The Mysterious Billionaire and His Substitute Bride

Brandon took out his phone and called Janet at once.
On the other end, Janet was rather surprised that he would take the initiative to call her.
“Where are you?” he snapped as soon as she answered.
He soon realized how harsh he sounded, though. He cleared his throat and added in a much softer tone, “Why aren’t you
home?”
Janet was currently having breakfast. She leisurely took a sip of her milk before replying. “I was just about to tell you. I’ve come
back to Barnes.”
“What are you doing in Barnes?” Brandon asked, obviously unhappy.
It made Janet burst into laughter. “I work here, so it shouldn’t be that surprising. I’ve been working remotely in the last few days,
but it’s far from convenient. If I continued to stay in Seacisco, my career would suffer eventually.”
Brandon opened his mouth to express his grievance, but found that he didn’t know the right words to say.
After floundering for a couple of seconds, he decided not to say anything altogether. Even so, a menacing scowl appeared on his
face, and his fingers tightened around his phone.
“Fine,” he breathed before hanging up and brooding by the window.
Since that day, Brandon devoted most of his time to work again.
He told himself repeatedly that it was a good thing that Janet was gone. He could finally focus on his business, just how it should
have always been. Even so, every time he came home at night and found that there was no one to welcome him, a wave of
loneliness would wash over him. He often went to bed feeling empty and upset.
It was a cold and rainy day in Seacisco. Autumn was coming to an end. The electric fireplace crackled in the living room,
obscuring half of Brandon’s face as he sat at the dining table.
He felt as though he was slowly drowning in the desolation that filled his heart, much like the storm that was raging outside.
He stared at the flower sitting on the mantel, the lace cloth covering the table, and the photos hanging on the wall. These were
tiny, inconspicuous details that were easy to ignore, but they particularly stood out to Brandon.

Janet had only lived here for several days, but she had left traces of her everywhere. Now that she was gone, he slept alone and
ate alone. Brandon found that he was rather unaccustomed to it now.
He heaved a mournful sigh. Even the breakfast spread before him was tasteless and unappetizing.
Having enough of the strange and indescribable emotions that were tormenting him, Brandon decided to move back to the hotel
near the company.
He only returned to the villa once a week. And each time, he would be looking forward to seeing Janet cooking at home, waiting
for him. She would greet him with that bright smile of hers, and then urge him to wash his hands before telling him that dinner
was ready.
It was nothing special, really, but his expectations never came true. To say that he was disappointed would be a gross
understatement, but the hope would rekindle again the following week.
Deep down, Brandon knew that he had changed. He could barely concentrate on work. He missed Janet terribly, though he
wasn’t fully aware of the extent just yet, and how much it affected every other aspect of his life. He had even begun paying
attention to the goings-on in the fashion industry. Despite this, he never made contact with her again.
One day, Garrett called to inform him that there was something wrong with the project being handled by one of their branch
offices in Barnes. He was suggesting that Brandon deal with it himself.
“I heard from Garrett that it isn’t that big of a deal. The project manager merely asked for a leave of absence in the middle of the
operations. I think sending an experienced project manager to take over it should be enough to settle the matter. Besides,
Garrett is already in Barnes. You don’t have to go there yourself. It’s a rather long and tedious trip, too. It would be a hassle to go
back and forth between Seacisco and Barnes. Just let them handle this.” Charis was determined to stop him, of course. She
remained calm throughout their conversation, but she made sure to lay down every point she had at her disposal.
“Our projects in Seacisco have been coming along swimmingly, so there’s nothing to worry about. I haven’t been to our branch
company in Barnes in so long, anyway, so this would be a good opportunity for me to inspect their work.” It was clear that
Brandon had already made up his mind.
He told himself that it wasn’t as if he had any personal agenda; he was only going to Barnes for work.
That was all. He certainly wouldn’t be going there to see Janet.

*******
The Larson Group’s private jet landed at Barnes late in the evening.
As soon as he got off the plane, Brandon headed straight to his villa.
To his dismay, he arrived to find that Janet wasn’t there, either.
He immediately called Sean. “Is my wife not residing in our villa in Barnes?”
Sean was speechless for a moment. “Mr. Larson, I’m afraid I have no idea. Perhaps Mrs. Larson is living with her parents.”
Brandon hung up without another word and called Janet.
She sounded like she was just about to sleep. “What’s up?” she asked with a loud yawn.
“Where are you staying?”
“With my parents, of course.”
Brandon huffed in dissatisfaction. “Didn’t you say it yourself that we are a couple and that we should be living together? You must
come to my villa and stay with me.”