Secret Wife, Real Billionaire

Chapter 114 Her mother

In the study, Renee raised her concerns to Marcelo. “You're pushing Ivan so hard with his studies. Aren't you

worried it might affect his work?”

If Ivan truly didn’t want to study, he could just endure these months.

Gazing towards the guesthouse, Marcelo replied, “If he doesn’t get into a top university, he'll retake the entrance

exam. Tis precious for professional e-sports players.”

His approach was strict.

Too strict, Renee thought.

“But isn’t it too much for him? Only six months left and he said his grades are unsatisfactory...”

Renee found it challenging to sympathize with him, she had always been an exceptional student during her

school

days.

“He’s never studied seriously before. Now, he needs to de

Renee pitied Ivan. He was miserable.

to double his efforts. It’s only fair,“Marcelo replied indifferently.

Then, she remembered something. “I'm inviting Freddy out for dinner in two days. | won't be hfor dinner.”

Freddy was in the city for a month. Since Renee had promised to treat him, she wanted to get it done sooner.

Marcelo beckoned on her to ccloser.

Leaving her laptop, Renee approached him, curious. “What is it? Need shelp?”

As she neared, he grasped her wrist, guiding her into his arms.

She found herself seated on his lap, feeling the warmth of his skin and the definition of his muscles through the

fabric.

Marcelo, with a light smile, teased, “Inviting an employee out to dinner?”

Renee then recalled Freddy jokingly calling her his boss.

“He...was just joking.”

“Or is he interested in you?“His expression grew

ense.

She felt a chill. She struggled to recall if she had invested in Freddy’s venture through her private account or

under the Venus Private Foundation.

Using the foundation's nlinked her too closely with it.

She initially planned to use the foundation’s name, but did things change later?

In a rush for cross-border investment, did she write a personal check instead?

Was that what she did?

“Yes, I'm technically his boss. Well, not exactly. I'm the major shareholder, involved only in dividends, not

orations. Over time, I've reduced my shares to 45%, and he owns 40%."

With his current stature, Freddy could buy out Renee's shares or start his venture. Yet, he remained grateful for

Renee's early support, generously sharing profits with her each year.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

“You own the Venus Bar and a top international fashion studio. Mrs. King, how much wealth haven't you

disclosed to me?“He asked, smiling.

“Um...Nothing more, “She replied earnestly, batting her eyelashes “These are minor compared to your wealth.”

Marcelo playfully pinched her cheek. “Flattery won't work on“Then what do you want?“She retorted, her

tone light.

He laughed. “Just curious. I'm not after your money.”

His interest was in knowing how capable his wife was.

Jus

That afternoon, Grace was playing cards with a group of ladies.

“Mrs. Hudson, your daughter knows Freddy? You've kept that quite a secret,” remarked one lady. Grace,

surprised, replied, “Catherine knows Freddy? | had no idea She’s not one to brag.”

Her words carried a hint of pride.

The lady clarified with a nuanced expression, “Not Catherine. | meant your adopted daughter, Renee.”

“I can’t believe you haven't heard such a big news. Oh, | forgot. You missed Freddy's show.” The woman to

Grace's left filled her in on the eventful happenings at Freddy’s fashion show.

“How is it possible for Renee...to be acquainted with Freddy?” Grace was so astonished that she accidentally

nudged the card.

She had nearly forgotten about her adopted daughter, Renee.

The women at the stable exchanged glances.

“Are you truly clueless? What a shame. Securing a dress made by him is quite difficult as you have to wait in line.

If Renee is still considered your daughter, you might persuade her to get you one of Freddy's designs.”

This woman's words dripped with sarcasm, taunting Grace for losing Renee, who was quite an asset.Everyone

aware of the situation knew that Grace always publicly and privately demeaned and insulted Renee.

Grace's behavior was harsh.

“I, I'm not feeling well. | can’t continue the card gtoday.” She was afraid that she would lose control of her

emotions if she

stayed any longer.

She returned home, her mood stormy. Before her anger could erupt, Catherine's aggrieved expression caught

her attention.

“Catherine, what's the matter?“Grace asked, softening her tone.

With quivering eyelashes, Catherine appeared quite pitiful. She questioned Grace, “Mom, did you know about

Renee's close relationship with Freddy?”

“I've only just found out. She never mentioned it to us.”

Grace's irritation flared up at the mention of Renee. Clearly, Renee had not been forthcoming. Knowing someone

like Freddy, a renowned designer, and keeping it from her family seemed like a deliberate act of defiance.

“If it weren't for the fact that you and Dad raised Renee, | would have been the one receiving Freddy's respect.

But now, even when | try to borrow a dress from him, | get rejected... “Catherine clung to Grace, and cried

pitifully, “Mom, is it that destiny just favors Renee too much?”

As fate would have it,Catherine was scheduled to appear on a red carpet later in the month.

Coincidentally, Freddy was hosting his first-ever show in the country at the stime. Catherine's team thought

it would be a great publicity move to have her wear one of Freddy's exclusive designs, so they reached out to his

studio.

To their dismay, when they requested a dress under the guise of being the fiancée of the King family’s grandson,

Freddy’s team outright dismissed them.

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Grace's attention was swiftly drawn back to Catherine's words.

Indeed, if the Hudson family hadn't adopted Rence, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Freddy.

If it weren't for the fact that Renee had grown up with the Hudson name, it should have been Catherine who

knew Freddy. And Grace wouldn't have to endure seeing other mothers take their daughters to Freddy's show,

while she and Catherine didn’t even have an invitation.

The more Grace pondered, the more she sympathized with her disadvantaged daughter.

“Destiny should be favoring you, not her. Renee is nothing.” Grace reassured Catherine, “Don’t worry, my dear.

You want a dress from Freddy, right? I'll get it for you. We won't just borrow one; we'll get a custom-made dress.”

Freddy was setting up a new branch office in the city.

On the day of the dinner, as a major shareholder, Renee paid a symbolic visit to Freddy's stuto oversee

operations.

Freddy, finishing up his work, attempted to broach the subject of Renee’s marital life several times, but she

deflected each time, saying, “It’s a basic rule for employees not to gossip about the boss.”

Freddy, slightly disappointed, conceded, “Okay, but Renee, I've heard about the rumors concerning Vivian and

your husband. Don’t take it to heart. Very few men are good.”

“Freddy, remember, you're a man too,“She gently reminded him.

Freddy didn’t argue. “That's why I'm not married. But, isn't your husband upset about you having dinner with me

tonight?”

“What would he have to be upset about?” Renee responded, but she couldn't help picturing Marcelo’s stormy

expression when she mentioned having dinner with Freddy.

It was as if she was betraying Marcelo.

Freddy pretended to be serious. “The last t| saw your husband, he glared atlike | was sintruder.

Looked like he wanted to banishfrom the country. Good thing he’s not joining us for dinner, or my digestion

would surely suffer.”

Renee couldn't help but laugh. “Really? That exaggerated?”

After spending twith Marcelo, Renee had cto understand his somewhat territorial nature. His

possessiveness was just as much a part of his strong character as his need to maintain his private space.

“It’s not an exaggeration. I've never seen a man as visibly jealous as he is.

Jealous?

Could Marcelo actually be jealous?

No way.

Renee was still pondering this when Freddy's assistant interrupted, knocking and entering.

“Mr. Lynn, a woman claiming to be Grace, who says she’s Renee’s mother, is asking to see you.” Freddy turned

his gaze to

Renee.

The smile vanished from Renee's face, replaced by a cool indifference.

“Renee, what's the matter? Is she an imposter?” It was the first tthat Freddy had seen such an expression on

Renee's face, which made him a little scared.

“No,” Renee replied, then elaborated, “I'm not sure if you've heard any rumors aboutlately. While my last

nis Hudson, I'm not the Hudson's biological daughter.Grace, the woman claiming to be my mother, is

actually my adoptive mother.”

Chapter 114 Her mother

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“So, she’s the adoptive mother who exploited you.” Freddy got up visibly upset.“Stay here, I'll handle this.”

Inside the private lounge, Freddy's demeanor shifted from confrontational to his typical unruly yet talented

designer image as he mingled with the guests.

“Madam, | heard that you are looking for me?” At a glance, Freddy saw Grace and Catherine sitting on the sofa in

the parlor area.

Grace and Catherine were engrossed in a book showcasing his designs. They were joyfully discussing which

dresses they intended to purchase.

“Good day, Mr. Freddy Lynn, I'm Renee’s mother,” Grace greeted im with a pleasant smile. Noticing Freddy's

glance at Catherine, she quickly added, “And this is my daughter, Catherine She's a talented entertainer.”

With a fake smile on her face,Catherine greeted, “Hello, Mr. Lyni

If it was in the past,Catherine might have lavished Freddy with praise, but now, knowing Freddy's high regard for

Renee, she couldn't bring herself to do so without feeling like she was indirectly flattering Renee.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t even smile. But she didn’t dare to disrespect Freddy.

Freddy looked at Catherine up and down.

So this was the Hudson family’s biological daughter?

He couldn’t help but think that Catherine paled in comparison to Renee. It made sense now why Renee wasn’t

their biological daughter - the Hudsons weren't nearly as striking as Renee.

“What can | do for you today, madam?” Freddy inquired.

“We're here to place an order for sof your latest dresses. Moreover, my daughter Catherine has a red carpet

event in a few days. | was hoping you might have a suitable dress available.” Grace's statement carried a hidden

meaning. “We know Renee has been a great help to you, Mr. Lynn, so we thought to seek your assistance.”

Right after Grace stopped talking, everyone in the stuturned their eyes towards her and Catherine. To get

Freddy's exclusive tailored dress, one had to be in line and meet certain requirements.

Ordinary members could order just once a year. Even the best members were limited to three orders annually.

Yet, here were Grace and Catherine, casually talking about several outfits and even one from the current

collection. They were being pretty presumptuous.

“Renee is a special person toand enjoys unique privileges here” said Freddy.

Grace and Catherine were clearly pleased with themselves, basking in the envious glances from other customers

Freddy added, “But Renee is Renee, and you are you. To me, you're just like any other customer.”

His assistant chimed in, “Mr. Lynn, we got a request from Catherine's team yesterday. They wanted to borrow our

main summer showpiece. But Catherine doesn’t meet our criteria, so we had to say no.” This meant that despite

being turned down, Catherine had the audacity to show up here, aiming for the latest in-stock showpiece. She

was quite bold, indeed.

“Mr. Lynn, | am Renee's mother!” Grace hissed, clearly agitated and angry.

Freddy motioned for his assistant to reclaim his portfofrom Grace and Catherine.

Addressing Grace, he said, “Mrs. Hudson, from what I've seen, you've been causing trouble for Renee since she

was a child. You've never acknowledged her as your daughter so why now? You've never really been kind to her.

Renee was the one who supportedback then. This isn’t about the Hudson family of your daughter. To me, it

looks like you're trying to take advantage of Renee.”