Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

As Clark was eating, he looked up thoughtfully and said, "What's wrong with that weird Aunt? She smokes, she never brushes her teeth, and they're all black and stinky?"

Nancy covered her mouth so that he wouldn't see her smile. She knew he was talking about the woman that Paul was sleeping with. It was the same person that bullied her and her son. She was a model, and she was on an overseas photoshoot now. If she were home instead, she would have made everything even worse than it already was. Nancy hated that woman, but she knew that it was important for her son to be respectful, so she gently scolded him.

Clark nodded his head and apologized, but Paul wasn't satisfied. He looked at Nancy and said, "Who taught him to talk like this?"

"I d-don't know," Nancy stammered. "Honestly…"

Paul picked up Clark's breakfast and threw it across the room. "You didn't teach him?!?!" he hissed. "Am I to believe that he taught himself? He is too young. If this is how you are going to behave, I am going to have to rethink whether or not I will let you see him."

When Clark heard this, he began to throw a fit. This only made Paul angrier. "Quit coddling him!" he roared. "It's no wonder he is always acting like a baby. It's because you treat him like a baby!"

"He is acting like a baby because he is a baby!" Nancy snapped back. "What do you expect?" Without waiting for a reply, she pulled her son out of his chair. Then she carried him into the room where Crystal was being held as a prisoner.

Crystal was sitting up in bed, having just woken up, and when she saw them, she smiled. "Good morning," she said. "What's up?"

Nancy handed Clark to her and said, "Can you keep an eye on him? Paul and I got into a fight, and he threw his breakfast across the room, so I have to make him some more."

Crystal's ire began to rise. "That guy is no good," she said. "But... yeah. I can watch Clark. He is a good boy. You do what you need to do, and we'll be here waiting for you."

"Thank you," Nancy said. Then she turned, and as she went down to the kitchen, she thought about how much she envied Crystal. The girl was there to find her father, and once she did that, she was free to do or go anywhere she wanted. It must be nice to be free- she thought wistfully. Of course, without her son, she would have been just as free, but the best she could hope for from life was custody of Clark. If she could get that, though, she would take him as far away from his Father as humanly possible, and that would be free enough for her!

Nancy was finishing up the second batch of chicken soup when Crystal walked in with Clark in her arms, and as she entered the kitchen, her eyes lit up. "Crystal!" she exclaimed. "It smells delicious." She took a deep breath and said, "It has been too long since I last had such a delicious breakfast. Is it chicken soup?"

Clark: "It's shredded chicken noodle soup. Mommy promised to make it."

Crystal: "Do you like it?"

Clark: "I love it! I like my Mommy's shredded chicken noodle soup best."

Crystal rubbed his fine soft hair and said, "That's sweet."

Once the soup was done, Nancy showed her friend Paul's hair and said, "It's Paul's. I want to get it tested as soon as possible."

Crystal put her arm around Nancy's waist and said, "You are such a good friend. Even with everything that is going on in your life, you are still thinking about others."

Just then, Paul walked in, and he laughed wickedly. "Two women are cuddling in front of a little boy!" He gasped. "Aren't you afraid the kid will be perverted?"

The ladies both looked away, and neither replied.

****

Serenity was mid-way through her shift at the Merah Club when she was called into the President's office. She had been doing well recently, but she was not stupid enough to think that the President would acknowledge the fact. Thus, when she arrived at the door, she was nervous. She knocked twice, and when she walked in, she was startled to find Nathan sitting in the President's seat.

"Prof-f-fessor D-Davis?" she stammered.

Nathan glared at her and said, "Tell me where she is!"

Serenity: "I don't know... Don't you know where she is? I was going to ask you..."

Nathan: "Don't fuck around. You know where she is."

Serenity: "I really don't know. I can't get through to her, and she won't reply to my texts..."

Nathan: "Serenity, I don't want to play tricks on you, but if I can't find her, I can't be held responsible for what I will do to you!"

Serenity's body began to tremble, and she was too frightened to speak.

Nathan: "I heard your father was in the hospital. Is he all right?"

"You won't..." Serenity clapped her hands over her mouth. "I mean... You wouldn't… Right...?" She thought that he was threatening her Father.

Nathan: "Tell me where she is. If you do, I will find your father the best doctors that money can buy. If you do not... Well... Who knows what might happen to him..."

Serenity hated herself for what she was about to do. She had made a promise to her friend, but she could not let harm come to her family. After taking a deep breath, she pulled out her cell phone, clicked on Nancy's number, and handed it to Nathan. "Maybe you can find Crystal through this phone number," she said.

****

Nancy was dishing up the fresh soup when the doorbell rang. Nodding to Crystal, she said, "Can you get that?"

"Sure," Crystal replied, and as she walked towards the entrance, Nancy's phone rang.

"For Christ's sake..." Nancy muttered. She turned to her son and said, "Clark, can you take the cell phone out of Mommy's pocket and answer it?"

Clark was a toddler, and he was curious about everything. When Nancy used to play on her cell phone, he would secretly watch her and even learn to answer the phone. Like an adult, he scratched open the phone screen and said,

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

The man on the other end said, "I am looking for Crystal. Is she there?"

"Aunt Crystal?" Clark asked, and before the man could reply, he began to shout Crystal's name excitedly.

By then, Crystal had already reached the front door. She quickly opened it, and when she saw who was standing on the other side, her face turned white.. "Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?" she gasped.