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.

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 exam, and you’d better stay home

and turned to run away. Her gaze swept

his gaze lingering on Danielle. “Aren’t you going

Danielle’s eyes flickered. “Seth.”

at her calmly, waiting for her

to skip a grade

was unreadable. “That’s something you should discuss with the Ellis

lip, her eyes pleading.

“That’s your business.”

as he got into

don’t know how to approach them with a request yet, but I have to skip a grade. Next semester, I’ll talk to them, but I hope you can tutor

sure you have to make trouble for

“Trouble?” Tears welled up in

you have to do everything

eyes, stung by Seth’s

and although they were supposed to be her family, she didn’t know any of them. Now, even Seth, her most trusted person, seemed to be drifting away from her. All alone, she truly didn’t

brow twitched, his lips pressed into a thin line. Without answering her question, his cold gaze fell on her hand on the door handle. “Let

voice was cold enough to shatter a

sofa, holding a pen in her

she saw Danielle return, Cicely lazily shifted her gaze toward

her eyes. Thinking back on Cicely’s attempt to hit her outside, Danielle still felt

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

to crack. Nothing seemed to faze her, with her aloof and superior demeanor that had turned away

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

formally address her, but she knew the seriousness likely meant trouble. Her posture unchanged,

back the turmoil within as she said, “I’ve been with Seth longer than

You want

blurry and strange. They knew the words—the labels—but they were just that: terms to be read and ostensibly understood. Actual experience with love was a

derogatory one. Cicely’s blunt words had

going to be living under the same roof for the foreseeable future, does that

Danielle was speechless.

messy bun. “You don’t fancy me, and I surely don’t fancy you. So the whole confession thing is

he fancied you.” Danielle protested.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join

smile cooled as she rose

the end result is to my satisfaction, I’m

isn’t love. And he’s not going to let you push him around, he might not even fancy you, let alone

why I’m possessive. It’s enough that I fancy him. If he loves me, great; if not, I’ll make him say he does every day. Love’s just a word, right? As long as he’s with me, does it

her back. But if

irrational proclamation. Yet, as unreasonable as Cicely’s words were, they were irrefutable. She fancied him, and having him near was enough. Certainly better than

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

at Cicely. “Do you really think he’ll indulge you like that? Stay with you even if he doesn’t love you?

scoffed dismissively. “I’ll cross that bridge when

Ellis family ever not exist? It was there, backed by her father, and

did she know that Danielle’s offhand retort would

the sofa with

Patty said casually, as Cicely approached the

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