From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 96

“Avery, it’s me, Marian. Open up, don’t worry. Mr. Swanson’s out for his morning run—he won’t be back for at least an hour.”

I let out a long sigh, finally feeling my heart settle back where it belonged. Thank goodness it wasn’t the big boss himself at the door. If it had been… I don’t even want to think about it.

When I opened up, Marian greeted me with that warm, sunshiny smile of hers, and I was so relieved I almost burst into tears. “Marian, you’re honestly my guardian angel.”

She grinned, looking every bit the doting aunt, and set down the giant bag she’d brought with her. One by one, she started pulling stuff out. “I grabbed some dresses from your place, and there’s underwear and socks in this little pouch. Change into these, okay? Oh, and here—your makeup. I wasn’t sure exactly which products you use, so I just brought everything. When you’re done, I’ll take whatever you don’t need back for you.”

I stared at the bag overflowing with makeup—seriously, it had to weigh ten pounds—and felt a weird mix of guilt and gratitude. Marian’s forehead was dotted with sweat from carrying it all the way up, and I wanted to hug her.

“Thank you, Marian, you’ve just saved my life. If you hadn’t shown up, I might’ve had to disappear out of sheer embarrassment.”

She laughed, even sweeter than before, and gave my arm a playful swat. “Don’t talk like that, silly girl. Marian’s old, but I don’t want to hear that kind of nonsense.”

Her eyes flicked over my neck and arms, almost like she was admiring some rare piece of art. Even when I went to get changed, she looked like she didn’t really want to leave.

After I got dressed and did my makeup, I finally looked like myself again—a polished, put-together city girl. It felt like my heart could finally calm down.

With the clothing crisis handled, my next mission was to hit a pharmacy for the morning-after pill. Last night had been so unexpected; I couldn’t afford to take any chances.

So Marian totally had the wrong idea. She was basically pitching her boss to me, and maybe even hoping something would happen.

“Um, Marian, actually, Mr. Swanson and I…”

She cut me off, grinning. “Don’t worry about a thing, honey. I’ve got your back. The Swanson family is very open-minded. They’re not snobby about family background or anything like that. Love is a funny thing—sometimes fate just puts two people together. If I’m being honest, I felt a good vibe from you the moment I saw you.”

“Wait, are you saying Mr. Swanson’s never dated anyone? Not even had a crush? For someone as great as him, I would’ve thought he’d have girls lined up around the block—and all of them gorgeous.”