The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Serana’s stiff expression eased ever so slightly at his words, but her face remained ghostly pale.

She subconsciously glanced around, as if afraid that Johnson might suddenly appear from somewhere.

It had been just like that back at the orphanage. He had taken her away when she was completely

unprepared, snatching her from the safety of her mundane life.

The memory of facing Johnson alone was etched into her mind, a stark terror she could never shake.

He was like a madman, completely disregarding the fact that she was still a child back then, subjecting

her to merciless punches and kicks. He genuinely wanted her dead.

If she hadn’t scrambled up into the safety of an old oak tree, and if help hadn’t arrived just in time,

she’d be six feet under instead of here. What if he still wanted revenge?

Her hands twisted together nervously, unsure, “I think that maybe I should go back to my room.”d2

The assistant nodded in agreement and followed her upstairs.

Mr. Boyd had been swamped all afternoon, missing lunch and ordering a double portion of takeout

instead. A backlog of work kept him at his desk until seven in the evening.

If it hadn’t been for Serana’s call, asking if he had left the office yet, he might have worked through the

night. After a brief conversation, he hung up and stared at his phone screen, thumb hovering over

Yasmine’s contact.

He thought about how seldom she reached out to him first. Especially when they were at odds, she

never initiated contact. The only exception had been earlier that day at the hospital.

With a heavy sigh, he rubbed his temples, set down his phone, and leaned back in his executive chair.

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She never backed down. Whatever she said went, and she’d make decisions without giving anyone a

chance to question them.

The office was eerily quiet as he rested for a moment, eyes closed. Then, he sat up, took a deep

breath, and sent Yasmine a text. He needed to see if her mood had improved.

Yasmine was reclining on the bed, a laptop resting on her lap as she watched a movie. Her phone

rang, and she turned her head to glance at the illuminated screen. It was a message from Boyd, and

she nonchalantly returned her gaze to the computer screen.

It wasn’t until the credits rolled that she finally picked up the phone and read his text.

—[Are you asleep? What did you have for dinner? I skipped mine.]

With a roll of her eyes, Yasmine deleted the message and shoved the phone under her pillow. “Jerk.”

Unsurprised by Yasmine’s silence, Boyd wrapped up his work and left the office around nine. Since his

assistant had stayed with Serana, he didn’t visit the hospital the next day. A cocktail of disappointment

and understanding flowed through Serana. She knew all too well how preoccupied Boyd could get. Her

phone was fully charged, prepared for the day. After a morning filled with hesitance and anxiety, she

finally gathered the courage to dial Yasmine’s number in the afternoon. The calls went unanswered.

Yasmine hung up without a word. To act out such a drama at the hospital and then have the audacity to

call her? The nerve.

The phone didn’t ring again, and Yasmine thought maybe Serana had given up. However, a message

came through instead.

[Yasmine, I think there’s been a misunderstanding about Boyd at the hospital. I can’t leave here right

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now, but I want to talk to you. About why Boyd has looked after me all these years, and about the child.

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I know you’re proud and probably disdainful of these matters, but for Boyd’s sake—he loves you so

much—could you maybe set your pride aside? Even if you’re breaking up, it’s better to understand

everything first, right? You could ask Boyd directly, but I doubt he’ll tell you much.]

Yasmine stared at the text for a long time, torn between curiosity and pride. Eventually, she tossed her

phone aside.

Clever girl. Her message was certainly tempting.

Yasmine’s curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know what Serana would reveal, but she didn’t make

her way to the hospital until two days later.

Boyd’s assistant couldn’t hide her surprise upon seeing Yasmine.

“Ms. Yasmine.”

As Yasmine took in the two towering bodyguards stationed outside Serana’s room, their eyes filled with

warning, she smirked at Boyd’s assistant. “Quite the VIP treatment.”

“Uh.” The assistant squirmed. “Please don’t misunderstand, Ms. Yasmine. It’s just that there are special

circumstances.”

“Another special circumstance?” Yasmine teased, twirling a stem of lilies in her hand. “Don’t beat

around the bush. Just say Serana is someone special, and be done with it.”

Her words were casual, yet they cut deep. Everyone knew Boyd’s affections, yet she always managed

to twist the knife.

“Ms. Yasmine, please.”

Yasmine passed the bodyguards with a nonchalant smile and entered the room.

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Serana was sitting up in bed, expecting her. She remained seated like a host awaiting a guest. “You

came?” Serana smiled and said.

Yasmine placed the lilies on the bedside table and took a seat, her posture exuding her usual air of

aloofness. “Spit it out. What’s so important that you had to say to me?” she asked, legs crossed, her

cool gaze fixed on Serana.

Serana faltered slightly before continuing, “Do you know why Boyd slap me back at school?”

Yasmine stayed silent, waiting for the story to unfold.

“Because he knew about my pregnancy. Honestly, if it was someone else, Boyd wouldn’t have been so

livid.”

Yasmine’s lips curled into a frost-tinted smile, “You don’t need to remind me between the lines how

special you are to Boyd. Do you think that, since I’ve reached this point today, I would care about such

things?”

Serana shook her head, “Because I have a heart condition.”

Yasmine’s eyes narrowed in an instant.

Now that she finally showed a different reaction, Serana smiled wryly, “We ran into you at the hospital

the other day. It looked like Boyd was going to tell you, but I stopped him on purpose. From your

reaction, I bet you had no clue I’m actually a heart patient, huh? I’ve always wanted to keep it under

wraps, so I also asked Boyd not to tell anyone. Because I wanted to live a life just like anybody else.

“Back when I was at another school, people around me knew about my condition. Their words and

actions were filled with caution. Most were afraid of trouble, worried that my sudden illness might

impact them or I might suddenly die and they would be responsible. Consequently, they were reluctant

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to have anything to do with me. So at my insistence, Boyd helped me transfer to Summit Ridge

University. Obviously, I couldn’t go broadcasting my illness in a new place.

“This condition has been with me since I was a child, before I came to the orphanage.”

Serana’s smile held a touch of bitterness.

“The year my parents died in a car crash, it was because of my illness. That man tried to kidnap me

from the orphanage, also because of this.”

Yasmine watched her, her expression unwavering.

Serana didn’t expect a response and continued, “My heart disease was only at a stage one or two back

then, but being young and playful with a frail body, I had my episodes. Looking back, I realize my

parents really loved me. They probably wanted me to have a childhood no different from any other kid,

so they rushed to get me a heart transplant. As you know, it’s not as simple as just doing it. Finding a

perfectly matched donor could take days, months, or, if you’re unlucky, years.

“The wait was so long because I wasn’t the only one in need of that heart. Before me, there was an

older kid in line, waiting for that life-saving transplant. His family had struggled for years with his

condition, and they weren’t well off. My parents offered them money to let me have the heart. Giving up

meant getting back in line, and naturally, they refused.

“So my parents took a back door, cut in line right in front of that family, and snatched the heart for me. It

was in P City, and to save time, they rushed there with me. But fate had other plans.”

Serana sighed, “You really can’t tempt fate too much, or it’ll bite you. We arrived in P City overjoyed,

only to have an accident on the way. The heart expired before the surgery, and I missed my chance.

The kid didn’t last two years after that. And that man, who tried to kidnap me from the orphanage, was

the kid’s father.”

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Yasmine scoffed, “With Boyd taking care of things all these years, you couldn’t find a suitable heart?”

“You’re giving him too much credit. He was starting a business, and it took all he had to keep the

company afloat. He didn’t have the resources to hunt for a heart for me. It’s only been the past couple

of years he’s started to look.”

“So what’s the deal? Is he planning to follow in your parents’ footsteps, snatching a heart from

someone else?”

Serana nodded, “Maybe he didn’t think that way before, but since you started holding a grudge against

me, he’s been considering it.”

Yasmine paused for two seconds before abruptly standing up from her chair, looking down at Serana

with a frosty disdain. “Let me guess, you’ve got a lead on a donor, so you got pregnant as soon as

possible to keep yourself tied to him?”

Serana didn’t deny it.

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In that moment, Yasmine truly thought Serana was insane. To cling to a man with no ties, no promises,

she was willing to gamble her life.

“Your parents took a risky path, even sacrificing their lives, to give you a complete childhood and a life

without regrets. And here you are, throwing away your life for a man.”

“Do you find this ridiculous?” Serana suddenly asked her, “If there ever comes a day, would you risk

your life for Boyd?”

Yasmine frowned, “I’m not as foolish as you.”

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Serana said with a laugh, “You were more honest as a kid. What were you thinking when you saved me

back then? Weren’t you afraid he’d misunderstand, despise, and hate you?”Books Chapters Are Daily

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Yasmine hesitated, then narrowed her eyes at her, “You’re mistaken. I saved you on a whim of

conscience, and it wasn’t a life-for-life situation. Saving you didn’t mean I had to die. Besides, while I

don’t care if he misunderstands, despises, or hates me, more than that, I’d rather he lives with guilt

towards me for a lifetime, never able to live in peace. And now, I’m not a ten-year-old child, and I

certainly won’t do something brainless.”

Serana seemed entirely unconvinced, “As for the child in my womb, rest assured, it’s not Boyd’s.”

Yasmine scoffed.

A frown tugged at Serana’s brow, “Don’t you have even the slightest bit of trust in him?”

“You’re wrong again. It’s you I don’t trust. There are way too many shameless women in this world. You

definitely qualify as one,” Yasmine didn’t hold back her contempt for Serana, “Not only are you

shameless, but you’re also senseless. Given a situation like yours, the quickest and wisest solution

would have been to have his child, but you went off and got pregnant with another man’s child instead?

Hah…”

It was like a giant joke.

Serana’s brow furrowed slightly, tears swirling in her eyes as her hands clenched tightly, her whole

body trembling. “Because I love Boyd, and Boyd loves you.”

Yasmine closed her eyes briefly, her patience wearing thin.

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“I wanted him to be happy, to be well, so I had to make it happen for him. If it weren’t for you pushing

me and Boyd, I wouldn’t have come to this. So now you can rest easy, I’ll never be anything to him.”

“Why should I rest easy?”

“You…”

“Why should I believe you when you say the kid isn’t his? What’s in it for me to trust you, huh? What,

so you two can play house behind my back until the baby’s born, then I find out I’m the sucker and it’s

time for me to pack my bags and hit the road? I’ll tell you what, the best play here is not to buy any of it.

That way, I don’t have to spend my nights tossing and turning, worrying about getting played for a fool.

“But look at you, getting your way in the end. Doesn’t even matter if the kid is his or not. Given the

mess he’s in, he can’t just leave you high and dry. You’re over here, heart condition and all, talking

about having a baby and needing a heart transplant. The man is swamped, and it’s going to be years

before he can catch a break. You two got more drama than a soap opera, and frankly, I don’t have the

time or the interest to waste on this circus. So, count me out.”

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