The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Noah had many friends, and in previous years, she used to stick close to him. Whenever Noah was roped into a new group chat, Ella was inevitably there as well.

Take, for instance, the old neighborhood crew—friends from way back when, the sort who grew up on the same block and trudged to school together. As time marched on, they’d all spun off in their own orbits, some landing in different cities, others hustling through the same ol’ town, but whenever a reunion cropped up, Ella would be there, mingling and melding with the crew as if she’d never been anything but one of the gang.

This particular group was a bit looser with their banter than most.

It was a Thursday night when Ella, fresh from a shower and cozied up in bed, noticed her phone buzzing with a barrage of messages from the gang. Amidst the chaos of notifications, her name was flashing in a bold, beckoning red.

Driven by curiosity, she tapped into the thread, only to be greeted by a chorus of congratulations for Noah.

She clicked on the message that had tagged her: [@PrincessElla, spill the beans! Who’s the lucky lady Noah’s snagged? Pics or it didn’t happen.]d2

Ella blinked in disbelief. Noah’s got a girlfriend?

Instinctively, she scrolled through the chat history and discovered that someone had shared their upcoming nuptials with a celebratory digital toast. After the initial wave of well-wishes, talk turned to the dwindling number of bachelors in the group, and naturally, all fingers pointed to Noah.

Bombarded with tags and probably fed up, Noah had blurted out a bombshell: [Not single. Don’t bother sending me wedding gifts under a hundred grand.]

[Damn!]

[Holy smokes!]

[The big shot at Visionary Productions keeping his love life under wraps?]

[Which girl has he charmed?]

[@PrincessElla, come on, give us the deets on your new auntie-in-law! Pics, please.]

The chat erupted with further tagging, congratulations, and a burning curiosity that only intensified with Ella’s cryptic response. Her fingers hovered over the screen for an eternity before she finally tapped out a message, forcing a smile through the digital divide, her fingertips trembling above the keys. [No comment, folks. But let’s just say she is quite the looker.]

Her playful deflection only stoked the group’s curiosity. In no time flat, Noah added someone new to the chat: [Any questions? Ask her yourself.]

A brief silence fell before the chat exploded again.

[Damn, the lady herself?]

[Really?]

[The Mrs.?]

[Hello everyone, I’m Rebecca.]

[Welcome to the family.]

[Pics or it didn’t happen.]

Ella quietly exited the chat, her mind replaying the image of the woman she’d seen at the mansion. Noah and Rebecca truly seemed well-matched.

The next day, Noah went public with the engagement.

Mintons—owners of P City’s largest private hospital, with their heiress Rebecca apparent holding a PhD and serving as a

theory, she could’ve snagged a senior position straightaway, but she chose to start from the ground up. Her actions were beyond reproach. Even as

that fateful night. Apparently, Noah and Rebecca had known each other for ages—a fact

school, the engagement was all anyone could talk about. Some even approached Ella with cryptic congratulations on gaining such

a seat in the multimedia classroom. Paul joined her

smile playing on her lips, and nodded before

“What is?”

crush on

a pause, Paul replied,

nodded,

a moment.

bitter laugh, Ella said, “I am wondering, if he is so smart, how did he never see my blatant attempts? And why did

Paul furrowed his brow.

*

pick her up for a

parked outside the school, catching sight of Ella through the car window. She was dressed in a simple blue and white striped sundress that accentuated her delicate collarbone, adorned with a red pendant necklace that set off her fair complexion. Her

goodbye to her classmates with a smile, then turned her gaze to his

she was doing quite well, although it was somewhat deliberate. However, when she instinctively put her hand on the handle of the passenger seat, the beautiful familiar face revealed by the slowly retracting car window still made her smile stiff for a moment. She instinctively looked at the driver’s seat, but all she could see was the well-defined

seconds, she quickly adjusted her emotions,

smile warmly.

soon as she was in, Rebecca turned around to chat. They talked about Ella’s major, her life at school, and then

games to make Noah

time for romance—such a wonderful age. With your smarts and looks, Ella, I bet

“A few.”

surprised. “Then you

her studies. Romance can wait,”

driving in silence when he

on dating if

everyone would go their separate ways. It is a waste of emotions and time, and it

they go their separate ways? If they truly love each other, the girl will follow the boy

the conversation revolved around her, it was Rebecca and Noah who ended up in a heated debate, but then Rebecca swiftly brought Ella

off-guard, Ella took a moment to

grim, his lips pressed into a thin line.

seemed Noah had given his family a heads-up because

stepped out of the car, trailing behind Rebecca, who had already looped her

a slower pace, Ella couldn’t help but admire the picture

entrance, the robust laughter of Jon filled her ears.

you, Jon,” Rebecca said, her ease and grace

a seat on the

stepped through the foyer into the living

looked up with a warm smile, gesturing her

“Yep, I have.”

stayed fixed on Ella’s face, searching for any sign of distress before pulling her to sit next to him.

“Yeah, during the summer break. Ella will be free then, and she

forced a smile, wondering just how many times they intended to remind her of this event, even timing it with