Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Crystal walked out of the VIP ward and into the white marble-tiled corridor. The corridor was very long, and the nurses' station was at the end of it, around the corner from the elevator. As Crystal approached the corner, she happened to overhear four nurses gossiping. She heard Nathan's name, so she slowed her pace to hear more.

The first nurse had her phone open so that everyone could see a picture of a good-looking man. "Who is he?" the second nurse asked.

"Don't you guys watch the news?" the first nurse scoffed. "He is only one of the wealthiest bachelors in the city! Here, I'll show you another picture of him.." The nurse swiped left, and a second image appeared.

"He's hot!" the third nurse agreed, "but he's nothing special. Almost all of the upper-class bachelors around here are hunks. Doesn't the media have anything better to report on?"

"It's newsworthy because it has to do with the popularity ranking list," the first nurse explained. "This is a picture of Anthony Johns. He's the son of that catering tycoon, and he's in fourth place." She pulled up another image. "Third place goes to Owen Lane, the leader of the cultural industry. He looks quite scholarly, right?"

The other girls smiled lustily and nodded their heads.

The first nurse brought up a new image and said. "This is Alex Smith. He's in second place. He's the son of the motor industry mogul/real estate magnate. But do you know who's number one?"

"Who?" the nurse asked.

"I'll give you a hint," the first nurse said. "He is amazing, good-looking, and his family made their fortune founding banks and the securities field. Can you guess?"

When none of the other nurses replied, the first nurse pointed to the VIP room at the end of the hall and said, "It's Eric Bush."

The third nurse gasped and said, "Wow!

He's hot! Even in traction!" The fourth nurse hadn't spoken until now, and the other girls were startled when she did.

Her name was Maggie, and she was typically too shy to join in conversations. Maggie's face turned pink as she spoke. Finally, she said, "Forget about those four. They're old news. There is an even wealthier bachelor, but he isn't on the list. if I tell you his background, though, I'm afraid that you guys will all be frightened."

The first nurse: "Really? Is his background that terrifying??"

The second nurse: "Who on earth is he, and how do you know so much about him? Is he one of your relatives?"

"I wish he were," Maggie replied. "If he were, I wouldn't have to work here with you guys. He did go on a blind date with my cousin, though. You could call him 'Handsome,' a 'hunk,' or say that he is 'good-looking, but none of those words would do his looks justice. There are no words that could describe his looks. He is a bit of a recluse, though. Few people have seen him."

The first nurse: "Is your cousin Amy Fowler the hostess of the TV station?"

Maggie: "Yes! That's right! And if you saw them standing together, you would think they were made for each other!"

"Since he is so well endowed, why does he need to go on a blind date?" the third nurse asked.

Maggie shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'll have to ask Amy about that the next time I see her. Anyway, I think it's about time I told you the man's name." Maggie paused for a dramatic effect. "His name is Nathan Davis. He is the CEO of Brilliant Group."

The second nurse: "Brilliant Group? Wow!

That company is a big deal!"

Crystal did not listen to the rest of the conversation. She didn't understand the upper class, and she wasn't interested in their lives. She had only slowed down because she'd heard Nathan's name, and she was surprised to discover, not just that he was famous, but that he was dating some rich television hostess. I will have to question him about this tonight - thought Crystal.

Crystal was about to press the button that would summon an elevator when Richard suddenly stepped out of Eric's room. When he saw her, he grinned like an imp, raised his hand as if it were a gun, made a triggering motion with his thumb, and made a sound that imitated  a word that can be read as a gun firing; "BANG!"

Richard's neck was wrapped in gauze, and he was wearing a hospital gown. From across the room, he shouted at Crystal: "Little beauty, it seems that we were destined to meet again. I hope you didn't think that I would forget about what happened. Enjoy what time you have because when I get out, playtime will be over."

Crystal chuckled. "Do you think you can manage to hold your bladder next time?" she asked.

Richard scowled and made a mock lunge in Crystal's direction, and when she didn't flinch, his face turned red from anger and embarrassment.

Crystal rolled her eyes at him with disdain as she pressed the button to summon the elevator. She had no interest in getting into an argument with him. After all - It takes an idiot to argue with an idiot.

The elevator arrived almost immediately. When its doors opened, Crystal walked in with her head held high, and as she was leaving the hospital, she received a text message from Serenity. It said: "Hey, Crystal! You've been gone for a long time. Is everything okay?"

Crystal: "It's all good. I had to walk Eric to the hospital, though, which was a real pain in the ass. He is in traction and has to stay at the hospital, so at least he won't be bothering me for a while. It's a Cervical dislocation."

Serenity: "I thought he's faking..."

Crystal knew that Serenity's conclusion was right, but she just played with Erick's game.

Crystal: "Me too... I'll talk to you about it more when I get to school. Okay?"

Serenity: "See you soon."