The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

“Sorry. I’m so sorry…” In a panic, she quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks burning with a deep blush.

Azriel stood up in silence, and Phoebe quickly followed suit.

Just as she was about to dash back to her room, feeling completely out of her depth, Azriel suddenly grabbed her hand.

Turning in surprise, Phoebe looked at him. Azriel lowered his gaze again, silent for a few seconds before looking up at her.

“Azriel…”

“Last night, that man had a decent appearance and demeanor,” Azriel spoke slowly. “He comes from a well-off family, quite popular at school, and has good character.”d2

Phoebe’s eyelashes fluttered, struggling to suppress the bitterness in her heart, “you investigated him? Last night?”

“He’s into you,” Azriel replied, not directly answering her question. “Of all the guys in school, he’s one of the best.”

The more she heard, the colder Phoebe’s heart became. She laughed, with a hint of sadness in her voice. “So what? If I bring him to you as my boyfriend for your approval, you wouldn’t have a problem with that, right?”

“He’s good,” Azriel said, but then he shook his head slightly, his grip on her wrist tightening suddenly, his calm and indifferent eyes becoming fierce. “But I won’t agree.”

Suddenly, he pulled her close, spinning her around and pressing her down onto the couch. Azriel bent one knee beside her, propping his hand next to her ear, leaning over her. “I’ve thought it over and over.”

He stared at the surprised and flustered Phoebe, his voice low, and his warm breath infiltrating her skin as if seeking every possible entrance. “Since you’ve agreed to let me have a say, does that mean as long as I don’t give the nod, you’ll remain single? Maybe someone even better than him will come along for you, but I still won’t agree to you two being together.”

Phoebe felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest, “Why?”

“Because I don’t want to.” Azriel gently brushed the hair from her cheek with his fingers, his knuckles lightly grazing her skin. “I don’t want to see you with other men, not even getting close to them.”

Under Phoebe’s astonished gaze, he smirked, a shadow of a roguish smile on his handsome face.

“Why would I push you away when I’m interested? I’ve been overthinking it. I’m far from a saint, so why have I been trying to respect you to the utmost, and to let you have your freedom, when it only makes me unhappy?

“Phoebe, if I was just a bit harsher with you, you’d have no choice but to stay by my side for the rest of your life. The fact that I paid three hundred billion to buy out your relationship with the Alonso family is enough? Don;t you think so?”

Phoebe couldn’t describe her feelings at the moment: anxious, shocked, delighted, and a sense of complexity that was difficult to articulate.

“Enough to be your servant for a lifetime?”

Azriel’s eyes narrowed, his hand pinching her cheek, “What are you playing dumb for?”

“So you’re interested in me? Like how you were with those women last night?”

“Are you curious about that?” Azriel looked at her with an ambiguous expression.

“Is that a problem?”

Azriel nodded, “Not in the slightest.” With that, he abruptly straightened up, then swooped down to scoop her into his arms.

Phoebe gasped in fright, clinging to his shoulders, “What… what are you doing?”

He merely glanced at her, “Answering your question.”

It wasn’t until she was carried to the guest room bed and he followed, covering her, that she truly began to panic. “Azriel.”

Her chin was grasped, Azriel leaning in close, “Last night, I was teased by Seth like that. Phoebe, you’re not without blame for it.”

“What?” Her nearly instinctive question was muffled back.

Phoebe’s mind went blank, her ears ringing. Inexperienced, Phoebe was left with nothing but wide eyes and a heart that seemed to have stopped for an eternity before pounding violently again.

were ground and pressed, then his forceful presence pried open her teeth, still parted in

Warm touches, intermingling breaths…

this man. She didn’t mind his touch,

down, she was relieved the game last night

she couldn’t fault him in any way, but if it weren’t for the fear of implicating

was good, but she didn’t

pushing against Azriel’s arm, gradually relaxed their grip, fingers curling to tightly clutch the sleeve

tensed body slightly, tilting her chin up, her lips timidly parting, daringly

paused, looking down at her. His dark eyes were

warmth,

a long moment,

at him, but the man chuckled again and kissed her, not just on the lips this time. His hand slid up

not stop because of her tension. In fact, he wickedly thought that her innocence and naivety, her lack of worldly experience,

unaware, he could easily have her. Only by fully

natural and inevitable to him, and he felt not

couldn’t bear to give her to someone else, he might as well spoil her himself. He hadn’t planned to go too

against his strong shoulder.

a husky whisper colored with unspoken desires, “When will you not be scared,

pondering for a moment, then shook her

then. Better to face your fears now than to be scared again next time,” he said with a chuckle that even he couldn’t suppress. It felt like a con, but a

nodded, her grip on Azriel’s hand firm yet shy, “Azriel, I like

back a groan

*

missed that

sunlight had turned golden with the late afternoon. She stared blankly at the sky outside the window, desperately recalling the

and covered her reddening cheeks. It had all been real. The possessiveness in Azriel’s

seen. A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes before she steeled herself. Even if it was just a fleeting desire for

“Woke up?”

herself, the door opened and Azriel’s calm voice filled the room.

small smile. He ruffled

still in a daze. “You

covering her with a bathrobe before she could react, then scooped her up and carried her out of the room. He set her down on the couch and handed her a glass of warm

spoke gently, then sat down beside

night, Phoebe couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. She obediently drank the water, and right on cue, the

handed her the utensils and glanced at

“You can go ahead with your work. I can take care of

didn’t respond but started eating as

accustomed to following Azriel’s instructions, managed to finish her meal within the allotted half-hour. “Do you need

her several shopping

of the bags – it was her favorite brand of

in simple jeans and a beige

glance, then took

to worry about the unknown future. She was content

but his expression darkened slightly, “I have

She didn’t understand but trusted him, “Where

*

filling out forms with a numb mind. It wasn’t until Azriel slid the completed forms to the clerk that she stiffly turned

smiled, “What do

“Marriage Application” on

a

not want to?”

shook her head, “But my

clerk chimed in with a smile, “Ms. Alonso, you can’t fill out

something, and sure enough, it was

gaped, “So, when you went out today, you went to the Alonso family