MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Crystal looked at Serenity and forced herself to smile, saying, "I'm here. Don't worry." Serenity frowned. "What were you thinking about anyway?" she asked.

Crystal sighed and said, "I was just thinking about everything Nathan bought for me. If he can afford to buy me such lavish gifts, why do you think he wanted my inheritance? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Perhaps it is you that he is after?" Serenity suggested. "Maybe it has nothing to do with the money."

"That's ridiculous," Crystal scoffed, and she faked a laugh to show her friend how preposterous she thought the idea was. "Look at me. I'm hardly anyone's dream girl!"

"I suppose you're right." Serenity shrugged and said, "It's the only explanation I can think of, though.. I mean, why else would he choose to live in such an ordinary villa when he could be hobnobbing with the rich and famous in Beverly Hills?"

"I don't know," Crystal admitted. "It is very suspicious."

Serenity: "Never mind that for now. Susie has breakfast waiting, and we don't want to be late for school, do we?"

Serenity led the way, and the moment Crystal was in the hallway, she was hit by the sweet smell of Maple Bacon. "That smells delicious," she said. "Susie cooks all of my favorite food!"

Serenity: "You are so lucky."

On the way to the table, Susie greeted them. She said, "Good morning, Crystal. Mr. Davis left already, but a car and a driver are waiting to take you to school. Your breakfast is waiting on the table. You might want to hurry up. Otherwise, it will be cold."

"Thank you, Susie," said Crystal.

Serenity, "Yes, thank you. It smells wonderful."

After the girls were done eating, they went outside, and they were both shocked to discover that the car that had been left for them was a red Lykan Hypersport. Serenity gasped. "This car was used in Fast & Furious 7!" she exclaimed. "It's a limited edition! There are only seven of them in the world. The seats are sewn with gold thread, and the lights are set with colored diamonds!"

Crystal shook her head in disbelief. She knew next to nothing about fancy cars, but this car seemed a bit over the top from what little she did know. She said, "If we take this car to school, don't you think it will cause a ruckus?" "It might," Serenity admitted. "Why don't we take the subway?"

Just then, the driver's side door opened, and the girls turned to greet the driver. "Good morning," he said. "Miss Smith, Miss Jordan, Mr. Davis asked me to take you to school."

Crystal shook her head and said, "No, we'll take the subway. Thank you, though." She took Serenity's arm, but the driver blocked them when they tried to walk towards the street. "I can't let you take the subway," he said. "As per Mr. Davis's order, it is my responsibility to see that you are safely delivered to your destination."

Crystal looked at the car and shook her head helplessly. Then she pulled out her phone and called Nathan. The phone rang trice, and then Nathan answered. "Hello," he said. "This is Nathan Davis. May I ask who is calling?"

"Cut the shit!" Crystal sneered. "You know who it is, and you know why I am calling! I do not need to be shuttled around like some child. I am eighteen. I am perfectly capable of taking the subway to school, and that is what I intend to do, so call off your dog!"

Crystal could tell that he wasn't pleased from the way Nathan was breathing, but something told her that he wouldn't push the issue. After all, if he refused to comply, she could always refuse to go to school.

After a moment, Nathan sighed and said, "Fine. Have it your way. I will send the driver a text."

Crystal: "Thank you."

Nathan: "It's fine. Stay safe. I'll pick you up after work tonight."

Crystal: "All right."

After ending his call with Crystal, Nathan opened the Gallery App on his phone, and he found the picture he'd secretly taken of Crystal when she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He held his finger on the image and set it as his background, and locked the image so that he could see it every time he turned on his phone.

In the photo, Crystal's eyes were slightly closed, and her black eyelashes were curled like a butterfly's wings, and when contrasted by her white skin, she looked like a porcelain doll.

Nathan and Andy had been reviewing some files when he'd received his call, and Andy was getting impatient to get back to work. He cleared his throat. "Shall we continue?" he asked.

Nathan turned towards Andy, but instead of answering the question, he asked him what kind of car he drove. The question seemed so random, though, that Andy froze. What's this about? - he wondered. Once he had regained his composure, he said, "A Buick. Why?"

Nathan nodded, then he took out the keys

to his Maybach and tossed them to Andy.

"Here," he said. "Give me your keys. We'll trade."

Andy gasped. "T-t-trade?" he stammered. "M-Mr. G-Davis, my car is just an ordinary vehicle. It is unw-worthy of you. And I am unw- worthy to d-drive your c-car..."

Nathan scowled and said, "Just give me your keys. We'll trade back later tonight or tomorrow. Hurry up. You know that I am not a patient man!"

Andy knew this all too well, so he nervously took out his key and offered them to Nathan.

***

Eric was sitting in the passenger seat of his pink Lamborghini, and Antony was seated beside him. The previous night, it had taken Eric three or four hours in an ice-cold shower to tame his erection, and he still hadn't slept a wink. Thus, by mid-morning, he was exhausted, and he had the beginnings of what he worried would be a nasty cold. He sneezed three times, brought a tissue to his nose, and filled it with mucus.

Anthony: "Master Bush, you need to take better care of yourself."

Eric shrugged and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

They were parked outside the school Crystal attended, the Olman University, and Eric was intently staring at the building's front entrance. Antony had his eyes on the road, and he was the one who spotted her. He pointed her out and exclaimed, "There she is, boss! The girl from last night! Crystal Smith!"

Eric turned in the direction that Antony was pointing, and even from afar, he could see the early morning sun shining softly on her body. She was glowing in the warmth of its golden light.

She wore a ponytail, and it swung back. and forth as she walked. "She looks so young," he sighed. "So innocent. It's hard to believe that, at her core, she has such strength as was demonstrated last night."

Antony smiled. He could see the love in Eric's eyes, and his boss reminded him of a boy! Who'd just hit puberty and was, for the first time, discovering what women were really for?