Mr. CEO, You Married The Wrong Bride Twice

Unfortunately, Aleckin would never hear her cries. All she could do was let the man carry her upstairs.

Outside, Aleckin ordered the chauffeur to drive when he entered the car. He looked outside the window and cast one last glance at the manor. Seeing Lina waving at the leaving convoy with a broad smile, he pursed his lips with disgust. 

"Tsk. People like her would easily be bought with little money."

Now that he has divorced from a meaningless marriage, he is thrilled that he doesn't need to deal with the Herbert family anymore. 

Eventually, he could appear in public more frequently without the restrictions. In the past, whenever news came of him having a private dinner or shopping accompanied by a lady, his grandfather would immediately call and remind him he had a wife somewhere in this world. 

His arranged marriage was a big thorn in his life as he sought happiness. Although his friends would not say it, he could feel their unsaid criticism and belief that he was such a coward and could not stand alone but was a puppet to his grandfather, as whatever the Old Ferrero would say, he must take it seriously like a law without daring to go against it.

Thus, in the passing decade, he maintained a low-key profile, following his grandfather's hierarchy to choose his friends and mingle only with influential people who could be potential business partners.

But Aleckin knew to himself that he wasn't a weak person hiding behind his grandfather's shadow.

He is only waiting for the right moment to sever his relationship with his old man, especially since Aleksandr opposes his decision to divorce his nominal wife.

He and his grandfather Aleksandr have different perspectives in life, including how he views business. 

Aleksandr's prime has long passed. It was his turn to take the wheel and steer the company to its glory again. With advancing technology and a fast-paced generation, social media plays a significant role in everyone's lives, so they must be wholly competent.

Aleksandr Ferrero works his arse behind a tight-shut door. However, at present circumstances, Aleckin believes that a CEO's public presence significantly increases the likelihood of business success.

Today, entrepreneurs depend heavily on social media's influence. Hence, he will take over the company as he envisions it.

Holding to old-fashioned methods would only disadvantage Ferrero compared to its competitors. Hence, he often advised his grandfather to promote his business through social media to reach potential customers in a heart beat.

Lost in thought, Aleckin tilted his head to the side, watching the passing scenery. The snow starts dropping heavily. Remembering of something, he pulled out his phone from his coat pocket and opened his Instagram account to check his feeds. 

As everyone prepared for winter, he awaited the perfect season to launch his newest project. Browsing his gallery, he reviewed the photos and videos he planned to post on his personal account. 

It was the latest Ferrero supercar he had designed.

Each unit cost 11 million euros, including a personalized fountain pen that cost five hundred thousand euros, a complementary wristwatch that cost two hundred thousand euros, and a personalized advanced cellular phone that cost a few hundred thousand euros, adorned with diamonds complimenting the car's color paint and a gold case. 

There are several complementary stuff that he will no longer mention.

He planned to release five colors but had already given away the red color.

That's right. He offered the sample model as alimony while four were still in production.

He actually named the new Ferrero supercar Freedom, which signifies his own freedom from the scheme of an arranged marriage.

The name in the marriage registration may be his.

However, he would never consider this marriage his since his grandfather who was present during the marriage registration.

"Let grandpa fret," Aleckin mused. He could not care less about his grandfather's reaction after he revealed he already divorce his nominal wife.

Aleckin put aside all unnecessary thoughts. In a few days, he will throw a party celebrating his divorce. Having had this plan for a while, he left a message on their group chat.

"Dude, what's the good news?" asked one of his close friends.

"Yeah. It's rare for you to invite us to a drinking party."

"You guys will know once I arrive in Zurich. Let's race from there," he replied.

"That's cool, man! We're heading there now."

Aleckin exchanged a few more texts before closing the app. Then, he revisited his Instagram, typed on it, and posted photos and videos.

"The New Era… Hello, world! Meet, FREEDOM."

He left a brief caption, which was a teaser post. Soon, comments flooded into the comment section.

"Man, no wonder you invite us to a drinking party!" Zoren Reynolds commented on his post.

"I think I know the meaning behind your car's name!" Harriet Winsor and a few other close friends who knew how long Aleckin had the desire to get his divorce done also commented.

"Cool!"

"This car look sleek! I love it!"

Aleckin's loyal followers began to comment as well.

"Finally! Ferrero released a new supercar model!"

"I love the color red! It looks very chic!"

"I prefer the metallic black one."

Aleckin tugged the corner of his mouth. He was delighted that the latest Ferrero supercar he designed received positive feedback.

But his smile disappeared when someone left a comment that killed his delight.

It says, "I am waiting for Hudson to launch its latest supercar. They recently announced that they will have a new model this year."

"They do? Then it's something to look forward to! I wonder whose supercar is the fastest one!"

Aleckin pursed his lips bitterly. Hudson Motors was a powerhouse competitor in producing sports cars, and they were often his rival in competing in international car races as champions.

"I wonder who the hell Elric's designer is." Although he already expected Hudson Corp. to make noises on one of these days, it still upset him. "Jerome, have you finished investigating regarding Elric's engineer?"

Jerome, Aleckin's most trusted bodyguard, sits in the front seat, turns his head, and glances over his shoulder as he replies, "According to the latest report I received, none in the Hudson Corp. have seen this person, Young Master."

"Huh? What does that mean? How could they produce such cars if the company's chief engineer was never seen?" Aleckin curled his forehead in bewilderment. He fell into deep thinking that he didn't notice he tightened his palms. Hudson Corp. is always a thorn in his path to reach complete success. In fact, because of them, his grandfather constantly scolded him as he could not stay longer at the number one spot everytime...

"Don't worry, Young Master. Our people will report any news from Hudson Corp.," Jerome assured him. He noticed his boss was disappointed. 

"Fine. Just make sure there's an absolute result soon. We have investigated Hudson Corp for years but failed to find their chief engineer."

Aleckin is determined to poach that man to work for him.

***

At the same time…

"Come here!" The man dragged Rebecca to the attic and threw her inside. "Don't measure my patience, young lady. Do you know what happens to you if you don't behave."

After the reminders, Ruslan Henson shut the door behind him, locking it from the outside.

"No, please, open the door, Uncle!" Rebecca shot up from the floor and rushed to the door, slamming her body against it with the force she exerted. She pulled the doorknob, even though she knew it was locked. "I begged you, Uncle! Let me out!"

"Shut up!" the man bellowed, running out of patience with her pleas.

"You promised to grant me freedom once you got the alimony! Uncle Ruslan, you promised!" she reminded him repeatedly.

Rebecca panicked when footsteps sounded, leaving the attic. Thus, she pounded on the door desperately.

"Please, Uncle Ruslan! You have to keep your promise!" she weeps, but there is no reply from the other side. She should have known. Her uncle has turned deaf. 

Ruslan Henson, her father's younger brother, was Lina's boyfriend.

"Uncle, why are you doing this to me? I thought I could finally have a family when you brought me here. But you lied!" Rebecca sobs, slamming the door with both hands. She never imagined the terrible fate awaiting her after agreeing to her uncle to live in Bern. "Uncle Ruslan, I begged you! Please let me out!"