The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Phoebe had a knack for being unreliable in front of Azriel, but when it counted, she showed she cared.

Twenty-four hours later, a bowl of soup and an assortment of delicate side dishes were placed before him right on time.

After unwrapping the cutlery and handing him the spoon and fork with both hands, she beamed with a grin: “Starving, aren’t you? This is from The Lucky Spoon, the soup everyone’s dying to try. It’s tough just to get a reservation. It’s delicious, give it a try.”

Azriel glanced at her coolly, taking the cutlery from her expectant gaze. “Scared now?”

The smile Phoebe was trying to keep up on her face stiffened, and eventually, her shoulders slumped as she hung her head and averted her eyes, her apology coming out straightforward and sincere. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

“Better think of how to make amends.”d2

Phoebe shivered involuntarily, for some reason that sentence sounded to her more like “Better think of how to face your doom.”

But then again, it was her fault he was in the hospital. She could at least own up to that.

Watching Azriel begin to eat, his movements slow and refined, he hardly looked like someone who had starved for a full day.

*

When Azriel finished eating, he turned to see the girl on the couch had curled up and fallen asleep.

The room was set to a comfortable temperature, but it was winter after all. Frowning slightly, he got up, cleared the food containers off the table, opened the closet near the door, and took out a blanket. Walking over to her, he gently covered her with it.

The lights in the room were bright, and perhaps it was the rarity of being this close to a girl, or maybe it was just how peaceful and well-behaved she seemed in her sleep, or maybe he was curious about how much that quirky, lively child had changed over the years, but with a mere glance at her face, his brow furrowed sharply.

Her skin was glowing, her features fine, her sleeping form attractive, but beneath her eyes were faint shadows, and her forehead bore the clear signs of fatigue.

What caught his attention even more were the reddened corners of her eyes, a few long lashes clumped together from moisture, glistening under the light.

They had been together all day. She had been playing pranks heartily just hours ago, and had just admitted her faults to him with feigned obedience. And yet, in such a short time, she had cried herself to sleep.

He had been completely unaware.

Jace had said about her running off to a villa that no longer housed her grandparents, after Abelard’s birthday party. If he hadn’t just returned to the country, cleaned up the villa, arranged for heating and paid the electricity bill, she would have spent the night alone, curled up on the couch.

Then she was startled by him, the unexpected “intruder,” and all the hassle that led to the police station and then the hospital.

Through all this time, he hadn’t heard a peep from the Alonso family about looking for her.

With this thought, his expression grew darker. A young lady of good standing was nearly violated by a fool in a calculated scheme, and now, there was not even a pretense of concern from anyone.

No wonder, Damon had suddenly decided to take action against the Alonso family.

He hadn’t understood the decision at first, but now it seemed necessary and entirely correct.

*

Waking up the next morning, her first instinct was to glance towards the hospital bed. It was empty. She frowned, sitting up from the couch, the blanket falling to the floor.

She paused, then picked the blanket up.

Azriel emerged from the bathroom, having changed out of his hospital gown into a crisp, black suit. His tall, lean figure, impeccably dressed, his handsome face expressionless, detached yet commanding. Merely standing there, he exuded an aura of authority that demanded respect.

This was the first time Phoebe had seen Azriel in formal wear. Their first encounter had been in his pajamas at the police station, the second in his hospital gown. Now, confronted with this imposing version of Azriel, she was struck by how outrageous her actions the day before must have seemed to him.

Azriel, adjusting his cuffs, glanced at her briefly and said in a detached tone, “Awake?”

responded awkwardly, then added, “Are you being

His response was cool, yet he acknowledged her, “Get washed

and entered the bathroom. She came out just as Jace

“Ms. Alonso, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

had only washed her face, strands of hair by her

the basics of skincare, she looked like a flower just emerged

crossed paths, and Jace’s gaze lingered on Phoebe’s face

The stern, calm voice sent a shiver down Jace’s spine, prompting him to quickly carry the

on the couch, watching

He didn’t look up, but it was clear

and sat down a short

you back to the villa. You should rest

paused, “Since

forget, you’re

Phoebe was speechless.

butler and two maids, learn from them. You

to go

villa 24/7, just make sure you’re there for dinner

off to the side, couldn’t help but hide a smirk. Was Azriel courting disaster? After a near-death experience,

maid thing…

finally

*

apparently informed the butler in advance, and the man showed no surprise upon

rest . And he told her to feel free to

in the clouds, especially since they were related to some distant royal cousin in Y Country. Most of the servants had been

the butler and the

a collection of skincare products lined up. They were from the brand she had settled on for the past years, perfect for

herself, so someone

the efficiency of butlers nowadays become

her hair, she curiously opened the wardrobe to

silent. She

She had thought of evading her responsibilities

spend the afternoon perfecting

*

back in the evening, the butler

he glanced around the living room, the butler said with a smile before Azriel could even speak, “Ms. Alonso is in the kitchen

eyebrow and headed to the kitchen. As he approached, he saw faint wisps of smoke drifting from the top of the doorframe, carrying a charred

found Phoebe clad in a blue and pink apron, brandishing a spatula in one hand and a pot lid as a shield in the other, squinting and occasionally coughing as

she gritted her teeth, resolved herself, and dumped a pinch of

let out a sigh of

with the spatula, dusted off her hands,

Azriel was speechless.

could she

was he wrong? Could anything in

as a shield and

caught a glimpse of him. “Azriel, you’re back! Come and try this,

pause

mind, go wash up and change, quickly. I’ll serve up the

first time, Azriel

the smoky battlefield that was the kitchen, and was at a loss for words. Watching Phoebe humming tunefully as she plated her creation, the housekeeper quickly

*

took Azriel a good half hour to come downstairs. He recognized the dish on the dining table

with her plate in hand, eagerly picking up