Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride-Chapter 1113 - 1109: Your Dad Has No Pulse

Nicholas stood up from the sofa with Sophie Foster, raising his chin slightly as he glanced at Josephine Hawthorne, adopting a stance that exuded dominance.

With a meaningful tone, he said, "Madam, you keep calling my wife a whore, but don’t forget, my wife and your daughter are sisters. If she’s a whore, then what about your daughter? Is she nobler?"

"You!" Josephine, flustered by Nicholas’s question, raised her chin like a defiant hen, pointing at Sophie with disdain and sneered, "How can this little tramp compare to our Hannah? Our Hannah is the legitimate heiress of the Hargrave Family; she’s just an illegitimate child!"

"Josephine!" Henry Hargrave snapped once again, displeased, "Can’t you calm down? What’s with all this yelling and shouting? Aren’t you worried about losing face?"

"Worried about losing face?" Josephine turned towards her husband, realizing the situation had escalated, she no longer needed to maintain the image of a good mother in front of Nicholas, "Henry, if it weren’t for you bringing this little tramp back, would she have had the chance to steal Nicholas away?"

"There’s something I think both of you have misunderstood," Nicholas interrupted Josephine’s complaints, knowing he had important matters to tend to later and wasn’t in the mood for their marital squabbles. Clutching Sophie’s hand tightly, he said calmly, "Lara and I have been together for three years."

Josephine and Henry simultaneously turned their heads; Henry slightly narrowed his eyes, seemingly waiting for Nicholas to continue.

Josephine widened her eyes in shock, just about to open her mouth to accuse when Nicholas continued, "If it hadn’t been for what happened later, maybe we’d already have children surrounding us now."

"You’re lying," Josephine retorted in disbelief, "You’re obviously making excuses for this little tramp!"

Nicholas clearly had no desire to argue further with the shrew in front of him, his lips curled coldly, and his voice issued a stern warning. "If not for old Hargrave’s sake, you wouldn’t have the chance to stand before me and insult my wife!"

Having spoken, he nodded slightly at Henry and strode off with Sophie.

Gazing at the backs of the pair holding hands, Josephine’s chest heaved with fury. She picked up the gift box she’d tossed on the carpet and smashed it to the ground, then stomped and kicked it...

In the bedroom upstairs, Hannah Hargrave had clearly heard the conversation downstairs. So, they’ve been together for three years... What about herself, then? What has he taken her for? While engaging with that tramp, he was also flirting with her. Nicholas Croft, you really have some nerve!

Standing by the window, watching Nicholas holding Sophie’s hand as they walked out of the villa, Hannah’s fingers tightened on the window sill, jealousy blazing in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and spat out, "I won’t let you two be happy!"

Downstairs, Josephine was still venting. After stomping the gift box to smithereens, she started smashing things, grabbing the fruit plate from the coffee table and hurling it to the ground. Finding the coffee table empty, she continued looking for objects to vent her anger.

"Enough! Will you never stop!" Henry couldn’t stand it any longer, shouting as he walked over and grabbed Josephine’s wrist. At that moment, Josephine was holding a vase, and being an enraged woman, she had lost her reason. She shouted loudly at Henry, "Henry, isn’t this the sin you’ve created? If you hadn’t failed to keep your lower half in check back then, would our Hannah’s man have been snatched by that little tramp!"

"Smack!" A crisp sound followed Josephine’s rant, immediately followed by a crash, as the vase in her hand fell to the marble floor.

Josephine covered her slapped cheek, stepping back with disbelief and shaking her head, "Henry, you hit me... I’ve lived with you for so many years, yet you hit me for that little tramp..." As she accused him, she slowly stepped back, suddenly roaring like a provoked beast and pouncing again, "You bastard, you actually hit me, do you have any regard for us, your wife and daughter..."

Josephine’s fists incessantly pounded Henry’s chest, while he furrowed his brow, grabbed her wrist, and forcefully flung it aside, coldly reprimanding.

"Josephine Hawthorne, go look in the mirror now, see if you resemble a shrew!"

Josephine, wrapped in a shawl and wearing a long skirt, her feet in slippers, stumbled back a few steps after being flung by Henry, crashing into the marble coffee table and then falling onto the carpet.

Clutching her aching waist, Josephine furrowed her brow painfully, taking a sharp breath. Noticing Henry’s displeased gaze, she somehow found the strength to spring up using the coffee table and pounced on him again, shoving and pounding him, "Bastard, how dare you hit me... I’ll beat you to death if you dare abuse me at home..."

Henry already suffered from high blood pressure, and now being treated like this by Josephine, his anger surged within. At this point, he felt his vision blurring, struggling to stand steadily.

Josephine continued her pounding and accusations, her emotions nearing a breaking point. She pushed her hands forcefully against Henry’s chest!

"Ugh," a muffled groan, as Henry fell backward, his head directly hitting the corner of the coffee table before slumping to the ground, eyes tightly shut as if fainting.

Josephine...

Stood dazed in place, staring at the unmoving man, forgotten to react, stunned for quite a while before slowly walking over and crouching to gently push, "Grayson, don’t scare me, get up..."

"Grayson?"

Seeing her husband unresponsive, Josephine’s trembling hand tentatively reached out below Henry’s nose, her fingers barely touched there before she collapsed onto the carpet with a scream, "Hannah! Your dad isn’t breathing..."

...

After leaving the Hargrave Family, the couple returned to the villa, gathered their luggage, and hurried to the airport with tickets booked for a honeymoon in Thailand.

Of course, it was Sophie’s suggestion, as she wanted to see the famous ladyboys firsthand.

As for the episode at the Hargrave Family, it didn’t affect the couple’s mood because Sophie had grown accustomed to Josephine’s cold remarks, while Nicholas, although silent, decided in his heart that he would never have any dealings with the Hargraves again nor allow his wife to step into that household - not even ceremonially.

Because he didn’t want his wife to endure any more malicious humiliation.

At 4 PM, the couple appeared in the departure lounge, both dressed in casual wear of a certain brand, with baseball caps, athletic shoes, and sunglasses on their noses.

Walking hand in hand through security, they attracted many sidelong glances.

In the airplane’s first-class cabin, Sophie leaned her head on Nicholas’s shoulder, gleefully munching on a large bag of beef jerky.

Perhaps due to last night’s vigorous exercise consuming too much energy, although they had eaten lots of food at lunch, she found herself hungry again now.