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.

background. The Mintons—owners of P City’s largest private hospital, with their

beyond reproach. Even as her identity became fodder for the internet, criticism was scarce. The public was

Noah and

about. Some even approached Ella with cryptic congratulations

Ella settled into a seat in the

on her lips, and nodded

“What is?”

on

pause, Paul

nodded, her

a moment. “What’s on your

smart, how did he never see my blatant attempts?

Paul furrowed his brow.

*

Friday afternoon, Noah phoned Ella to pick her up for a trip back to the family

a simple blue and white striped sundress that accentuated her delicate collarbone, adorned with a red pendant necklace that set off her fair

with a smile, then turned her gaze to his car. The smile on

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 hand resting on the

a few seconds, she quickly adjusted her

smile

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

make Noah jealous,

romance—such a wonderful age. With your smarts and looks,

few.”

you have plenty of

studies. Romance can

when he suddenly cut Rebecca off with a cold

exactly do you plan on dating if

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

each other, the girl will

ended up in a heated debate, but

Ella took a moment to ponder before

pressed into a thin line. He remained silent for the rest of the journey. Ella, too, just

seemed Noah had given his family a heads-up because they showed no surprise

trailing behind Rebecca, who had already looped her arm through Noah’s,

pace, Ella couldn’t help but admire

the robust laughter of Jon filled her ears. “Have

her ease and grace clearly winning Jon’s

took a seat on the

drew her gaze away and stepped through the foyer into the living room,

gesturing

“Yep, I have.”

sharp eyes stayed fixed on Ella’s face, searching for any sign of distress before pulling her to sit next to him. “I saw in

Ella will be free

many times they intended to remind her of this event,