CEO's Substitute Bride

Alyssa walked out of the entrance and went straight to the bus station. The last thing she needed was to bear the brunt of her father's anger; she had enough of that for the last twenty-so years of her life.

There were many people waiting for the bus. Just as she had finally relaxed, a familiar black car stopped by the side of the road.

The window slowly lowered, and Jason glanced at her. "Get in the car."

Although she hesitated, she got in anyway.

It was just three of them in the car, with the driver sitting upfront. Alyssa didn't say a word even after she had gotten in.

The driver drove around for a while before stopping by a more isolated roadside.

After a few minutes of silence, Jason said faintly. "Alyssa, I know you skipping work was just a misunderstanding on my part. But your sister has already suffered so much today, and this matter should be taken care of. Don't take it to heart."

"You think that's enough?" Alyssa sneered.

Jason frowned. "Your sister has already suffered so much. What else do you want?"

"Here! Skylar hit my face!" Alyssa pointed at her swollen face and said.

Why would she let it go?

If it was the other way around, Jason would've found a way to get revenge. Aurora would've hit her twice as hard. But now that Alyssa was the one who wanted to get back at her, they suddenly wanted her to let it go.

"You're truly vicious, aren't you?" Jason glared at her.

"Not as vicious as you. After all you can even hit your daughter so hard. Besides, your own daughter isn't an angel either." Lowering her head, Alyssa fiddled with the zipper on her bag. Although she appeared casual, the sarcasm was evident in her words.

Jason had lost so much face in front of “Justin” today, and he was still feeling the wounds from the aftermath.

Now that she had mentioned it once again, he was immediately filled with anger.

"You think I wanted to be forced by that bastard to beat her? Don't you think I feel sorry for her? Don't you think that…” Jason voice echoed throughout the car, getting louder and louder with each word spoken.

"All right, I know. If you have anything more you'd like to say, just say it!" Alyssa interrupted impatiently

Besides, she still needed to go back and cook for “Justin”.

Jason stared at Alyssa for a long time. The impatience and indifference marring her features could be seen at first glance, and he could feel his chest stirring. Where was the obedient girl he once knew?

He had been so confident that she'd be able to help them by persuading Emmett. But after what had happened today and after what he had seen, he wasn't all too sure anymore.

Jason thought for a moment and sighed. "You heard what “Justin” said today, right?"

When Alyssa didn't say anything in response, he continued, "Our cash flow is short right now due to a mistake committed by our investment department. No matter what happens, you're still part of the Moore family, and you should give us a helping hand."

Alyssa sneered mockingly, shaking her head at him. Her tone had suddenly become sharp. "Ha! I thought you have already received three hundred million from the Lawrence family? Haven't I already given you enough money? Do you want to sell my body again? Is that it? I'm afraid you'd have to find some takers."

Jason said sternly. "You're the one who chose to marry him! How can you say we sold you?”

"We both know Skylar was the one who should be marrying him, not me!" Alyssa gazed up at him, finally having enough of his words. For so long, she had longed to be part of the 'Moore family', but that dream had long since dissipated.

Jason froze. This was the first time he had seen her look like this, so cold and distant. She didn't look like the same dull girl who couldn't care less about the world.

"Do you think the Lawrence family will treat you well when they found out the truth behind our investment? Now that you don't have the support of your own family, you wouldn't be able to stand firmly." Jason’s face turned cold. As persuading her softly was useless, he decided to go hard on her.

"You think I need to rely on you for that? If I'm not able to survive, then we can divorce."

Now, she realized why Jason had been so willing to hand over the shares of the company, why he was willing to negotiate with her in the first place.

He had wanted her to persuade Emmett to invest in Moore Group.

Although they were ruthless, they had a good plan...at least, for the most part.

"You…” Jason pointed at her. He was so angry and speechless.

"How about this?" Her face became serious. "Why Emmett and Skylar were engaged in the first place? Had there been any previous agreements? Well? If you tell me that, maybe I'd agree to your request."

Jason’s expression changed slightly, but it quickly disappeared. "You're talking nonsense! Do you think your sister isn't worthy of Emmett? Emmett lost his chance!”

Jason was a calculating man who had always weighed the pros and cons. The status of the Moore family wasn't that bad, but its wealth had slowly decreased over the years. No matter how much he loved placing Skylar on the pedestal, he knew for a fact that the chances of Emmett marrying her were down to a zero.

And Jason’s sudden change of expression and eagerness to deny made her suspect that there was something else behind the engagement.

Alyssa had always been suspicious of this engagement, but she had only meant on asking casually. Upon seeing his response, she couldn't help but feel a little bit intrigued.

"It's getting late, and I need to go home. Let's talk about it tomorrow." Alyssa glanced at her watch and jumped out of the car.

"Alyssa!" Jason shouted from behind.

Instead of coming back, Alyssa simply turned and waved him goodbye before walking away.

…

When she had finally returned to the villa, she saw “Justin” standing by the living room.

He was still wearing the same suit he had worn during the day. It was a vintage dark blue striped suit and had an elegant aura to it. It must've been expensive, she thought, glancing at the intricate embroidering by his collar.

"You came an hour later. Where have you gone?" “Justin” glanced at his watch before turning back at her coldly. "Were you cheating on my cousin?"