Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Crystal turned to go, But Eric grabbed her wrist with his right hand. "Wait," he said. "I have something for you." Eric let go of her wrist, and then he took a choker and a pendant from his pocket. The pendant was a glass eagle with extended wings, and the choker was made from black leather. Before Crystal could react, he reached forward and clasped it around her neck.

Crystal stepped back with a frightened expression on her face. She touched the collar and tried to remove it, but it would not come off. "What the fuck?" she growled.

"You won't be able to take it off," Eric explained. "It is locked, and I have the only key."

Crystal: "But why?"

Eric: "As long as you wear it, you are under my protection."

Crystal: "I don't need or want your protection, nor will I wear your collar. I am not a dog that you can lead on a leash - and if you don't take it off, I will figure out a way to get it off on my own!"

Eric: "You'll regret it if you do."

"I doubt it." Crystal laughed. She turned to Serenity, and she was about to say that it was time to go, but the words caught in her throat. While she'd been arguing with Eric, her friend had taken a seat, and now she was eating. On her plate, there was a salmon steak, asparagus, and basmati rice. "You traitor!" she hissed.

Serenity looked up, and there was a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "But look at this food! How can you resist the temptation? You are a stronger woman than I am."

Crystal: "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Serenity: "I'm not, though; this meal is fit for a queen. It is the first time I have eaten anything so fine. If I didn't seize the opportunity, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life!"

Crystal frowned and said, "Fine, you win." Then she went and sat beside her friend and began to eat. Eric had already eaten, and while he watched the girls, he texted back and forth with Antony.

Antony had picked Eric up from the hospital in a pink Lamborghini. It was one of two models that had been built. They were designed explicitly for Eric, and now there was only one in existence. He'd smashed the other into a van the previous day.

Antony was waiting for him with the car in the parking lot. After the meal, Eric planned to bring Crystal outside and present the car to her as a gift. The car was full of helium balloons. When the door opened, the balloons would fly out and create such a romantic scene that Crystal would be overcome by Eric's chivalry - that was the plan. He still hadn't figured out how he would get her outside.

Eric took another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and began to leisurely smoke. He felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and smoking helped him think.

Suddenly his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He'd received another text message from Antony. It said: "How are things going? Should I send someone in to drag her out by force?"

Eric: "That shouldn't be necessary. I should be able to get her out of her own volition."

Antony: "Master Bush, do you think she is playing tricks with you? Women like to play tricks on men. It is in their nature. They can't even help it."

Eric: "I would love to be the victim of one of her tricks!"

Antony: "What if she already has a boyfriend?"

Eric frowned and put his cigarette out on the table. He thought for a second, and then he wrote: "So what if she does? If she were married, I would destroy the marriage to get her. That is how badly I want her!"

Antony: "Your words shock me. Crystal is an 18-year-old girl. There is no way that she's married. That being said, she may have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, I couldn't find out more about her throughout my investigation..."

Eric: "Once this business is over, can you arrange to have her followed. Apart from the limited knowledge we have that she is an orphan and that she comes from a rich family, we know next to nothing about her past. But there is no reason why we can't bring ourselves up to date by tracking her present course."

Antony: "She wouldn't like that..."

Eric clenched his fists when he read Antony's message, and it took all of his strength to keep his anger in check. He looked at his phone, reread the message, and wrote: "I DON'T CARE!!!! JUST DO IT." Antony's protective attitude towards Crystal was starting to get on Eric's nerves. I will have to address that - Eric thought unhappily. Antony was in Number One, and he took no pleasure from reprimanding him.

Suddenly, Serenity turned to Crystal and said, "Once we're done eating, I'd like to get some fresh air. We still have some time before class starts. Do you want to join me?"

Crystal thought about it for a minute, and then she smiled. "I think that's a great idea," she said.

When Eric heard this, his heart nearly jumped for joy. Finally, his prayers had been answered!

He nodded to the girls and said, "It has been nice spending time with you both, but I should get back to the hospital."

****

There was a flower garden in front of the school, and several benches were placed in and around it. Students went here when they needed some peace. Within the garden, there was also a series of interconnected paths.

"Everything is so beautiful here," Serenity said. She knelt to pick up a flower and held it up to Crystal. "Here, put this behind your ear. I'll take a picture."

Crystal scowled and said, "I'd rather not. You know that I don't like taking pictures."

Serenity put the flower behind Crystal's ear anyway and snapped a picture. Then, she laughed and said, "That one's going to Professor Davis!"

Crystal's brow furrowed. "What's with you today?" she asked. "This is the second time you've betrayed me today!"