The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

In the past, Patrick would drown his sorrows in alcohol, but this time, he turned to coffee to ease his troubled mind.

"Scott, if I had held on a little tighter back then, Molly wouldn't have gone missing, my mom wouldn't have died, and my family wouldn't have fallen apart." Patrick lamented. Patrick had blamed himself for fifteen years, . He had lost Mia for Randall and had driven Hazel to her death.

Seeing the lifeless look in Shawn's face, Patrick felt too ashamed to face him, so he moved out early on.

Vincent already had a wife and a son, and Patrick didn't want to be a burden.

Thus, from the age of thirteen, he lived alone in the cold and desolate Cherry Villa.

Scott knew that the knot in Patrick's heart couldn't be untied with just a few words. No one was him; no one understood his inner pain.

They all had a thought in their minds, but no one dared to voice it to Patrick.

Once, Owen had said, "Patrick, could it be that Molly is dead? Maybe your dad couldn't bear to tell you and stopped looking for her?"

After that, Patrick and Owen had a fierce fight.

Since then, no one dared to ask Patrick if Molly was already dead.

However, they had almost all confirmed it in their mind.

Only Patrick was holding on.

Scott sighed inwardly and drank coffee with Patrick.

Drinking too much coffee during the day directly affected Patrick's sleep at night.

Patrick didn't mind; he wasn't tired and could chat with Vera, who liked to stay up late.

Scott, however, was bored. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

"Did Patrick trick me this afternoon?"

However, the coffee was his choice; Patrick hadn't forced it down his throat. He continued to suffer from insomnia.

In the Olteran family's bedroom, Vera, with a face mask on, video-called Patrick. "Honey, Randall said that when you come back, I'll give you a pair of my dark circles as a surprise, so I hit him." Patrick laughed and said, "Just hit him hard."

Vera smiled, causing her face mask to distort.

She looked even more like a cat.

She pouted. "Honey, don't talk. Just watch me. Otherwise, I'll want to laugh when I see you, and my face mask will get all messed up."

Patrick watched Vera as she did her skincare routine.

"What are those two sticks?"

"Beauty wands."

Patrick said, "Aren't you a bit too young to be doing skincare?"

Vera shook her head. "Definitely not. I have to start early. If I don't take care of my skin now, I'll get wrinkles later, and it'll be too late. Then my husband will start wandering to other young girls, and I'll become an old hag,who is unloved." Patrick was helpless.

Video-calling Vera was the only happy moment in Patrick's otherwise dismal day.

Every day, he personally saw those girls, looked at their arms, and his initial hope gradually turned into disappointment.

Only when he saw the lively Vera at night did his heart find some solace.

Even if they didn't talk, just watching her apply her face mask, Patrick couldn't bear to look away.

The video call lasted until late at night. Vera, wanting her beauty sleep to get rid of her dark circles, said goodnight, and they hung up.

The next day, Vera got up early.

She went to the bathroom to freshen up and then ran to Cindy's room.

She knocked excitedly. "Cindy, are you awake?"

Cindy replied, "Coming."

She threw off the covers and got up. Vincent asked, "What's so urgent?" He also wanted to get up and see what was going on. Cindy said, "You don't need to go. Patrick is coming back today, and Vera probably wants me to help her pick out an outfit." She stepped out and, sure enough, saw Vera.

"Cindy, I don't know what to wear for the date. Come help me pick something," Vera said urgently.

Cindy smiled, calming Vera's anxious heart, and followed her to her room.

Her clothes were strewn all over the bed.

"These..." Cindy began.

"These are the dresses I just tried on. I'll put them on again for you to see which one looks best," Vera explained.

Vera picked up a pink dress and put it on, her hair casually tied up. "How about this?"

Cindy saw Vera's bare legs and shook her head. "It's too cold to wear that. Patrick is a straightforward guy; he'll only worry about you being cold and won't notice if you look prettier." Vera thought Cindy made a lot of sense and immediately changed out of the dress.

Cindy said, "This outfit lacks vitality; it doesn't look like you're in love."

Vera continued to change clothes.

She changed outfits and did her makeup.

The entire morning passed.

To maintain her makeup, Vera opened her mouth wide while eating, enough to fit a whole egg.

Randall watched, worried that Vera's mouth might tear.

"Vera, does your mouth hurt?" he asked.

With an egg in her mouth, Vera's cheeks were puffed up, and she couldn't speak.

Shawn laughed from the side. "Vera was amazing just now, eating an egg in one bite like a circus act."

Shawn peeled another egg and handed it to Vera. "Vera, do it again, one bite."

With her cheeks puffed out, Vera looked at the egg in Shawn's hand, lost in thought.

Patrick boarded the plane, and Vera left the house.

Before she drove off, Randall reminded her multiple times, "Drive slowly and be careful."

After some diligent practice, she felt a bit more confident.

Starting the car, she headed to the airport.

Unbeknownst to Vera, a car secretly followed her out of the house.

Cindy and Shawn, worried about Vera's driving skills, dragged Randall along to follow her secretly.

As a novice driver, Vera had no idea she was being followed.

At the airport, Vera drove into the parking garage.

Randall closely watched her drive.

She parked the car, grabbed her bag, and left without noting the parking zone, following the navigation to meet Patrick.

Randall muttered, "Vera must be an idiot; she has forgot what she has learned totally."

Not noting the parking zone or number, finding her car among hundreds later would be a daunting task.

Cindy flicked Randall's forehead from behind. "Don's say that. She's your aunt."

Vera, dressed beautifully, went to meet Patrick.

She wore a floral long dress with a black trench coat and carried a small LV bag, attracting the attention of those around her. Her face was beautiful, and with Cindy's makeup, she became more attractive. Boys around her eagerly wanted to approach Vera.

As soon as they got close, she shot them a glare.

Then, Vera moved to another spot, eagerly watching the exit.

A pretty girl never lacked ;male attention.

"Hey, beautiful girl, are you here to pick someone up?" another man with ill intentions approached.

Vera turned her head. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, just thought you were pretty and wanted to get to know you."

Vera immediately distanced herself from the man. "I'm a married woman; I don't get to know other men."