THE CEO'S FAKE WIFE (English)

CHAPTER 4

Nessa could no longer count how many times she had taken a deep breath. She was inside a taxi she had instructed to stop in front of the H-Precision building, but now she couldn't bring herself to get out. She was hesitant to proceed with her plan to bring the food she cooked for her husband. He might just turn her away, or he might get angry.

"Miss?" The driver asked her. "Are you getting off here?"

"Ah!" she jolted. She glanced at the H-Precision building once more before slowly nodding. "Here's the fare. Thank you, sir."

When she reached the entrance, she was politely greeted by the security guard. She proceeded to the lobby and took the elevator, pressing the button for the floor where the CEO's office was located.

While inside the elevator, she glanced at her entire appearance. She was wearing a formal dress. Sleeveless, and knee-length. It was fitted at the waist but loose from the hips down. She wore the dress with sophistication, as expected of someone married to a company's CEO. Her back was perfectly straight, and her hair was neatly tied in a bun.

She let out a deep breath. She used to hate tying her hair into a tight bun. She preferred to let her hair down and let the wind play with the strands whenever she moved. She also wasn't fond of wearing high-heeled shoes, like the ones she was wearing now. But Viz said he liked prim and proper women. In her mind, she created an image to make herself look like a woman who met her husband's standards for formal clothes, neat hairstyle, and shoes with high heels.

Her eyes focused ahead when the elevator doors opened. She immediately walked down the hallway toward her husband's office.

"Good morning, Sassa," she greeted Viz's secretary. "Is my husband talking to someone inside?" She stared at the CEO's main office door. It was closed.

The woman smiled, but Nessa could clearly see the sharpness behind her eyes. She could tell this woman had feelings for her husband.

"Sir Viz is in a meeting."

"What time do you think it will end?" She looked at her watch. It was already noon. Had her husband eaten? In the six months they had been together, she noticed that he often skipped meals. If he continued doing that, he might get sick. He often overworked himself.

"I don't know."

She sighed, trying to hold back her frustration. She knew Sassa knew what time the CEO's meeting would end, but she simply refused to tell her.

"Has my husband eaten?"

The woman gave her a wide smile. "Oh, yes. I brought food. I gave it to Sir. That's alright, isn't it, Ma'am?"

The polite smile she had been forcing on her face earlier vanished. Her expression turned serious as she confidently closed the distance between herself and the secretary. "Are you joking?" Her voice was calm but carried a sharpness that made the other woman close her mouth. "Do you really think it's okay to bring food for my husband? Why, are you his wife? Last I checked, I can cook too. Sassa, just because I haven't confronted you doesn't mean I'm blind to what you're up to."

The secretary stepped back, surprised by her action. Perhaps she didn't expect to hear those words from her. What did she think? That she was kind? Ha! If she were kind, she wouldn't have thought of pretending and making Viz believe she was Neza just to get him.

She was not a good person.

Viz was right. She wasn’t the warm and kind person that he thought she was.

She might not even be the female lead in this story, but the villainess.

So if Sassa thought she would let herself be oppressed, she was mistaken. She didn't act out of greed just to give up what she was greedy for. She would never give up her husband.

Suddenly, the door to the CEO's main office opened. In the doorway stood the Chief Executive Officer, Viz Hezron, in his expensive corporate suit. His eyes, behind the rimless eyeglasses, were fixed on her. His expression was blank.

She had to look up at him because he was still taller than her. Behind him were two men of the same height. She immediately recognized the two. One was Zeki Castoldi, and the other was Nazaron Altieri, the CEO of Altieri Corporation. All three men, including her husband, looked like they had just stepped out of a men's fashion magazine. There was no denying their physical appearance.

"Hi, Nessa!" Zeki greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Zek. How are you?" She knew that Zeki was Viz's half-brother. He had attended their wedding with his wife, Perlas. His wife was so young and adorable. They already had a child. And unintentionally, she felt envious. She also wanted to have a child with Viz soon. But Viz quickly found out about her lies, and the first and only night he took her without protection and planted his seed in her womb did not result in anything. After that night, he became cautious in their intimate moments.

He never allowed himself to be that vulnerable with her again, as he always pulled out in time. He only ‘made love’ to her once. The rest were just pure f*cking out of marital obligation. Or maybe he was just simply horny.

"I’m good." Zeki glanced at the lunch bag she was holding. "Is that for Viz?"

She almost gasped when Viz also looked at what she was holding.

"I.. it was meant for..."

"I already ate," Viz immediately said.

She subtly clenched her fist. In the back of her mind, she could almost see the smirk on Sassa's face. So, he actually ate the food the secretary brought? Her anger boiled inside her.

Zeki and Nazaron exchanged glances. Then Zeki smiled. “So Viz has already eaten. What a waste of your effort.”

“Just give it to me and Zeki,” said Nazaron. Viz's friends had also become her friends, so she felt comfortable with them. Besides Zeki, she knew Nazaron better because he was currently working on a project with the Castoldi siblings. And that’s because the Altieri family had strong business connections in electronics. “Zeki and I haven’t eaten yet,” he added.

Hah. Did she look pathetic now? Or just foolish? She masked her gritted teeth with a smile. “Alright, you two can have it.” Everything in the lunch bag was Viz's favorite dishes. She had woken up early just to prepare them.

“Why don’t you join us? We’re heading to the cafeteria anyway,” Zeki invited her. “Let's enjoy your dishes there.”

“Uhm.” She glanced at Viz. He was looking at her, but she couldn’t read any emotion in his eyes. “Is it alright, Viz?” she sought her husband's approval.

“Do whatever you want to do,” he replied simply, without a smile, then turned his attention to the two CEOs. His expression automatically lightened when he faced them. She wished he would show her the same lightness of emotion.

“I won’t be joining you in the cafeteria. My ‘wife’ is here. She'll look after you both,” he said, tapping Zeki and Nazaron on the shoulder before turning around and returning to his main office.

Her chest tightened, but she forced a smile and tried to appear cheerful. “Let’s go downstairs,” she invited Zeki and Nazaron.

As they walked, Zeki couldn’t help but ask, “What really happened between you and Viz? You were okay until after the wedding, right? Did you have a fight?”

She bit her lower lip. How should she answer this? Could she admit she was a fraud? That she pretended and made his brother believe in a lie?

“Listen, Nessa, it’s normal for married couples to fight,” said Nazaron. “But make sure that you both are doing something to resolve the root of the problem. You can't let it linger for too long.”

“So whatever it is you and Viz fought about, I hope you resolve it and make up,” added Zeki.

Nazaron shook his head and slightly scratched the back of his head. “I hope I’m wrong, but it feels like he's about to make the same mistake I did.”

Zeki turned to him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “You know what I did to my wife, Zek. I abandoned her before.”

"But Viz hasn't abandoned me," she said.

"I know, but..." Nazaron looked at her intently in the eyes. She felt uneasy and looked away, sensing he could read the heavy emotions she was trying to hide. "I might be wrong. As you said, Viz hasn't abandoned you. And everyone knows you're married."

She knew Nazaron's story. He abandoned his wife on their wedding night. And he came to deeply regret it years later.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Zeki immediately opened the lunch bag. He was at a loss for words when he saw the food she had prepared for her husband.

Chicken Biryani, Roti bread, and Beef Curry.

Zeki took a deep breath. "These are all Viz's favorites, right?" There was an awkward glint in his eyes, as if he didn’t know how to react properly. "Is it really alright for us to enjoy this? It looks like you put a lot of effort into cooking these..."

She smiled to dispel his discomfort. "Yes, it's fine. Go ahead, eat." The truth was she felt hurt, but what could she do?

The two began to eat. She kept her eyes fixed on the glass of water on the table. She wondered what Viz and his secretary were doing.

What if the two of them had a relationship?

It felt like a pin pierced her heart. She shook her head. Viz wouldn't do that to her. She knew he didn't love her, but he wasn't the type to cheat while still married. He's not that heartless.

"Nessa?" Zeki snapped his fingers in front of her face.

She blinked. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Zeki just shook his head. "You seem to be deep in thought?"

"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just tired."

"You should probably go home now to get some rest," Nazaron suggested.

She nodded. "I guess I should go home." She said goodbye to the two and left the building. She immediately hailed a taxi. She nearly jumped into the backseat as the tears she'd been holding back started to fall. Inside the taxi, she looked at her hands. They had wounds from cooking.

She clenched her fists. The wounds hurt more, but she didn’t care. She wished she was only dealing with physical pain.

"Viz, please love me. Even just a tiny bit..." she softly whispered into the air, as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

Silently standing by the glass wall of his office, Viz looked down at the side of the road where his wife stood. Nessa was looking down and appeared dejected. She hailed a taxi and hurried inside. He left the glass wall only after the taxi had completely departed.

He sighed and sank into the executive chair. He pressed the back of his head against the headrest of the leather chair and took off his eyeglasses. He placed them on the table and massaged the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as he slowly closed his eyes.

"Nessa probably ate before she left the house," a small voice in his mind suggested. She always reminded him to eat on time, though she often didn’t eat properly herself.

He dialed Zeki’s number.

“Yes?”

“Have you and Nazaron gone home?” He asked.

“Not yet. We’re still here in the cafeteria. Why? Did you forget to tell us something during the meeting?”

“No, uhm, did you really eat the food that my wife prepared for me?”

Silence.

“Zek? Are you still there?”

“Yeah. What the hell, man? Do you want to eat the food your wife made? You should have said so right away. Nazzie and I already ate it.”

“No, of course not!" He denied. "I just wanted to know if you really ate the food Nessa brought.”

“Yes, we did. Is that all? I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait!” He cleared his throat. “D...did she eat…?”

“What the f*ck, come on, just say it!”

He sighed. “Did she eat too?”

“We're talking about your wife, right? No, she didn’t eat.”

“Did she say if she ate at home?”

His brother clicked his tongue. “Why don’t you ask her yourself? You’re married, aren’t you?” Zeki exhaled in exasperation. “What did you two really fight about? Don’t you want to talk about it and fix it?”

He clenched his jaw. He ended the call. He groaned and rubbed his hands on his face. Why did he even care if she had eaten or not?

He shouldn't care about her.