MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

The key bounced off her chest and landed on the floor in front of her. Crystal stooped to pick it up, and as she put it in her pocket, he asked her if she knew how to fly a helicopter. She wanted to say no, but she was afraid that he would get angry, so she nodded and said that she did. Anyway - she thought - I had seen pilots on television. It looks easy enough. That being said, a licensed pilot seemed preferable to her, and she said so.

"Are you saying that you don't know how to fly a helicopter?" Nathan demanded angrily.

"I c-can…" Crystal replied. "But I'm not very skilled at it."

Nathan gave her a strange look, and then he laughed weirdly. It seemed that he knew that she could not fly a helicopter and that he was trying to embarrass her. "Aren't you afraid that you will crash?" he asked. He took a step forward, and when she took two steps away from him, he sneered. "Why are you afraid of me? Are you afraid that I won't let you go?"

Crystal sighed and said, "Nathan, I am begging you to stop torturing me like this. You promised to let me go. Why can't you just be a man and do what you said you would?"

Nathan's face turned red from anger. He did not appreciate her questioning his manliness. A part of him wanted to deny that he had ever promised to let her go, but he thought better of it. He asked, "Do you have the key?"

Crystal lifted one eyebrow but said nothing. 

"You don't love me at all, do you?" Tears fell from Nathan's eyes. One day, you will love someone as much as I loved you. When that happens, I hope that he tramples on your heart, and no matter how much you beg him, I hope he still leaves you and that he doesn't look back... Only then will you understand how much you have hurt me... It is a pity that we will never have a child together."

Crystal bit her lower lips until they bled. It seemed that Nathan was waiting for her to respond, but she had nothing to say. She just wanted the conversation to end, and she wanted to be as far away from this place as possible.

Finally, Nathan nodded. He said, "Go," and then he turned away so that he did not have to watch her leave.

Only then did Crystal realize that he was giving her a helicopter. That is what the key was for. If she could figure out how to fly, she would be free to go wherever she wanted. For a second, she was frozen in place. She quickly thawed, though, and she ran to the stairwell and made her way to the tarmac on the roof. She ran as fast as she could. She was afraid that, at any moment, he would change his mind and come after her. After all, for all she knew, this could be another one of his games.

When Crystal got to the helicopter, she was greeted by a bodyguard. "Who are you?" she asked. "And what do you want?"

"Miss Smith, I am your pilot. I will take you where you want to go." 

Crystal was stunned. Nathan had been playing games with her. He had never actually intended for her to pilot the helicopter.

****

In Nathan's imagination, he could already hear the helicopter's blades cutting the sky. He knew it was too soon, though. There was no way that she had made it to the tarmac this quickly. The thought of being alone made him laugh. Why? Because sometimes it was either laugh or go crazy. He wanted to chase after her, and it took all of his strength not to. He knew that she was not good for his mental health, and the sanest part of him was anxious to cut her out of his life. Then, if they happened to meet again, they would be strangers.

Nathan looked out of the window in time to see the helicopter streak across the sky. From where he was, he could see Crystal. Suddenly, he remembered his final trick, and he smiled.

"Goodbye," he whispered. Then he took off his watch, kissed it one last time, and threw it out of the window. The recording that he had once regarded as a treasure was gone...

Before long, the helicopter had left his field of vision. Finally, he turned around and returned to his bedroom. Then he took off his clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Once he was clean and dry, he put on one of his most handsome suits. He picked out a tie, fastened it, and checked himself out in the mirror. He smiled arrogantly and chuckled. Without Crystal in his life, he suddenly felt stronger. Even so, his heart still hurt. He just lost her beloved woman, and it brought him so much pain. 

****

Crystal watched the world pass beneath her, but her mind paid little attention to it. She was too lost in thought. She was glad to be free, but a part of her wished that Nathan had come after her. Without knowing why she began to laugh, and then she began to cry. In her secret heart, she had not believed that Nathan would ever let her go, and now that he had, she did not know how to feel. For the most part, she felt numb. She turned to the watch on her wrist, sighed, and whispered, "Liar! You said you loved me, and you will die without me in your, but all are just part of your game. Goodbye, Nathan Davis!" She assumed that Nathan was still listening to her and that he would hear it.

****

The helicopter landed at the International Airport. From there, one of Nathan's drivers brought Crystal to the mall where she had been picked up three days prior, and on the way, she called Eric to arrange for her pick-up. However, it was not until she stepped out of the vehicle that she realized that she still had a chain clasped around her ankle. She had been afraid that he had one final trap set for her, and here it was. Crystal's face turned white when she realized that the only way to remove it would be to contact Nathan.. "f**k!" she moaned. "Will I ever be free from all these evil men?"