MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

"It was Mandy who approached me and offered me a large sum of money to put you on the spot!" Kyla said hastily.

"It was really her." Hazel thought and squinted her eyes. She had suspected Mandy when her professor told her that he had been threatened. When she actually heard that it was Mandy, though, her heart filled with different emotions.

"Did you know my pumpkin had an ongoing feud with that woman? Maybe you are using her as a shield?" Simon asked with a smirk.

"What I am saying is true! Hazel has a special relationship with Joshua, after all…."

After looking at Simon in horror, Kyla changed the subject and continued, "I wouldn't dare to offend Hazel, so when Mandy's people found me, I refused at once. Then they told me that Joshua Denmark had abandoned Hazel, and he would never help her, so I made a move. And, to cover my ass, I recorded everything, including when they admitted they were Mandy's men!" Kyla's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her phone and sent the recording to Hazel.

"Now... Can you let me off the hook?" Kyla asked nervously.

"Let her go," Hazel spoke simply.

Simon waved his hands, and his men stepped away from Kyla, who quickly fled.

"Pumpkin, are you touched that I helped you so much?" Simon asked.

Hazel listened to the recording, and although the people who contacted Kyla admitted they worked for Kyla, the request wasn't personally made by Mandy. Hence, Mandy would deny her involvement, meaning that the recording was of little use except to confirm Hazel's suspicions.

"Why do you think I would feel touched?" She sneered. "Why didn't you take me to the hospital when you clearly saw that I was injured?"

"I was just trying to help you by giving you an outlet to vent your anger."

Simon immediately felt a little embarrassed. In his mind, the first thing to do when someone was bullied was obviously to get revenge, he didn't worry about Hazel's injury.

He immediately said, "I'll take you to the hospital now!"

"Don't bother," she said indifferently. "I've stopped bleeding. Just let me out of the car."

Simon's first aid kit had a sufficient amount of supplies, and since she had medical experience, she managed to get the blood completely stopped.

"Pumpkin, you're so good, how can I let you go back and let Joshua ruin you?" Simon said with a faint smile.

"He wouldn't forget that I got hurt, and that's the difference between the two of you." Hazel retorted unkindly, but deep down, she was worried that Simon would not let her go. She had no choice but to act accordingly.

"At least I like you because of who you are, not because you are the daughter of the Denmark family." He said with a meaningful smile.

She glared at him in anger.

"Don't you believe that I can see the entire situation?" He laughed more freely. "Otherwise, he wouldn't let Mandy bully you as she does? I don't believe that he doesn't know what happened at your school. If he knew about it, why didn't he deal with it? I can't stand watching you being bullied. When will you stop fooling yourself?"

"You're very boisterous!" She looked a little impatient.

"All right." He shrugged. "You're the wounded, you're the boss."

***

At the university, Summer held the rose with loving eyes. "Ariel, that man was really handsome! What's his relationship with Hazel…"

"Don't be silly," Ariel interrupted nervously. "I don't think things are that simple for some reason."

Summer said, "Is it because he didn't praise you?"

"No, Hazel just squeezed my hand." Ariel raised her wrist. Suddenly her face changed. "Look!"

There was a crooked number written in blood by Hazel inside the wrist.

"6? What does it mean?" Ariel asked blankly.

"It's not 6," Summer wasn't smiling anymore, and her face became serious. "It's 9. Help!"

Both of their expressions changed, they realized the man who took Hazel away was not a simple man.

"Contact Assistant Hunk and tell him that Hazel was taken away!" Ariel quickly yelled. 

***

At the hospital, Simon kept admiring Hazel as they walked out. "Pumpkin, you're amazing. The doctor praised your ability to dress a wound. When I get hurt, you can help me."

Hazel taunted coldly. "I hope you get hurt every day."

"So, Pumpkin, you care so much about me and want to see me every day?" He looked moved.

She just shook her head and ignored his comments. She took a deep breath and asked coldly, "When will you let me go?" 

"Take it easy, my pumpkin," he said with a profound smile. "I'd like you to watch the drama."

"I'm not interested," said she impatiently.

"Really?" He looked at her firmly. "Don't you want to know whether or not Mandy is the daughter of the Denmark family?"

She stopped abruptly, her eyes shining with shock. "Do you have a way?"

"Of course, I do." An evil smile curved his lips. "I'm sure Joshua does, too, but he may never use it. But I'm different because I'm bad."

Her facial expression looked as if she had mixed emotions. 

"Come on, I'll take you to change clothes first. You look too dirty," he said with a sigh of relief. It was clear he had put up with it for a long time and could not handle it any longer.

They went to buy Hazel a new outfit, and after she changed, Simon drove her to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

He took her to a small room in the warehouse, which must have been the office of the former administrator. There was a window in the office that had a view of everything in the warehouse.

"Why do you bring me here?" She stared at him suspiciously.

"I said that I was a bad man, so I come to do bad things, of course," he said proudly.

Hazel looked at him more cautiously.

"Don't worry, I am not going to be bad to you." His eyes narrowed. "Look!"

Through the window, Hazel saw a group of masked men approaching the warehouse with Mandy. She looked nervous and was struggling to get away.

"Rest assured, we can see them, but they can't see us or even hear us," Simon explained. 

"You brought me here just to show me you committed a crime? After all, kidnapping is a crime."

Hazel really doubted whether or not Simon was helping Mandy.