MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Half a year later, Greta was admitted to UCLA among the top of the whole grade.

She chose to study Business Administration.

Her aunt suggested she choose what she was interested in, but she had been used to doing what Barzini allowed her to do and didn't have a say about what she liked. When she learned that her grandpa had devoted his whole life to the Sterling group, she decided to study Business Administration so that she could do some help in the group after she graduated. She knew very well, being a Sterling is a big family name that bears big responsibility. She accepted her fate to be an heiress since Kaiden and Sheila were still young to take the responsibility of running the Sterling Group. 

George was overjoyed at Greta's good results, and he was much moved when he learned why Greta chose the major. It was worth a grand celebration. After she received the admission letter, George held a three-day banquet in the best hotel of the Sterling Group, inviting their family friends and celebrities from all walks of life.

Greta didn't like to socialize, so she just attended the banquet together with her grandpa the first day and was absent for the other two days.

On the last day of the banquet, Greta was reading in the study at home when the phone rang.

It was a month before school started.

She wanted to preview her college courses before the beginning of the term.

"Grandpa?" She answered the phone. Her grandpa was supposed to be entertaining guests at the hotel at this hour.

There was some noise, and George's voice was light and upbeat.

"Greta, what're you doing? If you're free, come to the hotel now, and I'd like to introduce a new friend to you. He's the son of my old friend and a few years older than you. Oh, he graduated from UCLA last year. I'm sure you'll be good friends."

Greta laughed. Grandpa was still not discouraged and began to introduce friends to her again.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry, But I really don't want to go. I haven't finished the book I'm reading." She excused herself.

"Greta, the Stewart family, and our family are old friends. They migrated years ago and returned home especially to attend the banquet for you this time. If you don't like that boy, I won't insist, but at least you should come and say hello to them, okay?"

Greta, with reluctance, could only agree, "All right, I'm coming,"

"Well, dress up before going out," said George excitedly.

"Dress up?" Grandpa had never given her such directions when he introduced new friends to her before.

"Well..." George seemed to swallow something and laughed. "After all, you are the star of the party, of course, you should dress up."

Greta didn't think too much. After hanging up, she changed and took a taxi to the hotel.

Entering the hotel, she made her way to the banquet hall. She knew the way when she came here on the first day.

After a few steps, she heard Dylan and Savannah whispering at the door of the banquet hall.

Greta was about to say hello to her aunt and uncle when she heard them chatting,

"Is dad really going to introduce General Stewart's son to Greta?" It was Savannah's voice, sounding curious.

"Yeah," Dylan affirmed.

"Greta isn't eighteen yet. She's still at school. Dad doesn't have to arrange a blind date for her until she graduates." Savannah smiled helplessly.

"He wanted them to meet first. It takes time to develop a relationship. If everything goes well, they can get married after she graduates. Greta's been on her own. Dad wants more people to love her," Dylan said.

"Well. Do you know the Stewart family?" Savannah was still worried.

"Don't worry, we've been family friends for generations. General Stewart's son must be an honest and upright person as his father," Dylan explained.

"But we don't know if Greta will like Stewart Junior..."

***

Greta paused and hid behind the wall.

No wonder grandpa suddenly introduced a new friend to her and asked her to dress up before she came.

He was not introducing her to a common friend but a boyfriend.

Luckily, she heard about it before she went in.

She turned and slipped out with a sigh.

She didn't want to say no to grandpa's offer, but she didn't want to have a blind date either, so she had to put it off. She doesn't want an early engagement with anybody. All she has in her mind was to focus on studying. 

She went to a nearby café and stayed there for a while. Her cell phone rang constantly. She knew it was grandpa, and she had to pretend not to hear it.

An hour later, when the banquet was almost over, she got up and went to a young woman, who sat next to her table with her boyfriend.

"Excuse me, Miss. Can I borrow your lipstick, please?" Greta asked politely.

The girl looked up at Greta, who was properly dressed and didn't look like a fraud. She took out a lipstick from the bag and handed it to her.

Greta opened the lipstick, applied it on her knee so that it looked bloody, and then she returned the lipstick to the woman. "Thank you."

The woman and her boyfriend eyed her wonderingly.

Greta left the café and returned to the hotel.

Across the road, she saw the guests coming out of the hotel in twos and threes.

She went leisurely. It was already empty in the banquet hall.

"Greta, why are you so late? Why not answer my calls? The boy I wanted to introduce to you has been waiting for you for a long time and just left," grumbled George reproachfully.

"Grandpa," she hobbled to George, relieved to know that her blind date had gone.

"What's the matter with your leg?" George looked down and saw a large red mark on her knee. "What happened? Cooper! Get the car ready, take Greta to the hospital!"