Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

By the time Crystal arrived at the university, she had missed the first class, and the second class was nearly finished, so she waited for Serenity in the cafeteria. Once they were together, they greeted each other warmly, and then a very serious expression appeared on Serenity's face.

Crystal frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really," Serenity replied. "I just keep thinking about the accident. I have this nagging feeling that things aren't quite what they seem. Does that make any sense?"

"I have the same feeling," Crystal admitted.

She wanted to tell her friend about Richard, but she didn't want to make her any more worried than she already was. "Anyway, let's go get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. I feel like a hungry best this time and ready to have a portion of good food to fill my tummy,"

Serenity nodded, but just as they were getting up, Crystal's phone rang.. "Hold on," Crystal said as she pulled her phone from her pocket. It was Evan Henry, her half-brother. Why is he calling? - she wondered. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted the call. "What do you want, Evan?"

Evan: "I have something to tell you. Where are you?"

Crystal said, "I'm at school, at the 2nd Canteen." That's curious - she thought as the line went dead in her hand.

The canteen was busy over the lunch hour, and it was very loud. There was the clatter of people eating and talking and the sound coming from the flat-screen televisions that were mounted around the room. Crystal looked up at the nearest screen and was greeted by Amy Fowler's smiling face broadcasting from the newsroom of whatever station she worked at. Crystal frowned as she stood up.

"Evan Henry's looking for you?" Serenity asked.

Crystal: "Yeah. He's going to meet me here. I don't know why..."

They made their way through the line, and when they got to the protein, Crystal pointed out the steaks and said, "You should have one. They're delicious!"

"Come on," Serenity scoffed. "I'm not a pig.

You're such a schemer! It would be best if you wanted me to be fat. But look, my clothes barely fit me. You're as thin as a rail, though. You should have the steak, and I'll stick to my salad!"

Crystal shrugged and asked the cook to add steak to her tray. Then she turned to Serenity. "Why do you care so much about your figure?" she asked. "Who are you trying to impress?"

Serenity: "Come on. Girls should treat losing weight as a lifelong career."

Crystal chuckled. "YOLO!"

"YOLO, my ass!" Serenity grunted. They made their way to the cashier, paid for their food, and returned to their table. They began to eat, and when they were about halfway through their meals, Evan appeared in the doorway of the cafeteria. Serenity saw him first, and she waved him over.

Evan was wearing a suit and a pair of leather shoes, and he had his jacket hung over his arm like a true gentleman. He sat down beside Serenity so that he could face Crystal. He scowled at her steak and asked, "Is this your lunch? It's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Never mind my food," Crystal grumbled.

"What I eat is my business. Just tell me why you're here!"

Evan smiled and said, "The Henry Group's stock plummeted this morning."

Crystal: "That's great, but so what?"

Evan: "Crystal, do you want to buy into the Henry Group? This is the best time for you to do it,"

Crystal: She raised her head and stared at him for a while and replied, "Yes. It looks like the company is in big trouble that causes the price to dump in the stock market,"

Evan: "Then now would be a good time to buy into it! There is no reason why you can't negotiate for a good price."

Crystal: "Negotiate? When Todd forced me to sign the waiver, he never negotiated with me! He even forgot that I am his daughter, or should I say, he never cared what would be my future at all,"

Evan: "Dad didn't deal with you fairly, but that was because you were trying to kill him!" Evan brutally reminded her of the thing she did.

Crystal: "It was Henry who wanted to kill me first!"

Evan: "We did not, and Todd was a Father to you!"

Crystal: "He wasn't, though! He may have put up the genetic material, but that's all he's ever done for me! At no point did he ever do his duty to me as a father."

Evan: "As long as Henry's family blood runs through your veins, Todd is your Father, and no amount of ill will can change that."

Crystal: "If I had a choice, I would have a complete blood transfusion. Todd's blood makes me feel dirty."

Evan realized that the conversation was going nowhere, so he tried to change the subject. He said, "Anyway, are you willing to give up the acquisition?"

Crystal ignored the question, turned to Serenity, and asked if she was ready to go. Serenity nodded, and they stood up together, gathered their trash, took it to the garbage bin, and made their way towards their next class. Despite the drop in the price of shares, Evan's speech could not convince Crystal to change her mind. This business between them wasn't about money anymore. It had become a personal vendetta.

When Crystal and Serenity entered the classroom, they were blinded by the light coming through the windows. They shaded their eyes with their hands and quickly found their seats.

****

In Brilliant Group HQ - After the meeting, Nathan returned to his office. He received an email notification just as he sat down, but he ignored it because he assumed it was work-related. Andy was right behind him, and once he was seated, Nathan said, "Make a separate table for the UAV plan we discussed in the meeting. I need it by the end of the day."

Andy: "No problem."