MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Tiffany had lost her sincere smile, but she quickly replaced it with a false one. She turned to Serenity and said, "I'm going to change my shift right away, so why don't you and Crystal join me for a bite to eat?" Then, she turned back to Crystal and said, "There are some things that I want to talk to you about anyway."

Crystal wanted to say no because she didn't want to share a meal with Tiffany, but she wanted to hear what the woman had to say. So, after signing up, Crystal and Serenity followed Tiffany out of the school. As they were leaving, Serenity remembered that she had to stay at school and meet up with one of her teachers, so the other two walked to a nearby restaurant without her.

As they walked, Tiffany said, "The selection process for the Host position is very competitive. I have several related books that I could lend you. I'll bring them to you another time."

Crystal nodded and said, "Thank you."

Tiffany: "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about what happened when I left, but there were too many people in the auditorium to explain what happened."

"Never mind." Crystal shook her head and said, "The past is in the past. Right?"

Tiffany: "That may be so, but I'd still like to explain myself. You see, I was foolishly sentimental. The other day, Professor Davis called me and said that he could reverse his decision to demote my dad, but only if I went to stay at the Beverly villa."

They arrived at the restaurant and stopped a few meters away from the door. It seemed that Tiffany wanted to get the conversation out of the way before they went inside. "I was acting like a silly schoolgirl," Tiffany continued. "I thought that Professor Davis had a crush on me, but I waited for four hours that day, and he never showed up. Then I learned that Professor Davis had found out that there were people taking pictures around the neighborhood. To protect you, he was using me as a decoy."

Crystal thought this was too much information for her to digest. Did Nathan do all of this for me? - she wondered.

Tiffany paused and smiled bitterly. "I was jealous of you," she admitted. "And even now, I don't understand why Professor Davis tried so hard to protect you. At the time, I did a series of things in an attempt to discern the truth. Now that I think about what I did, I realize how stupid they were, and I feel embarrassed. Not only that, but they have been eating at my conscience. That's why I asked you out today so that I could explain what happened and apologize, and hopefully clear the air between us. After all, we will see each other at school every day, and I don't want it to be uncomfortable."

Crystal was shocked by Tiffany's words, and even more so when she took out a box of jewelry and passed it to her. "Here," she said. "I didn't have a chance to return this to Professor Davis."

Crystal took the box with a puzzled expression on her face, and when she opened it, she was more than a little surprised. Inside was an amber cufflink with a black spider inlaid in the middle. The arachnid was so detailed that the hair on it could be seen. This is a handmade, one-of-a-kind cufflink - thought Crystal.

"The jewelry box is mine," Tiffany explained. "I wanted to protect the cufflink, so I put it inside. The cufflink looks fancy, but it doesn't suit Professor Davis. None of his outfits require cufflinks."

Crystal nodded and said, "Thank you on behalf of Professor Davis."

Tiffany: "Now that is out of the way, shall we go in?"

Crystal nodded and said, "Why not?"

***

By the time Tiffany and Crystal were done eating, Crystal saw no point in going back to school, so she decided to go to the hospital. Tiffany still had one more class in the afternoon, so she headed back the way they'd come, and as she walked, she thought - Crystal is only 18 years old, but she is charming, and her future is full of possibilities. It's no wonder Professor Davis is willing to protect her. She is so lucky."

When she got back to the school, she located Crystal's application form, and she tore it up and threw the pieces into the trash can. 

After the delightful lunch they'd had, Crystal would have been shocked by Tiffany's behavior.

She knew that the woman was two-faced, but she would have never guessed that she was as jealous of her. Thus, by the time she arrived at the hospital, all thoughts of their lunch had left her conscious mind.

When she arrived at the hospital, she went directly to the room where her father was, only stopping briefly to get a cup of peppermint tea. Her cramps were still bothering her, but the drink helped. She also got a coffee for her father, black, as he liked it.

Todd was resting in his bed. It had been set to a sitting position, and he was reading the newspaper. When he saw his daughter, he smiled and said, "There you are. Come on in. Auntie Green was just here, but she went home to get a little shut-eye."

Crystal returned his smile and brought him his coffee. Then she sat down in the chair beside him and said, "I have a question for you."

Todd: "Go ahead."

Crystal: "Did you hire the person who threw eggs at me in front of the hospital?" 

"No. Of course not." Todd closed the newspaper, sighed, and said, "Why would you think that?"

"What about Mrs. Green?" Crystal asked, ignoring his question. "Do you think she did it?" 

Todd: "Crystal, I don't know who did this terrible thing to you, but we didn't have anything to do with it. Why would we? Look at me. I'm old. I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting. I'd rather make peace with my mistakes and go to my grave with a clear conscience."

Crystal bit her lip and said nothing.

"Your grandfather did leave all of his shares to you, and we had no right to take them," Todd admitted. "But there are some things that your grandfather didn't know. I did you wrong, and I'm sorry about that, but I still have a big family to raise. And now you have Nathan. The Henry Group is nothing to you, but to us, it is everything."

Crystal: "I appreciate your apology, but there is someone else you need to apologize to."

Todd: "I know that I owe your mother an apology. When I get out of the hospital, I will go to her grave and solemnly apologize."

Crystal: "Good. And when you're done apologizing, I'll think about convincing the Brilliant Group to stop buying The Henry Group."

Todd: "But I'm afraid that The Henry Group won't last that long."

Crystal shrugged and said, "You'll just have to try and get better faster."

Todd's mouth dropped open. He was aghast and at a complete loss for words.