The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

"What did you say?" Vera jolted up from the bed, her hair a mess. Patrick, who had been awake for a while, silently helped her smooth her hair. Noah repeated, "It's me, your brother, Noah Linister. I'm back in the country! Did you hear me?"

A teenager, about 6 feet tall, emerged from the international arrivals gate at the airport. He was wearing a gray cotton jacket, pushing a black suitcase, and wearing a pair of black wireless headphones while making a call at the airport entrance. He was Vera's younger brother, Noah.

Noah looked at the passing vehicles, feeling the joy of returning home. He hadn't been back for over a year. Seeing people with the same skin color as him sparked his emotions. He was slender but very tall.

Noah was always a troublemaker. When Vera got a perfect score on a test as a child, she happily brought it home to show off. Noah would mock her, "The full score is 110, and you only got 100. If I got 110, should I throw a celebration?" Later, Vera hit him.

When Vera bought a necklace as she grew older, she came home excitedly asking if it looked good. Noah started again. "What's so good about a dog collar?" He got hit again.

When Vera changed her hairstyle, he commented, "Starting anew from the 'head.""

He continued to get hit.

Many times, Noah used his intelligence to mock Vera.

Vera often couldn't tell if he was insulting her, but she knew Noah never said anything nice. So, every time Noah said something, she would hit him.

Their home was lively when they were kids, with Vera and Noah fighting, and Warren and Brianna having to intervene.

Despite the fights and arguments, Vera and Noah had a deep bond.

Noah went abroad before he turned 15. Warren and Brianna of the Linister family wanted to toughen him up, so they sent him overseas alone.

When he was home, Vera still bickered with Noah every day. But when they sent Noah to the airport and heard his flight take off, Vera's long-suppressed feelings of missing him burst out, and she cried uncontrollably at the airport. People around her looked at her.

Warren and Brianna also felt bad, but to let their child soar, parents couldn't always be there; he had to learn to grow on his own.

Warren and Vera cried all the way home.

Noah spent his 15th birthday alone abroad. At midnight in Donnicia, Vera stayed by her phone to call him.

During that time, Vera couldn't focus in class, so she always checked overseas news on her phone. Whenever there was unrest, she would check the map to see if it was far from Noah. Every morning, the first thing she did was check the news. Warren didn't say anything, but he had subscribed to five years of overseas newspapers, which filled his office and home.

If it weren't for caring about Noah, Vera wouldn't have been threatened by Shawn in the first place.

Noah's sharp tongue was matched by his deep care for Vera.

In middle school, when Vera was pursued, Noah, upon finding out, angrily shouted at her, "Tell him to get lost!"

He was only in sixth grade then.

Before going abroad, he threatened Vera, "Vera, don't date anyone at home. If you do, don't blame me for sneaking back."

Vera agreed readily at the time. But now Noah was coming back. If she told him she didn't date but got married, would that be too much of a leap?

Noah was uneasy yesterday when he heard a man's voice. Could Vera be staying in a hotel room with a man? The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He called Warren and Brianna, but they were evasive. So, Noah made up his mind, took leave from school, and bought the earliest flight back after hanging up yesterday.

Noah's "surprise" left Vera in chaos at the Olteran family.

It was too sudden; she had no time to prepare.

Noah said, "Come pick me up. I'm right at the airport entrance."

Vera could still hear the airport announcements through the phone. Noah was really back.

She hung upup numbly, sitting on the bed, and looking at Patrick, who had been watching her for a while.

Patrick said nothing, and Vera didn't dare make a sound.

"Get up, change clothes, and go to the airport to pick him up." Patrick had heard the entire call.

He wanted to see how Vera would introduce his identity to Noah when they met. They had been married for so long, and she dared to hide it!

No wonder he had been puzzled before. Why didn't Noah call him? If their relationship was bad, why would Vera protect the Linister Group and be forced to marry him by Shawn? Wasn't it for Noah?

But if their relationship was good, why hadn't Noah called to warn him not to bully his sister?

Patrick realized last night that Noah didn't know he existed! Was he too embarrassing to be shown? Or was his status unworthy of being known by Noah?

Patrick had been feeling aggrieved since last night.

Vera still kept her head down, not daring to breathe.

She thought, 'I'm doomed.'

Patrick snapped at Vera, "What are you standing there for? Do you want me to dress you?"

Hearing Patrick's stern words, Vera immediately rolled twice on the bed and got off from the other side, quickly running to the walk-in closet to change clothes. Her heart was beating at that moment. She wished there was a big crack in the ground to crawl into and never came out.

Given how much Patrick doted on her and knowing she was a terrible driver, he would definitely accompany her to pick up Noah.

When Patrick and Noah met, everything would be clear without explanation.

Vera had even thought of her death scenario: Noah would kill her, and Patrick would finish her off.

After changing clothes, she leaned on Patrick's watch cabinet, unwilling to face the reality.

Patrick also entered the room. He was already dressed for work as usual. But thinking about meeting Noah soon, he decided to change into something more presentable to avoid being disliked. Patrick changed his tie to match the color of Vera's dress.

When he went to change his watch, he saw Vera blocking his watch cabinet.

He didn't feel sorry for her at all!