Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 992: But My Love for You is Real!

Chapter 992: Chapter 992: But My Love for You is Real!

After leaving the apartment, Bertha Swift stood dazed on the street for quite a while. Finally, she walked into a pharmacy, bought some medicine according to her symptoms, and then found a cheap hotel nearby. She ate a little to fill her stomach, swallowed the medicine, and fell asleep wrapped in a blanket.

The despairing emotions from last night had faded away, and Bertha Swift realized she must quickly recover to deal with everything that lies ahead.

She slept for a whole day. When she finally woke up, the sky was already dark. Covered in sweat, Bertha Swift felt her forehead; it wasn’t as scorching hot as it was before she slept, but the fever hadn’t fully subsided. Her entire body ached painfully due to the fever. She forced herself to sit up and saw the phone by her bedside flashing continuously.

Ever since her father kicked her out of the Swift family, and the Piers family annulled her engagement, those auras that once surrounded her had been taken back. Her former ’friends’ seemed to have agreed collectively to withdraw from her life. Bertha Swift couldn’t even remember the last time her phone rang so crazily.

Sitting up while hugging her blanket, she reached for the flashing phone. Bertha Swift opened it and saw her rarely used Facebook flooded with messages from familiar and unfamiliar people.

She frowned and opened the latest one. It was from a girl who used to always flatter her. When Bertha Swift first had troubles, the girl showed concern for a while, but Bertha felt the other’s care bore a strong probing intent, so she never replied. Afterward, the girl stopped messaging but suddenly sent a lot today.

As Bertha Swift read through the messages one by one, she roughly understood what had happened.

Checking other people’s messages, the content was largely the same: Adam Piers and a small celebrity he saved last time were photographed on a date.

These people messaging were either exploring the inside story or watching her fall from grace.

Turning off the chat app, Bertha Swift took a deep breath and opened the trending topics. Sure enough, the rumor about Adam Piers and Zoe Thatcher was prominently featured.

Unlike their previous rumors which were immediately removed, based on the timeline of the messages she received, this scandal involving Adam and Zoe had obviously been online for several hours.

Thinking about how Adam, last night, fearing Miss Thatcher might see her, picked her up to hide her in the bathroom, the corners of Bertha’s mouth curled up in self-mockery. From Adam’s attitude last night, she should have guessed that Miss Thatcher was special to him.

As for her, probably because of her previous rejection of Adam, he felt unsatisfied and thus humiliated and toyed with her like that.

Clear-minded as she was, Bertha Swift still felt a prickling sensation in her nose, uncontrollably, staring at her phone for a long while before she closed her eyes, got up, and washed her face in the bathroom.

A bit calmer, Bertha ordered some food and then sat cross-legged in the small budget hotel room, planning her life ahead.

Perhaps influenced by last night’s solitary wandering where she saw various people hustling for a living late at night, Bertha suddenly felt that emotions were too ephemeral. Previously, she could treat love as her prime occupation with her privileged life, but now with survival being an issue, there wasn’t any option to be distracted by these worthless things.

The people who busied themselves for a living day by day, who dares to be troubled by love?

With this realization, the hardships she suffered for love previously seemed so shallow. Bertha Swift forced herself not to think about the affectionate men and women on trending topics, or the Facebook messages feigning concern while probing and showing superiority, focusing instead on what she should do next.

First and foremost was money. Bertha Swift never used to worry about making a living. She had no real understanding of what "without money, you cannot move an inch" truly meant.

But now she understood very well, and therefore she had to figure out a way to earn money next.

Then, there’s the matter with Oswald. Now with the rumor about Adam revealed, the other party presumably knows she’s of no use but might not let her go, so she has to find a way to resolve this.

Then, there is the schooling issue.

She previously lost to Abigail Green in the domestic university student medical competition, causing her past achievements to be questioned from all sides, which greatly affected the Swift family’s already declining reputation. After furious rants from her father, he made her take a year off from school, while seeing the entertainment industry with quick cash opportunities, it became the reason she participated in Director Locke’s new female lead selection, unexpectedly chosen.

But compared to an industry she knew nothing about, Bertha Swift still hoped she could graduate from the medical university, making it easier to find work in the future.

These days, without the family’s connections, Bertha Swift realized the difficulty of finding a job without academic qualifications.

Therefore, once she solved the living issue, resuming her education had to be prioritized.

Lost in thought, a sudden knock on the door outside startled Bertha Swift, her body stiff, until she heard the voice of the delivery guy outside, she relaxed a bit and got up to fetch the delivery.

Upon receiving the food, Bertha looked at it and pressed her lips together, then, disregarding everything, wolfed it down, gulped some medicine, and tucked herself back into the blanket.

She must strive to get better!

...

Piers Hospital.

After Adam Piers’ news broke out, the heat continued to rise, with people both expected and unexpected knowing about it.

More exaggeratedly, after the two fell off a cliff together last time, inexplicably, a lot of slash fans emerged. Now that the ’dating’ news came out, it not only didn’t cause backlash among netizens but instead gained more slash fans.

By evening, there was even a couple trending topic created.

Adam Piers almost choked on his own spit when he saw it, turning around to hand the phone to Ray Leighton, "What the hell is this thing?"

Upon hearing this from his boss, Ray Leighton looked down, initially thinking Adam didn’t understand what it meant. He quickly explained, "CP is short for ’couple’, originally meaning husband and wife, or lovers in English. But in these fans’ eyes, CP means a pair, composing a fantasized romantic couple whom they imagine to be together in reality. Many male and female celebrities use couple stir for publicity in the industry, but few succeed. It’s surprising how Master Adam and Miss Thatcher have such strong couple vibes, attracting so many fans even though you’ve barely appeared together. This shows that everyone anticipates well for you both."

For two consecutive days, Ray Leighton, based on Adam Piers’ unusual behavior, assumed he was fond of Zoe Thatcher, thus often chose to say things this master might enjoy hearing.

Just as he finished speaking, the temperature around suddenly dropped sharply, causing him to shiver unintentionally, his hand instinctively rubbed the goosebumps on his arm, "Uh... Master Adam, is there something wrong with what I said?"

Adam Piers cast a cold glance at Ray Leighton, then glanced at the couple trending topic on his phone, irritably pressing his brow, "No problem, you can get out."

Ray Leighton heard from Adam that he wasn’t mistaken, but why was his attitude so strange?

Knock... Knock knock...

While he hesitated whether to leave or say something more to his master, a knock laced with a bit of nervousness sounded from outside the ward.

Adam Piers frowned looking over, Ray Leighton quickly went to open the door, seeing the other main character from tonight’s rumor, Zoe Thatcher, understanding it all, he retreated without any unnecessary words.

Once Ray Leighton left, Zoe Thatcher excitedly stepped forward to explain, "Sorry, I really didn’t know there’d be reporter following us today, nor did I expect they’d report it so quickly. If it caused you any trouble, I can go online immediately to clarify."

Zoe Thatcher hadn’t expected things to turn out this way at all. She just wanted to invite Adam Piers for a meal and take the opportunity to confess but didn’t expect to be photographed.

Although Zoe Thatcher hasn’t been in the industry for long, she knows some unspoken rules in the circle, and many being photographed are actually reporters contacted beforehand.

Especially since both she and Adam Piers are newcomers in the entertainment industry, their popularity isn’t high, so they normally wouldn’t be followed by paparazzi. The fact that their ’date’ was exposed makes it seem like it was pre-arranged.

Zoe Thatcher was genuinely moved by Adam Piers and didn’t want to be misunderstood.

"No need, I’ll handle this matter." Adam Piers was in a bad mood, with a chilly aura around him.

Zoe felt uneasy; it was precisely Adam’s distant attitude that kept her from speaking her mind tonight. Now, seeing his unchanged demeanor made her feel even worse, making her more convinced that she needed to explain, "Adam, I really don’t know what’s up with the news today, but my feelings for you are genuine!"

Whew!

As soon as she said it, Zoe let out a heavy sigh of relief, making it easier to continue.

Without waiting for Adam to respond, she continued in one breath, "I know everyone thinks that affection in the entertainment world has some degree of ulterior motive, but I still want to say that from the first moment I saw you, I was irresistibly drawn to you. Every move you make tugs at my heart; I want to be close to you, to see you every moment... I’ve never wanted to be with anyone this much. Even though this affection may seem shallow to you, I still want to give it a try, so Adam, will you date me?"

Adam Piers was startled, staring blankly at the girl courageously confronting him from a distance.

He hadn’t expected Zoe to be so brave. That question, Adam, will you date me? made his heart tremble slightly, but not out of infatuation, rather out of admiration for the fearless young girl.

Compared to those women who had used various means to seduce him, Zoe Thatcher seemed unusually naive, and her affection seemed more sincere than others.

Unfortunately...

Adam Piers smirked self-mockingly, looking at the girl betting it all in front of him, "Sorry, I can’t accept."

Zoe Thatcher’s eyes flew open. Even though she had already guessed she would be rejected, hearing it confirmed left her heart aching and unwilling to accept, she asked, "Why?"

"Because before you, my heart was stolen by a bitch." Adam said with a touch of mockery and self-deprecation.

Indeed, compared to the girl in front of him, Bertha Swift was a complete bitch. Back then, due to the influence of a drug, she seduced him into sleeping with her, then denied it upon waking and tried to get engaged to his monstrous cousin. Her only goal was to marry into the Piers family.

Later, she became pregnant with his child and was forced to get engaged to him, but she never truly liked or accepted him. She even disregarded the wishes of the Swift family and him, aborting their four-month-old baby.

Just thinking about it made Adam’s heart feel like it was being pricked with pins.

He knew that he and Bertha probably had no future together, but he couldn’t deny that her imprint on his heart was too deep, making it impossible for him to let go immediately.

Zoe Thatcher heard what Adam said, and while surprise flashed in her eyes, she didn’t miss the desolation in his eyes. Her heart ached a bit, but she quickly pulled herself together, "Since you said she’s a bitch, why can’t you let her go? Maybe I’m cuter?"

"Hm, I admit that." Adam nodded with a chuckle at Zoe’s self-praise, but his voice soon turned solemn, "But I like her."

That last sentence faded away with subtle melancholy and helplessness.

Zoe Thatcher stood there stunned for a while, her heart aching without knowing whether it was for herself or for Adam.

She always thought someone like Adam was incapable of being troubled by love, yet he was unrequitedly in love with a woman, and so deeply at that.

This made her feel a bit sorry for Adam, so she reluctantly said, "Then... can we still be friends? Also, I really wasn’t the one who leaked the news to the reporters today."

"I know, don’t let this matter weigh on your mind." Adam Piers wouldn’t have allowed the girl any entry if not for using her in today’s matter.

Zoe Thatcher brightened up a bit upon hearing Adam believed her, "Thank you, should we clear up the rumor...?"

"I’ll handle it." Adam interrupted Zoe, glancing at the clock in the hospital room, "You should go back."

Although Zoe Thatcher was rejected, she felt no negative feelings towards Adam and was, in fact, more infatuated. But considering she’d already said enough for today, she reluctantly left Adam’s hospital room.

After Zoe Thatcher left, Adam called Ray Leighton in, "Go and have the news withdrawn."

Ray Leighton, having just seen Zoe’s flushed exit from the room, assumed Adam’s arrangement was to protect the girl and didn’t think much of it as he turned to have it handled.

Once Ray left, Adam opened the chat window with Oswald Lewis, directly transferring thirty thousand while originally intending to say something, but found it unnecessary. Since Oswald seemed so invested in his affairs, surely he had seen today’s news and, upon receiving his thrice the transfer, should be dissuaded from taking Bertha Swift away any further!

Indeed, Adam guessed right. When Oswald saw the news of Adam and Zoe’s date, he nearly fainted with rage. He had originally thought Adam fancied ’Luna,’ so he planned to connect with Adam via that link. Who knew that woman would run off last night, and a small star took advantage of this vulnerability, ruining his previous plans? Upon seeing Adam’s thirty thousand transfer, he felt his blood boil.

Was this to brush him off or a payoff to keep his mouth shut?

But Oswald couldn’t do anything to Adam, so he could only take out his anger on Bertha Swift.

Yet, after a whole day, Oswald couldn’t find Bertha, finally catching Maria White about to leave her apartment to hide somewhere.

Seeing the kneeling, shivering woman, Oswald was very impatient, "Speak, where’s that bitch?"

Maria White, roughly thrown to the ground, hurt all over and, coupled with the earlier scare, was shaking like a leaf. Hearing Oswald’s demand, she knew she was done for, regretting immensely not heeding Bertha’s advice to hide away straight away.

Bam!

Lost in thought, Oswald, filled with anger, kicked Maria White hard.

Maria White, curled up on the floor in pain and sobbing, heard the man above her ask darkly, "Either tell me honestly where that bitch is, or you won’t leave here tonight!"

Compared to the earlier pain, Oswald’s threat terrified Maria White even more now, trembling violently, "Oswald, I’ll talk, I’ll talk..."

But since leaving the apartment, Maria White really didn’t know where Bertha Swift had gone. After speaking for a while, she still couldn’t say anything substantial. Oswald coldly chuckled, "Contact her."

The three words sent chills down Maria’s spine, yet survival instincts forced her to reach for her phone, silently apologizing in her heart and nervously dialing Bertha’s number.