The CEO Gets What He Wants

Hand in hand, they walked past the work area and elevators until they were out of the office. As soon as Avery was seated comfortably in the car, Cayden turned around and lit a cigarette, his brows furrowed ever so slightly.

Even though the cold night breeze was blowing against his handsome face, it did little to affect the warmth spreading throughout his body.

Cayden had noticed Avery since his teenage years, just as he was experiencing the surging hormones of puberty. He remembered glancing at her from the basketball court and realizing her petiteness sparked his desire to protect her. At that time, not only had her figure not developed properly, but she also looked somewhat malnourished.

However, as the days went by, all Cayden could think about was the small, malnourished girl from his neighboring class. Despite being surrounded by pretty, curvaceous high school girls, none of them caught his interest.

As it turned out, students in small towns were more open-minded than those in the bigger cities. Teachers remained wary about the puppy love between teenagers but weren't as strict about it as their peers in Ackleton. Therefore, it was hardly surprising that the thought of dating Avery had once crossed the mind of a young and impulsive Cayden.

One Friday evening, Avery was on her way home from school when the latter decided to follow her.

She seemed to have a lot on her mind, to the point where she didn't even realize Cayden was behind her. Then, just as they were nearing her house, he overheard some people gossiping away.

“Old Mr. Rumpley joked about marrying Ery off to my son once he's all grown up. Ha! Even if my son can't get a wife, I'd never let him marry that girl from the Rumpleys.”

“Ery doesn't look like her father at all, so I suppose she must resemble her mother. If that's the case, they'd also be similar in many other ways!”

“Exactly! I'm sure she'd grow up to be a brazen little hussy. Who would dare marry a woman like that? What if she leaves her marriage to run away with some rich man? Her poor husband wouldn't even know what hit him!”

“Oh, you know what else? Just the day before, my son told me that Ery is already like a little vixen at school! She's been on the prowl for rich male classmates and getting them to pay for her food and drinks!”

That was the day Cayden finally realized why Avery never smiled.

Her neighbors didn't even care about passersby overhearing them, so if Cayden could hear their conversation loud and clear, there was no doubt she would've heard it too.

Eventually, it was also because of those remarks that Cayden tamped down his urge to act on his feelings and decided against dating Avery.

However, it wasn't that he wanted to shun her like the others did or thought that she'd follow in her mother's footsteps and grow up to be a sleazy woman.

Instead, Cayden was worried that his appearance might cause Avery's neighbors to spew even more nasty comments. That would be the last thing he wanted for her.

After all, a teenage girl should have a pure and innocent image. Who was he to mess with it?

Besides, Cayden's family background was complicated, and he had no lack of money or power. He had already finished learning all the university courses, so he chose to lie low in a small town as a high school student. He had witnessed how unkind the townsfolk could be, and while he wasn't afraid of rumors, he knew Avery would be deeply affected.

Unlike him, Avery was meek and diffident. She always kept her head down while walking, which was why she never knew Cayden had his eyes on her. Even the teachers and principal had noticed the latter's unwavering gaze, yet the girl remained blissfully unaware.

Later, Cayden learned that Avery's father had bought a house in Ackleton and married another woman. As for why he hadn't taken his daughter along to live with him, Cayden was utterly clueless. He was merely an outsider, and no matter how powerful he was, he still wouldn't be privy to such private information.

Naturally, Cayden wanted nothing more than to whisk Avery away. That wish grew stronger every day, but he knew things wouldn't be as easy in reality. If he wanted to leave with her, he'd first have to overcome the resistance from both their parents.

After all, if two youngsters who were yet to be independent wound up together, society would mock them for willfully eloping.

Neighbors would compare Avery to her mother and scorn her for being a wanton woman who only wanted to be with a rich man.

With all that in mind, Cayden had no choice but to give up the idea of taking Avery away. He became even more determined to step into society and work hard so he could one day be the latter's pillar of strength.

The only condition he had was for Avery to have blossomed into adulthood.

She was five years younger than him, and Cayden would never forget how long and arduous the wait was.

At the age of nineteen, he frequently went to his friends' homes to drink, and it was inevitable to stumble upon pornographic films. When he first learned about the acts of intimacy between men and women, he shut his eyes guiltily as sinful thoughts of Avery flooded his mind.

From then on, the desire to make her his only grew stronger with every passing day.

Alas, when the fateful incident happened that same year and caused Cayden to lose all self-awareness, his grandfather promptly took him out of school. Feeling numb to the world, Cayden did as instructed and left town.

Years later, after achieving independence, the first thing he did was send someone to protect Avery secretly.

More importantly, Cayden's long wait was over; Avery had finally become an adult.

After entering high school and moving to Ackleton to live with her father and stepmother, Avery was still far from being happy, but at the very least, life had improved by leaps and bounds for her.

Not only did Leonardo treat her well, but her schoolmates in Ackleton were also on friendly terms with her.

One day, the man tasked to watch over Avery hurried back to Trident Group, saying there was a male university student who seemed very close to Avery.

In fact, she had even visited his house during weekends because she was classmates with his sister.

Unfortunately, before Cayden could find out more about the guy and his intentions, he received news the next day that Leonardo had liver cancer.

He then made a beeline to Avery's school when his meeting ended and saw her walk out after classes; her head hung low as silent tears ran down her cheeks.