All Chapters of THE SUBSTITUTE HUSBAND BECAME HIS WIFE'S BOSS: Chapter 111
- Chapter 120
212 chapters
Chapter 77
Diego spent the next week rebuilding himself through brutal training regimens he hadn't touched in five years. Four hours of physical conditioning that left him gasping and drenched in sweat. Three hours of technique refinement, practicing strikes and movements until muscle memory returned. Two hours of chi cultivation, channeling internal energy through pathways that had grown sluggish from disuse.His broken arm healed faster than it should have—ancient techniques accelerating bone fusion and tissue repair. The arterial wound in his thigh closed cleanly, leaving only a pale scar.But more than physical healing, Diego was rebuilding the mental edge he'd lost. The killer instinct. The cold calculation that made the Ghost legendary.By the end of the week, he felt different. Sharper. More dangerous.It was time to return to the underground.The dealer went by the name Konstantin—a Russian expatriate with a reputation for acquiring artifacts no one else could find. He was also notorious
Chapter 78
Diego returned to the Continental Villa at three in the morning, the reinforced case containing the Hands of a Saint secured carefully in his grip. He moved through the private corridors with security clearance Ricardo had arranged, avoiding staff and guests who might question a hooded figure carrying mysterious cargo.Ricardo waited outside Esperanza's medical suite, his face haggard from days of sleepless vigil. "Did you get it?""I did." Diego opened the case slightly, just enough for Ricardo to glimpse the chalk-white hands inside. "The Hands of a Saint. According to legend, they can heal any malady—especially those of a cursed nature.""Will it work?" The desperate hope in Ricardo's voice was painful to hear."I don't know. But it's the best chance we have." Diego closed the case. "I need to do this alone. The energy involved could be dangerous for anyone nearby.""I'm not leaving—""Ricardo." Diego's voice was firm. "If this goes wrong, if there's backlash, I can't protect both
Chapter 79
Diego refused to let failure crush him. The Hands of a Saint hadn't worked—fine. That meant he needed more information, needed to understand the Devil's Hand better before attempting another cure.He returned to his network of underworld contacts, this time asking different questions. Not "How do I cure it?" but "Has anyone ever survived it?"Most responses were the same: no survivors, no cures, only death.But on the fourth day of desperate searching, a contact in Eastern Europe—a broker of occult information named Katya—sent an encrypted message:Heard rumor years ago. Remote tribe, somewhere in the Amazon basin. Claimed their healer cured a Devil's Hand victim. No verification, just stories. Might be legend. Might be real.Diego seized on the lead like a drowning man grabbing rope."Where?" he demanded over a secure call. "Which tribe? Where exactly?""Don't know specifics. But I know someone who trades with indigenous groups in that region. I'll reach out, see what I can find."Tw
Chapter 80
Diego's return flight from Brazil was silent, his mind churning through everything Ayira had told him. A solution existed—transference, absorbing the Devil's Hand into himself—but it came with a death sentence.Three days. Maybe four if he was strong enough.Then madness, agony, and death.He went straight to Gael's tattoo parlor, arriving well past midnight. Gael took one look at Diego's face and knew immediately something had shifted."You found something," Gael said, locking the door behind them."A technique. Transference." Diego explained everything—Ayira's story, her father's sacrifice, the mutated curse that killed the absorber.Gael listened in growing horror. "You've lost your mind.""It's the only option—""It's suicide!" Gael's voice rose. "You're talking about deliberately infecting yourself with a curse that will kill you in three days! How is that a solution?""It saves Esperanza.""And kills you!" Gael grabbed Diego's shoulders. "Listen to yourself! This isn't healing,
Chapter 81
Diego stared at the encrypted message on his phone—Vasquez's meeting request for midnight at Pier 23. Fifty million euros for a single contract. Under normal circumstances, this would be an invaluable opportunity.As the Ghost, he could get close to Vasquez. Learn what the crime lord was planning. Diego had heard whispers through his underworld contacts that Vasquez was preparing something massive—something that would send the city into chaos.But these weren't normal circumstances.Esperanza was dying. Every hour he delayed the transference ritual was another hour the Devil's Hand spread deeper into her system. He couldn't afford to waste time on meetings, even strategically important ones.Diego deleted the message without responding.Vasquez would have to find another assassin.He had more important things to do than take contracts.He had a wife to save.Ricardo found Diego in Esperanza's medical suite, preparing the room for what was about to happen. Medical equipment had been mo
Chapter 82
After Ricardo gave his solemn promise, they both entered the specially modified chamber that Diego had arranged. The room had been converted into something resembling a quarantine container—sealed doors, reinforced walls, ventilation that could be shut off remotely. If the worst happened, this room could be isolated completely from the rest of the villa.Esperanza lay on the medical bed in the center, unconscious, the red streaks having spread across her entire upper body. The curse was within days—maybe hours—of reaching her brain and killing her.Diego positioned himself beside the bed, his hands hovering over Esperanza's chest. Ricardo stood near the door, ready to act when given the signal."Once I start, I can't stop," Diego said quietly. "No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, don't interfere unless I specifically tell you to.""Understood."Diego began the breathing exercises Ayira had taught him. Deep, controlled breaths that synchronized his energy with the r
CHAPTER 83 PART 1
Diego knelt on the floor of the quarantine chamber, staring at the dust that had once been the Hand of a Saint. His plan—his carefully calculated plan—had just disintegrated along with the artifact.But he wasn't ready to give up.The Hand of a Saint possessed divine energy designed to combat cursed maladies. Even destroyed, some of that energy had to remain in the chamber, in the air, in the residual particles floating around him.If he could harness it, absorb it, use it to reinforce his own defenses, maybe—just maybe—he could contain the Devil's Hand long enough to find another solution.Diego placed his blackened hands on the pile of dust, channeling his chi to draw out any remaining divine power.He felt it immediately—a warmth, faint but present, traces of the Saint's energy still clinging to existence."Come on," Diego muttered. "Just a little more. Give me enough to hold this thing back."He pulled, drawing the divine energy toward himself, feeling it flow through his corrupte
CHAPTER 83 PART 2
"Isn't she?" Isabella's laugh was harsh. "She married you for your connections to her father's world. For your skills. For what you could provide. Not because she loves you."Diego's hands clenched into fists, the red streaks on his skin pulsing brighter. "You're lying.""Am I?" Isabella climbed off Alejandro, walking toward Diego with deliberate sensuality. "Think about it. How convenient that she fell in love with you right after you saved her life. How perfect that she needed you exactly when you were most vulnerable from our divorce.""Stop—""She manipulated you," Alejandro said, standing as well. "Just like Isabella did. Just like everyone does. Because you're a fool, Diego. A gullible fool who thinks love is real."A small voice began whispering in Diego's mind—not his own voice, but something else. Something malevolent that had invaded his consciousness along with the curse.Kill them, the voice whispered. They hurt you. Betrayed you. They deserve death.Diego looked down and
CHAPTER 84
Inside the quarantine chamber, Diego's body had become a battlefield.The divine energy from the destroyed Hand of a Saint—absorbed accidentally into his core—hadn't disappeared. It remained within him, fighting against the Devil's Hand for dominance. Holy light versus cursed darkness, both forces struggling to claim complete control of Diego's system.The result was catastrophic.His temperature spiked to dangerous levels—fever so intense that sweat poured from his body in rivers, soaking his clothes and pooling on the floor. The red streaks that marked the Devil's Hand's presence glowed across every inch of his skin, pulsing in rhythm with his racing heartbeat.But underneath those red streaks, faint golden traces occasionally flickered—the divine energy fighting back, healing damage as fast as the curse inflicted it.Diego was being simultaneously destroyed and rebuilt, torn apart and reassembled, dying and refusing to die.His screams echoed through the sealed chamber, sounds of a
CHAPTER 85 PART 1
Esperanza stared at her brother in disbelief, her voice shaking with emotion. "How can you say something like that? Diego is dying in there because he saved my life! How dare you call that 'worthy' like he was just fulfilling some function!"Santiago's expression remained unmoved, his aristocratic features showing nothing but cold calculation. "I'm being realistic. Diego's entire identity is built around healing people. This is what he does. This is what he is.""He's my HUSBAND!" Esperanza's voice cracked. "He's not just some tool that exists to serve a purpose! He's a person! Someone I love!""Then love him enough to accept reality." Santiago adjusted his cuffs casually. "The curse is terminal. You said it yourself—every attempt to cure it made things worse. Diego is dying. Whether you like it or not."Ricardo stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "That's enough, Santiago. I don't know what's gotten into you, but this cold, heartless attitude—""Is practical," Santiago inter