Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Gently, he fingered her hair away from her forehead, caressing the scar on it. Nathan jerked back his hand as if the scar had still been hot.

He was afraid that she would open her eyes suddenly, fearful of facing the resentment and accusation at the bottom of her eyes, and even scared that she would call Eric's name...

The sneer on his face became bigger and weirder.

Am I not only inferior but also a coward?!

He groped for the ring from his pocket, held Crystal's hand, and wore it on her left ring finger.

What he wanted to give her most was the happiness that everyone in the world envied, but in the end, he had given her irreparable pain...

However, even so, he was unwilling to and would not let go!

"You can leave. Tell me immediately if there's any news about Eric's condition."

"Yes, Master Davis."

Vic left the room.

All night, Nathan sat still by the bed, guarding Crystal in a stiff posture.

The light of the operating room was also on for the whole night.

In the early morning

Nathan gradually woke up.

He got up slowly, walked to the terrace, and lit a cigarette.

After raining all night, the air was cold and wet, making the atmosphere in the hospital more cheerless.

When Nathan took out his cell phone, he heard some noise from the ward.

He jerked around and went back, finding Crystal getting off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Asked Nathan.

Crystal froze for a moment and went on walking without taking a look at him.

"Crystal Smith, don't ever think about leaving me!" Nathan shouted at her in anxiety.

Instead of leaving the ward, she was just heading to the bathroom.

Hurriedly, Nathan followed up; but he was shut out of the door with a loud slam.

"Crystal!" Nathan knocked on the door.

"Let's talk."

"You really scared me last night..." He knocked again and said patiently, "We should have a good talk. Stop making me worry, okay?"

However, there's no response.

Nathan clenched his fists, the just-lit cigarette was scrunched and dropped to the ground.

Nathan saw Crystal leaning against the door through the translucent door, then slid down and squatted on the floor.

"Don't torture me like this..." Nathan knocked again, "Crystal Smith, how are you going to torture me?..."

The force knocking on the door was getting stronger and stronger. The sound was as loud as thunder.

"Open the door!"

Crystal had to cover her ears with force to lower the noise.

Finally, Nathan stopped knocking and said, "I'll give you three minutes to calm down." As soon as he finished talking, the door opened to his surprise.

Crystal looked very haggard and worn in front of him without any expression.

Without thinking, Nathan pulled her arm and brought her in his embrace.

He hugged her so hard that it seemed as if she would disappear in the next second.

"Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?!"

"Is he dead?" Crystal asked peacefully, seeming to accept the fact eventually.

"No, he's alive."

"I know he's dead. Eric is dead..." she murmured in a hollow voice, "everything that happened last night was not a nightmare, it's true..."

Nathan hugged her more tightly and repeated, "Listen, he's not dead."

"Get out. I'm tired. Nathan Davis, for God's sake, can you spare me?"

Crystal's voice sounded exhausted.

"What should I do to let you spare me?"

Nathan's Adam's apple rolled hard.

He forced a bitter smile, "What do you think I'm here for? Do you think I'm still getting back at you?"

"Or else?" Crystal responded with unusual calmness.

"I saw your drawings," explained Nathan.

Crystal's heart skipped a beat.

"The sketchbook you buried in the manor beach," Nathan said word for word.

"No way," Crystal refuted in an affirmative tone.

The sketchbook should have been washed away by waves. He did not find it even after digging for hours that day...

Instead of arguing, Nathan picked her up, put her on the bed, took out the sketchbook on the bedside table, and opened it.

Still, Crystal's eyes were as calm and emotionless as usual.

"It sounds impossible, right? But I found it.

Isn't it destiny?" Nathan gazed at her with deep eyes.

"You can't escape from me, forever. Crystal Smith, you are my destiny."

"Fated?" Crystal gave out a sneer.

She felt heaviness rather than happiness to hear this word.

Nathan opened the first page of the sketchbook, touching the paper stained with her tears and full of her love.

He looked into her eyes and responded to the words under the sketch, "I don't need the so-called future because you're my future."

He turned to page two and said, "If I smile or even laugh, it must be because you're with me."

Page three.

"Crystal, I've been there with you. I've never left."

When he turned to Page four, Crystal reached for the sketchbook and tore it with force.

In a twinkle of eyes, she tore off a few pages.

Nathan's black pupils shrunk in shock in an instant, he jerked up to grab Crystal's wrists. She clenched the sketchbook in her hands, and as long as Nathan tried to snatch it, the rest of the drawings would also be doomed to be destroyed.

"Let go!" Nathan ordered.

"They're my drawings. I have the right to destroy them!"

As she spoke, she tore another page apart.

Crystal was not so much tearing the drawings as tearing open Nathan's heart.

Without hesitation, Nathan snatched the sketchbook back. Even if they turned into pieces, he would stick them together.

Crystal pounced at him madly, trying to retake the sketchbook.

However, she was no match for Nathan. Just as the fight between a tiger and a deer, Nathan pressed Crystal's shoulder on the bed with no effort and threw the sketchbook away. Crystal wriggled to get rid of him, but in a moment, she regained peace.

Looking down at Crystal with complicated eyes, Nathan whispered, "Crystal, let's start over."

To Nathan's surprise, Crystal bent her legs and hit his abdomen with the knee with great force.

Yet, Nathan did not dodge. Crystal did not stop; she hit him again and again.

Moreover, she raised her hand, gave a slap on his face, crisp and loud.

The depressed grievances in Crystal's heart were finally released. If she suppressed all emotions longer, she might get depressed.

"Are you out of strength? Be forceful," Nathan lowered his eyes, "I owe you that! Just slap me hard. After venting your anger and grievances, let's write off all our old scores, okay?"

With a slap, Crystal's hand fell on his left face.

"I know you won't hit me hard," Nathan provoked.

Crystal lifted her hand again, another louder slap sounded.

"Very good. Go on," Nathan smiled weirdly, "keep hitting me. After giving vent to what you've suffered, let's make peace."

On hearing Nathan's words, Crystal's hand froze in the air.

Make peace?

"Why do you stop? Are you reluctant to hurt me?" Nathan held her hand, wondering. Receiving no response from Crystal, Nathan grabbed her hand to hit himself in the face.

"I've done wrong. I deserve it. Hit me, hit me hard... You can punish me whatever you want."

"Master Davis, I remember that you changed the potion yesterday and made the plastic surgery fail. You're ruthless, heartless, and you harmed innocent people just to achieve your goal..." Crystal condemned.

"I just wanted you to beg me," defended Nathan.

"I begged you, but what did you do to me? Instead of meeting my request, you left me only humiliation and shame. And you even recorded the process of... and showed it to Eric!"

"I was so angry to see you and him be so close..."

"Right, you can humiliate me just because you're angry, and you can even kill people just because you're jealous..." Crystal watched him indifferently.

Eric had saved her at the risk of life twice; on the contrary, Nathan always put her in distress.

She did not demand Nathan to treat her as well as before after breaking up, but at least he should not have humiliated and hurt her like that.

"Tell me, how can we start over?"

Crystal gave him a bitter smile, "Eric died! He's dead! How could we make peace!?" Her voice rose with emotion.

"I told you, he's not dead," Nathan repeated.

"He's now in the emergency room."

"Emergency room?" Crystal's eyes brightened instantly, "How's the operation?"

"Still underway, we can only trust in luck."

"I'm going to see him. Let me see him..."

"You're weak now.. If you don't want your baby, go ahead!" Nathan threatened.