The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Noah’s body jolted, his gaze froze in an instant.

“Come on, Noah, don’t let Ella’s sacrifices be in vain. She wanted you and the Trettons to be okay. Just do it for her.”

“Where did she go?” Noah spoke as if Jon’s words had never reached his ears.

Jon silently stared at him.

Noah clenched his fists, his thin lips quivered, a ring of red encircling his eyes. He persistently repeated those few words. “Where did she go?”

No response came, his hoarse voice repeating the unchanged phrase. “Where did she go?”d2

Jon’s eyes shut almost in resolution.

Noah’s adam’s apple bobbed, “Dad, I’m begging you.”

Jon suddenly shuddered, his eyelids fluttering before snapping open.

“Ella did nothing wrong, it’s all on me. I’ve let things spiral into this mess. How can I live with myself using her life as a stepping stone?

“I can’t do what you call letting go, that’s not letting go. Dad, I can’t let Ella leave. There’s no one else in this world who’ll love me like she does.

“I know I messed up, but letting her go is an even bigger mistake. I need to make it right. I need to take care of her. I can’t stand the thought of her being with anyone else. What if someone breaks her heart?”

Considering the possibility, Noah’s throat worked violently, his voice ragged beyond recognition. “She loves me. She must be heartbroken without me. Dad, she must be crying right now. I have to find her. Dad, please.”

Jon slowly opened his eyes, wincing as if stabbed by the thought. His son, once proud and strong, now knelt before him, a picture of desolation and desperate pleading.

Ella was crying. Yes, she was crying.

Despite her calm expression during their last encounter, her eyes were red, her voice trembled, and every word she spoke seemed to exhaust all the strength in her body to restrain the emotions on the verge of collapse. So, he left just to give her space to vent her emotions.

She must be crying now.

He still couldn’t forget the profound sadness seeping through her stubborn gaze. Nor could he erase the image of her bending over in pain, clutching her chest, as he looked back after walking away. Tears, unstoppable, slid from his eyes.

“It’s all your fault… all your fault…” Jon gripped his cane with all his might, his trembling voice breaking into sobs.

“If only you had shown half of this resolve from the start, Ella wouldn’t have suffered so much. It’s all your fault. You hurt my Ella, forcing her away from me time and time again. You don’t deserve Ella, Noah. You just don’t.”

Tears streamed down Jon’s face, and the butler rushed to his side for support.

Only now did everyone understand that Jon had been holding up all this while.

Worried about the Trettons, concerned for Noah, but even more for Ella, Jon didn’t want anyone to be hurt, yet in the end, that was exactly what happened.

Jon was torn. Back then, he didn’t object to their relationship, yet not optimistic about it either.

Putting aside their familial connection, Jon didn’t think Ella being with his son, a man cold and calculated, concerned only with profit, was a good thing. But who knew Ella would harbor such deep feelings for Noah?

Moreover, the current situation was crafted by his own son, deemed clever by everyone.

“You’re the last person who deserves forgiveness. It’s all on you.” In a sudden motion, Jon raised his cane, striking Noah again and again with unforgiving force.

Noah’s eyes shut tight, teeth clenched, silently bearing the relentless beating.

The commotion drew airport staff, who, after failing to intervene, could only watch as the cane fell repeatedly on the man kneeling on the ground.

The onlookers grew in number, but Jon showed no sign of stopping. It wasn’t until the butler saw blood oozing from the corners of Noah’s mouth, his dark shirt gradually soaked, that he anxiously grabbed Jon’s hand. “That’s enough, sir. If you keep this up, he won’t last.”

Jon thrust away the butler’s hand with a forceful swing, the finely carved boxwood cane snapping in two.

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

Noah, unable to hold back, groaned, a cough bringing up more blood.

“It’s because of you. All the hurt is because of you. You’re the least deserving to be with her. My Ella, so kind and sweet.”

Jon tossed aside the broken cane, the butler steadying him, his arm trembling uncontrollably. “Get out. Just get out.”

Noah’s throat worked, the metallic taste suppressed, as he staggered to his feet, gripping his knee, his search relentless and nearly obsessive. “Where did she go?”

“I won’t tell you. If you can find her, do it. If not, it just proves your bond was never meant to be.” With those words, Jon had finally spoken his piece.

Noah nodded, silently moving past his father, weaving through the crowd, and entering the airport lobby. His steps went from shaky to erratic, then purposefully striding, searching desperately for something in the vast hall.

His assistant caught up from behind, and Noah grabbed his arm like a lifeline, his voice tinged with urgency. “Help me find her, quick. Help me find her.”

The assistant was inwardly shaken; today’s Noah was something he couldn’t have fathomed. “Mr. Noah, please, take it easy. I’ll check the counter for Ms. Ella’s flight. Just please calm down.”

a moment of clarity returning. “Thanks,

Noah’s rare moment of panic, his focus solely on finding Ms. Ella’s whereabouts. “Mr. Noah,

a bloody imprint where his arm

Mr. Noah’s shirt was stained with the blood that had blossomed from the

the extent of pain Noah was enduring at that moment, but one thing was crystal clear to him.

claimed was true, Jon would never have come close to beating his son, his pride and joy, to death for someone with the heart of a

to death upon learning

likely taken on the

on Ella’s flight. The country she was headed to was nowhere near where she had been studying. She was resolute

nation upon landing, switch to different means of travel, or perhaps even end up in some godforsaken corner of the earth? Might she even

frantic panic was

ago. The assistant relayed this to Noah, who shot up and

mingling with the pallor of Noah’s face, the pool of crimson below, and the blood still dripping from his arm, the

book it.” His expression was resolute,

assistant pulled out his phone

*

In the era of instant digital news, it was

sordid affair with her uncle and announced she was

followed was Noah’s pursuit to the airport, where his father confronted him outside the terminal, leading to the

it all on video, adding fuel to

the Tretton family’s adopted grand-daughter wasn’t telling the truth at

one of Ella’s conversation with Paul at a diner before she met with Rebecca. Linking the timing and events,

Rebecca. Was she pretending to be a saint in front of a man, but showing

deliberately provoking Rebecca at

the Tretton family and

heartless traitor she was made out

*

of the airport café’s second floor, Cicely propped her chin on her hand, her slender fingers tapping idly on her cheek as she watched the two

swept over his bleeding arm and settled on the calm, handsome man opposite him. Her brows arched slightly. “If this keeps up, your buddy

glanced down casually before returning to Cicely’s delicate face. His lips parted,

down at her cup and

you wanted to try the airport coffee? All this way

you more for the trek here? Should I

for the cup, holding it gently

Chloe

being bothered by me than

barely affect me. It makes your

his palm playfully. “You think we’re close? Then perhaps you should do her more

fell silent. Was this the world’s most unsuccessful

woman even need

had brandished an unpublished expose to coerce him into meddling in the Tretton family affair, even dragging Cicely into the

for the Tretton family, and now she had managed to seize leverage over his own

Cicely tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I see you look troubled. You really

“Is that so wrong?”

I said I

broadened. “I’d

him, trusted him, and that was more

“And?”

a plane to B Country, but he might die in a

say

*

even Noah, with all his wealth, could convince a single passenger to give up their seat for

his complexion shifting from a pale, sweaty pallor

mustered the courage to touch his forehead that the scorching heat transferred to the palm sent a shiver down his

eye on the departure board. Make sure they keep looking. I need that

was waning, his voice

time loomed closer and no news of a canceled ticket came, Noah, against his assistant’s advice, took matters into his

no matter how

their people in B Country to monitor Ella’s movements. Once she landed, they would intercept her as planned.

night. Noah hadn’t reached the car when

*

Noah was whisked from the terminal to the

Rebecca investigated another matter—perhaps seeking an answer for herself, or maybe looking for a reason. When Rebecca found the answer, she laughed mockingly, yet

had faced the media that afternoon, Rebecca addressed the

merger of interests. There was no love between us. I was escaping a failed romance, and he was avoiding someone he shouldn’t be involved with. Our mutual self-assurance brought

me the right to initiate the annulment. Because of this generosity, I found him tolerable at our first meeting. Unfortunately, I never found true love, but he ultimately surrendered to

For someone as outstanding as him, marriage was never a necessity. He feared the consequences of his feelings

before me. If it wasn’t him today, it might have been me tomorrow or next year. It was just a matter of time.Books