Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

When Christine heard that it was possible to mix a love potion, her face lit up. She looked down at Helen and said, "This is such great news. Where can I get it?"

"You can't get it," Helen replied sadly. "Sorry to get your hopes up..."

"That's a pity." Christine pouted and said, "Such a potion could have come in handy...." Then, seeing Helen on the balcony, one of the maids brought her a cup of rose tea. She accepted it with thanks, and then she said, "I haven't seen Nathan and Crystal for a while. Do you know where they are?"

The maid nodded and said, "They went out to the stables, and they've taken the carriage out. Perhaps they went to the hot spring..."

Christine's face darkened, and she said, "If they took the carriage, then they must have taken my favorite horse!"

"But that's your favorite horse!" the maid exclaimed!

"That it is," Christine agreed. Then, without saying another word, she walked back inside, put on her riding clothes, and grabbed the whip that was hanging on the wall.

The horse's name was Zeus, and it had been a gift from the Prime Minister to the Old Davis. But when Christine saw it, she'd begged her Grandfather to let her keep it, and eventually, he'd caved.

She often came to the manor to visit Zeus, and she seldom let anyone else ride him or use him to pull the carriage.

****

When they were done swimming, Nathan suggested that they unhitch the horses from the cart and go for a ride, and as relaxed as she was, Crystal thought that it was a novel idea - and so it was that they were coming over a hill when Christine spotted them.

Nathan was riding a black horse, which was his special riding horse. It had black fur with a white marking on the forehead, making it look noble and elegant.

Crystal was riding the brown horse, Zeus, which was Christine's special horse, and when she saw the other woman riding her horse, her ire began to rise. She brought her hand to her mouth and whistled.

When Zeus heard his master's call, he began to stomp and buck like crazy. Crystal quickly lost control, but Nathan rode up beside her and tried to reign Zeus in. It was useless, though. The wild horse would only listen to Christine, and he finally managed to throw Crystal off his back before long. Then he reared up on its hind legs and plodded on Crystal's body.

Crystal felt one of her organs burst, and her body began to seize.

Now that Zeus was free, he trotted triumphantly over to Christine.

Nathan jumped down from his horse and picked up Crystal, and the servants surrounded them. "Get out of here!" Nathan roared. His face was red, and the veins in his forehead were bulging. "Get out of here before I kill you!" He knew that some of them were only there to hinder his attempt to save Crystal's life.

Christine handed Zeus' reins to the servant, and then she came over. "Is she okay?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" Nathan roared. Crystal was still having a fit, and her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. "If she doesn't live, there will be Hell to pay! Now go away! Go and call the doctor!"

Christine nodded, and as she rode off in the direction of the manor, some of the servants began to reattach the horses to the carriage. By the time the doctor arrived, Crystal's seizure had stopped, but she was still unconscious, and she had a fever. The doctor looked her over and said, "A horse has trampled her. Fortunately, it stepped on her hips. She'll be fine."

Nathan scowled. "That's bullshit!" he growled. "Look again. She has a fever! Are you blind?"

"It's because she has been frightened," the doctor explained.

Nathan grabbed the female doctor's collar. "If she's fine," he hissed, "why is she unconscious?"

"I'll give her a fever-reducing needle," the doctor said. "Just to be on the safe side. Will that be all?"

"Fine." Nathan nodded and said, "You may go."

A servant approached. She got Nathan's attention and said, "Master, Miss Laurent is outside. She wants to apologize to Miss Smith."

"Apologize?" Nathan scoffed. "Tell her to fuck off. She can apologize to Crystal once she's recovered!"

Nervously, Nathan touched Crystal's forehead with the back of his hand. "You're burning up," he whispered. "You're even hotter than before..."

By then, Vic had arrived, and when he heard what Nathan had said, he ordered the Doctor to return. This time, when she took Crystal's temperature, she seemed to take the injury seriously finally. Her face turned white, and she said, "She's hotter than ever. If she gets much hotter, she might die…."

Nathan glared at the doctor. "This is your fault!" he shouted. "So, save her!"

"It's too late," the doctor wined. "Her body is very weak. There is nothing that Modern Medicine can do. It is up to her now..."

"What is your role as a doctor?" Nathan argued. "If you cannot cure your patient, how can you say that you are a doctor?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor said.

"Well, sorry is not good enough." He turned to Vic and said, "You know what to do."

"I do," said Vic as he drew his pistol from his holster. He pressed it to the doctor's forehead and forced him to his knees. "We have done everything we can," the doctor mumbled. "She is going to die..."

When Nathan heard that, he kicked the doctor in the stomach.

Meanwhile, in the depth of her coma, Crystal had a dream. In it, she was a little girl, and she was holding her Mother's hand. She was learning to walk. She took two steps, and then she stumbled and fell.

Her mother smiled at her and said, "Crystal, get up. You can do it. Be brave, child." Her knee was scraped, and she was bleeding, but she did not let that stop her. Slowly, she stood up and took two more steps.

****

When Elma and Helen saw Christine on the horizon in the main courtyard, they ran out and met her halfway. It took them a second to catch their breath, and then they asked about Crystal's health.

"It's not good." Helen sighed and said, "She has a severe fever, one of her organs is crushed, and now she's unconscious. The doctor said that she might die..."

Helen took a deep breath. She didn't expect the situation to be so terrible. "Did Nathan say anything to you?" she asked.

Christine: "No."

Helen: "Shall I call grandpa..."

Christine: "Don't worry. Crystal is hotter than ever, but even if she does wake up, it will be at least a few days before she wakes up."

Helen: "But..."

Christine: "Why are you so worried about Crystal? You need to take care of yourself and your child. I will deal with any other problems. That's why I'm here."

"Let's change the topic," Elma suggested meekly. "Dinner is ready, anyway."

"What's for dinner?" asked Helen.

Elma: "Steak. Your favorite!"

Christine: "It smells delicious. I am so glad we do not have noodles. I almost vomited this afternoon!"

Helen smiled and said, "Well, you won't have to worry about that tonight because tonight we're having steak!"