The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Cicely took a moment to digest his words— Her slap hadn’t landed, so he wasn’t seeking justice for Danielle. She supposed she could reluctantly accept that answer.

“Figured out how to make it up to me yet?”

Seth glanced at her coolly. “I didn’t make you mad.”

“Use the excuse of bringing me homework to check if Danielle was being bullied by my grandad, use me as a cover to care for another girl, and you think I shouldn’t be mad?”

Seth fell silent, walked over to the car, and tapped on the window. “Pop the trunk.”

The driver complied, and the trunk slowly opened.d2

Seth walked over, bent down, and pulled a box from the trunk. As he opened it, he said in a deep voice, “Come here.”

He didn’t look up, and it wasn’t clear who he was speaking to.

Cicely approached. She saw him rummaging through a first-aid kit and instantly understood. A smirk tugged at her lips.

Watching Seth take out a bandage, Cicely arched an eyebrow and said, “Is this your way of making it up to me?”

He shot her a glance, took her hand, and applied the bandage to her wrist.

“The Diaz family’s business has always been under your dad’s wing. I wouldn’t want him to find out I’ve upset his little princess and have him take it out on the company,” Seth explained.

“So you really are trying to butter me up.”

Cicely’s wrist was slender, and the bruise-reducing bandage wrapped around it neatly. She waved her arm in the air, a playful smirk on her lips as she looked up at him. “Don’t want my dad to see it?”

Wasn’t it more obvious now?

Seth pressed his lips together, silently packing up the first-aid kit, but Cicely stopped him. She picked up another bandage, tore off the wrapper, grabbed his hand, and placed it on the back of his hand. “Courtesy demands reciprocity.” It was where she had hit him with the book earlier.

After a glance at the haphazard wrapping, Seth let his hand hang, closed the first-aid kit, and shut the trunk, staring at her impassively. “All good now?”

Cicely raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. I got hurt because you were protecting her. Isn’t it only natural you make it right?”

She flaunted her wrist in front of him. “I’m thirteen, not three. You can’t fool me that easily.”

Seth’s gaze swept over her face, past her shoulder, landing on the books she had thrown to the ground. “Still don’t want your homework?”

Cicely turned and saw the scattered books, frowning.

“Speak up.”

“What’s there to say? I threw them out, and now you want me to pick them up?” She’s not going to embarrass herself.

Seth simply walked over, bent down, and picked up the books, methodically packing them into a bag. “I’ll have someone return your stuff later. You don’t need to come tomorrow.”

Cicely’s face darkened again. “You wouldn’t do that!”

Seth remained silent, opening the car door.

his grasp. Cicely stood holding her backpack. “Learning is my own business. Why should I let my education suffer because I’m mad at you? Tomorrow’s the final

through her words and turned to run away. Her gaze swept past Danielle, still standing there in a daze, her

disappear into the distance, his gaze

Danielle’s eyes flickered. “Seth.”

looked at her calmly, waiting

want to skip a grade

“That’s something you should discuss with the

pleading. “Won’t you even ask me

“That’s your business.”

tone was flat as he got into

hands. “I just got back to the Ellis family, and I don’t know how to approach them with a request yet, but I have to skip a

you sure you have to make trouble for

up in her

you have to

swirled in Danielle’s eyes, stung by Seth’s words. “Seth, I’m

any of them. Now, even Seth, her most

lips pressed into a thin line. Without answering her question, his cold gaze fell on her hand on

cold enough

in her hand, with a spread-out workbook

she saw Danielle return, Cicely lazily

on Cicely’s attempt

from the coffee table, the first time she’d called Cicely by name

nut to crack. Nothing seemed to faze her, with her aloof and superior demeanor that had turned away many who might have wanted to

made it seem like a waste of time to get close to her. Despite her gentle, affectionate name, her personality couldn’t be further from it. Yet,

her, but she knew the seriousness likely meant trouble.

hands were clenched tightly, trying to hold back the turmoil within as

chuckle, “So what? You want to

something they were just beginning to grasp, the edges of understanding blurry and strange. They knew the words—the labels—but they were just that: terms to be read and ostensibly understood. Actual

other woman’ was an indisputably derogatory one. Cicely’s blunt words had left Danielle

we’re going to be living under the

Danielle was speechless.

obviously ridiculous,” Cicely said, her laugh ringing out as she twirled a pen into her messy bun. “You don’t fancy me, and I surely don’t fancy you. So the whole confession

never said he fancied you.” Danielle protested.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay

to him, didn’t I?” Cicely’s smile cooled as she rose

the end result is to my satisfaction, I’m not

pure possessiveness. It isn’t love. And he’s not going to let you push him

I fancy him. If he loves me,

course, she wanted Seth to love her back. But if he didn’t, she couldn’t just let him walk away, could she? At the moment, she hadn’t

irrefutable. She fancied him, and having him near was enough. Certainly better than

two have been living together, but from the moment I declared him mine, he’s off-limits to

like that? Stay with you even if he doesn’t love you? Cicely, you’re spoiled. Not everyone is part of the Ellis family. Have you ever thought about what you’d do without the

“I’ll cross that bridge when

family ever not exist? It was there, backed by her father, and someday it would be

know that Danielle’s

Cicely visited the Diaz residence. Patty was home, lounging on the sofa with a spread of snacks on the coffee table. She greeted

Patty said casually, as Cicely

faint smile. “How’s your study going? Jumping straight into the seventh grade,