MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Chicago.

The Caffreys had a heated argument.

"No, I don't agree. Aren't there any good girls in Chicago? I don't want that Italian girl to be my daughter-in-law! There will be communication problems." Andrew's mother, Mrs. Caffrey, smacked the fiat of her hand on the table and spoke the words with iron decisiveness.

Andrew and Mr. Caffrey looked at each other, filled with helplessness.

Ever since Mrs. Caffrey learned that her son had an Italian girlfriend, she had been unhappy.

"Mom, Elisa spoke English very well. Didn't you talk to her the last time she visited you? You won't have problems in communication, your only problem is lack of communication," Andrew said, desperately.

"Yeah, we're not inflexible people, are we? What does it matter if your daughter-in-law is not an American? Besides, Elisa's grandmother is American, and to be exact, she's not a foreigner." Mr. Caffrey also helped his son.

"You should not marry her," Mrs. Caffrey was still finding all sorts of excuses. "Regardless of that, the girl doesn't have a good family. Her parents had divorced, and she grew up in a single-parent family. It must have an impact on her, and she might have psychological problems! Is her father an archaeologist? That's not a very serious job. My daughter-in-law, at least, should be a noble lady! Such a girl is out of my league!"

That, Andrew knew, was the real reason why his mother didn't like Elisa.

To put it bluntly, it was about family.

His mother had her heart set on a well-connected daughter-in-law, preferably one from a big family in the town.

She was upset when he suddenly got back his girlfriend in a different walk of life from Europe.

Andrew took Elisa home when she was on a trip to the US.

Mrs. Caffrey looked ghastly when she saw Elisa, but she kept polite and didn't embarrass her at that time.

Only after Elisa had left did Mrs. Caffrey express her dissatisfaction, but she didn't say much, thinking that her son might have been just playing around with that girl.

But today, Mrs. Caffrey became furious when Andrew said that he wanted to propose to Elisa.

"It's me getting married, not you, mom," Andrew said with a determined expression. "I love her, and that's enough. I just came back today to inform you of my decision. Whether you agree or not, I shall marry her and only her."

Then he turned and left.

"Andrew!" Mrs. Caffrey rushed over but was grabbed by her husband.

"What are you doing? Stop him, or he's going to see that girl again!" She shook off his hand.

"Andrew is a man, not a three-year-old kid. What's the point of stopping him now? Forget it!" Mr. Caffrey laughed wryly.

"What do you mean? Will you let that Italian girl be our daughter-in-law?" Mrs. Caffrey snapped.

"Elisa's a nice girl. She's lively and smart, and more importantly, Andrew likes her..." Mr. Caffrey whispered. He didn't think accepting Elisa as their daughter-in-law was a bad idea.

"Shut up! What do you mean? Why are you speaking for others?" Mrs. Caffrey raised her voice to a roar.

Seeing his wife angry, Mr. Caffrey dropped into an ingratiating smile.

"How could it be? You're my wife..."

Although Mr. Caffrey was the President of a big group and head of the Caffrey family, he had always been a bit of a hen-dog. Mrs. Caffrey had a say about everything in the family, especially about her son.

When his wife had cooled down, Mr. Caffrey added, "But you'd better not interfere in Andrew's feelings. He has a say about his marriage, and you'll only make him more rebellious by forcing him to leave that girl."

Mrs. Caffrey frowned. That was true. The more she interfered, the more she pushed his son to that girl...

Then her eyes lit up.

* * *

Elisa knew Andrew's mother didn't like her.

On that day, when she went to Andrew's home to visit his parents for the first time, she made full preparations and tried her best to please them.

But she could see the discomfort in his mother's eyes. It was clear that Mrs. Caffrey didn't much want Andrew to be with her.

Because of this, she didn't stay at his home but left after dinner.

Andrew had planned to let her live in his home during her stay in the US. But now, how could she embarrass herself by living with his mother, who didn't like her at all?

She insisted on staying in a hotel, and Andrew, not wanting to make her unhappy, arranged her in the hotel owned by his family.

After that, Elisa never went to his home again. She knew that Andrew was under pressure from his family, and Mrs. Caffrey still didn't accept her. But every time she asked him, Andrew spoke in a relaxed tone, telling her that he would win his mother to their marriage sooner or later, and she would know how good she was.

Elisa knew that Andrew was only saying this to comfort her. Mrs. Caffrey wanted a noble lady of a good family as her daughter-in-law, and her view could not be changed easily.

At noon this day, Elisa was chatting with Savannah online in the hotel when the cell phone rang.

The caller was Mrs. Caffrey.

On the phone, Mrs. Caffrey said that she had a party at home in the evening and she invited Elisa to have dinner together. The driver had been sent to the hotel to pick her up.

Elisa was surprised, but she felt a little happy at the bottom of her heart. She thought Mrs. Caffrey accepted her after these days, and then she said that she would go together with Andrew when he came back.

But Mrs. Caffrey said Andrew would go home directly after work.

Elisa could not refuse anymore. She hung up, got dressed, and went out of the hotel. The car from the Caffrey family was already waiting for her at the entrance.

They arrived at the Caffrey family in fifteen minutes.

Elisa was taken to the sitting room by a servant.

"There you are." Mrs. Caffrey's voice came over.

Elisa looked over. Mrs. Caffrey came down the stairs, accompanied by a young lady with long curly hair.

The lady was in her twenties. She was wearing a pink lace dress and a valuable pearl necklace.

She helped Mrs. Caffery down in a quiet affectionate manner.

As Elisa wondered, Mrs. Caffrey took the girl to her.

"Mrs. Caffrey, how are you doing?" Elisa reacted and greeted her.

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Dearest Lovies,

Today is mass release day. I'll be adding volume two, and it's a standalone novel yet almost the same genre for this one, reason? It is to cover the privileged benefit for those who purchase the privileged chapters. If you haven't seen any update coming, kindly remove this book from your library and re-add it again, you don't have to worry about access to those premium chapters you've purchased earlier as it will remain to be accessible. 

The sequel of this novel which all about the young Greta Sterling, will be posted late this year. I will give an announcement at the end of this novel for that sequel. Thanks for the love & support. Each coin you use to purchase the premium chapters has changed the lives of those less fortunate people who were the beneficiary of all my charity works. 

From the bottom of my heart, a million thanks!

Love you all,

Anna Shannel Lin