The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)

Ayla ruffled through the folders from the drawer until she found what she was looking for.

"This is for Mr.Clark."

Her smile was confident as she handed her documents to Ellie.

She was sure her design drafts fully showcased her abilities which she knew were rather considerable.

Ellie quickly received Ayla's papers and handed them to Brian.

"These documents require your attention, Mr.Clark."

She felt her heartbeat anxiously speed up as Brian took the folder from her hands.She had heard so much about him even before she entered the company, and it was the first time she saw him in person.She found him quite intimidating.

"Hmmm," Brian murmured as he carefully perused Ayla's designs, leafing through each draft one by one.

Anna, who was standing beside Brian, sullenly watched him as he calmly examined Ayla's work.Her fists clenched into tight balls.

She knew that Brian would abandon her because of Ayla's appearance.She would not allow it! Done with his scrutiny, Brian closed Ayla's folder.

"Anna, tell me, what's wrong with these design drafts?"

His tone of voice was strictly professional when he spoke, cold and devoid of any hint of tenderness.

Unable to come up with a suitable response, Anna could only press her lips tightly together and sulk in silence.

"You have nothing to say, right?" Brian's eyes narrowed in warning.

"Anna."

He had always allowed Anna to do whatever she wanted, even when she challenged his decisions time and time again.

He tolerated her simply because of all that she had done for him in many years.

When it came to Ayla, however, it was time he drew a bottom line.

Ignoring the tension in the room, Ayla stood up and put away the design drafts.

"So, what do you think, Mr.Clark?"

She chattered nonchalantly as she fixed the papers in their folder.

"If you think there is no problem with these design drafts, you can use them to make sample clothes.But there is not much time left.If you find them unsatisfactory, you can return them to me and I will make the necessary modifications."

Brian just looked at her, and said, "There's no need for that.I will deal with the rest.You can rest today."

"Miss Anna, you heard Mr.Clark.You won't count it as an absence if I took my leave now, will you?"

Having said thus, Ayla blithely picked up her handbag and left the office.

of the room, Brian turned to Anna,

back to the company

to her apartment, fully intending to rest

her mind that she had forgotten to take the

ten minutes of resting on the sofa, she heard

not bothering

guard allowed access to her room any time of day,

Brian Clark.

wasn't him this

"Who are you?"

the strange man at her

"Mrs.Clark, I am..."

eyebrows rose at the way the

mistaken, I'm not Mrs.Clark.My family

corrected

Brian make the man call her that?

two years ago, let alone two years after.It was an empty title, devoid of

wife in name, but

anguish he'd awakened in Ayla's heart, the

Mr.Clark asked me to

annoyed by the man's stubbornness, but she could not fault the

food and

go back

began walking away, Ayla called out in a huff, "And please don't call me

closed the door as soon as the man left.She placed his delivery on the dining table and laid out its

them was a container filled

expected

scoffed at the

be a deliberate ploy of his to get back in

disliked wasting food, and she needed a

Brian personally

for Ayla

gruffly ordered as

treat me like this as soon as she came back? What did she do to enthrall you so? Don't you know that she has been with

face.She didn't

now, so she didn't deserve

you

Anna's arms and

say is with

hear correctly? Lucas? How could it

you're hurting me!" Anna

was just telling the truth, so why was he so angry

his name again!