Overwhelming Adoration: Haughty CEO's Luscious Lover

"Murray He! How dare you betray me!"

Someone had sent Mary Gu an anonymous message about ten minutes ago.

"Up for a show? Go to Room 3208 of YJ Hotel."

Initially, Mary Gu thought the message was just some hoax. However, when she saw the photos attached, she began fuming.

It was a photo of her fiance, Murray He, with another woman.

In the photo, he was carrying the woman in his arms rather intimately.

In her wrath, Mary Gu wasted no time as she rushed to the hotel. Upon arrival, she noticed that the room wasn't even locked. She pressed her ear against the door, trying to make out the faint sounds.

"No! Let go of me! Mmph..."

Mary Gu could feel her heart pulsing in her ears.

Using her sky-high heels, she kicked the door open and barged in.

Seeing the two entangled with each other on the bed only aggravated her further.

Pak!

She raised her arm and slapped the woman across the face.

"Bitch! How dare you seduce my fiance!"

The woman widened her eyes in utter shock, her cheek reddened. "Who are you?"

"Who am I? You have the guts to have an affair with him and you don't know who I am?" A sneer tugged at the corners of Mary Gu's mouth. "Ask him then. Ask him who I am."

"Mr. Si, who is this woman?"

'Mr. Si? What is this woman talking about? That's Murray He!'

The room fell into silence.

The man slowly turned around as he met Mary Gu's gaze, his eyes dark and incomprehensible like an abyss.

Mary Gu's heart jolted. Who was this man? Where was Murray He?

The man seemed cool and collected. While the woman was barely clothed and hollow-eyed, the man wasn't-his shirt was perfectly well-pressed even. If nothing else, he didn't seem the least bit embarrassed in an obviously embarrassing situation.

Instead, he slightly narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Miss Gu, nice to meet you."

Mary Gu blushed immediately.

Then a realization hit her. "You know me?" she asked, vaguely bewildered.

"Aren't you here for the show? Weren't you supposed to catch someone cheating on you?" A knowing smile played at the man's mouth.

What was going on?

Mary Gu bit her lips. Damn it! She was tricked!

"Sorry, I must have been mistaken."

Smiling faintly, the man gazed at her, his eyes dimmed as if he was a greedy wolf circling in on its prey.

Mary Gu felt her chest tighten. She turned around in an attempt to leave when she felt a hand grip her wrist.

The man pulled her back.

He had moved so fast that she wasn't even able to respond.

Thump!

Mary Gu was thrown on the bed rather harshly. She then sunk into the soft bed.

"Ahh!"

The woman next to Oliver cried in horror.

Nervousness welled up in Mary Gu's chest. 'What is this man trying to do?

What a freak!'

The man stood up, his eyes burning.

"Fuck off!"

Baffled, Mary Gu attempted to get up only to be pressed back down by the man.

She gritted her teeth and hissed, "Let me go!"

"Mr. Si!" the other woman called out, her voice delicate.

At that moment, Mary Gu seemed to understand something. Was he asking the other woman to leave?

"Don't make me repeat myself!"

he roared.

The half-dressed woman clumsily collected her things as she scurried out, crying her eyes out.

Stunned, Mary thought to herself, 'What's going on? Is this what I think it is?'

"Let me go!" She struggled, trying to escape.

However, Oliver Si was too strong for her as he tightened his grip on her. "And if I don't?"

As he spoke, she could feel his hot breath on her face.

She continued to struggle but to no avail.

"Get off me!"

He ignored her pleas as he continued to draw nearer towards her. By then, their lips were just barely an inch apart.

She swiftly turned her face away, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Claim for damages."

"What?" She quickly turned her head so much so that her lips lightly grazed his cheek.

His cheek felt abnormally cold.

Oliver Si screwed his eyes dangerously as he leaned against her neck. "Shouldn't you compensate me for letting my prey go?" he said slowly, emphasizing each word.

She let go of his prey?

"Bah! Shame on you!"

How dare he put the blame on her! Now he was asking compensation from her?

"They're inside! I saw them with my own two eyes! They're in there!"

There seemed to be a commotion outside.

Bang!

In the next second, the door flew open.

Mary Gu turned her head, blinded by all the flashing lights.

A group of reports had swarmed in. Their cameras were clicking nonstop.

"Miss Gu, what are you doing here?"

"Miss Gu, aren't you going to get married tomorrow? Why are you still fooling around with another man?"

"Miss Gu, don't you feel guilty for what you're doing behind your fiance's back?"

The questions came in like a barrage.

Mary Gu's mind went blank. In a hoarse voice, she shouted, "Go away! Stop asking me questions! Go away!"

In her despair, she felt as if she was a trapped beast.

However, the reporters were persistent. After all, such huge news was rare to come by.

Mary Gu, a member of the rich Gu family, was having an affair in a hotel. Just hearing the headline alone was enough to attract anyone's attention.

No one in their right mind would willingly let go of such a shocking headline.

Eventually, they finally noticed Oliver Si, who had been suspiciously silent the entire time. They turned their cameras towards him.

With his back to the reporters, his face couldn't be seen clearly. All they could see was his broad back.

"Sir, what's your relationship with Miss Gu?"

"Are you aware that Miss Gu is set to be married tomorrow?"

"You..."

"Fuck off!" His deep and hoarse voice was frightening.

The moment Oliver Si turned around, the reporters seemed to collectively hold their breaths.

"Mr. Si..."

A reporter trembled in fear and even dropped his camera on the floor.

Bang!

The loud sound roared in Mary Gu's ears.

Suddenly, something hit her-someone had obviously sent her that text message on purpose. Oliver and that woman earlier... The flock of reporters...

This was all planned!

But who on earth was behind all this?

"Mr. Murray He, do you take Miss Mary Gu as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"

the emcee said calmly.

Mary could feel her heart pounding. She couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that nagged her in her chest as if something wrong was going to happen.

Murray stood in front of her, clad in his crisp suit and leather shoes, his eyes filled with nothing but love and affection for her.

"I..."

Before he could finish, the events of yesterday at the hotel played on the huge screen of the wedding hall.

The reporter's voice resounded in her hears.

"On the eve of Miss Mary Gu's wedding, she was staying in a hotel room with another man."

The happiness in Murray's eyes shattered like a glass breaking into a thousand pieces. His eyes turned into ice blades as he gazed at her in utter bewilderment.

Pointing at the screen, he asked, "Mary! What's going on?"

"It's not true. It's just a misunderstanding!" Mary stammered as she explained, her voice laced in anxiety.

As the screen continued to display photos, it stopped at a photo that showed her face clearly.

Mary's face instantly turned white as a sheet. She didn't know how to explain herself.

Murray gritted his teeth as he glowered at her. "What? Isn't that you in the photo?"

"It's me." Panic welled in Mary's chest. "Murray, let me explain!"

Murray sneered at her. "What else is there to explain? Isn't that you in the photo?"

"Yes." Mary nodded.

While it was true that the woman in the photo was Mary, it still didn't tell the entire story.

Murray sniggered. "Weren't you at the hotel yesterday?"

"Yes," Mary said. "But I only went there because..."

"Because of what?"

What could Mary say? That she was there because someone texted her that Murray was cheating on her? That she went there because she wanted to catch him in the act?

The smile on Murray's face froze. "What else do you want to say? Tell me to my face that you didn't cheat on me."

Mary vigorously shook her head. "I didn't!"

She really didn't!

However, Murray didn't seem to be interested in listening to her explanation. "That's enough! I don't want to hear it! Let's call it a day! The wedding is cancelled!"

With that, Murray turned around and left without even looking back, his footsteps never faltering.

"No! Murray! No..."

Mary stretched out her hand in an attempt to stop him but to no avail. Her hand froze in midair as she drowned in despair and helplessness.

In the Gu mansion

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky as the thunder rumbled.

Mike Gu stood in the hall with his back to the door. The aura around him was intimidating and cold.

"Grandpa, you were looking for me?" Mary had already taken off her wedding dress. After the events of today, she looked visibly worn out as the color in her face had drained out.

"Kneel down!"

She widened her eyes, confused.

Mike Gu turned around as he slammed his crutch on the floor with a resounding bang. "Bastard! Get on your knees!"

'Even Grandpa doesn't believe me?'

Sorrow filled her inside as she gritted her teeth and stared her grandpa, looking resolute.

"Grandpa, I didn't do it! Trust me!"

In his anger, Mike Gu walked towards Mary and roughly waved his crutch.

Mary felt a sharp pain in her knees as she leaned forward.

Thump!

Her knees hit the floor hard.

Tears trickled from her eyes-she couldn't tell if it was from the pain in her knees or from the hurt of being distrusted by her own family.

"How could our family have such a vulgar descendant like you?" Mike Gu was seething. He held his crutch so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

'He doesn't believe me!'

Mary raised her head and looked at her grandpa in the eye. He used to love her so much. "Grandpa, please believe me. I didn't do anything."

"Do you take me as a fool? It's everywhere! They reported it in the papers! Do I not know my own granddaughter?" As he spoke, he grabbed the newspaper on the table and threw it on Mary's face.

As it hit her face, she felt as if she had been stabbed in the guts.

"Grandpa, trust me, okay?" She lowered her eyes as tears gushed out like an endless stream. The tears wouldn't stop coming as they stained her pale and hollow face.

It was Mike Gu who had raised her yet she turned out like this-shunned by everyone like a rat on the streets. How come her own grandfather refused to take her side?

Mike Gu heaved a deep sigh. "How could I trust you? The He family publicly called off the engagement. Such a scandal has been made already. Who would even dare marry you in the future?"

Mike Gu often doted on her. They were family after all. Even though he was scolding her now, he was only doing it for her own good.

"Grandpa, someone set me up. I received a message yesterday..."

Suddenly, she was interrupted by Serena Gu, who had just appeared. She knelt down next to Mary and asked in seeming concern, "Mary, are you okay? Why are you kneeling on the floor? The floor is so cold. You can get sick. Get up!"

Serena Gu was the daughter of her stepmother and she was a year younger than Mary. The two had never gotten along. This must be a trap-Serena Gu was pretending to defend Mary so she could get on Mike Gu's good side.

Mary pushed her away in disgust. "It's none of your business!"

Serena Gu froze as her eyes gleamed of malice for the briefest second.

She then turned to Mike and pleaded, "Grandpa, please don't punish Mary. Perhaps she just wanted to say goodbye to her lover. She didn't expect that the reporters would be there."

Mary knew Serena Gu was up to no good. She was only adding insult to injury-she didn't even attempt to deny that Mary did it!

"Serena Gu! Stop talking nonsense and framing me!" In Mary's anger, she slightly pushed Serena who then dramatically fell over.

Upon seeing this, Mike was shocked. "Bastard! What did you do?"

Everyone in Y City knew very well that Mary could be quite aggressive. At times, Mike pondered if he had spoiled Mary too much that she turned too willful. Even then, he didn't expect anything like this from her.

How could she do that to her sister?

Serena flashed Mary a defiant sneer-she had successfully framed Mary. In a low voice, she hissed, "Mary, you're so arrogant but this time, you lose to me."

At that moment, a realization dawned on Mary. Who else would know her number and her whereabouts? Serena!

"Bitch!" Mary raised her hand in an attempt to slap Serena.

Watching the entire scene unfold, Mike only grew angrier at Mary.

"Bastard! Stop it!"

he roared. Unfortunately, his voice was dulled by the thunder in the sky.

It seemed that Mary hadn't heard him as his voice was inaudible, being drowned out by the thunder.

Mary was in a frenzied rage.

She slapped Serena across the face whose face was now burning.

However, Mary wasn't done yet. Driven by her fury, she was like a bloodthirsty beast.

She rushed forward and grabbed Serena's hair as she positioned herself on top of Serena. "Tell me! Did you set me up? Did you send that message?"

Mike was taken aback-he didn't expect that Mary would be so rebellious as to openly disobey him. How could she be so cruel to her own sister?

Since Mary had her back turned to Mike, she couldn't see how furious he was. Meanwhile, Serena had a pretty good view of Mike's wrath much to her delight.

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she theatrically pretended to be in pain. "Mary, let go of me! It hurts! Why are you so mad at me? I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Is that so?" Mary snorted as she clutched a fistful of Serena's hair. "Stop playing dumb! If you hadn't texted me and lured me into that hotel, this never would have happened! How could I have fallen into your trap?"

Serena was a bit started at how angry Mary was. She could already feel her scalp burning.

Still, the show had to go on. "What hotel? Mary, what are you talking about? I don't understand you! You were caught red-handed having an affair in the hotel! Why are you blaming me?"

"Why don't you just admit what you did?" Mary demanded. While she was naturally cold and arrogant, she didn't think that someone would hate her so much that they even set up a trap for her.

The last person she expected who would plot against her was her own sister!

"Mary! Why would I admit to something I didn't do? You can't do this to me just because I didn't defend you!"

Upon hearing this, a shiver ran down Mike's spine as blood rushed straight to his head.

Thump!

Mike collapsed on the floor.

"Grandpa!" Mary cried as she dashed over to Mike.

However, she was too late. Mike's head had already hit the floor as a pool of dark red blood oozed out of his head.

In the emergency room of the hospital

The Gu family had gathered together while Mary buried herself in the corner, wrapping her arms around her knees. The cold air surrounded her.

The chilliness ate her up. It spread throughout her entire body-her heart and then her limbs.

The Gu family whispered amongst themselves, shooting glances every now and then at Mary as if she was some monster. She ignored them, not even bothering to care. Immersed in her own world, she would occasionally look towards the operating room, visibly worried.

The light was still on which meant that Mike was still in surgery

The Gu family were causing a buzz.

"If I had known that this troublemaker would do this, I never would have let her inside the house!"

"How ungrateful! Mike's the one who protected her the most. How dare she do this to him! I bet she wants to kill him!"

"I should've kicked her out! No one wants her anyway. She's a cold bitch!"

They weren't even trying to lower their voices anymore. Meanwhile, Mary still can't get the scene of Mike collapsing out of her head. Everything was still so vivid in her mind.

It was all her fault. If only she had been more careful. If only she hadn't been so rash. If only...

Unfortunately, there was no use on dwelling in such thoughts. It had happened already-Mike had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage because of her. At present, he was inside the operating room and no one knew if he was even going to live.

Bang!

The door of the operating room suddenly flew open as a nurse wearing a white mask poked her head out.

"The patient has lost too much blood. He needs blood transfusion. Where is the patient's family?"

Everyone fell silent at the mention of the blood transfusion.

And they called her a cold-hearted bitch? Where were they now that Mike needed them?

Mary shoved the thought aside as she quickly jumped up and volunteered, "Me! I'm his granddaughter! I can give my blood to him!"

Having stayed in such a position for a long time gave her a headache. Perhaps she had stood up way too fast. In addition to that, she looked so pale that she almost looked like a patient.

The nurse looked at Mary with concern. "Can you do it?"

Even if she couldn't, she had to try! She had to be there for her grandpa.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pallid skin. "It doesn't matter! As long as I can save Grandpa, I'm willing to do anything!"

Mary followed the nurse all the way to the blood drawing room, her footsteps unsteady.

Ever since she was a child, she'd always been afraid of injections. But now, even as the shiny tip of the needle gleamed under the light, she wasn't the slightest bit afraid.

She felt like a heroine. Her grandfather had always protected her. Now it was time for her to do something for him.

As the needle pierced her skin, she grimaced.

She bit her tongue, trying to endure the pain. Soon, dark red blood began flowing through the IV.

The nurse immediately ran back to the operating room with the bag of blood in hand. After a while, she came back out once more.

The light was still on.

"It's not a match. Does the patient have any other relatives?"

Her voice boomed throughout the hall.

"What? How could this be?" Mary was on the verge of collapsing.

Finally, the Gu family spoke up. They all had strange looks on their faces. "Didn't Mike ever tell you? You're not his real granddaughter. You're adopted."

"She was just abandoned. Does she really think she's a Gu? How arrogant!"

"I was wondering why she was so enthusiastic in donating blood. Looks like she was just after the glory. I didn't know that she was just adopted!"

Mary drowned the voices out.

'You're adopted.' The thought kept ringing in her head.

It felt like a blow to the stomach. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, her vision went blank as she fell into a heap on the floor.