Chapter 1 Did My Husband Show You a Good Time

"Elijah, look at me. Will you make love to me?" Giselle Lane whispered into Elijah Cobb's ear, riding on top of his abdomen.

Elijah felt as though his body was on fire, but the look in his eyes was solemn. He grabbed Giselle's throat and barked, "You must be asking for it. Get out of here!"

Giselle groaned in pain and almost couldn't catch her breath. Still, she wasn't going to give up.

Tonight was her elder stepsister, Anna Lane, and Elijah's wedding night. However, Anna was barren. So, she had used Giselle's mother's keepsakes to blackmail Giselle into being a surrogate mother and bearing a child for Elijah.

This was the fastest method to retrieve her mother's keepsakes. Out of options, Giselle had agreed.

"Elijah, be gentle…" Giselle pushed her soft bosoms against Elijah's arm. His arm quivered, and he flung her away violently.

"Get out right now!"

Instead of getting mad, Giselle chuckled and said, "Aren't you going to feel even worse if I leave?"

Sitting upright with her knees folded beneath herself, she nibbled his Adam's apple and moved downward. "You'll feel better if you make love to me, won't you?"

On the bed, Elijah was close to losing his sanity, and Giselle's voice was as bewitching as the call of a mystical creature. He couldn't hear her clearly, nor could he see her clearly. Despite that, the desire to make her his rose in his heart.

Giselle carried a pleasant smell; it was light, but he was aroused by it.

"You asked for this!" Violently, he tore off Giselle's nightdress and slapped her thigh hard. "You drugged me, didn't you? Do you need a fuck so badly? You're such a whore!"

A soft groan escaped Giselle's lips when she felt the burning pain in her thigh. Enduring it, she circled his neck with her arms accordingly. As he fondled her breasts roughly, embarrassment washed over her. Suddenly, he lifted her legs and placed them over his shoulders.

Searing pain traveled through her body instantly, and she felt as though she would be ripped apart.

Never did Giselle imagine that sex would be this painful. Out of reflex, she moaned and wanted to back up, but he grabbed her thighs firmly.

"You're not going anywhere."

…

When it ended, Giselle felt as though she had been hit by a truck. While Elijah was deeply asleep, she carefully peeled his arm away and left the bedroom. The next second, she received a tight slap across her face.

"You bitch! You had sex with my husband for such a long time. He must have made you feel real good, huh?"

Anna Lane ran her furious and disdainful gaze across Giselle.

Giselle's body was marked with love bites. Her torn nightdress was only enough to cover her private parts, and even the palm mark on her thigh was exposed.

Pain radiated from Giselle's left cheek, but she suppressed her anger. "If you hadn't drugged him, he wouldn't have clung to me for so long."

Her words instantly sparked Anna's anger. Furious, she raised her hand again. "How dare you talk back!"

This time, Giselle dodged it, and the look in her eyes turned cold.

"Anna Lane, you should be thankful that I'm still willing to strike a deal with you. If I leave, you'll have to look for another woman with a similar physique to yours to sleep with your husband. Don't you find it disgusting?

"Due to the numerous abortions you went through when you were younger, you're now barren, and even sex could cause your abdomen excruciating pain. Do you think this secret of yours will be exposed if I leave?"

Anna's face fell. "You—"

A long while later, she hissed through gritted teeth, "You'd better give birth to a child as we agreed, and I'll live up to my end of the deal, returning your mother's keepsakes to you. Also, did Elijah notice anything out of the norm tonight?"

Giselle recalled the night's events and answered, "No. He didn't get a clear look at me, and the room was dark."

Only then did Anna grunt in satisfaction. "Okay. You're not needed here anymore. Get lost."

Anna watched Giselle leave and opened the bedroom door. Quietly, she sneaked into bed next to Elijah.

The sun rose a few hours later. The moment Elijah's eyes opened, he saw Anna next to him, stark naked and covered in love bites.

He recalled feeling unwell after a few drinks last night. When he returned to his room, he felt hot, and a woman barged in afterward. Had it been Anna?

Just then, Anna woke up. Upon seeing Elijah's gaze on her, she bit her lip, putting on an embarrassed expression. "Elijah, it was our wedding night last night. I saw that you were drunk and came in to take care of you, but you…"

Her eyes reddened, and the love bites on her body were jarring.

Elijah tightened his fists. He recalled being rough with her last night, and a shard of guilt crept over his chest. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Anna shook her head.

"No. I loved it," she said, inching in for a morning kiss.

However, Elijah abruptly moved his head away and stared at her neck. He remembered that the woman last night had been wearing a necklace when he kissed her body. He had wanted to remove it, but she had turned him down.

Elijah couldn't stop himself from rubbing Anna's smooth neck, asking, "Anna, where's your necklace?"

Chapter 2 You're Just a Tool to Give Birth

"Necklace? Did that penniless Giselle even own a necklace?" Anna thought.

Her lashes fluttered, but she quickly composed herself and whined coyly, "You were so passionate last night that you accidentally broke it. I've already thrown it away."

Elijah stared at the love bites around her neck and collarbone before pinching the bridge of his nose. Yes, he had been a little unbridled last night. It was possible that the necklace got ruined. He didn't dwell on it further and changed before heading downstairs.

The second the door closed, the embarrassment on Anna's face disappeared.

Just as she thought, Giselle was a vixen who didn't know her place. How could she dare use a necklace to make Elijah doubt her? Once Giselle was pregnant, Anna wasn't going to let her live and continue to seduce Elijah.

In the kitchen on the first floor, Giselle lowered her head as she stirred the boiling soup in a pot. She had pinned her loose fringe to the back of her ears, revealing her perfect jawline and neckline.

Sounds of footsteps echoed from the kitchen entrance, and her hand paused for a second. Then, she heard Elijah's husky but indifferent voice asking, "Who are you?"

Giselle took a glance at him and answered humbly, "Mr. Cobb, I'm Giselle Lane, the nutritionist Mrs. Cobb brought over. Her stomach is feeling unwell, so she asked me over to take care of her."

Elijah frowned. Giselle's voice somehow sounded very familiar to him.

Giselle ladled the soup into a cup.

"I made some herbal tonic, and it's good to have some in the morning. Would you like to have a cup of it, Mr. Cobb?"

Snapping back to his senses, Elijah nodded unwittingly. When he approached her, he caught sight of a red mark on her neck.

Before he could get a good look at it, Giselle tugged her collar higher, as though she had sensed something.

"You…" Surprised, Elijah noticed that Giselle was highly guarded against him.

The atmosphere turned awkward. Fortunately, Anna's voice came from the staircase after a few seconds. "Elijah, are you in the kitchen?"

Elijah's gaze froze for a moment before he headed to the living room. At the end of the day, Giselle was an employee in the household; he shouldn't be curious about her.

Meanwhile, Giselle thought nothing of her encounter with Elijah. However, two strong house helpers rushed in and held her on both sides when she left the kitchen.

Giselle's heart sank. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

Without a word, the helpers carried her to the chiller in the basement with their brute strength.

"Mrs. Cobb, we've brought her here."

They tossed Giselle heavily on the floor. Anna crouched down, yanking Giselle's hair violently. "Bitch, how dare you seduce Elijah right under my nose?"

Pain radiated from every inch of Giselle's body.

"I didn't. I've never thought of seducing Mr. Cobb."

All she did was exchange a few words with Elijah. Why was Anna fueled with jealousy?

"Do you think that you've turned your life around just because you've slept with him? I'm telling you, you're merely a tool to have a baby for me," Anna said, the smile on her face gradually turning sinister.

"But I don't want that anymore. I don't want you to be my replacement."

Giselle's breath was stuck in her chest as she heard Anna utter coldly, "I want you dead."

The door to the chiller closed shut, and Giselle crawled to her feet, hitting against the door with all her might. "Open the door! Let me out!"

Nobody answered her, and cold air rolled toward her from all directions. Shivering, Giselle wrapped her arms tightly around herself. In a matter of minutes, she started shaking uncontrollably. This was ridiculous!

In the past, she thought that her elder stepsister was only dumb and evil. But today, she had the guts to kill her over a man.

Desperation washed over Giselle's chest, but she couldn't accept this because she hadn't retrieved her late mother's keepsakes yet.

Giselle felt the warmth rapidly draining out of her, and her consciousness started to drift away.

She didn't know how long had passed, but she couldn't hold on any longer. She collapsed to the floor and didn't even have the strength left to shiver.

Was this the end of her life?

The next second, there was a click, and the chiller door opened from the outside.

Anna walked in with a disgusted look on her face. Giselle was such a vixen. How did she have Elijah be so obsessed with her body? Unfortunately, Anna couldn't reject Elijah at this time and had to get Giselle to have sex with him in her place.

"Listen carefully, slut. Your short-lived mother's ashes are in my hands as well. If you dare reveal a thing to Elijah, I'll scatter her ashes into the air. Even in death, she won't find peace. Did you hear me?"

Giselle felt weak, but the hatred stemming from a near-death experience prompted her to croak, "Y-Yes…"

She couldn't fight back; not now, at least.

At the same time, she realized that the dumbest thing to do was to let her guard down against Anna just because she was Anna's stepsister. From now on, she wasn't going to give anyone the chance to hurt her.

Anna stared at Giselle, who was sprawled on the floor like a dead animal, and felt much better.

"Since you heard me, get back to the same bedroom from last night. Don't keep Elijah waiting for too long!"

The lights in the master bedroom were off. When Giselle pushed the door open, she could make out Elijah's figure leaning against the headboard of the bed. A lit cigar was between his fingers.

Stiffly, Giselle walked over to him. "Elijah—"

Right after she opened her mouth, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into bed.

"You were gone for a long time." His voice was husky, and he kissed her greedily on her lips, moving downward. All of a sudden, he stopped.

With his fingertips, he lifted the necklace around her neck. In the dark, his hawk-like eyes appeared especially bright. "What's this?"

Didn't Anna say that this necklace was broken?

Chapter 3 Undress, Then

Elijah sounded doubtful, and Giselle's eyes wavered.

Last night, Elijah already asked her about the necklace once. Tonight, he mentioned it again. Was he beginning to suspect that she wasn't Anna?

If that was true, perhaps Giselle could use this to keep Anna, who was a ticking bomb, in check.

Holding her breath, Giselle said solemnly, "This necklace is a gift from my mother. I never take it off."

Elijah narrowed his eyes. Since she never took it off, why did she sound so indifferent about it this morning and even claim that she had thrown it away? He tightened his jaw. His emotions were unreadable when he said, "Why don't we turn on the lights tonight?"

These few simple words struck Giselle like lightning.

As though out of reflex, she gasped, "No!"

Elijah was the most respected man in Marindale. It was said that he married Anna out of love. Otherwise, the Lanes would never have gotten the chance to mingle with a person of Elijah's status, given their societal standing.

If Giselle revealed her true identity now, neither Elijah nor Anna would let her off.

After the word left her lips, Giselle realized that she had panicked. Placing her cheek on Elijah's warm chest, she said coyly, "I'm a little shy."

Little by little, she ran her fingertips over his body.

"Besides, isn't it more exciting to make love in the dark?"

His body stiffened visibly from her enticement, and he chuckled in a low voice. "Okay, as you say."

Elijah didn't suggest turning on the lights again, nor did he continue asking about the necklace. It was as if nothing had happened.

At 2:00 am, he was finally satisfied. His eyes were closed as he held Giselle in his arms. He appeared to be asleep.

Without moving a muscle, Giselle lay until his breathing had turned steady and long. Only then did she move away from under his heavy arm.

Quietly, she left the bedroom and closed the door behind herself. In the dark, Elijah, who had been presumed to be fast asleep on the bed, opened his eyes. He looked awake and sharp.

A few minutes later, someone quietly opened the door again, and a person in the same nightdress crawled into bed and lay down next to him.

Elijah smelled a pungent perfume. Just as he thought, his wife was a different person during the day and at night.

He let the woman cuddle next to him. A few moments later, he called out in a croaky voice as though he had just awakened. "Anna?"

"What happened? Did I wake you up?"

Elijah's eyes were icy. "No. I think there was a herbal smell on you before I fell asleep. Why has it disappeared now?"

Anna's scalp tingled, but a few seconds later, she smiled. "I guess I caught the smell because I had the herbal tonic in the morning. I just took a shower, so the smell was washed off."

He was quiet for a few seconds before removing his arm from around her waist. "Okay. Go to sleep."

He turned around, facing Anna with his back. A mischievous but cold smile tinged his lips. He had other motives for marrying Anna, but she was a silly woman, taking him for a fool. Did she really think that he wouldn't smell a rat when she was doing all these?

On the other hand, it was interesting. His wife had shoved an unknown woman into his bed without telling him. What was she after? And who was the woman Anna had sent?

…

Giselle barely slept through the night. Her body was aching and, along with the cold from the chiller, she felt as though her body was laced with lead. After she pushed herself to wash up, someone burst open her door.

It was Anna's trusted aide, Betty Hart, at the door.

"What are you doing in the room?"

Folding her arms across her chest, Betty said in a high-pitched voice, "Mrs. Cobb is asking you to come with me right now. An important guest is waiting to meet you."

An important guest? What was Anna up to this time? Suppressing the unease in her heart, Giselle followed Betty out of the room.

On the way, Betty didn't stop talking. She said sarcastically, "I heard that you can't live without a man, so the kind Mrs. Cobb has found you one. You'd better not ruin things later."

"Did you say that she found me a man?"

"Yes, Mrs. Cobb is matchmaking you with a man. He's young and handsome. Even though his family can't be compared to the Cobb family, it's more than enough for you. So, you should stop building castles in the air and lust over people who are out of your league."

Giselle's face fell, and she dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from turning around and walking away. Would Anna be so kind as to introduce a good man to her? Giselle didn't think that would be true.

Soon, they reached a guest room on the second floor. Betty knocked, opened the door, and put on a fake smile, "Mr. Moone, she's here."

Hearing her, a man dressed in a casual blazer with his back facing the door slowly spun around. Upon meeting Giselle's eyes, he smiled softly. "Hello, Ms. Lane."

When Giselle recognized his face, her pupils contracted in shock.

The man—was Evan Moone, the poor boy her mother, Trudy White, had sponsored in the past. Giselle had met him a few times years ago. After he graduated from university and Trudy passed away, Giselle stopped contacting him.

Never could she imagine that the man Anna found would be Evan!

"Alright, waste no more time."

Betty didn't sense the oddity between them and casually tossed a condom on the bed. Then, she gave Giselle a hard push and said with a smirk, "Since you're satisfied with each other, remove your clothes, then!"

Chapter 4 There's More to Trudy's Death

As Betty spoke, she turned on the camera on her phone. It was clear that Anna had arranged for this—instructing Betty to take photos of Giselle and Evan doing the deed in bed.

Realizing this, Giselle pierced her nails into her palms unwittingly, fury and humiliation racing in her heart. She looked at Evan, who had a complicated and anxious look in his eyes. His lips moved, as though he had something to tell her.

"What? Do you need my help to undress?" Betty urged sharply.

Giselle took a deep breath and unwillingly placed her finger on her first button. She undid it, revealing her silky skin and collarbone. Next were the second and third buttons. Vaguely, the edge of her plain-colored bra could be seen.

Betty's eyes lit up, holding her phone steady.

Closing her eyes, Giselle placed her fingers on the fourth button. While she was contemplating her next steps, hurried knocks sounded from the door.

James Steyr, the elderly butler of the household, said composedly, "Betty, Mrs. Cobb Senior is here and waiting in the living room. Hurry down to receive her."

The glee on Betty's face vanished in a second, and she hurriedly replied, "Okay, I'm coming right now."

Turning to Giselle, she said haughtily, "It's more important to serve Mrs. Cobb Senior, so we'll take the photos later. Come with me now."

Instantly, Giselle's uptight nerves relaxed, and she rapidly buttoned her shirt before whispering, "I have to go now, Mr. Moone."

As Evan stared at her leaving, he sighed inaudibly.

In the living room, a wealthily-dressed elderly woman with neat, silver hair was seated on the couch. Eleanor Hayes held her back straight, carrying an air of majesty around her. Next to her was a capable female assistant with a briefcase.

Immediately, Betty put on a pleasing smile. "Mrs. Cobb Senior, welcome! Mrs. Cobb was picking out Mr. Cobb's attire earlier. She'll be downstairs soon."

Giselle followed behind Betty and came downstairs. She had planned to stay quietly in a corner.

To her surprise, Eleanor exclaimed pleasantly upon seeing her, "You must be Anna. Oh, you're gorgeous. Your child with Elijah will be beautiful!"

Subconsciously, Giselle looked in Eleanor's direction. When their eyes met, Eleanor thought that Giselle had a clear look in her eyes, which made people feel at ease.

"Oh, my granddaughter-in-law. Come here and let me take a look at you. I saw you from afar during your engagement ceremony to Elijah, but I've already forgotten what you look like," Eleanor said, holding Giselle's hand.

"Mrs. Cobb Senior, I'm not—"

Giselle wanted to clear the air, but Eleanor took off the exquisite emerald bangle around her wrist, wanting to slip it through Giselle's hand. "This is a Cobb family heirloom. Take it as a gift. Keep it!"

Startled, Giselle jerked her hand away and said anxiously, "Mrs. Cobb Senior, you have the wrong person. I'm not Mrs. Cobb but the nutritionist working for her. My name is Giselle Lane."

Right after the words left her lips, sounds of footsteps echoed from the top of the staircase. Elijah and Anna descended the staircase together.

Eleanor had a mix of surprise and disappointment in her eyes. She took a look at Anna and then at Giselle. After comparison, Eleanor frowned slightly. She had a better impression of Giselle.

Meanwhile, Anna's gaze swept over the bangle, which had not been given away. Jealousy, combined with hatred, flashed past her eyes. She approached Eleanor and grabbed her arm. "Eleanor, she's a helper I hired and doesn't know the rules. Did she offend you?"

As she spoke, she threw a nasty glare at Giselle. "She's Mrs. Cobb Senior. Do you think a lowborn vixen like you is worthy of speaking to her? Betty, take her away quickly, lest she gets in the way of our family's conversation."

The frown on Eleanor's face deepened at her statements. Turning to Giselle, she smiled warmly. "Child, get back to your duties, then."

Anna's face turned into an ugly scowl when Eleanor shielded Giselle in everyone's presence.

The whole time, Elijah kept his head lowered, engrossed in his own thoughts. It didn't seem like he would speak up for Anna. So, Anna had no choice but to swallow the fury in her chest.

Meanwhile, Giselle returned to the guestroom where Evan was and saw that he was still there.

"Giselle, listen to me."

When Evan saw her coming in, he immediately locked the door.

His gaze was serious as he said, "On the surface, I'm your father's trusted aide. Anna asked me over, hoping that you'd fall in love with me, but I think she's going to harm you afterward.

"And I've been lying in wait by your father's side all these years only to investigate the truth behind your mother's death. I suspect that Trudy's car accident back then wasn't an accident at all. It was premeditated because someone wanted her dead."

Giselle's heart skipped a beat.

Trudy was the daughter of a wealthy family. Back then, Samuel Lane was still a penniless guy. Using Trudy, Samuel obtained power in White Group and secretly kept a mistress—Anna's mother.

After Trudy discovered this, she had a huge fight with him. Both of them gradually got sick of each other and divorced in the end.

Worn out and helpless, Trudy handed White Group to Samuel and moved away from Marindale.

Giselle couldn't understand why someone would still want Trudy's life even though she had already given the company to Samuel. A bone-piercing chill struck her chest.

Evan reached out and wanted to hold her, but he stopped and clenched his fists. "Trudy was a great help to me. I'll help you to get to the bottom of this and live up to the support she has shown me."

Giselle bit her lower lip, fighting back her tears. "Thank you. I'd like to have all the details you have on this matter. I want the culprit who caused my mother's death to pay the price for their crime!"

She took a final look at him and left the room.

On the way back to the helpers' quarters, she passed by the study on the second floor. This was where Elijah usually handled work. The door was left ajar. When Giselle passed by, she coincidentally overheard Eleanor's bright voice in the room.

"Elijah, tell me the truth. Did you marry Anna because you love her? I'm not blind. I can tell that Anna is short-tempered and materialistic. She doesn't have the bearing and generosity to be the lady of the household.

"In contrast, Giselle is… I think she's more suitable for you than your current wife."

Chapter 5 Mr. Cobb Wants to See You in the Study

Giselle stopped in her tracks. After a short moment of silence in the room, she heard Elijah's deep and helpless voice.

"Grandma, Anna is not bad either. She's just a little spoiled, but her nature is not bad. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married her."

Giselle lost all interest to continue eavesdropping. Taking a deep breath, she calmed the emotions rolling in her chest and quickly left the spot.

What had she been expecting earlier?

Anna was Elijah's lawful wife, while she was simply a tool he used to release his sexual desires; a tool he could discard any time.

Before getting back Trudy's keepsakes and finding out the truth behind her death, Giselle wasn't going to trust anyone so easily.

Of course, she was aware that even if she gave birth to Elijah's child and completed the deal, it was likely that Anna wouldn't hold onto her promise to return Trudy's keepsakes. Therefore, she had to find a way out for herself.

A chilling look flashed past her eyes.

On the third floor, she had just opened her bedroom door when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket a couple of times. She whipped it out, and the screen turned on. She had received two texts from unknown numbers.

"Ms. White, we cordially invite you to be part of the core project team at Brilliance Laboratory. Your experience and research ideas left a deep impression on us. We look forward to your reply."

Brilliance Laboratory? Giselle racked her brains and recalled that it was a top-notch laboratory in the country. Almost every person in the medical field had heard of this name.

It was said that the founder was a young tycoon. The top employees of the lab could roll in an annual income of a million dollars, at least.

If Giselle had received this invitation a couple of days ago, she would have agreed. But now, she had more important matters to attend to. Instead of replying, she checked the second text.

"You don't need to come over tonight. I'm going to give it a try with Elijah. Don't get out of your bedroom!"

It was from Anna.

Giselle tapped her fingers lightly, replying, "OK."

Later, she found Betty and sent her a few edited photos. The contents were photos of herself and Evan in various suggestive and intimate positions.

Betty received the photos. After going through them one by one, she nodded in satisfaction.

However, something popped up in her mind, and she peered at Giselle with doubt. "How did you take these photos so quickly?"

Smirking, Giselle asked, "Fifteen minutes is enough for such a thing, no?"

Betty was speechless as she gawked at her for a while.

Then, she muttered, "Did you use the condom? If you accidentally give birth to another man's child, Mrs. Cobb won't fulfill her promise."

Giselle took out a condom, which was wrapped in toilet paper. "Would you like to check it out?"

The pungent smell of semen wafted into Betty's nose, and she hurriedly covered it, snorting in disdain.

"That's enough. I'm going to report to Mrs. Cobb with these photos. You'd better watch your actions in the future."

After Betty left, Giselle wiped off the submissive look on her face. The look in her eyes was especially icy.

"Anna's bitch."

She put away the condom filled with plant latex and headed into the kitchen.

A pot of herbal tonic was boiling over low heat on the stove. All these herbs were beneficial to Anna's health. Carefully, Giselle cleaned and cut more herbs in trained moves. Within minutes, a herbal scent spread out in the kitchen.

While there was nobody around, Giselle took out a small vial from her pocket and shook out a tasteless white powder. The powder fell into the boiling tonic quietly, dissolving instantly.

It was the extract of poison hemlock, and modern equipment could hardly detect the neurotoxins of this plant.

As Giselle watched the boiling tonic, the look in her eyes turned dark and cold.

"Anna Lane, you'd better keep your promise. Otherwise, this herbal tonic will be the hell I specially concoct for you and your mother, the adulteress."

Giselle ladled a small cup of tonic and placed it on a tray. When she turned around, she saw Betty again.

Wearing an impatient look, Betty beckoned to her.

Giselle walked over and asked coldly, "What does Anna want with me by sending you again?"

"This time, it's not Mrs. Cobb who's looking for you."

Unwillingly, Betty added, "Did you do something dumb to catch Mr. Cobb's attention? Whatever. He wants you to see him in the study now. Play it by ear."

Was Elijah looking for her? Giselle was stunned because her interaction with him was restricted to sex at night. During the daytime, they were strangers to each other.

Could it be…

A light flashed past Giselle's eyes.

Did he notice that she had overheard his and Eleanor's conversation at the study door?