The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

If she could have it her way, Yasmine wouldn’t even think about attending graduation. If it weren’t for the avalanche of regrets that might follow, she might have really skipped it.

Walls have ears, they say. The whole school probably knew about her losing the baby. Even the old gardener tending to the backwoods was likely in on the gossip. Showing up at graduation meant she’d be the center of attention.

She loathed those pitying stares, but what could she do?

Nobody dared approach her with questions or snide remarks, but getting pregnant before graduation was juicy gossip back then. Wherever Yasmine went, people would instinctively steer clear, and the whispers weren’t exactly kind.

Derek, who attended the same school, saw this and was no longer his usual easygoing self. With furrowed brows and a cold demeanor, he wrapped an arm around Yasmine and pulled her close.

It was almost like marking his territory.d2

Yasmine glanced at him, “Not bad, learning to protect a lady now, are you?”

“Shut it, how much less of a man can I be in your eyes?”

Yasmine smirked, “Right now? Very manly.”

Their interaction surprised everyone. What? When did these two get together? They were known to be close, but this fast? Yasmine’s rebound speed was something else.

When Boyd arrived, all eyes were on him again. Yasmine was taking photos, clearly at Derek’s insistence. She never liked being in front of the camera unless necessary. But there was Derek with his camera, occasionally snapping candid shots of her. She was suddenly in the mood, or maybe she felt like humoring Derek, so she smiled for the camera.

“Wanna join me for a shot?” She invited Derek.

Derek paused, scanning the surroundings. At that moment, someone handed him a bouquet of vibrant, bold roses. He accepted the flowers and approached Yasmine, “Hold these and take a picture with me.”

The bouquet was big enough to cover her upper body. Many at the ceremony received flowers, but a bunch this size turning heads as it made its way through campus was something else.

She sniffed the roses, “Getting more romantic, aren’t we?”

Derek shrugged, “Like it?”

Yasmine raised an eyebrow and beckoned him over with a gesture. He leaned in, and Yasmine plucked a single rose, kissed it, and pressed it to Derek’s lips. “I love it.”

Derek stiffened up. Kissing didn’t have to be this extravagant. He handed the camera to a classmate and pulled Yasmine close, posing for several shots.

Boyd stood nearby, struggling to contain himself. He might have stormed over and whisked Yasmine away if not for his restraint. Still he couldn’t help approaching them, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Yasmine glanced at the camera’s photos. The roses were quite the scene-stealers. Handing the camera back to Derek, she caught sight of Boyd standing before her, his aura cold and dark.

the crowd, their indifferent silence speaking volumes. Raising an eyebrow, she had no intention of pretending she didn’t know Boyd, especially in front of people who knew they’d been

“Something wrong?”

remained silent, just

to celebrate the end of my academic life.”

turned to leave

Boyd grabbed Yasmine’s wrist.

on the ground, finally cooled down. She turned to face him, her voice

but his grip tightened. Yasmine laughed coldly, raised her other hand, and slapped Boyd across the face. The slap echoed sharply, followed by gasps from

pulled her wrist

the roses from the ground, brushed off the dust,

some distance, “Are you sure it wasn’t just

I wanted to. But I needed a reason. He’s not worth the trouble over past

your life philosophy, shouldn’t the

the car door, “I won’t hit him over the past. He’d love for me to get angry over it. Why should I give him that satisfaction? I’ll let

car door for her, shivering,

got into the car, “So remember, don’t get cocky. Mess with one woman, fine; mess with several, and

in too, “Where are

you be

He nodded in agreement.

We’re not going home

car’s tail hit the vehicle behind. Derek was stunned,

mischievous, “Just us two

surveyed her up and down. “You’re not serious,

back, resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at him. “Maybe give

a piece of paper and tucked it under the windshield wiper of

—

graduation for the world. Even with a noticeable baby bump, she didn’t hesitate to go to school. The thought of

no trace of Boyd. When she asked Boyd’s assistant, the assistant was clueless, badgered persistently by her until finally divulging that Boyd had booked a room at a hotel. What the assistant didn’t reveal was that Ms. Yasmine

—

Boyd beelined for the bar. In the afternoon, the

the moment he had pulled the trigger on her, through the news of her miscarriage, to the present, he had

he had

know what he

Now, whenever he blinked, he saw the radiant roses in Yasmine’s arms, her smile while nestled in another man’s