The Hidden Secret of My Billionaire Wife

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Felicia paused for a moment, her mind weighing the conversation. The air between them had shifted, growing more ambiguous than it should have been. They barely knew each other, yet now they were married. Talking about their s****l relationship was inevitable.

"You can't touch me. Not until you can make me fall in love with you." It was a decision she'd thought long and hard about.

Mike nodded. He didn’t mind her decision. He respected Felicia as a woman with strong convictions.

"Alright then. I suppose we’ve come to an agreement on our marriage, one that’s been accepted by both sides."

Felicia smiled, a little awkwardly. Her eyes moved, studying Mike's face. She couldn’t deny it—this man might make her fall for him faster than she ever expected.

After the conversation, they both walked toward their respective rooms. From time to time, Mike stole glances at her, even pausing before he opened his door to look at Felicia. She did the same.

"Good night," Mike said softly.

"Good night, Mike," Felicia replied, her voice quiet but steady.

**

Today, Mike finally decided to go home for the holiday. After nearly a week away, he began to miss his mother.

He entered the modest house with its small yard, and saw Kattie, his younger sister, watering the plants. She was wearing shorts that showed off her pale thighs.

She hadn’t noticed him yet, so when she turned around, her eyes lit up, and she ran toward him.

"Mike!" she exclaimed, leaping into his arms.

Her weight nearly caused Mike to stumble as he caught her.

"When are you going back to America? Why didn’t you tell me?" Mike asked.

Kattie released him and then kissed his cheek enthusiastically.

"Can we put that off for now? Because I’ve really missed you, my Pinky Wingky!"

That was their childhood nickname for each other. Kattie was Jack's only younger sister, just three years younger than him. After graduating, she moved to Korea for college on a scholarship, and it had been almost three years since they last met.

"Look at you, bro. You’re so skinny, good grief," she teased.

Mike ruffled Kattie's hair, making her groan in protest. "Not only have you gotten more beautiful living there, Kattie, but you’ve also become more of a chatterbox."

They both laughed, releasing the pent-up longing they’d felt for so long.

"Where’s Mom?" Mike asked, noticing his mother wasn’t around.

"She’s inside, cooking green bean porridge. I’ve really missed that dish," Kattie replied.

Mike walked inside and saw his mother busy in the kitchen. He decided to help.

"Hi, Mom?"

"Mike! You’re home." She turned and kissed her son on the cheek.

"Sit down, I’ll get breakfast ready."

"Kattie! Get in here!" she called, still bustling around the kitchen. Mike wanted to help, but his mother wouldn’t let him move from his seat.

"Mom, let me help."

"No, no, just sit there and enjoy your breakfast. I’ve got this." She grabbed a plate from the rack, placed it on the table, then ran to the stove to fetch some warm chicken soup. Mike simply watched her flurry of movement.

"Ah, it smells so good," Kattie said as she came in and immediately sat down at the table.

The breakfast felt warmer than usual. Kattie chatted away, telling Mike about her successful experience in Korea and the boyfriend who had helped her there.

"Mike, are you staying the night? Or do you have work?" his mom asked.

Mike shook his head. "I’ll stay."

Kattie squealed with joy. She had clearly missed her brother. The entire day, she stuck close to Mike, and they spent time together. Mike didn’t mention Felicia to anyone—not yet, at least—since their relationship was still too ambiguous.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Mike?" Kattie asked, a question Mike had been avoiding.

Mike paused, pretending to think before answering. "No."

"You’re such a liar."

"I’m not." Mike denied it, though technically, he didn’t have a girlfriend. He had a wife. That was a fact he could only scream inside his head.

As evening came, his mother was still busy preparing dinner. She’d made far too much food for just three people.

"Mom, did you cook all this just for us?" Mike joked.

The table was set with a spread so vast it seemed impossible to finish.

"It’s... um," his mom hesitated, looking uneasy, until the doorbell rang. Mike immediately stood up to see who it was.

He was surprised to find Sophia standing at the door, wearing a broad smile and holding something in her hands.

"What are you doing here?" Mike asked sharply, remembering how awkward their last dinner together had been.

"Mike, I’ve changed my mind. I’m sorry about that night. I brought you something. I hope you’ll change your mind too."

She placed a black bag in front of him with a proud smile.

"What is it?" Mike asked, reluctant to touch it.

"A gift, you silly. It’s a shirt worth ten million dollars. You’ll love it."

Mike returned the bag to Sophia, his expression flat. "I don’t need it. You can take it back."

Sophia’s face soured, her lips curling in frustration. "Oh, so you’re too good for it now?"

"Mike, what's going on over there? Why haven't you invited our guest inside?" Hannah called out from behind.

Mike couldn't stop Sophia as she slipped past him into the house. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Sophia had already seated herself at the dining table, chatting with Kattie and his mother.

"I bought Mike an expensive shirt, but he rejected it. I was trying to make peace with him," she started, hinting at the tension.

"I’m just saying that I can’t accept a gift from you after everything that happened," Mike defended himself.

"See, Mrs. Hannah? Mike is so arrogant and doesn't appreciate the kindness of others," Sophia continued to corner him.

"Mike?!" his mother chimed in, her tone uncertain. Kattie remained quiet, not wanting to get involved.

"Enough, Mrs. Coulthard. I don’t feel appreciated here. I should just leave." Sophia grabbed her bag aggressively.

"Sophia, why don’t we have dinner first before you go? Sit down, I’ve made plenty for all of us," his mother suggested, trying to keep the peace.

Mike, however, would rather Sophia leave. He didn’t want any more drama during dinner, so he didn’t try to convince her to stay.

"See? Mike doesn’t want me here. I bet you’ll never find a woman like me who would accept a man like you."

Before Mike could respond with what was in his head, Sophia was already out the door. Hannah exhaled sharply, and Mike stayed silent. Kattie pretended to focus on her food, avoiding the situation.

"Mike, what's really going on?" His mother’s voice was weary, clearly fed up with the repeated confrontations.

"I have something to tell you, Mom." Mike finally spoke up.

"I’m married."

Kattie, who had just taken a bite of her food, choked and hurriedly grabbed her water. Hannah looked up, wide-eyed, at him.

"What?"

"You’re married? When? To who?" Kattie bombarded him with questions.

"A few days ago. To her." Mike slid the marriage certificate across the table, showing a picture of him and Felicia.

"Her name is Felicia. We met when I was in the military. We secretly started a relationship, and eventually, I decided to marry her," Mike added, fabricating some details to keep his mother from questioning the real nature of his relationship with Felicia, which was actually a contract marriage.

Hannah was still stunned, staring at the marriage certificate.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Well, things happened so quickly. We made the decision a bit impulsively, and I didn’t have the chance to tell you," was the only explanation Mike could offer.

Kattie glanced at the bride in the photo. "She’s really beautiful. I’m curious how someone like her could fall for you."

Mike chuckled.

"Tell me more about her."

Mike then went on to describe Felicia’s career as a Senior Executive at a prestigious company owned by her grandfather. She was a busy career woman at the moment, which made it understandable why Mike had come home alone.

"Oh, Mike. I... I don’t know how to say this, but I’m happy to hear it. I’m really happy for you. So, when will you introduce her to me?"

"Yeah, when are you going to introduce her to us? She must be very beautiful and very rich."

Mike fell silent. He didn’t know how to answer them, given that his relationship with Felicia wasn’t what they imagined. The marriage was just a cover-up to convince her grandfather, and they had a contract to live an ordinary life, not like a typical husband and wife.

"Soon." That was all he could say for now.