MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Elisa paused and cheered herself up, walking to them.

"Savannah," she forced a smile. "You're back."

Savannah nodded and then turned to Andrew.

"This is my best friend at school, Elisa. Her grandmother is a pure American, and she looks just like her grandmother."

Elisa held her breath, hoping against hope that he would recognize her when the man in front of her opened his mouth.

"Hi, I'm Andrew."

He didn't recognize her. Elisa was filled with great loss, but it was no surprise. How could she expect him to remember her? How could she wish this man would still have a bit of affection towards her. 

It had been four years... Who could remember someone you met once four years ago?

"It was nice meeting you." She tried to smile as if nothing was wrong.

Andrew nodded at the mixed-race girl in front of him, his eyes twinkling slightly, but his expression didn't change.

"Well, it's getting late. Go ahead and go to bed early," he said to Savannah gently.

Elisa looked a bit more dejected when she saw how he cared about Savannah.

"Well, you too. Be careful on the road." Savannah took Elisa's arm and waved him bye.

Andrew got into the car and drove away.

Elisa stood riveted to the spot and gazed at the car as it disappeared out of sight.

"Elisa?" Savannah raised her hand and moved it in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, nothing." Elisa quickly withdrew her eyes.

"I saw you staring at Andrew. You don't know each other, do you?"

"No!" Elisa quickly denied, her heart racing. "I'm just trying to tell if Andrew is a bad guy."

Savannah pinched Elisa's face gently and laughed.

"Don't worry, Andrew is the young master of the Caffrey family. Our families have known each other well. He's not likely to have any evil intentions for me. He started to manage a company at the age of sixteen while he was still in high school. He's not a dandy."

"Savannah, he seemed to impress you favorably. You... Didn't you say you're not interested in him?" Elisa asked tentatively.

"Andrew's a nice guy, actually," Savannah said softly. "I didn't have much contact with him before, so I didn't know him well. When we had dinner tonight, I felt he was very talkative and interesting."

"You... Didn't you just want to use Andrew to inspire Mr. Sterling to express his affection to you? You won't choose Andrew at last, will you?" Elisa was startled.

"Don't worry. Andrew and I aren't there yet. But I don't mind making another friend, and by the way, he invited me out again tomorrow... Tell me, shall I dress up before I go? I seem a little too casual today..." Savannah looked down at her dress.

Elisa's heart sank with Savannah's words. For a moment, she was almost suffocated with depression.

Savannah seemed to be considering further development with Andrew.

Well, it was she who suggested Savannah go to dinner with Andrew... It felt like she pushed the person she liked to someone else herself.

Regret crept up on her mind.

No. She shouldn't think that way. Savannah was her best friend. She should be happy to see her happy. How could she be jealous?

"Elisa?" Savannah, seeing that Elisa remained silent, pushed her gently.

Elisa took a deep breath, trying not to think too much. She put her arm around Savannah and forced a smile. "You look great in everything! Let's go in first."

When they got back to the dormitory, Savannah took a shower and went to bed.

Elisa turned off the light and left herself in the dark, unable to sleep.

Although she told herself that she should bless them if Savannah decided to be together with Andrew, she still felt sick at heart.

She remembered the first time she met Andrew four years ago.

It was her first trip to America.

On that summer vacation, her father, an archaeologist, was going to remote mountains in Minnesota for archaeological work. She was so excited that she worried about her father bringing her together.

Archaeological work was dangerous and exhausting. One day, when her father went deep into the mountains to try excavations with his colleagues, she secretly slipped into the beautiful forests.

She found all beauties of nature in the mountains. The breathtaking scenery and rugged landscapes attracted her to go further and further into the forest until she accidentally slipped into a natural chasm.

Fortunately, Elisa was adventurous and had some basic ability to survive in the wild, and calmed down quickly. She tried to scramble up, but the rough stone wall was too sheer for her to climb. She screamed for help, but she went too far, and no one was around.

Helpless and exhausted, Elisa had to sit on a stone to save her strength and wait for help.

Her father would come to look for her when he found she was missing.

But she underestimated the vast area of the mountains. As the sun was beginning to set, there was still not any trace of a passerby.

It was getting dark.

She was cold and hungry, and at last, she began to feel frightened and sleepy.

When she was too weak to keep awake, she heard footsteps above her head. She thought that her father had come to look for her, and with the last of her strength, she cried out in Italian.

"Papa, I'm here! Help!"

But as the footstep stopped, she looked up and saw the face of a young man in his early twenties.

From that moment on, the face never disappeared from her memory.

The man was Andrew.

Andrew was dressed in a climbing suit, with a staff in his hand and a heavy backpack on his back. It seemed that he was attracted by her cry for help. He bent down and saw the girl in the chasm.

She gazed at the man under the stars.

The man was so good-looking, just like the Prince Charming she had dreamed of since childhood.