MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Paul shouted obscenities as he kicked at the door. "You are going to pay for what you said," he roared. He was strong, and the thin wood could only resist him for so long. Eventually, it began to splinter, and his foot appeared in the bedroom.

When Clark saw the wood splinter inward, he began to cry, and he pressed his face into his mother's neck. Nancy looked to Crystal, shook her head, and smiled bitterly. "See? I told you. He won't believe me. He would rather believe that woman."

Crystal shook her head. Until that moment, she had not fully understood what a bastard Paul really was.

The next kick was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. The door burst open, and Paul rushed in. His eyes were red from anger, and when he turned to Nancy, Crystal could see that he had murder on his mind.

Crystal immediately stepped in front of Paul. She spread her arms to protect Nancy and Clark, but Paul grabbed her and threw her across the room.

Nancy cried out for her friend. Then she set down her son and ran over to see if she was alright. Before she could take more than a couple of steps, though, Paul grabbed her hair and yanked her backward. Nancy shrieked, but Paul paid her no mind. "You're getting bolder," he growled. "How do you think I should punish you?" His eyes were bloodshot and filled with fury.

"You have no right to punish me!" Nancy argued.

"How dare you talk back to me?" Paul hissed.

When Paul had his back turned, Crystal picked up a vase from the dresser and tried to smash it over his head. Paul saw her in the mirror, though, and he backhanded her without even having to turn and face her. Instead, the vase flew across the room and smashed against the wall. Crystal swooned and fell to the ground.

Paul picked Nancy up and carried her over his shoulders. He had a horrible sneer on his face. Nancy had tears streaming down her face. "Let go of me," she cried. "I didn't do anything to anyone..."

Nancy struggled desperately. She punched, kicked, and bit him, but none of it helped. 

Clark crawled over to Paul, and he clasped his leg in an attempt to stop him from hurting his mother. Paul was not bothered, though. He shook the boy off as if she were nothing. He hauled Nancy out of the room, and as he passed through the door, he ordered his servants to keep an eye on Crystal and Clark and to not let them out of the room. Then he carried Nancy into his bedroom.

****

Michelle was lying on her and Paul's bed, and a servant was applying medicine to the wounds on her private parts and massaging them for her. The burnt hair on her head had already been trimmed. She had lost half of her hair, and her head felt lighter. There were a few scalds on her arms and legs that the hot wax had caused. They were a little bit red, but they did not seem too serious.

Michelle looked up when Paul came in, and she was dismayed to see that he had Nancy with him.

Paul ruthlessly threw Nancy on the ground by the bed. The floor was covered by a thick carpet, but she had been thrown from a height of almost two meters, so it did little to break her fall.

Michelle got up and stood at akimbo. She glared at Nancy and then at Paul. "What the fuck is this?"

Paul smiled, ran his fingers through her hair, and said, "Baby girl, I brought her for you.

Don't you want to vent your anger?"

Michelle returned the smile and waved her away. "Just forget it," she said. "Luckily, I'm not seriously injured. She may go."

When Nancy heard this, she was speechless. She thought, Is this woman the same person that slapped me and pulled my hair? Where is her momentum now? This must be a part of the Good Girl act that she invented

"Let her go," Michelle continued. "I don't think she pushed me on purpose, and the fire was an accident."

Paul glanced at Nancy with cold eyes and said, "She said that you slapped her, though, and that you were responsible for the fire…."

Michelle looked incredibly surprised. "Really? She said that?" She lowered her head, sighed, and said, "Whatever. It is water under the bridge. It doesn't matter who is right or who is wrong."

Paul rolled his eyes and said, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but of course it matters! This is my home, and I will not permit anyone to bully you while you are under my roof. Besides, this woman is a hopeless liar. If I don't teach her a lesson, I can't imagine what she will do next time."

Michelle shook her head. "Just don't go too far, okay. She is still the mother of your child."

"She may have given birth to a child, but she is no mother. This bitch has a wicked heart!"

Michelle sighed and said, "Fine. You are right. What do you want to do to her?"

Paul turned to Nancy and snarled. "Michelle is kind, but that doesn't mean that I will let you off."

"Kind?" Nancy scoffed. "She wants me to die!"

Paul's face turned red, and he spat on Nancy. "You need to give up this victim act. It is ugly. She did not say anything bad about you. She actually wants to show you mercy, so what is your problem? Maybe, if you had been a little bit kind to her, I would be willing to show you mercy. There is no way I will, though. Not now."

Nancy laughed and said, "You know nothing. Ask the servant about what happened. She saw everything!"

"The servant did not see what happened," Michelle interrupted. "By the time she arrived, I was already lying on the ground." 

Paul turned to Nancy and said, "Enough with the lies. This has to end, okay!" 

"I am telling the truth!" Nancy cried.

"Humph!" Paul pinched her chin.

"Didn't you say that she slapped you in the face?"

"She did!" Nancy exclaimed. "You can see her handprints on my face!"

"Enough with the lies, I said! Didn't I say that?!?!" Paul lifted his arm, showed her the back of his hand, and said, "How about I turn your lie into a fact?"