Zane Crawford and Serena Sterling were dancing. Zane spoke up, "Serena, although my brother has amnesia, he seems to really like you." "How could that be?" Serena quickly denied it. "He doesn’t like me; he hates me. He thinks I’m manipulative and... constantly humiliates me!" Serena didn’t mention that Hayden Crawford intended to keep her as a shameful mistress. Zane listened to her words with an ambiguous smile at the corner of his lips. "Really?" Does Hayden really hate her? Those directly involved are confused while onlookers see clearly. From his perspective, Hayden doesn’t hate her at all; he likes her so much that he’s losing control and going mad. "Of course," Serena nodded vigorously. "Anyway, he’s already engaged to Anabelle Rathborne. My Mr. Crawford is dead. I don’t want any ties with him now. I want to draw a clear line!" Zane smiled but said nothing. He thought back to how Serena ran over to kick Hayden earlier. Anyone who saw it would think Serena was spoiled by Hayden. Hayden just let her kick him, and eventually, he released her because she hurt her own foot kicking him. Nothing has changed between her and Hayden. Always deeply in love. The dance ended, and Serena excused herself to use the restroom, leaving the party hall. She was looking for Yvonne Knight’s room. Actually, Serena couldn’t be sure whether the key was with the Rathborne family or the Knight family. Now she could only try her luck. Since Yvonne and Marcus Kingsley hadn’t divorced yet, Yvonne’s room would definitely be the master bedroom. The master bedroom is the easiest to find. Serena avoided everyone, opened the door to the master bedroom, and walked in. The Rathborne family home was as grand as a palace. This master bedroom was luxurious in an understated way, extraordinarily opulent. Serena glanced around and then pulled open the bed cabinet drawer. Soon, she found a small brocade box in the bottom drawer. She quickly opened it, and there was a key inside the box. Serena’s eyes lit up. She had a feeling this key was the key to the forbidden area. She had found it! Serena took the key and then left the master bedroom, quickly returning to the party hall. But while walking down the corridor, she saw two people coming toward her: Yvonne Knight and Anabelle Rathborne. Serena’s long lashes trembled. She secretly clenched the key, but nothing was revealed on her stunning little face. She just straightened her slender, graceful back and calmly looked at Yvonne and Anabelle. Anabelle, with fists clenched, haughtily demanded, "Serena, what exactly is your relationship with Hayden?" Serena curled her lips into a slight smile. "If I told you that I have no relationship with Mr. Crawford, not even as friends, would you believe me?" "Serena, are you trying to deceive a fool with such nonsense?" Anabelle wouldn’t believe it. "Look, no matter what I say, you won’t believe it. So why not just go ask Mr. Crawford yourself? Why waste time on me?" With that, Serena lifted her foot to leave. Anabelle was furious, and Serena’s calm attitude was like fuel to the fire. She gritted her teeth. "Serena, Hayden is my fiancé. You’re shameless for seducing someone else’s fiancé!" Serena paused, her clear eyes looking at Anabelle again. "Miss Rathborne, if your fiancé really did something with me, can you only shout at me? Why don’t you go find Hayden and confront him to regain your dignity? If you’re too scared or reluctant, then think of a way to win his heart." "Also, I can tell you the truth now: your fiancé, Hayden, is sexually harassing me. Take care of yourself and your man!" Watching Serena’s elegant and unruffled figure, Anabelle was so angry she stamped her foot. She grabbed Yvonne’s sleeve. "Mom, look at how arrogant Serena is! Not only has she won Grandma’s favor, but she’s also charmed Hayden. She wants to steal everything from me. Are we really going to sit back and do nothing?" Yvonne’s face was extremely grim. She felt a strong sense of crisis and knew they couldn’t continue doing nothing, or they would lose everything. "Annette, don’t worry. Mom has a plan," Yvonne said. Anabelle’s eyes lit up, and she quickly turned joyful. "Really, Mom? What’s your plan?" Yvonne quickly called over a maid, whispered something to her, and the maid nodded respectfully and then left. Serena got the key, wanting to leave the Rathborne family quickly to avoid any complications. She glanced around but didn’t see Zane. Zane had gone who knows where, so she took out her phone to call him. At that moment, she happened to be walking by the swimming pool. As Serena lowered her head to find Zane’s number, a maid suddenly came running and bumped into her. Serena lost her balance, and with water on the poolside making it slippery, her phone slipped from her hand, and she fell into the pool. Serena plunged into the icy water. She knew how to swim, so she quickly moved her arms and legs to swim upwards. But she soon realized the key was gone. Oh no, the key was gone! Serena had to turn back to search for the key and found it lying at the bottom of the pool. She swam over, retrieved the key in her palm, and began swimming back up swiftly. But her foot got caught. Serena tried hard to pull her foot free, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge. Slowly, she felt all her strength leaving her; it was as if a terrifying force under the water was continuously dragging her down. Serena’s mind grew hazier as her body kept sinking deeper. Was she going to drown? Serena had imagined a thousand ways to die, but never thought she’d drown. This death was too embarrassing and useless! An intense will to live arose inside Serena. She wanted to live; she still had many things to do, and the key was right in her hand. She could enter the forbidden area and find the second treasure box left by her mother! She didn’t want to die! Hayden left the party hall, ready to leave. He got into the luxurious Rolls Royce Phantom, but suddenly felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, heavy and suffocating. It was so oppressive that breathing became difficult. What was wrong with him? Hayden raised his hand with slender fingers to tug at his shirt button, but he still felt no relief. Serena’s stunning little face popped into his mind, lingering there, refusing to go away. Follow current novᴇls on novel⸺fire.net Hayden grabbed the car door handle, quickly pushed open the driver’s side door, and headed back to the party hall.
Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband - Chapter 371
Updated: Oct 28, 2025 8:24 AM
