Mr. CEO, You Married The Wrong Bride Twice

"Ruslan, what's going on?" Curious, asked Lina.

Ruslan did not answer her queries but politely bid goodbye to the bank manager.

"We will return in a few days, Manager Petrov." Ruslan stood up from his seat, shook the bank manager's hand, and dragged Lina away.

Manager Petrov shook his head as he watched their receding bank. Then he picked up his phone and dialed a particular number. "Hello, young master."

Outside, Lina was reluctant to leave, but Ruslan's vague words to the person on the phone gave her an assumption that they needed to go home as soon as possible. "What is going on, Ruslan?"

"Let's talk inside the car," Ruslan replied, shooting her a meaningful glare. 

Once inside the car, Ruslan sped away. Lina had just buckled up. It shocked her when the car shot like a skyrocket. 

"What the hell, Ruslan! Are you planning to kill me? I haven't properly settled in the seat yet!" she complained.

"We have to return to the manor as soon as possible." Ruslan ignored Lina's whining. He focuses on driving, beating every red light.

Seeing this, Lina glances at him suspiciously. "Tell me honestly. What happened to the manor?"

Ruslan didn't reply immediately. He waited until he took a left turn and shot toward the expressway, leaving Mirth City. 

"Someone inquired if we were home. They noticed smoke getting thicker near the manor," he said afterward.

Lina stared at him with wide eyes. "There's a fire? And how can that be? There's a water system in the manor. It will sprinkle once a fire breaks out. The firefighter will also be alerted."

Pondering over Lina's surmise, Ruslan fell into deep thoughts. The woman could be correct, but he had a terrible premonition about it.

On the other hand, Lina didn't like Ruslan's silence. Hence, she convinces him, "It must be the farmers burning the remains of the crops to prepare for the next cropping."

Ruslan shoots Lina a murderous glare. But the woman didn't catch that up as it only lasted briefly. 

"I pray that's only the case, Lina," he muttered subtly.

"What do you mean by that, Ruslan?" Lina got annoyed. She gazed at Ruslan's side profile. In the end, she couldn't get angry at him. Not with that face.

Ruslan Henson is an American race car driver with European roots. As a social climber, she has dated several big-name sponsors of international car races, such as the Grand Prix, Formula Regionals, European Le Mans Series, and others… 

Ruslan participated in those competitions and often crossed paths during important gatherings. He was a hot young stud back then, and she admitted she fell hard for him. The guy was a great lover. Unlike her older lovers, he knew how to satisfy her in bed. Hence, she went to great lengths to keep him by her side and was brave enough to scheme with Old Ferrero.

"Don't tell me the manor is truly on fire, Ruslan?" 

Somehow, she felt terrible about it, especially since Ruslan kept muttering vague words. Then something hit her.

"Oh, my god! The ownership certificates were in my vanity drawer! I haven't put them inside my safety box!" How careless of her! After receiving the alimony, all she had in her mind was to transfer the five million euros into her personal account so she could start spending it on a trip with Ruslan. She planned to go to Asia this time.

"Lina, are those documents you were only concerned about? Have you forgotten something?"

"What else will there be?" Lina mouthed.

Ruslan cursed. "F*ck! We locked my niece in the attic! We installed railings all over her windows! How will she be able to get out if there is fire?"

Lina rolled her eyes. "I just mentioned. The fire station will get notifications."

"Still, the manor was far from the central town! What if something is wrong with the system? F*ck! I haven't checked in for a while now. What if we forget to turn it on?"

"Relax, will you? To think about it, doesn't that even sound great? When your niece burned to death, then I could finally declare that my daughter Yelena was dead. Then we no longer worry that your niece will escape and report us to the police that we locked her up all these years."

"Lina!" Ruslan steps on the brake. With what he had done, Lina was thrown forward. Her head hit the dashboard.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want us dead even before we confirm if the house hasn't been on fire?"

"Do you think we will have a good life once Rebecca dies? Master Ferrero promised that whether his grandson stayed married or divorced your daughter, he would continue to provide her a monthly allowance. Now, if my niece died... Would Master Ferrero continue his financial support to you?"

Lina pursed her lips and didn't retort but pondered Ruslan's words. It doesn't really favor them.

It took hours before they arrived in Bern. Although it was already evening, firefighters and the police were still working at the site to ensure no casualties.

"No! The manor!" Lina slumped on the ground upon seeing that the manor left nothing but the concrete part of the building.

"Madam Herbert, thank goodness you're finally here!" The town mayor scurried to her side and helped her up. Lina Herbert is famous in Bern because she made several community donations. Hence, she was held as queen of the town. But this is because Aleksandr Ferrero's good heart and thought Bern was Yelena Herbert's beloved birth town. Hence, he often sent checks to donate in the town. "Don't worry, madam. We found no bodies in the burning manor. Did you contact your daughter?"

The mayor was so innocent in asking this question. Hearing this, Lina stopped acting like a brokenhearted mother.

"What did you say, Mayor Muroz? There's no corpse you found?"

"Forget her question, Mayor Muroz." Before the mayor could reply, Ruslan stepped in and pulled Lina into the car. "Be careful of what you are saying, Lina."

 "Tsk." Lina rolled her eyes and asked, "What did you find out?"

"I've talked to our people. The police didn't find a body burned in the fire. It means Rebecca was alive. However, no one knows where she is or how she escaped the fire."

"Could it be possible for someone to help her out?" Lina assumed it had happened. But how? A question she has no answer to.

"I hope that's what happens, Lina." Ruslan peered at her meaningfully, a look that Lina didn't like.