The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Chapter 2083

The following day.

Charlie saw Cicely plant a kiss on Seth’s cheek at the doorstep once again. It wasn’t a surprise anymore. Mr. Diaz was in a good mood these last few days, and Charlie felt the ripple effect of his relaxation.

As he started the car, Charlie couldn’t help but tease, “I thought Cicely would throw a fit over your dinner with Ms. Danielle yesterday.”

The atmosphere in the car suddenly grew heavy, and Charlie realized that, from the moment he got in, Mr. Diaz’s mood seemed off compared to the previous days.

Seth didn’t respond, his face an unreadable mask of calm and indifference.

A fit? Yes, a fit. What happened to the woman who used to get so worked up over the smallest things?d2

He almost wished she would throw one of her tantrums, but she seemed to take his every command as gospel.

She didn’t question, didn’t argue, didn’t fight. She just quietly played the role of what she called a “lover.”

Hah. She had too many ways to twist a knife into his heart, with an ease that required no effort at all.

Charlie’s heart raced with anxiety. So, there was trouble in paradise?

But everything seemed fine just a moment ago.

“This afternoon, take her to pick out a Thanksgiving gift, and tomorrow, bring her to Alyssa’s place,” Seth ordered after a pause.

Tomorrow he was to take Ms. Cicely to Alyssa’s, but tomorrow was Thanksgiving.

Charlie suddenly remembered, they weren’t spending Thanksgiving together.

“Actually, after the surgery, you might be able to make it back in time to spend Thanksgiving with Ms. Cicely.” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Seth closed his eyes, hands clenched till his knuckles whitened, his voice strained to the breaking point. “What if something goes wrong. How am I supposed to face her then?”

Charlie felt a weight settle in his chest, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He believed that nothing could be more agonizing than what they went through three years ago.

The Seth of today, a known prodigy in the business world, with his deep strategies and extreme tactics, held power and prestige in his hands. He was the epitome of elegance, seemingly born to maneuver through life with ease. To most, he appeared unshakeable, capable of commanding the winds and the storms.

But who had seen him scared?

Scared enough that his eyes turned red.

Charlie had. It was during Thanksgiving three years ago.

His only kin had passed away, and his wife had voluntarily gone to prison. He blamed himself for Creighton’s death, was anxious over Issac’s departure, and his company was in utter chaos. Each issue was more than enough to break an ordinary man.

Back then, everyone worried he wouldn’t make it through. Even the slightest breeze could have shattered him into dust. But as fate would have it, the worst always seems to happen at the worst times.

On Thanksgiving, when Erik was at death's door, it was like a hurricane unleashed upon him without warning.

Cicely had just lost her father less than two months prior, Issac’s fate was uncertain, and her resentment towards Mr. Diaz ran deep. If Erik were to leave too, could Cicely handle it?

Losing her loved ones one after the other, what would become of her? Would she blame Mr. Diaz, hate him, or seek revenge? Just how wide would the chasm between them grow?

As an observer, that was all he could conceive. But who truly knew what Mr. Diaz was enduring, and what he was thinking?

After all, it’s impossible to truly understand pain unless the knife cuts your own flesh.

*

Severe aplastic anemia. A decline in bodily functions, weakened immunity, failure of blood-forming organs, necessitating long-term plasma therapy, or in severe cases, whole blood transfusions.

Mr. Erik was in a critical state and required whole blood transfusions. Danielle was the only match for the bone marrow, and luckily, the transplant was successful.

Charlie didn’t have time to dwell on these thoughts, before they had arrived at the hospital.

Danielle’s newly assigned assistant couldn’t keep up with her, so the new assistant was left to learn the ropes at the company, accompanied by the remaining one of her two original assistants.

To prepare for tomorrow’s surgery, Danielle needed to undergo tests today. When they arrived, Danielle was sitting outside the examination room, pressing a cotton swab against her arm. Her long hair draped over her shoulders and face as she sat motionless against the bench.

“Done with the tests?” Seth approached her, his voice cool and distant.

Danielle lifted her head slowly at the sound of his voice.

Charlie was taken aback. Danielle looked pale, her eyes somewhat vacant, and her whole demeanor was tinged with an unhealthy pallor.

Seth’s brows furrowed, “It’s just a test. How much blood did they take from you?”

Danielle’s eyes flickered, and a weak smile crossed her lips. Her pale face contrasted sharply with her reddening eyes, drawing attention to her tears. “A week ago, Cicely was also hospitalized here, right?”

Charlie’s face went pale, and he instinctively looked at Seth.

Seth’s dark eyes flashed briefly.

Danielle let out a soft laugh, “Do you know where she is now?”

Seth just watched her silently, not responding.

“Do you know or not? Is it that hard to answer?”

Charlie, sensing the tension, quickly intervened, “Ms. Danielle, this is a hospital. They don't discriminate against patients. It was normal for Ms. Cicely to be here since she was ill.”

Danielle rose to her feet, laughing as tears fell, “I’m not feeling well. I might not be able to donate blood tomorrow. I need to go rest.”

“Danielle...” Seth grabbed her wrist, his voice as cold as his expression. “Stop it. He’s not just anybody; he’s your grandfather.”

“He’s Cicely’s grandfather too!” Danielle’s voice suddenly rose, and she jerked her hand away, tears streaming, “Have her save him! He’s my grandfather, but he indirectly caused my parents' death. Sure, he brought me back to the Ellis family, but I've given my blood for two years. Isn't that enough to repay him for raising me?

“Miss Cicely, the princess of P City, everyone knew Grandpa's blatant favoritism towards her. It was common knowledge. Why wasn't she the one rushing to save him? Why weren't you calling on her?”

Charlie stood to one side, his heart pounding in trepidation, as he watched Danielle's tears fall like a relentless summer storm. "Mr. Diaz..."

After three years of placating, tomorrow was the day. Just one more time, one more gentle comforting.

"She can't." Seth's voice was a flat line, devoid of any hesitation, leaving Charlie holding his breath.

"Why not?"

"Because she's in the dark about the whole thing, and her health wouldn't allow it."

Danielle felt her world spin, a momentary suffocation gripping her, a deep sorrow she couldn't suppress. "Why not? Why didn't you prepare her with steak, seafood, or chicken soup?"

As she spoke, she lifted the hem of her gown, revealing her scarred knees. The wounds were healed, but the scars were vivid testimonies of her pain.

Charlie glanced at them, then quickly averted his eyes.

"I'd love to know. Does Cicely have scars like these, Seth?" Her voice quivered with tears, "I had an infection. I couldn't even get to eat plain rice, and you fed me all these rich foods, all for boosting blood. Why didn't you prepare them for her? Because it might affect the healing, or leave scars?"

"Her body can't afford scars, mine apparently can. She's too frail to donate blood, but when I was fresh from a skin graft surgery, barely off my hospital bed, you dragged me to the operating room. Did you ever consider my weakness?"

Seth's face was a mask of ice, lips pressed into a sharp line, exuding a chill that froze the soul.

"Why? Why are you so heartless to me? There was no Cicely back then, and it’s an emergency, so I gave my blood, but why now..."

"What answer do you want to hear?" It was a while before Seth spoke again, his gaze coldly indifferent as it fell on Danielle's tear-streaked face. "Danielle, I've treated you well for three years. Everything you wanted, I've given you. Your health, your beauty, the fame and fortune you now possess. Few women wouldn't envy you. You owe me some kind of repayment."

Danielle swayed, her body staggering before leaning against a nearby wall. "So, all your kindness these past three years was just for my blood? You've been deceiving me all along?"

"I simply provided what you desired."

Like giving a beggar on the street a bread roll because that was what he wanted?

But no, she wanted more than just that. "Don't play dumb. I wanted you. Did you give me that?"

Seth stared intensely at her. "In these three years, no one doubted that I wasn't yours."

Her heart clenched. He had lied about even that. For three years, she had lived in a lie, everything a deception, all of it false.

Her pain peaked, and she laughed, her voice thick with irony. "It's a natural cycle, life and death. He's not related to you. Did you really need to demean yourself to become a despised deceiver just to please me?"

Seth's face remained impassive, but his eyes seemed to harden with cruelty. "Do you have more questions?"

Danielle paused, "Yes."

"I'll answer them all, on one condition: you cooperate with tomorrow's procedure."

Danielle froze, then a cold laugh escaped her, "Fine."

"Mr. Diaz..."

Charlie tried to intervene, but Seth's raised hand stopped him. Then came his chillingly cruel voice, "He's not unrelated to me. He's Cicely's grandfather. He could die, but not within these three years."

Danielle couldn't imagine anything more cruel than today, not even her disfigurement from the explosion three years ago.

"Doesn't she also have an aunt? What about last year? This year? Why does it have to be me? Because I'm the easiest to trick, the easiest to fool?"

"Because Lana can't come back."

Danielle nodded in understanding, tears flowing mechanically, her calmness almost eerie. "So it's all because of Cicely. You indirectly caused the death of her father and Issac. Now you fear her grandfather will follow, that she'll hate you with old and new grievances once she's out. From the start, you've never given up on her? You've been waiting for her release."

She paused, then laughed bitterly, "I wondered why, in the past three years, whenever her grandfather was seriously ill, Lana never returned. It turns out she couldn't, that you've been stopping her. Three years ago she returned alone without taking Cicely with her. You feared her coming back with reinforcements, taking Cicely away for good? Because once Cicely left the country, you'd lose all hope."

"Yes."

His one-word answers were crystal clear.

Danielle laughed, a sound tinged with madness, "Any more questions? Let me think, what else?" She had to ask everything now while she had the chance. "In these three years, did you ever feel even the slightest bit for me?"

"No."

"Not even looking at this face, which resembles hers?"

"There are plenty who resemble her more closely."

"Why her? Why can no one else do?"

Seth frowned, as if pondering the question, "I don't know."

Danielle laughed again, her gaze sarcastic and fierce, "Do you love her that much?"

This time, Danielle waited a long while but received no answer. Yet she felt it was the most redundant question of all.

"So what?" She looked at Seth, laughing as tears streamed down her face again. "In the end, it's because of you that she lost the two people closest to her in this world, two lives. Seth, she will

never forgive you in this lifetime. Your love for her, however deep, is doomed to be unrequited."

Seth's brow twitched, his chest heaved, and the hands in his pockets clenched into fists. "Are you done asking? If so, I'll have Charlie take you to rest."

Danielle kept laughing, tears streaming down her face.

Charlie stepped forward, steadying her.

"No need to take her home, just find a room in the hospital. I want someone by her side 24/7."

A chill crept into Charlie's heart. It was clear they intended to keep Ms. Danielle confined.

Danielle said nothing.

After Charlie had settled Danielle and returned to the office with Seth, he couldn't help but speak up. "Mr. Diaz, three years have gone by. Why come clean today of all days?"

Seth's expression was somber, a dull throbbing behind his brow. His distinctly knuckled hand pressed there, but Danielle's final words still echoed, refusing to be dismissed.

"Seth, she will never forgive you in this lifetime. Your love for her, however deep, is doomed to be unrequited."

After a long silence, Seth finally lowered his hand, his deep eyes revealing a distant coldness. "I'm tired of hiding."

These words, slowly exhaled, carrying a sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.

"She already despises me enough."

Everyone could think of Danielle as his. They could even assume any woman might be his, and he couldn't care less.

But the one exception—he didn't want her to think that way.

Originally, it was a lie to one. Now, it was a lie to two.

He didn't want to lie anymore. Not even for a single day.