MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

When Nancy looked up, there were tears in her eyes. Crystal knew Nancy was reluctant to walk away from Paul. If she did, it would most likely mean walking away from her son as well. She wanted to take Clark and run, but her ex-husband was a badass, and it was unlikely that he would let the boy go without a fight.

"I don't have a plan," Nancy admitted. "Just let me get dressed. We can talk about this more later." She wanted to change her clothes, but she hadn't brought anything with her, so she walked to Paul's bedroom to see if there were any of her old clothes still there. When she opened the wardrobe, she was startled by all the limited-edition clothes from luxury brands.

When Crystal saw them, she said, "Paul doesn't treat you that bad, not if he bought you all of these beautiful dresses."

Nancy: "They're not mine. He never bought me anything like this. They belong to his mistress. She's a model."

Crystal: "I can see he loves her very much. Nathan used to buy me this kind of clothes... But then he stopped loving me...."

"Well, I don't care about that right now," Nancy said. "I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I don't have time to care." She was a little depressed, but she quickly adjusted her mood and changed the topic. "Crystal, when all this is over, will you go home with Eric?" 

Crystal: "Um.... probably."

Nancy: "I wish that Clark and I could go with you..."

Crystal sighed. Then she dragged all of the clothes out of the closet, threw them on the ground, and began to pour out her frustrations on them.

"Crystal?!" Nancy shouted in surprise.

"Why do mistresses always live a better life than us?" Crystal asked. "We can't beat her, but we can vent our anger by torturing her clothes!" 

"You're right!" Nancy exclaimed. "Why should mistresses always get to live better lives than we do? It's not fair!" Then she began to follow Crystal's example, even going so far as to cut the dresses with scissors.

After venting for a while, they finally went back downstairs in their original clothes. When Eric saw them, he got up off the couch and asked why they hadn't changed.

"There wasn't anything right for us," Crystal explained.

"I'll have someone bring in all of the latest collections to you." As Eric spoke, he took out his mobile phone, but Crystal stopped him.

Nancy was dumbfounded because she had never been treated like this. He is so handsome and generous! - she thought. "Your fiancé is very good to you," she said with envy.

"Is your husband bad to you?" Eric asked.

Nancy: "I don't have a husband. We've been divorced for some time now."

"And yet here you are," said Paul with a shark-like Cheshire grin on his face.

Nancy: "If you let me have our son, I would disappear, and you wouldn't see me again for the rest of your life!"

Paul: "In your dreams!"

Nancy: "Why? You had that other woman, and I am sure that she would be willing to have a child with you. And besides, Clark doesn't matter to you. You have made that abundantly clear! If you loved Clark, you would not mistreat him, and you would not let that woman abuse him!"

Paul: "You don't get it, do you? He is Burnett. Do you think I would actually let one of my own out of my sight?"

Nancy frowned and said, "This isn't going anywhere, and the day is wasting away while we squabble. Let's go to Sea World.

****

They parked the car at a mall that was down the street from Sea World. Nancy and Paul were still quarreling, and no matter how hard she tried, Crystal could not block them out.

Paul glared at Nancy and said, "You could get with another man and give birth to another baby. I'm sure that in time you'd forget all about Clark."

"Don't worry," Nancy snarled. "I will do just that. As for who I get with, that is none of your business. I won't stay at your house shamelessly."

Paul was confused suddenly. He thought - She said that she wanted Clark back, but now she is ready to leave? Only a heartless woman would give up their child so easily!

While they were arguing, Eric whispered into Crystal's ear," Does your friend want to get custody of her child? It's hard to tell right now..."

Crystal: "She wants custody. Why? Do you have an idea?"

Eric put his arm around Crystal' shoulder and said, "It wouldn't be easy, but we might be able to pull it off. If you want my help, though, you need to choose to marry me."

Crystal: "What if I don't?"

Eric: "You'll marry me no matter what, but if you don't do it of your own volition, I won't help your friend."

Crystal's face turned white. Eric chuckled when he saw that, and he said, "You can think about it. Marry me happily or marry me in tears. It is all the same to me. Once you figure it out, pick out the clothes for me. I want to wear a lover's clothes with you!"

Crystal looked at Nancy, who was trying to take Clark away from Paul. She was cruelly pushed away, though. Crystal's heart went out to her friend. If Eric didn't help, she thought that the situation was hopeless.

"I'll think about it," Crystal said. "I'm not happy about the situation that you've put me in, though..."

Eric: "You'll get over it. Just don't keep me waiting for too long."

Eric tried to hold her hand, and this time she did not reject him. This gave him a measure of hope, and he smiled. Maybe next time I will try to kiss her - he thought. He looked at her delicate pink lips, and he began to salivate. Her lips were like a delicious honey peach, and he was drawn to their pink sweetness.

****

Crystal followed Nancy into a family clothing store, and Clark jumped for joy when he saw all the available animal-themed outfits. There were ones with rabbits, kittens, elephants, and a plethora of others. But it was the zebra costume that he was most drawn to.

"I can see that you like this one," Nancy said. She kissed him on the forehead and asked him, "Can Mommy wear one that matches yours?"

Clark began to clap and cheer, but there was a sneer on Paul's face. What about me? - he wondered - Am I not good enough for a zebra costume?