Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

It was Ted. Joshua's face darkened instantly.

But the next moment, he calmly answered, "Mr. King."

Hazel stiffened slightly.

"I've considered what you said before," Ted said in a deep tone. "If you can improve the relationship between Simon and me, and that woman is really pregnant with your child, I can accept… that child."

With a chill in his eyes, Joshua coolly said, "Mr. King, I didn't expect you would daydream."

Ted was exasperated. "Joshua, this is what I can only do!"

"Then we don't need to have any further discussion on this matter," Joshua said, his chill deepening. "Congratulations, Mr. King. You've lost two sons."

"You...!" Ted was very furious, but Joshua hung up before he could say anything else. In an instant, Ted's face darkened. Joshua was so tough that Ted couldn't communicate with him normally.

"What's the matter?" Hazel asked with the puzzle.

"Nothing." Joshua's face was very glum.

She raised her fist to pound his chest angrily. "You said you'd never hide anything from me!"

He sighed helplessly. "Hazel, I was afraid you'd be unhappy."

"Say it, say it. What did your father say?" She urged, completely ignoring his words.

"He said… he would accept our child if I could ease his relationship with Simon." His face darkened, and he finally spoke.

"I see..." She frowned slightly, lost in thought.

He cocked his eyebrows slightly. Although he had put it mildly, Hazel should have understood that Ted could accept only children of the King family but couldn't accept her.

This trick was really sinister. If Joshua agreed, he would have to force Hazel to separate from her child. This was their child, who Joshua couldn't ignore. Then Ted could successfully tie Joshua down with the child. Even if the bond between Joshua and Hazel were very firm, there would be bad blood between them because of the child over time which would gradually destroy their relationship.

Hence, Joshua would never say yes to Ted's request.

"Hazel, don't let your imagination run wild," he said solemnly. "I will never agree with that. I love you, and I love my child. I will protect you and never let Ted take the child away from you."

"Joshua," she said, looking up, "I don't think things are as bad as you think."

"Huh?" He frowned tightly and looked at her nervously. "You don't mean to… agree to his terms, do you? I disagree! I know you're worried about my safety and don't want me to do anything drastic. But I will never sacrifice my wife and children for my own sake!"

She was amused and moved. The anger she had for he had hidden almost everything from her all dissipated.

Joshua did everything for her, and maybe sometimes he did it the wrong way, but she should never question his feelings for her.

"Don't worry, I won't agree to such inhuman terms," she added, reassuring him with amusement. "However, I don't feel that there is no turning around. In fact, both you and Simon are too repelled by Ted, so no matter what he does, your first thought is how to fight him."

His frown deepened. "He who can think of such an idea is not very kind to you."

"That is because he is thinking things over for his own son from a father's point of view," she said.

"Hazel Crowe," he said, looking unhappy, "Why do you keep defending him?"

"I didn't mean to defend him." She explained, holding his hand lightly and shaking it habitually, "It's because I don't hate him as much as you do, so I can discover what you can't. Joshua, in fact, Ted has compromised."

His eyes flashed with surprise.

"I'm surprised that he is willing to accept our child," she said. "After all, in his opinion, you're so excellent, and you wouldn't lack women who can get pregnant for you. So to him, even if I'm pregnant with your child, the child is dispensable. His acceptance of my child shows that he cares about your thoughts."

"Can this be considered a compromise?" He sneered.

"He can refuse to compromise if he wants to," she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "As long as he is willing to make a little concession, he will make more concessions. But, Joshua, you used to be a great negotiator. Don't talk to him with too many personal emotions. Just treat him as the other side you want to negotiate with. You should know better than I do how to achieve what you want, right?"

He was in a daze.

Hazel's words made sense. He was too defensive against Ted to perceive this and think this way, but as a bystander, Hazel saw it clearly.

Joshua was a little confident in forcing Ted to agree to his terms if he considered Ted his opponent in front of a negotiation table.

Just then, Joshua's phone rang again. It was Ted again.

"Answer the phone." She winked at him. She believed Joshua knew what to do now.

He nodded and picked up the phone.

"Joshua!" Ted growled. "Do you want me to get someone to take you back to me?"

Joshua cocked an eyebrow. With Hazel's warning, he suddenly realized that she was right. Ted threatened him with that kind of talk, but it wasn't threatening at all. However, it seemed Ted was too mad to find it.

"Let me kindly remind you that you need to dispatch more men." There was a chill of alienation in Joshua's voice.

"What do you mean?" Ted was vigilant instantly.

"Well, I'll make it clearer. Simon and I have reached an agreement, and you should be aware of our purpose." Joshua said slowly, "When your men come, they'll need to face the people from the Denmark Group and the organization. Of course, even if you don't dispatch anyone, Simon and I will come to you soon. But… I don't think you like to see us then."

In a flash, Hazel's eyes widened. She looked at Joshua in disbelief. What was wrong with Joshua? Why did Joshua sound like he wanted to go to war with Ted after Joshua heard what she said?