The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

When Boyd caught sight of Yasmine the next day in the same spot as before, he breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for sure she would pull a Houdini on him—vanish to avoid the awkwardness. Thankfully, she hadn’t.

But as he exhaled, his heart wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels of joy. With her eccentric way of thinking, she probably had bigger fish to fry than dodging him. What that was, though, remained a mystery.

Yasmine was a lone wolf, never leaving a sliver of opportunity for anyone to get close. Boyd was much the same. Even when girls from his class tried chatting him up, he’d leave them hanging without a second thought.

Over time, they had become two distinct fixtures in the classroom landscape, much like in their childhood. Except now, they no longer spent hours trying to read each other’s minds.

Life marched on in an orderly fashion, with the occasional novelty, but nothing that stirred the waters too much. Their interactions were like parallel lines—never meeting.

Derek thought Yasmine would show some different colors around Boyd, but the outcome was a letdown. That woman was as immovable as a mountain.d2

Two people who had known each other since they were tots, not exchanging a single greeting in months—unbelievable.

The place where Boyd and Yasmine actually had a proper conversation wasn’t in the school where they could easily bump into each other but in the library, a mere four or five stops away from school.

The library was a legend in P City, unrivaled in its reputation.

Boyd only agreed to come because, well, it was the library. Otherwise, he would’ve stayed put—the school library was a fine spot in its own right.

Disinterested in the ground floor’s leisurely sweets, he went straight upstairs to find a book. After picking something at random from the finance section, he was about to settle down when he spotted a glass-enclosed corner near the leisure area windows. It was brimming with potted plants, basking in sunlight, with a simple set of table and chairs in the center.

No one was at the table, and it looked like a cozy spot. He pushed open the glass door and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw a cream-colored plush carpet spread out on the floor by the window, with a couple of beanbag chairs. There was someone comfortably settled in one of them, their hair falling languidly over the blue fabric. They were turned away from him, supporting their head with their hand on a propped up elbow. Just as he noticed, they were nonchalantly flipping a page. Sensing an intruder, the person on the beanbag instinctively looked over, hair shifting aside to reveal a face that had become all too familiar to him recently.

Her hair was down, adding a softness that wasn’t there when it was usually pinned up high.

Yasmine paused when she saw Boyd, her indifferent eyes halting briefly before she looked around nonchalantly. “You seem to be lost,” she said, turning her head back. “Don’t forget to close the door on your way out.”

But the door didn’t open or close after that.

Yasmine sighed, placed a bookmark in her book, and closed it, flipping over on the beanbag to look at Boyd, who had made his way to the center of the glass room. “What do you want?”

Boyd eyed her languid form. “Are you planning to ignore me indefinitely?”

Yasmine raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from her milkshake beside her.

“It’s not like I have much to say to you.”

“You don’t have anything to say to me?”

She gave him a once-over and smiled. She stood up from the beanbag and sweeped her hair back from her forehead, only to let it fall back, partially covering it again. Her eyes had a mocking glint.

Boyd pressed his lips together, knowing this was the reaction he’d get from Yasmine.

“Yeah, nothing, na-da.”

her quietly. “How have you been these

snipping away excess

“I thought you’d continue pretending not to

did consider it, but it seemed

petals with a spray bottle. “Talking to strangers, I manage a few words. If I treated you as a stranger, I wouldn’t be able to avoid you. So, now that I have the chance, I need to make it clear to

“Is it so bad that I can’t even

nodded calmly. “Even though I now find it a bit childish and laughable to still be bothered by something that happened at the age of ten after nine years. But, you know, it has

Worse than strangers. It was

am I supposed

something, there was no turning back, no room for compromise.

to be a stranger to you, nor do I want a relationship worse than

looked at him, her brows

for the past. I apologize. But you could at least

they were kids. He lowered his gaze to hers. “Everyone makes mistakes, so they all deserve to be forgiven—at least once. That’s only

moment, then chuckled. “Don’t you think those words

expression remained even. “I

“What if I disagree?”

you’re being honest with me today because you’re afraid of an endless tangle

muttered, “I never thought that in nine years, you’d turn into

a smile. “You

Yasmine snorted. “Who knows?”

pause before Boyd

the book from the beanbag. “What

I’ve never seen him around you. As far as I know, Bryson has always been the one looking

speaking, “Can’t

“You’re living together now?”

“Uh-huh.”

by your side all these

are you getting

her for a while and finally shook his head, “Just curious about how your

“It’s been good.”

a curt reply, Yasmine closed her book, her tranquility disrupted, her mood soured. She reached for her milkshake, but there wasn’t much left, and it was lukewarm

followed her, “Let me buy you that

Yasmine didn’t respond.

to be persistent, she felt that any word from her would be a

floor, where Yasmine suddenly switched

at her, “I’ve been seeing

today,” Yasmine sighed, as if resigned, “Can’t afford to put

four words caught Boyd by surprise. So she cared about the same things

seat,

“Boyd?”

next table, with long hair, smooth skin, and a slender figure that screamed innocence and charm. At that moment, those clear, inquisitive eyes were fixed on her, filled with