The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

What the heck was he babbling about!

“I’m stiff as a board, can’t dance a step.”

Azriel would have none of it. “Just do the Bunny Hop.”

Phoebe froze for a moment, then her entire face suddenly turned beet red. “I… I don’t know how.”

Azriel reached over, grabbed his phone, and after a few taps, the familiar yet foreign tune filled the hospital room. The moment the intro hit, Phoebe wished the earth would swallow her whole.

“You… you…” She glared at Azriel, her face so hot she could probably cook an egg on it.d2

Out of all the songs in the world, why on earth did it have to be this one? She had been the butt of the joke in her family for years because of that dance.

Back in the day, she had performed it at a school event, showing off to her grandparents the day before. Everyone had clapped and praised her, except for one good-looking boy who had dismissively said, “It’s alright.”

To a child, there’s only pretty or ugly. She couldn’t accept such a lukewarm review, so her confidence took a nosedive, and on the following day, she was pushed on stage unwillingly and ended up crying through the entire routine.

She remembered the intermittent laughter from the audience and couldn’t understand why they found joy in her misery.

Little did she know, the performance was recorded and her grandparents had shamelessly flaunted it every chance they got. People would bring it up even now, years later. She wouldn’t be surprised if the video was still floating around online.

Why was this embarrassing memory resurfacing here and now?

“You really can’t dance?”

Azriel was undeniably bored and just looking for a laugh at her expense. Seeing her blush with mortification, he persisted, phone in hand, “Let me find you a tutorial video. You’ll pick it up after one watch.”

“No!” Phoebe shot out her hand in a stop sign, “No, no, no, no! I… I can do it, I just can’t do it well, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dance.”

Azriel arched an eyebrow, nodded, and after swiping on his phone for a bit, he said, “Alright, let’s see it then.”

The music from the phone started again. Phoebe, with her eyes closed, took deep breaths until the crucial moment when, resigned to her fate, she opened her eyes and started her stiff, awkward dance moves.

The sight was cringeworthy, and it made Azriel look like he had a twisted sense of humor. Once wasn’t enough; he had her do it a second time, and Phoebe was grinding her teeth.

You build up a tolerance for embarrassment, she thought. If at first, the prospect of dancing your most embarrassing dance alone in a hospital room made you want to vanish into thin air, by the second round, it felt like no big deal.

as she was mustering her resolve, the door

blankly at

Jace was frozen at the entrance, hand still on the doorknob,

hands poised like bunny ears atop her head, knees bent as if ready to bounce. Dressed in simple jeans and a knit burnt orange sweater

gaze flipped between her and Azriel, who typically wore an air of aloof detachment but

he had received not long ago, Jace suspected that Azriel had anticipated

calm as she downed two glasses of water, her eyes glaring through the clear glass at the man

entered, and his face

gaze, Azriel’s cool eyes met hers. “What

bit her lip, set down the glass, and shook her head, “Nothing. Since you guys have business,

some documents,

just as she was about to escape, Azriel’s

then turned with a forced smile, “Okay,” she said before slipping out and softly shutting the

Azriel out, and the embarrassment from earlier came flooding back. Her cheeks burned with shame as she grimaced, covering her face as

the room, Jace briefed Azriel on the Alonso family’s latest antics and the mishap at

to “sell” Phoebe off, especially during

Harper family a lot lately. Someone must’ve tipped her off, or else

that tip-off, she would

Jace felt a

seeing Phoebe enjoying ice cream despite the

got too much fire inside. This is literally

help but find it slightly amusing. He paused before adding, “Anyway, Ms. Alonso, it might be better to eat

looked up at the hospital

Reminded like this, she suddenly felt her stomach

by Azriel’s side, and had missed breakfast altogether. Thinking about it now, she must be on the brink of

the ice cream she held in her hand, she quickly took a bite. The cold rush gave her a shiver, and with a twirl of her deep brown eyes, she grinned at Jace and said, “I might need to take care of Mr. Azriel for a few more days, so I need to get a sense of

sweeping across the hospital

was just an accident. It’s not about my cooking skills, it was the instant

noodles, taking the

lunch, he guessed he might as well do as she asked. “Alright, I’ll have someone bring the food over to

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