Bride Behind The Mask

Chapter 1

The room was a hot mess. A man and a woman were tangled up like a pair of intertwined snakes. Under the sunlight, their bodies were twisted tightly together.

When Frederick Winston woke up, he found a woman snuggled into his arm, her face covered by her hair, making it hard to see her features.

This woman shifted her neck slightly, murmuring in her sleep and unconsciously burrowed into his embrace.

Frederick had a splitting headache and realized that the woman in his arms was naked. Her skin had a sexy glow under the sunlight that made his almond–shaped eyes squint slightly.

His eyebrows furrowed as he instinctively looked around. Then, he suddenly remembered all the things happened last night.

At the company's anniversary celebration, he had drank quite much and crashed in his hotel room.

In his half awake state, the woman wrapped herself around him. Their skin–to–skin contact filled the air with a steamy atmosphere.

So, in a blurry haze, they did the deed.

Turns out, last night wasn't just a dream, it was real.

Frederick's expression darkened instantly. He rolled out of bed, hurriedly put on his clothes, his gaze swept over the bedsheet and then came to a

sudden halt.

The red stains on the bedsheet, like a blooming flower, caught his eye.

To his surprise, she was a virgin.

All of a sudden, he had an urge to see what the woman, whose virginity he took, looked like.

His large hand was about to brush away the hair obstructing her face, but he stopped just before touching her.

This was just a one–night stand, no need to get hung up on it.

After all, the women who wanted to sleep with him were only after his money and status.

His hand moved towards the suit on the bed, and Frederick bolted from the room.

But what he didn't know was that as he picked up his suit, a necklace that had fallen from the woman's neck got caught on it. The necklace was swept away along with his suit.

Ten minutes later, a Rolls–Royce Cullinan raced down the bustling streets.

The CEO Frederick's assistant Chuck was respectfully reporting work, but Frederick seemed a bit distracted, his thoughts started to wander.

He thought about the sweet scent he seemed to have smelled last night. He began to wonder if it was just his imagination.

After all, he lost his sense of smell in a car accident three years ago.

"Mr. Winston, there's a resident on Cedarbrook Street that refuses to move. The demolition department is at a loss," Chuck reported.

"What's the reason?" he asked, snapping back to reality.

"That family runs a casino, they are drowning in gambling debts. They think the compensation we offered for relocation is too low, so they are asking for more. If that plot of land isn't demolished, it will affect our upcoming bids," Chuck explained.

Frederick, sitting in the back seat, squinted his eyes and immediately gave an order, "To Cedarbrook Street."

Chuck was surprised but quickly understood Frederick's intention.

It appeared that Frederick was going to handle this matter personally.

Soon, the driver changed direction, and the car started heading towards Cedarbrook Street.

Just then, the suit draped over his shoulder began to vibrate.

As Frederick reached into his pocket to find his phone, a pendant suddenly dropped onto the floor..

It was a necklace with a stunning sapphire. The surface of the gem was carved with a floral pattern surrounded by a ring of tiny, dazzling

diamonds.

Frederick bent over to pick up the necklace. His deep eyes landed on the sparkling gem, his pupils quivered.

Was this necklace hers?

Was it her?

The person he had been searching for over a decade, could it be the woman he spent last night with?

Chuck looked at Frederick with a puzzled expression, "Mr. Winston, this is...?"

Frederick clutched the necklace like a treasure, a small smile playing on his lips, "Track down someone for me."

"Who is it, Mr. Winston?"

"A woman."

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise, "A woman?"

What was going on here?

Mr. Winston wanted to find a woman? This was shocking.

It wasn't surprising that Chuck was surprised, after all, Frederick was a legendary figure in Stonebridge City.

In the world of wealthy families, the family business is always inherited by the rightful heirs, no exceptions. But Frederick, being an illegitimate child, broke this tradition.

In less than three years since he took over, he turned Stonebridge City's top wealthy family, the Winston Group, into the world's top business empire.

The Winston Group was involved in many industries, not only globally renowned real estate but also a perfume company. Its unique scent drove all women crazy.

But the man in charge of the Winston Group, Frederick, has been single for 28 years.

There were even rumors that he... didn't like women.

Chuck was stunned for a moment before he found his voice again, "Mr. Winston, can you give me a search scope?"

*Regal Haven Hotel, Room 1205. Between 11 PM last night and 10 AM this morning."

Regal Haven Hotel?

Did Mr. Winston take that girl to the hotel?

Chuck forced himself to calm down, his hand trembling as he pulled out his phone to immediately contact the person in charge of the Regal

Haven Hotel

Meanwhile, Frederick lazily leaned back into the comfortable seat, the necklace clutched in his hand. The sapphire sparkled under the sunlight.

The sternness in his eyes faded away, replaced by endless tenderness.

His mind was filled with the image of a little girl from fifteen years ago, who held a loaf of bread in her hands and saved him in the snow.

He was only thirteen then, an illegitimate son of the Winston Group who was not acknowledged by the family, cruelly kicked out of the house along with his mother and dumped in the middle of nowhere.

During those desperate times, if it weren't for the generous little girl, he and his mother would have starved to death.

Now, he was the king of this city, and the only one he cared about was that little girl.

He kept replaying in his mind how the little girl had told him in her soft, childlike voice, "Will you marry me when you grow up? This is my necklace, remember what it looks like, so you can find me in the future!"

He had to find her!

He had promised to marry her since he was just a kid, and he was damn sure gonna make it happen!

Chapter 2

An hour later, the bus came to a slow halt at the corner of Cedarbrook Street.

Marguerite Lockwood stepped off, her body aching all over. All she could see was a sight for sore eyes, broken bricks and tiles, the landscape looking desolate.

She walked down the alley, standing in front of the undamaged, conspicuous house, that was her home, and also a private casino.

This once bustling place had become quiet due to demolition and gambling debts.

The decline of the family didn't make her feel too much regret, because she had a more important task to accomplish.

Marguerite took a deep breath, walked into the front door with traces on her body, and stood in the living room.

"Dad, Mom, I spent the night with Hanley as you requested. Can you help Granny and save her life?" she asked.

Standing in front of her were her biological parents, but she had nothing but hatred for them.

Twenty–two years ago, Marguerite was born with her twin sister, Yuna Lockwood.

She came out four minutes later than Yuna, but it was precisely these four minutes that a so–called fortune teller said her existence was incompatible with everyone in the family.

Therefore, Marguerite was sent to her grandmother's house in the countryside by her parents less than a day after she was born, and they didn't even register her birth.

But now, her grandmother was seriously ill, and she had nowhere to turn for help, so she had to come back for her parents' help.

While drinking water, her mother Zoe heard the news, stood up and splashed the water in the cup on Marguerite's face, pointed at her, and said angrily, "Marguerite, you have the nerve to come back! I asked you to accompany Mr. Hanley, not to sleep with other men! Because of you, our family is bankrupt! What should we use to pay back these hefty gambling debts? You shameless bitch!"

As she spoke, Zoe slapped Marguerite again.

Marguerite was too late to dodge and was hit by this slap, her head was dizzy, touching her swollen face, she was stunned for a while.

Didn't she accompany Hanley last night? Then who was the man last night?

"Dad, Mom, come out! Hanley is here! Mr. Hanley, let me go, this has nothing to do with me! It was all Marguerite's idea! You should go after her.... Suddenly, her sister Yuna's cry came from outside.

Marguerite instinctively turned back and saw the big–bellied old man in the front hall dragging Yuna angrily.

She frowned. Is this Hanley?

Marguerite felt a little flustered, and was suddenly pushed from behind, she wobbled and stopped in front of Hanley.

The pleasing voice of her father, Ablett Lockwood, came immediately, "Mr. Hanley, please don't be mad. You got it wrong, this is the woman who should have been with you last night, not Yuna!"

Hanley looked at the two sisters who looked exactly the same, his eyes immediately lit up with interest.

"I don't care! I waited all night last night, and no one showed up! Your family owes me 10 million, if you don't have money, sell your two daughters

to me!"

As he said, he pulled Marguerite over as well.

"Hanley, Marguerite and Yuna look very similar, so you don't need to have both. You can take Marguerite, but can you spare Yuna? She is our most beloved daughter! Please spare her!"

Zoe almost knelt in front of Hanley to beg for mercy.

Marguerite couldn't recover from the shock, she suddenly felt like a joke.

Yuna is their daughter, what about her?

Facing these two people who were eager to use her as a chip to pay off their debts, she could hardly believe they were her biological parents. How could they say such things?

Love, it seems not worth mentioning to them!

What they really cared about was her twin sister, Yuna!

Looking at the nauseating fat man in front of her, Marguerite could hardly bear it.

She didn't want to be sold to such a person as a commodity!

At this moment, she could only save herself!

Marguerite wiped the tears from her face, gathered up the courage to break free from Hanley's arm, and turned and ran.

"Marguerite, come back! Don't make me clean up the mess for you! Bitch!"

Yuna shouted at Marguerite's back, afraid that without Marguerite, she would become the unfortunate one serving Hanley, so she chased after

her

Meanwhile, a high end Cullinan car had slowly driven into the corner of Cedarbrook Street.

Chuck quickly pulled out a surveillance screenshot and handed it in front of Frederick, "Mr. Winston, this is the surveillance screenshot just sent by the hotel. The girl you are looking for should be her."

Frederick lowered his head to look at the screen, the girl in the screenshot had a beautiful face, big eyes, and looked a bit flustered.

Her hair was not long, only to the collarbone, but it revealed an attractive neck

Fifteen years had passed, and this little girl was exactly like the enlarged version in his childhood memory.

"Mr. Winston, do you need me to order a citywide search for her?"

Chuck asked, the Cullinan car was driving into a dilapidated alley and stopped in front of a gambling den that was about to be demolished.

A petite woman hurriedly escaped from the door, Frederick's gaze involuntarily fell on the woman, his eyes full of joy.

"Mr. Winston?"

"No need."

"Huh?"

"I found her."

Frederick got out of the car and strode towards the woman with a full of momentum.

Chapter 3

By the time Yuna bolted out, Marguerite was already gone.

She looked around and saw a hot guy approaching her-

The guy was decked out in a black and white striped suit, poker–faced, with a resilient aura in his features.

Her eyes widened at his handsome face and she stood rooted to the ground, captivated.

Suddenly, Hanley grabbed her wrist from behind and yanked her into his arms.

"Yuna, you're not getting away! You promised to be with me last night. Does your family really have 10 million to give me?"

Yuna struggled, "Mr. Hanley, I told you, it's none of my business. You should go find..."

"Pah! Your sister ran away, you think you can escape, too? We agreed it was you who would be with me! Where were you last night?"

The one who should have been with Hanley last night indeed was Yuna. But Zoe and Ablett couldn't stand their daughter being mistreated and came up with a plan.

Since Marguerite and Yuna looked identical, they decided to let the less favored Marguerite to take her place.

Who knew, Marguerite got the hotel rooms mixed up!

"Mr. Hanley, let me go!" Yuna struggled hard. The sight of this greasy man made her sick.

But Hanley wouldn't listen and even planted a kiss on Yuna's face.

Yuna was helpless, she could only scream, "Hanley, don't touch me! Let's talk this out! Mom, Dad, come save me..."

Suddenly, there was a loud thud. Hanley's head was struck and he fell to the ground.

Yuna was stunned. She looked up at the handsome man in front of her, feeling extremely nervous.

Oh my God, he's so handsome! So strong!

She was about to lose her balance, Chuck quickly stepped forward to steady her, "Miss, are

Yuna mechanically shook her head, "I... I'm fine."

you okay?"

Chuck glanced at Frederick, then asked, "Miss, were you in room 1205 of Regal Haven Hotel last night?"

Last night? It was Marguerite who went to the Regal Haven Hotel last night!

Could it be, the man Marguerite was with, is this man?

Before she could respond, Hanley on the ground started cursing, You sneaky Yuna, I knew there was a reason you didn't show last night. You found yourself a new sugar daddy!"

A cold glint flashed across Frederick's eyes.

The woman from last night, it was indeed her.

But what's her relationship with the man on the ground? Why was she supposed to be with him?

Frederick glanced at Chuck, who stepped forward and stomped on Hanley's face.

"Shut up! How dare you disrespect Mr. Winston!"

Mr. Winston?

Who else could it be, but the highly capable and influential Frederick, who would dare to call himself "Mr. Winston" in the whole of Stonebridge City?

So, the man in front of her was... was...

This shocking realization made Yuna feel a mix of shock and envy.

Damn Marguerite, how on earth did she manage to sleep with Frederick?

Seeing Yuna's shocked expression, Frederick calmly took out the sapphire necklace from his pocket and asked her, "Is this necklace yours?"

Yuna recognized it as Marguerite's necklace at a glance, but she wasn't sure if she should admit it.

After all, Marguerite got involved with Frederick out of nowhere. For someone of his status, he must hate being used by women. He must be furious right now, right?

If she admitted it, would his anger blow over to her?

Yuna felt torn. Zoe quickly came to her senses, snatched the necklace and said, "Sir, this is indeed Yuna's. She's been wearing it for 22 years! I thought she lost it, turns out it's with you."

Frederick looked up at Yuna, "Do you remember who I am?"

Yuna looked confused, "Aren't you Mr. Winston, Frederick?"

"I'm not talking about that." Frederick frowned, "Do you remember, 15 years ago, you gave me a piece of bread. You saved me, do you remember

that?"

"Uh?" Yuna stared at him in surprise. That was something Marguerite did, how could she possibly remember.

"Sir!" Seeing this, Zoe quickly stepped in, "The thing is, Yuna had a high fever when she was a kid and she forgot a lot of things."

She forgot?

The man's deep gaze was fixed on her, his handsome eyebrows slightly knitted.

That's okay.

Even if she had forgotten him, as long as he still remembered, that was enough.

Frederick thought to himself and stepped closer to Yuna. She was enveloped in his shadow, looking up at his handsome face.

Yuna's eyes widened, once again captivated by Frederick's handsome face.

Frederick seemed to be in deep thought, he leaned in a little and subconsciously sniffed Yuna.

Surprisingly, the faint scent from last night was not on her.

It seemed, he must have been drunk last night and got it wrong.

He Had lost his sense of smell years ago, how could he have sniffed it out so easily?

After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, "Bring your ID, come with me."

Yuna was baffled, "What?"

Chuck immediately pushed Yuna towards Frederick, "Miss, Mr. Winston wants to register for marriage with you, go get your ID, you two are going to register for marriage today!"

Stonebridge Memorial Hospital.

Marguerite walked out of the doctor's office, She learned that her grandmother's condition had worsened, but she didn't have a dime.

She had just finished her university course, majoring in perfume development. Although her grades were top of her class, she couldn't get her diploma because she didn't have sufficient identification documents, which resulted in her not even getting an interview when looking for a job."

With no other choice, she had to anonymously send the perfume she designed to various perfume design companies, hoping to get a chance to prove herself. This included the globally renowned fragrance company – LuxeScents International.

But Marguerite knew that a big name company like LuxeScènts International would never hire her.

E

Even at the recent perfume design competition, the samples she sent were probably thrown straight into the trash.

She let out a sigh and instinctively pulled out her phone, checking for any interview invitations.

But there were none.

She sat helplessly on the cold bench of the hospital corridor, penniless, jobless, lost, and utterly desperate.

She didn't understand why her parents treated her this way. Was it just because of what the fortune teller said?

Even so, they shouldn't ignore their own mother!

To save her grandmother, she even slept with a stranger. And pathetically, she got the wrong man!

Recalling the events of last night, Marguerite thought it was too crazy and absurd.

Because of the darkness, Marguerite didn't really see the man's face.

She shook her head, not willing to recall such a humiliating night again. Her priority now was to find a way to raise money for her grandmother's treatment.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.

[I can save your grandmother.]

Marguerite was stunned.

Possibly because of her desperation to save her grandmother, she didn't consider if it was a scam and called the number without thinking, "Who are you?"

The voice on the other end was metallic and processed, making it hard to tell if it was a man or a woman, "Who I am is not important, what's important is, I can save your grandmother."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. You won't help me for no reason," Marguerite responded.

The person on the other end chuckled, "You're a smart girl. I do need your help."

"What?"

"I need you to marry someone."

Marguerite paused, "Who?"

"Frederick."