All Chapters of THE SUBSTITUTE HUSBAND BECAME HIS WIFE'S BOSS: Chapter 1
- Chapter 9
9 chapters
CHAPTER 1
The elegant restaurant buzzed with the soft clatter of silverware and muted conversations. Diego sat alone at the corner table, his fingers drumming against the white tablecloth as he checked his watch for the hundredth time. Three hours. He had been waiting for three hours. "Sir, would you like to order now?" the waiter approached hesitantly, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "Not yet," Diego replied, his voice strained. "She'll be here soon." The waiter nodded politely and retreated. Diego pulled out his phone, staring at the screen before dialing her number again. "Pick up, Isabella," he muttered under his breath. "Please, just pick up." The phone rang endlessly before going to voicemail. Again. Diego closed his eyes, remembering their conversation from three days ago. "Isabella, I've booked that new French place downtown for your birthday. Friday at seven, remember?" She had barely looked up from her phone then, her fingers still typing away at something. "Hmm? Oh,
CHAPTER 2
Diego didn't go after her that night. Instead, he drove home in silence, his hands gripping the steering wheel as the city lights blurred past him. The house was dark when he arrived, but he didn't reach for the light switches. He sat in his favorite chair, the one Isabella had always complained was too old and shabby for their living room, and let the darkness wrap around him like a familiar embrace.The memories came in waves. Isabella lying in the hospital bed three years ago, her legs motionless beneath white sheets, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the ceiling."He's gone, Diego," she had whispered that first night after the doctors delivered the devastating news. "Alejandro... he won't even take my calls.""I'm here," Diego had said, taking her hand. "I'm not going anywhere.""But you're not him," she had replied, so quietly he almost missed it.Diego reached for the pack of cigarettes he had bought on impulse at a gas station—his first pack ever. His hands shook a
CHAPTER 3
She moved toward the table and lifted the papers with steady hands. There, at the bottom, was Diego's signature in his careful handwriting. Real. Final. Irreversible.A surge of relief flooded through her. Finally. She was free to be with Alejandro without any complications.Isabella looked around the house—her house now—and smiled with genuine satisfaction. She had everything she wanted: her freedom, her house, and most importantly, Alejandro's love and support for her career comeback.At the same time, Diego had barely stepped onto the sidewalk when the purr of an expensive engine caught his attention. A sleek black Bentley glided to a stop directly in front of him, its chrome details gleaming in the morning sun. The driver's door opened, and a distinguished man in his fifties emerged, his tailored suit impeccable despite the early hour.The man's eyes widened the moment he spotted Diego, and he hurried forward with an expression of profound respect."Mr. Herrera!" the man called o
CHAPTER 4
Isabella paced back and forth across the marble floor of her living room, her heels clicking with each anxious step. She checked her phone for the tenth time in five minutes—still no message from Ricardo Vega. Their meeting was supposed to have started an hour ago."Where is he?" she muttered, her perfectly manicured fingers drumming against her phone case. "He said he'd be here by nine."Unable to stand the waiting any longer, she dialed Ricardo's number. The phone rang twice before connecting."Mr. Vega, thank goodness! I was worried something had happened. Are you on your way? I have the contracts ready to—""Ms. Rodriguez," Ricardo's voice cut through her excited chatter, cold and professional. "I'm calling to inform you that Stellar Film Company is withdrawing our offer."Isabella's words died in her throat. "I'm sorry, what did you say?""The role is no longer available to you. Our cooperation is terminated, effective immediately.""But... but you can't be serious! We had an agr
CHAPTER 5
The Bentley wound its way up the hillside road, passing through manicured gardens and towering gates before arriving at Ricardo Vega's sprawling villa. The estate was a testament to wealth and power, with marble columns and fountains that sparkled in the afternoon sun.Diego stepped out of the car, his expression calm despite the gravity of the situation. Ricardo hurried beside him, his usual composure cracking under the weight of desperation."She's in the special chamber," Ricardo explained as they walked toward the main house. "We had it built specifically for her condition. It's the only way to manage her episodes."They entered through a side entrance and descended a marble staircase. The temperature dropped noticeably as they went deeper into the villa's basement level. At the end of a long corridor stood a reinforced door, flanked by four imposing bodyguards in black suits."This is it," Ricardo whispered, his voice tight with emotion. "She's been inside for two days now. The e
CHAPTER 6
Chapter 6Santiago Vega lingered in the hallway, sneering after Diego Herrera. “Fraud. Let’s see how long Father believes this little show.” He shifted, ready to keep grumbling—but then his breath caught. Something was happening. Heat, thick and alive, pulsed through his groin—a wild, throbbing energy he’d thought was gone forever.His eyes snapped wide. Santiago shoved a hand down to confirm, mouth falling open as a surge of arousal hit him full force. “No way. No—this is real!” He glanced down, hands shaking in disbelief, then started laughing—a sharp, filthy sound.“Oh, hell yes!” Santiago’s entire face lit up with greedy triumph. “It works. I can finally fuck again!”He spun on his heel, practically leaping down the corridor. “Out of my way!” he barked at a passing maid, shoving past her as he headed for the nearest exit. “I need a woman. Right now!”Santiago was gone in a blur, lust burning in his veins, eager to test out his restored manhood as quickly and as often as he could.
CHAPTER 7
“I am not ‘doing’ anything but tracing the energy flow,” he stated, though his voice had tightened slightly. “The fire is concentrated here. In your heart, your lungs. I need to redirect it.”His touch was clinical, yet impossibly intimate. As his fingers moved across the sensitive swell of her breast, applying firm, precise pressure, the dual sensations became impossible to separate. The scorching pain of her condition began to ebb, replaced by a different, entirely foreign heat—a deep, throbbing warmth that pooled low in her belly.A broken moan escaped her lips before she could stop it. Her back arched slightly off the ice, not in pain, but in a silent plea for more of that astonishing touch. “Oh God…” she whispered, her earlier hostility evaporating like mist. Her consciousness blurred, the world narrowing to the points where his skin met hers. The raw, medical necessity of his actions was being consumed by a rising tide of pure, animal sensation.He leaned closer, adjusting the
CHAPTER 8
Her voice stopped him, fragile yet filled with urgency. She sat upright, cheeks aflame, eyes shimmering with a strange mixture of shyness and dependence. "Please… don't tell anyone what happened during the ritual. I beg you."He paused, his silhouette framed by the dim lamp. "I won't," he said simply, and left without looking back.Santiago was waiting outside, pacing with anxious eyes. When Diego stepped into the hall, his words rushed out."How is she? Tell me the truth!"Diego's tone was calm, unwavering. "She's safe."Santiago's shoulders sagged in relief, his eyes moist. He bowed deeply, again and again. "Mr.Hayes, I… I can never repay this debt. Without your great help, I would have lost her…"Diego lifted a hand lightly. "There's no need."Just then, the side door banged open and Santiago strode in, hair mussed, shirt crooked, a smear of lipstick dragging across his collar. Heat flashed in his eyes—cocky, feral, unashamed.“It works,” he announced, chest lifting as if he owned
CHAPTER 9
In the elegant dining hall of the Vega estate, the celebration dinner was winding down. Ricardo raised his wine glass one final time, his voice thick with emotion."Mr. Herrera, words cannot express what you've done for my family. Please, allow me to offer some small token of gratitude."Diego shook his head firmly. "Your hospitality tonight was sufficient.""But surely there's something—a business partnership, investment opportunities, property..." Ricardo pressed, his desperation to repay the debt evident."I have no need for such things," Diego replied, setting down his glass.Esperanza leaned forward from across the table, her CEO instincts taking over. "Mr. Herrera, at least accept this." She slid a sleek black card across the mahogany surface. "It's our family's supreme VIP card. Access to any of our businesses—hotels, restaurants, medical facilities—completely complimentary.""I don't require—" Diego began."Please," Esperanza interrupted, her tone shifting from businesslike to