Secret Wife, Real Billionaire

Chapter 101 So disoriented

Renee was too occupied by thoughts about Vivian and Marcelo and she becso disoriented.

“Be careful, Miss Hudson.”

“Ah!”

Renee stumbled but was steadied by a swift hand.

“Can’t you watch where you're going?” The man’s voice carried a hint of irritation.

“Damian?” Recognizing him, Renee regained her composure. “Thank you. What brings you here?”

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“I composed the music for today’s ceremony, so naturally, they invited me,” He explained, slipping his hand

back into his pocket. “I know you're not fond of me. It wasn’t my intention to cross paths with you.”

Renee, feeling misunderstood, replied, “I don’t hold any dislike for you. Weren't you always the one who had

issues with me?”

“What? | didn’t..I don’t!“Damian stuttered.

Renee began to list past grievances. “In kindergarten, you pulled my hair. In elementary, you stole my eraser. In

middle school, you teasedfor being a nerd. In high school, you'd turn away whenever you saw me, it was

either that or you made fun ofand bulliedcountlessly.”

Her expression seemed to ask, “Need | say more?”

Embarrassed, Damian avoided her gaze.

He wondered why these actions now seemed so foolish.

After a pause, he ventured, “If you don’t hate me, then why don’t you wear the hairpin | gave you? Don’t you like

it? If not, feel free to discard it.”

“The hairpin’s at home. It’s not that | don’t want it,” Renee explained patiently.

“Oh.”

The awkwardness was palpable, and though Renee wanted to laugh, the nshe’d overheard weighed on her

mind, dampening her mood.

“Damian, may | ask you something?” Without waiting for his response, she continued, “Do you know Vivian

Lambert?”

“Vivian Lambert? How do you know her? She’s a jewelry designer who's been abroad for years. There's been no

talk of her here.“Damian moved them aside to avoid obstructing others.

“She...does she know Marcelo?“Renee’s heart raced with the question.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

“The Lamberts and Marcelo’s mother’s families are old friends. Vivian and Marcelo grew up together “Damian

shared. Then,changing the subject, he asked, “Will you be returning withlater?”

Renee shook her head. “I've already booked my flight.”

She wasn’t sure she could handle his company on the journey home, preferring solitude. “Renee, are you still

with Marcelo?“Damian broached the question he had been holding back.

Ignoring his inquiry, Renee forced a smile. “Thank you for the information. I'll definitely be at your mother’s

birthday in two days. See you back home.”

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Chapter 101 So disoriented<

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The irony wasn’t lost on Renee.

Moments ago, she had declared her relationship status on stage, only to be bombarded with rumors about

Marcelo and another woman as soon as she stepped off.

Her emotions were a whirlwind; her heart felt heavy.

During the trip back home, Renee struggled to push away thoughts of Marcelo’s alleged affair with Vivian.

Being Marcelo’s wife, she tried to reason that jealousy was pointless, especially since she had always known

about Marcelo’s intentions towards her.

Just a secret wife to satisfy his needs.

Yet, the media’s portrayal of Marcelo’s involvement in Vivian's exhibition, hinting at a romantic connection, was

something Renee couldn't ignore.

Returning to Marcelo’s house, Renee found the names Marcelo and Vivian incessantly haunting her thoughts. Her

intuition whispered that this Vivian was properly always with him anythe went abroad.

Lacking concrete proof, she couldn't shake off the suspicion that the phone call she made before her award

acceptance was possibly answered by Vivian.

Seated on the sofa, her reverie was interrupted by Marcelo’s incoming call.

“Hello,” she answered, her voice low and sad.

“What's the matter?” Marcelo’s voice carried a note of concern.

“Nothing's wrong,” Renee replied, clutching a pillow. She could imagine the distress evident on her face.

“Are you upset?” His intuition picked up on her emotional state.

His simple inquiry somehow released the pent-up frustration in her heart, bringing her to the brink of tears.

“No,” she responded, feigning nonchalance. “What is it?”

“I'll be at the airport by three in the afternoon. Cpickup, and we'll head to Damian’s mother’s birthday

together.”

“Okay,” she replied quickly, eager to end the call and hide her emotions. “I have to go. There's work waiting.”

After the call, Marcelo beckoned Luke. “Check what's been troubling my wife lately.”

Luke, puzzled, asked, “Regarding what specifically?”

“She's clearly not herself.”

Luke was momentarily speechless, pondering the concern Marcelo showed for Renee’s mood.

He thought that Marcelo was always paying too much attention on her. Was it possible that he ha

allen in love?

Efficiently carrying out Marcelo’s order, Luke soon reported to him, “Mrs. King had recently filled in as a dancer

for a crew. Catherine had someone upload a video of Mrs. King dancing, but she manipulated it to not show Mrs.

King’s face, insinuating it was her performance.”

Luke doubted Renee would be upset over such a trivial matter, but he couldn't think of any other explanation.

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Chapter 101 So disorientert

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Meanwhile, Renee,unable to contain her curiosity, began searching online for information about Vivian.

The domestic network yielded no results.

Turning to international sites, she discovered more.

Vivian was the Lambert family’s most esteemed young woman, known for her talent and beauty, and celebrated

as a promising jewelry designer.

Though Renee found no photos of Vivian, the public displays of her work spoke volumes about her skill and

creativity.

The most recent news linked Vivian with the KM Group’s CEO, fueling rumors of an impending marriage.

This left Renee even more devastated.

At the airport, Renee immediately spotted Marcelo emerging from the crowd in a wheelchair.

The pair's striking good looks drew attention as soon as they were together.

Marcelo handed Renee a finely crafted paper bag, uttering, “This is your gift.”

Distracted by the rumors surrounding Marcelo and Vivian for the past two days, Renee nearly forgot about

requesting a gift from Marcelo.

She opened the bag and revealed two boxes of high-quality, aromatic maple tea.

Although she had hoped for a handmade mask from Marcelo himself, she understood that he probably did not

have tto make the mask and appreciated the thoughtful gesture of the maple tea.

“Thank you,” she expressed, suppressing any disappointment.

An urge to inquire about his relationship with Vivian lingered, but she ultimately refrained. It wasn’t a good idea

to bring it up now.

After all, Damian had mentioned that Vivian's and Marcelo’s families were long-tfamily friends, and they had

known each other since childhood.

Marcelo and Renee were on their way to the styling stuand then to Miranda's birthday party.

“The problem has been solved. You're still not happy?” Marcelo asked Renee, stroking her hair, tenderly.

Perplexed, Renee questioned, “What problem?”

Luke, seated in the passenger seat, clarified,

“It’s about Catherine pretending to be the dancer’s understudy instead of you.”

Renee quickly checked her phone and found the first hot search. “Catherine pretended to be a dancer's

understudy.

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Delving into the details, she soon grasped the situation.

Initially, a video surfaced on T+: featuring Renee dancing as an understudy, with her face cleverly concealed

throughout. The accompanying text read, “Thank you to Miss Hudson from the crew for being a stand-in for the

dancer. It's so beautiful.”

In response, Catherine's team gave a thumbs up as a gesture of approval. Netizens, naturally assuming Miss

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Chapter 101 So disorientad

Hudson was Catherine, began to laud Catherine, and her fans took the opportunity to boast about her.

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Although Renee learned about this development yesterday, she didn’t take it seriously. Classical dance

demanded years of practice and talent.

Catherine's attempt to pose as the dancer's understudy seemed foolish, as any future program requiring

Catherine to perform classical dance would expose her.

However, a few hours ago, a marketing account posted a video revealing Renee's face, definitively proving that

Catherine was not the dancer's understudy.

In mere minutes, Nora, part of Peerless Grace's crew, posted, “Peerless Grace's crew is really good at discovering

talents. Thank you to this super beautiful stylist for being my understudy.”

The use of the word “stylist” confirmed that Catherine was indeed the one pretending to be the dancer's

understudy, intensifying the entire situation.