Chapter 1 Whoever Loves This Substitute Can Have Her

In the afternoon at the secretary's office's rest area, there was Fiona. Breathing heavily, Fiona was recovering from the aftermath of their intimate encounter while Darwin was tightly embracing her from behind.

Hot kisses were planted on her neck.

Darwin had been away on a business trip for half a month this time. Surprisingly, he didn't bring Fiona, his secretary, with him. Fiona wondered if perhaps Darwin had finally grown tired of her after five years together.

To be honest, she was quite happy about it.

Crumbling under debt with her grandmother critically ill, five years ago, she found herself desperate for a large sum of money. It was in that vulnerable state that she crossed paths with Darwin. People said that she bore a strong resemblance to Darwin's high school sweetheart, whom he still longed for.

However, when his high school sweetheart had the accident and fell into a vegetative state, she married a European aristocrat and moved overseas.

Darwin was probably heartbroken over losing his first love and couldn't let go of the past. Upon encountering Fiona, he assisted her in settling her debts and organized top-notch medical care for her grandmother. Subsequently, Fiona assumed the role of Darwin's openly recognized secretary while also maintaining a discreet romantic relationship with him.

For these five years, she had hidden her true nature and imitated everything about his first love which was to be gentle, obedient, and eager to please Darwin. She had grown tired of it a long time ago and hoped that Darwin would quickly find someone else.

Unexpectedly, when Darwin returned from his business trip, he didn't even wait for her to finish work before rushing to the company with a fierce and harsh attitude, nearly wearing her out completely.

After a moment of calm, Fiona reminded him softly, "Mr. Darwin, the shareholders are waiting for you to start the meeting."

Darwin responded coldly, released Fiona, and headed straight for the bathroom.

Fiona breathed a sigh of relief.

Suppressing her discomfort, she obediently fetched Darwin's spare suit and brought it to the rest area. When Darwin finished showering and came out, she helped him change into the suit, gently tying his tie for him.

He maintained his aloof gaze yet when he lowered his eyes to look at Fiona, his expressions softened.

As always, she was gentle, obedient, and considerate. He was very satisfied.

"There's a check on the table, 20 million," Darwin said casually. "In addition, the Emerald Pool villa will be transferred to your name."

Fiona was stunned, looking bewilderedly at Darwin. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the rumored separation agreement.

"Mr. Darwin, why all of a sudden..." Fiona began to ask, her voice trailing.

Looking at her shocked and bewildered expression, Darwin's eyes brimmed with disdain. He raised his hand in satisfaction, pinching her chin. "Consider it a reward," he said in a cool, insidious tone.

'A reward? What did I do to deserve such a generous reward?' Fiona asked herself.

20 million was already a lot, not to mention the market value of the Emerald Pool villa, which was over 100 million. Although Darwin had always been generous to her, he had never given her such a large sum at once.

Darwin rubbed Fiona's slightly swollen lips with his thumb, his chilly tone carrying a hint of seduction. "As long as you continue to be obedient and submissive like this, in the future...

"I'll give you more in the future," he said.

Fiona, puzzled, looked at Darwin while thinking, 'What does he mean by "in the future"?' Does he not intend to break up with her?'

Fiona averted her gaze, still pretending to be charming and gentle, and nodded softly.

"Mr. Darwin, I understand." Fiona wondered if it was her imagination, but Darwin's irritation seemed to vanish instantly after she responded.

"Hmm," Darwin responded coldly. "Nothing is going on this afternoon, so you can go back and rest."

"Okay." Fiona nodded.

Afterward, Darwin left her very quickly. After he walked away, Fiona picked up the check and frowned. Over the past six months, Darwin had clearly grown tired of her. Not long ago, she even unintentionally saw another girl who resembled Lilian more than herself by Darwin's side.

"This shouldn't be happening," Fiona murmured.

At that moment, the phone that had fallen at the foot of the bed suddenly buzzed. Fiona picked it up. The first thing she saw was a financial news notification.

"Breaking News! Solomon Capital's president is set to marry the young heiress of the dynastic Ross family."

"This alliance of the two major financial conglomerates may lead to significant changes in the world's capital structure."

Fiona's eyes seemed to sting for a moment. Coincidentally, the president of Solomon Capital was Darwin.

The rest area was still in disarray. Her dress and Darwin's designer suit were scattered all over the floor. Fiona gently touched her forehead and laughed silently.

So, this was the reason behind Darwin suddenly giving her money and a house. That 20 million and a villa was to keep her as his obedient bed partner and third party in his marriage. Fiona's stomach churned. She rushed into the bathroom and vomited.

Then, she lifted her gaze and observed her own pale and somewhat disheveled reflection in the mirror. It dawned on her-the deceitful game Darwin, that scoundrel, was orchestrating. Despite being on the brink of marriage, he couldn't release his grip on his initial love so he clung to her as a substitute.

Whoever wanted to be a substitute can take the job. She was not going along with it anymore. After tidying herself up, Fiona estimated when the meeting would end and prepared her resignation letter to go to the president's office.

When she reached the door, Fiona was about to knock and go in. Then she heard the voice of Darwin's friend, the wealthy playboy of the capital, Wyatt, teasingly from inside. "Darwin, you're getting married. What are you planning to do with Ms. Fiona?"

There was a brief silence in the room, followed by Darwin's cold voice. "Nothing. It'll be the same as before."

"Is she willing to be a mistress?" Wyatt asked.

"As long as I give her enough money, she'll do anything." Darwin's tone was full of mockery and contempt.

Fiona froze on the spot, and her heart ached sharply. From the beginning, she had sold herself to Darwin.

Ultimately, she was merely a commodity, subject to renewal and manipulation whenever the price aligned with his preferences.

"Really?" Wyatt's voice suddenly became excited. "So, if I offer a higher price than you, will she sell herself to me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of Darwin's assistant, Clarke, came from outside the door.

"Ms. Fiona?"

Fiona snapped back to reality. She turned her head and nodded at Clarke, then knocked on the office door and walked in.

Wyatt, who was just joking moments ago, chuckled nervously.

Awkward for a moment, he gave a mischievous squint with his eyes and greeted Fiona with a warm smile as if nothing had happened. "Hello, Ms. Fiona."

Fiona thought of Wyatt's words just now, and her stomach churned again. She found him disgusting and ignored him.

She walked straight to Darwin, who had a cold face.

"Weren't you supposed to go back and rest?" Darwin asked in a deep voice, with a clear displeasure in his tone.

"Mr. Darwin." Fiona looked at Darwin. Gone was her usual gentle and obedient appearance. She handed over her resignation confidently. "This is my resignation letter."

Darwin's face turned cold in an instant. "What do you mean?"

"In our time together, we mutually decided that I wouldn't become a mistress. I promised to leave if you were to get married," Fiona stated as she placed the resignation letter on the table. "I'll swiftly hand over my tasks and ongoing projects as soon as possible. You and Mr. Wyatt can proceed without any disruptions from me."

After speaking, Fiona turned around and walked out. When she passed by a shocked Wyatt, she stopped in her tracks. She didn't want to pretend to be docile for another second.

She looked at Wyatt. Her eyes were cold as if looking at garbage. She answered Wyatt's question from earlier.

"No, I'm not for sale."