My Substitute CEO Bride

Tatiana lifted the blanket for a peek, and her pupils shrank. Something was bound to go wrong with how much she had drunk. She closed her eyes, recalling what happened. She had seduced Nash, and quite boldly too. "Ah! I can't face anyone now!" Tatiana pulled the blanket over her head, feeling utterly embarrassed.

"You were asleep for quite some time. You must be hungry, right? Come on, get up and eat something." Nash did not dare look at Tatiana, feeling somewhat guilty about his drunken behavior.

"I... I'm not hungry yet..." Tatiana said from under the blanket. Immediately, her stomach protested. Her already hot face turned even redder.

Nash ladled out a bowl of chowder and set it aside to cool while he continued eating barbecue and drinking beer. Tatiana peeked at Nash through a gap in the blanket, her mind a tumult of emotions.

After a long while, Tatiana finally got dressed under the covers. She then walked to the table with messy hair and sat down. Looking at the steaming bowl of chowder, she smiled softly. "You can cook too, huh?" "Do you look down on me?" Nash replied with a smile. "I started cooking on my own when I was five. While I can't make any of those famous dishes, I can easily whip up some home-cooked food!" Tatiana scooped a spoonful of hot chowder into her mouth. It was perfectly seasoned and was not fishy at all. "You're a pretty good cook," she complimented him, then began eating the chowder by the spoonful. Tears slid down her cheeks and into the bowl. How wonderful it would be to stay with him forever. Sadly, like those wealthy heiresses, she too was just a tool for an arranged marriage by her family. When she was five, her great-grandfather had already set up a marriage

contract.

While Nash looked to be focused on the grill, he was looking at Tatiana from the corners of his eyes. Seeing her tears, he could not help but sigh internally. She probably regretted what happened.

Tatiana said nothing more, and the atmosphere was as oppressive as it could get.

After having their fill, Tatiana wiped her reddened eyes and managed a smile. "It was really tasty. I'll go tidy up now!" She then turned to start cleaning up the place.

Half an hour later, the two of them

trudged through knee-deep snow up the mountain with flashlights in hand. The night was unnaturally dark, as if the sky had been dipped in thick ink. Even the strong flashlight beam could only illuminate a few meters ahead of them. With the gravity gone, a hundred-meter distance took them less than ten minutes.

"Ah..."

Tatiana stepped into an empty space, and her entire body started sinking downward. Nash immediately grabbed her wrist and yanked her back up. "Are you alright?" he yelled over the howling wind.

Tatiana shook her head, holding

onto Nash's hand tightly. They continued forward, hand in hand. Tatiana shone her flashlight on Nash's head. Seeing his hair covered with snow, she laughed and asked, "Does this count as growing old together?" Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Huh?" Nash did not hear her clearly.

Happily wrapping her arms around Nash's neck, Tatiana whispered into his ear, "I said, does this count as us growing old together?"

Nash smiled slightly and replied, "Thus, one day, we will face the snow while our hair resembles its purest white."

Hearing this, Tatiana intertwined her fingers with his even tighter. Nash's hands were warm, and she wished she could continue walking hand in hand with him like this forever. However...

A troubling thought crossed her

mind, darkening her expression as she gripped Nash's hand tighter. Noticing that Tatiana was dressed lightly in only a cotton sweater, Nash took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. He thought she might be cold. Tatiana felt a surge of emotion.

Helix and Hogan had always been kind to her, but she saw them only as siblings. The man before her, however, was someone she had been intimate with. His kindness touched her in a different way. After walking nearly 500 more meters, their figures wobbled slightly. Suddenly, a burst of light so bright made them squint their eyes.