my sleep shirt. His big eyes blinked up at me. "Mommy, will you tell me a bedtime story?" "I see other kids do it. Their mommies tell them stories before bed..." His voice grew quieter. I looked at his face. That careful little hope in his eyes hit me somewhere deep. This cold, beautiful mansion was full of people. And somehow, this little boy was still all alone. Just like me. "Okay." I smiled, "Mommy will tell you one." I sat beside him and turned off the harsh ceiling light. Only a warm little night-light stayed on. Charlie curled into my arms like a tiny heater. His face rested against my chest. He smelled faintly of baby shampoo. I brushed my fingers through his hair. "Once upon a time, there was a little star who got lost..." My voice filled the quiet room. Little by little, Charlie's body relaxed. His breathing slowed. Soon, he was fast asleep in my arms. I didn't notice that the bedroom door was still slightly open. Out in the hallway, Ethan had come to check on Charlie. He stopped outside the door.

第3章

Through the narrow gap, he saw the warm light spilling across the room. He saw Charlie asleep in my arms. And he saw me sitting beside him, quietly telling the rest of the story. Ethan stood there without moving. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted. He pulled his hand back from the door. He stayed there for a long moment. Then he knocked at the door. He motioned toward his study. "I need to talk to you." "Me? Okay." I tucked the blanket around Charlie, then slipped out of the room. The study smelled of cedarwood and old leather. Ethan opened a drawer and took out a check. He slid it across the desk. "Your two hundred thousand for this month." I picked it up. The check was thin against my fingertips. I didn't push it back. I didn't even say, That's too much. I simply put it in my bag. Money in my hand was the one thing in this world I could count on. Ethan pushed another document toward me. It was neatly bound. The words on the cover caught my eye. PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT. I lifted my head. "Mr. Foster, can I ask you something?" "Go ahead." His voice was cold and detached, like we were discussing a business deal instead of a marriage. "Why me? I'm sure you had me thoroughly vetted. I'm a divorcee who just lost a child, and my mother is lying in the ICU." I paused. "Of course, I know I'm not exactly the kind of woman a Foster would marry. So why me?" Ethan studied me for a long moment. Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint, cynical smile. "I have plenty of money, Ms. Vance. And I'm not looking for a wife for myself. I'm looking for a mother for Charlie." I stared at him. "What?" His expression hardened. "A therapist believes Charlie's problems come from severe emotional neglect." "He needs a mother figure. Someone who can give him the love and stability he's missing." "So I need you to marry me. Give Charlie a family that looks whole, at least on paper." I went still. It took me a moment to process what he'd just said. Then I finally found my voice. "Mr. Foster, are you asking me to enter a fake marriage?" Ethan nodded. "Six months." "If Charlie improves within those six months, you'll receive a ten-million-dollar bonus." "After that, we get divorced and go our separate ways." I looked down at the prenuptial agreement in front of me. I'd been married once before. It had ended badly. Love had burned me once. I wasn't stupid enough to reach for the fire again. But a fake marriage with an expiration date? That sounded tempting. What did I have to lose? I raised my eyes and met his gaze head-on. "Mr. Foster, if this is a deal where we both get what we need, then I'm in." I placed my hand on the desk. "But let's be clear." "My job is to give Charlie the security and affection he's missing. You pay me. And you make sure my mother gets the medical care she needs." "As for everything else... we stay out of each other's business." Ethan didn't blink. His dark eyes searched my face, as if my bluntness had caught him off guard. Finally, he gave a small nod. "Deal." He pushed the contract toward me. "Sign it." I sat up straighter. I went through the agreement slowly. I'd signed divorce papers once without reading every line. I wasn't making that mistake again. Property. Expenses. Liability. Termination. I was reading every single word. Ethan leaned back in his leather chair, one leg crossed over the other. He watched me with quiet interest. "You read everything." "Mr. Foster, marriage already cost me once." I kept my eyes on the contract and continued. "I need to protect myself." I turned to the last page. One clause stood out. Clause 17: The relationship shall remain strictly professional. No romantic involvement of any kind. If Sophie Vance develops inappropriate feelings for Ethan Foster, he reserves the right to terminate the agreement at any time, with no claim to Foster family assets. I almost smiled. Perfect for me, too. I signed my name. Then I closed the folder and pushed it back to him. "Don't worry, Mr. Foster. The easiest thing in the world to lose is love." "The safest thing is money." I met his eyes. "I'm more afraid of this contract ending than you are." Ethan took the folder. His fingers brushed over my signature. "Tomorrow morning, the lawyers will bring over the marriage documents." He set the folder aside and leaned back, his eyes fixed on me with quiet scrutiny. "So tell me. What are you planning to do with Charlie?"

第4章

I looked up. "Mr. Foster, Charlie spends almost all his time inside this house. He needs more than specialists and expensive toys." I spoke carefully. "I want to take him to a public pool. Do some water therapy." "The pressure and resistance of the water can help with sensory regulation. And it gives him a controlled way to experience the outside world." Ethan studied me for a few seconds. The doubt in his eyes faded. "Okay. I'll go with you." "You will?" I hadn't expected that. But the next day, he came anyway. At the public pool, Ethan walked out in a swimsuit. Several women nearby stopped talking. Then came the whispers. "Oh my God. Look at that family." "They're gorgeous." "Who are they?" Ethan had the kind of body women stared at. Broad shoulders. Narrow waist. Hard lines everywhere. I looked at him once. Then back at the pool. Then at Charlie. He was my employer. I was his employee. That was it. A camera shutter clicked somewhere behind me. I turned. Someone in the corner was holding up a phone. My stomach tightened. If someone like Ethan Foster got photographed with someone like me, no background and no status, the tabloids would have a field day tomorrow. The worse part? If Charlie's face ended up in the papers, for a child that sensitive, it would be devastating. I stepped sideways and blocked the phone's view of him. Then I shifted again, putting enough distance between Ethan and me that we couldn't appear in the same shot. "Mr. Foster, the shallow end is better for Charlie. I'll take him over there." I didn't wait for an answer. I took Charlie's hand and walked toward the children's pool. I didn't look back until we were several steps away. Ethan was still standing where I'd left him. Sunlight hit his shoulders. One hand was raised, a kickboard still hanging from it. He was staring at me. I held his gaze for a second. Then I turned back to Charlie. Whatever Ethan was thinking wasn't part of my job. As long as the money kept coming, he could swim laps until midnight for all I cared. ... Once I had settled into the Foster family, good news started coming one after another. With Ethan's medical team and unlimited money for treatment, my mother's condition improved almost overnight. She was moved out of the ICU and into a private VIP room. I stood beside her bed and watched her sleep. Her face finally had some color again. For the first time in months, I could breathe. But just because the worst was over didn't mean I could relax. I sat on a bench outside her room and looked at the one hundred and seventy thousand dollars in my account. Six months later, then I'd get another million. It was a lot of money. But it would have to cover Mom's ongoing treatment, which wouldn't be nearly enough. I need more. Once the Fosters no longer employed me, I needed a career of my own. I'd studied design in college. After graduation, I worked on products for mothers and children. Then I got married. Little by little, I stopped designing. I even stopped drawing. Now I had enough money to start over. I didn't want to waste it opening a company right away. So I started small. I designed a few children's T-shirts myself and had samples made. Then I took them downtown. A small street stall would tell me more about the market than any expensive business plan. What I didn't expect was Charlie insisting on coming with me every afternoon. He was supposed to be playing piano in a mansion. Instead, he showed up in the summer heat wearing one of my sample T-shirts. The late-summer sun was brutal. His pale skin turned pink within minutes. He didn't complain once. He stood beside my little stall like a proud little model and helped me sell. "Come take a look!" "My mommy designed these shirts herself!" "The designs are one of a kind!" "And the colors are super cute!" He pointed proudly at his own shirt. "Look at me! Don't I look the coolest kid on the whole street?" His little face and the bright cartoon design were impossible to resist. Within minutes, a crowd of young mothers gathered around us. "Oh my God, these designs are adorable!" "And look at him! He's so cute!" "I'll take two. My son would look great in these." I barely had time to breathe. I was taking money, packing shirts, and answering questions. Sweat covered my forehead. Then a shadow fell over the stall. A familiar voice came from above me. "Sophie?" I froze. "Is that really you?" I slowly looked up. Daniel Kane. My ex-husband. The man who once told me I'd starve without him.