MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Crystal was led into a large office and offered a seat and a coffee. She accepted the drink with thanks, and it wasn't long before Amy Fowler joined her. The woman chuckled as she sat down. "I heard you put the fear of God in our receptionist," she said. "Good for you. Now, what can I do for you?"

Crystal leaned back in her chair, folded her legs, and relaxed. "I signed up to audition for the Assistant Host position," she said. "But I wasn't contacted about the written test."

Amy: "It sounds like you were disqualified. Why are you wasting my time?"

Crystal: "That may be true, but I doubt it. And I don't think that I'm wasting your time either. I am a student of Professor Davis, and I am the only one in our school to apply but not receive notice.. Professor Davis is very embarrassed. He said that you are nice, though, and that if I ask you kindly, you might tell me what I did wrong so that I can improve and do better in the future."

"Nathan said that I was nice?" Amy was a little surprised, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She had thought that he was in a relationship with Tiffany. "Perhaps your notice is still coming," she suggested. "Or your registration information was lost..."

Crystal: "Honestly, it doesn't matter. I just hate that I let Professor Davis down. I'm a little embarrassed."

Amy: "If you're so close to Nathan, you could ask him for help, couldn't you?"

Crystal: "Well, I am his student, and he does think a lot of me. He is my guardian, after all. He takes good care of me, but I don't want to rely on him for everything. He's such a busy man..."

Amy: "I can't help but wonder what happened to your application. You handed it to Miss Ford, Right?"

Crystal: "That's right. And she handed it to the TV station."

Amy stood up and said, "Wait here. I'll go take a look for it."

Of course, Amy didn't do what she'd promised. Instead, she went to the restroom, had a cup of coffee, and returned empty-handed. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's not there."

"Really?" Crystal was stunned. Did Tiffany intentionally sabotage my chances? - she wondered - If so, why did she take the initiative to be friendly with me and lend me her books? "What can I do now?" she asked. "Is it too late?"

Amy thought about it for a second, and then she said, "With your qualifications, you should be given a chance to take the written test. There must be something that I can do to help."

Crystal nodded and said, "Tiffany has gone too far. She had no right to do this! I can't even think of why she would have done it!"

Amy pretended to empathize with her. She patted her on the shoulder and said, "Tiffany must be jealous of you. After all, Professor Davis is really nice to you. However, there is one thing that you should know."

Crystal: "What is it?"

Amy: "Rumor has it that Miss Ford is Professor Davis' girlfriend..."

Crystal: "Really? Why would people be saying that? Even if it was true, how would they know?"

Amy: "Well, they've been photographed together. Miss Ford was even seen at Beverly villa. I think you should let Nathan know about this. A scheming girl like Tiffany doesn't deserve a man like him."

Crystal: "You're right. I will tell him as soon as I see him. Miss Ford has gone too far! But what about my application? You said that you might be able to help me."

Amy smiled and said, "The registration date has passed, but because of your special circumstances, I will apply for an exception on your behalf and see that you get a notice."

Crystal thanked Amy and offered her hand to shake.

"No thanks are needed," Amy said as she shook Crystal's hand. "You're Professor Davis' student, and I am supposed to help you. But what Tiffany did was abhorrent. Shame on her."

****

After Crystal left, Amy received a call from her receptionist. "How did the interview go?" the woman asked.

"What interview?" Amy frowned and said, "Crystal Smith was here to play smart."

"What does that mean?" the receptionist asked.

Amy: "It means that when it comes time for her to do her written test, she will pass, regardless of the results."

****

Crystal was relieved when she received an email notification from the TV station. She was in! It seemed like things hadn't been going well for her lately, what with her being kidnapped and almost assaulted by two dogs, but things finally appeared to be looking up.

However, when she got home, she noticed a familiar-looking pink Lamborghini parked in the neighbor's driveway. After a second, she realized that it belonged to Eric, but before she could question why his car was there, he called her name.

Eric: "Hey, Crystal!" He was on the neighbor's lawn, waving to her.

Crystal scowled as Eric walked over to where she was standing. What the fuck is he doing here? - she wondered. Before he could explain himself, she began to stomp on his foot with the heel of her shoe.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Eric complained. 

"Stop that, will you?" He was surprised by how strong she was.

"Why should I stop?" Crystal growled. "What are you doing here?

"I wanted to see you," Eric replied. He pulled out his phone, pointed it in her direction, and said, "At least let me show you some pictures."

In the first picture, Richard was lying on a hospital bed, and she could see that his face had been carefully cut off. It was bloody and grizzly and gross. 

"You did that?" Crystal roared as she knocked the phone out of his hand. "It's so childish," she muttered.

Eric was flustered. "Nathan shot him four times," he cried. "Did you call him childish too?!?!" He definitely did not like being compared to a child.

Crystal took a minute to get control of herself. Then she took a deep breath and said, "Look, Eric, I have had a long day. Please, just tell me why you're here."