MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Hazel was so furious that she wanted to throw her phone. "When have you not been serious? You need to stop!"

"I heard Joshua is planning a party for you?" Simon asked suddenly.

She was about to hang up when she heard him. She stopped and curiously asked, "How do you know about the party?"

"Joshua sent me an invitation. How else would I know?" He snarled with an evil grin. 

"But I am warning don't to go to the party." There was a sense of seriousness in Simon's voice.

Hazel was so irritated, as she hung up, she mumbled, "You really are insane!"

Feeling frustrated, Hazel put her phone back in her purse and continued walking. This was the same hoax Simon always used, so there was no reason to think that it was any different than conversations they had before.

Simon looked down at his phone after Hazel hung up at him.

"Sir, did Miss Crowe agree?" Chester, who was sitting next to him, asked.

"No." Simon sighed with annoyance. "It's going to be hard."

"What do we do then?" Chester asked, sounding worried. "Your father knew about Miss Crowe and thought it was her holding you back. He has plans for her!"

Simon frowned impatiently. "Of course, I know that..."

It wasn't a secret that he wasn't on good terms with his father, but it was worse than most thought. As a precaution, Simon had spies infiltrate his father's gang, and when he got word that his father was going to harm Hazel at her party, he called to warn her.

Chester persuaded anxiously. "Sir, I understand that you're aware of your father's methods. If he has his eye on someone, there is nothing that can be done to stop it! Plus, Miss Crowe isn't aware...."

"You're more anxious than I am!" Simon was so angry that he kicked a chair, sending it flying across the room. His expression turned cold and grim, "What? Do you really think I want to see the woman I care about taken away?"

"Sir, you are a misunderstanding!" Chester explained helplessly, "I've never seen you care so much about a woman. That's why I'm afraid that if something were to happen…I'm just worried for you."

"Don't worry, even if Hazel is unprepared, Joshua won't be." When he said Joshua's name, a glimmer of resentment flashed in his eyes.

"But, but..." Chester was hesitant.

"Say what you need to do!" Simon was impatient.

"I don't know if the information is true or not, but according to my sources," Chester said quietly. "Your father doesn't plan to kidnap Miss Crowe, he plans to kill her!"

Simon stopped in his tracks. His father was more ruthless than ever, and even though he had hoped it wasn't true, he knew that it very well could be.

He clenched his fist in anger. He knew because of Hazel's rejections in the past that he couldn't just take her away, he had been too impulsive, and so Joshua was watching him. If he acted recklessly, it could make things much worse.

As he wondered why he cared about Hazel, he thought even more. He realized that he had been watching her, but she wasn't his real target, so if his father did harm her, it shouldn't bother him.

However, he continued to think, he saw her bright eyes twinkling in the sunlight. Then he knew that even though she had rejected him and was never kind to him, he couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to her.

Simon sat quietly, contemplating the situation, he had a brilliant idea, he smiled and said, "Let my father continue with his plan, we will follow them, and I will be the hero that saves her!"

Simon smiled, but his eyes were cold and ruthless. Hazel, you have to stay safe until I can rescue you. However, if you are not and I seek revenge, I am afraid I may regret it!

***

Hazel walked into the boutique that Joshua had recommended. The clothing looked more mature than something she would have picked, but there would be something perfect for her mother. 

As she looked at the dresses, she heard laughter from a group of women behind her, "Katie, the Denmark family, actually sent you an invitation? You are so lucky!"

Hazel almost dropped the dress she had in her hand, she must have heard wrong. It would be too much of a coincidence if the woman was talking about the party that Joshua was throwing for her.

She looked back at the women and recognized one of them from somewhere.

"No," the woman replied modestly, but there was an unspeakable triumph in her eyes. "The invitation is sent to my grandmother. Thankfully, she can take a guest, so she asked me to go."

"Katie, you are indeed the most spoiled child of the entire Shawn family." The woman continued praising. "But really, who wouldn't like a nice, kind person like you?"

When Hazel heard the woman say Katie and Shawn's family in the same sentence, she realized why the woman looked familiar. She was the same woman who wanted the pink diamond necklace at the auction, Katie Shawn. It would be interesting to see the look on Katie's face when she arrived at the party.

The middle of the boutique was certainly not the place to walk over to Katie and reveal her true identity, so Hazel continued shopping. She picked out some dresses that would fit her mother, and even though she was trying to ignore Katie and her friends, the only thing she could hear was their voices and laughter.

One woman said, "What do you think about Denmark's daughter?"

"I probably know something that you don't!" another woman replied.

Hazel stopped and listened carefully, she was speechless. It was the first time she had heard her story from an outside point of view, and of course, the woman exaggerated some, but the basic details were true.

"So, that's it…."

"Am I the only one who thinks that it's strange? It could just be Joshua Denmark's way to cover up things and save Denmark Group, couldn't it?"

"You mean, you think that the woman is a fake?"

"Maybe. Who knows? It's been 20 years, almost all of the Denmark family has died, then a woman just popped up. Who can prove that she isn't a fake?"

Hazel's lips twitched as she felt her frustration grow. She understood that there would always be people who judged and would try to impose their nasty opinions on others, but they shouldn't be talking about it in public.

"Well, let's not talk about it anymore." Katie interrupted, sounding unhappy. She was used to being the center of attention. If her friends were talking about someone else, they weren't focusing on her, so she had to find a way to bring their attention back to her.

She continued, "Since Mr. Denmark is throwing her a party, then he has identified her as the lost daughter. In a way, they are siblings."

"Yes, true," echoed her companions. "If the Denmark family recognized him as a son, then she's his younger sister!"