The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Cicely had donned a pleated skirt the color of morning mist and a simple white tee, her

feet slipping into a pair of white peep-toe mules. The backs of her heels bore the

unmistakable mark of two Band-Aids.

Next to the sofa, there was a small bookshelf with a few books. In the corner near the

coffee table, there were also several books and notebooks. These were Cicely’s exercise

books, textbooks, and extra reading materials.

She picked up a , opened it to the dog-eared page, and settled back on the sofa, her

eyes scanning the words. But comfort eluded her, and soon she was sprawled across the

couch, book propped on her chest.

Truth be told, Cicely had never been one for the written word. If not for the necessity of

passing her classes, she would happily forget textbooks existed. The reason these were

placed here was the only valid and lasting excuse for her to enter and exit this office

unimpeded.

No matter how she twisted and turned, the book’s allure remained elusive. In the midst of

her umpteenth attempt to find a comfortable position, Seth’s deep voice cut through the

silence. “If changing positions made a book more interesting, I reckon every straight-A

student would be diagnosed with ADHD.”

Caught mid-turn, Cicely’s eyes darted around before she found a position that felt just

right. “It’s the couch. It’s uncomfortable,” she declared.d2

Seth said nothing more.

Cicely gazed at the ceiling for a few moments, waiting for the sound of typing to fill the

room again. When it did, she frowned, set the book aside, and quietly sat up, peering over

the back of the couch.

Seth was just diagonally in front of her, his keyboard still clattering away. To Cicely, there

was something undeniably captivating about the man, even the way his hands moved was

mesmerizing. She tilted her head, trying to get a better view, but when she caught Seth’s

gaze, she realized he was already looking at her.

Her hair was a bit of a mess from lying on the couch, her hands gripping the back as her

eyes peeked over, curious and full of an unmistakable fondness.

Seth’s eyes landed on her delicate, flushed face. “Your feet better?”

Cicely shook her head. “Not really.”

Seth just watched her, expression unreadable.

Resting her chin on her hands, Cicely gazed at Seth, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “But

I wanted to see you. I’m not whining about it. It’ll be at least a week before I’m fully

healed. You wouldn’t want me to go a whole week without seeing you, would you? That

would be so cruel.”

Her voice wavered, betraying a feigned distress.

Seth’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before returning to his computer screen.

“Get back to your book.”

With a hint of disappointment, Cicely slid back onto the couch. “Keep it down,” he added.

She paused, her hand hovering over a textbook, then stealthily pulled a different book

from the lower drawer of the coffee table.

Seth knew Cicely would obey, but he hadn’t expected her to do so with such devotion. For

nearly half an hour, the only sounds were the occasional page turn and the steady clack of

the keyboard.

Seth was midway through an email when he suddenly rose and walked toward the

window, making no effort to silence his footsteps. Cicely surely must have noticed his

approach.

Standing behind her now, he saw that she was completely engrossed in her reading,

unaware of his presence. Her hair was still a touch unruly as she sat cross-legged,

absorbed in the book.

He glanced at the title, and his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

“…she hadn’t buttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and from his angle, her full boobs

were partially exposed. His gaze drifted down to a pair of slender legs, accentuated by a

short, light-colored skirt.”

Seth’s eyes darkened, his expression instantly turning icy.

“Cicely.” His voice was a chilling echo, causing her shoulders to tense and freeze.

After a moment, she slowly turned, craning her neck to look up at the stern-faced Seth

standing behind her. A rigid smile crept across her face, her cheeks burning a deep shade

of red.

“You finished with work?” she asked, her gaze flitting around nervously as she discreetly

closed the book and shifted it aside.

“I’ve never seen you so engrossed in reading before,” he commented, moving to stand in

front of her.

Cicely quickly hid the book behind her back. Seth stopped before her, observing her

guarded posture as she leaned back against the couch. “I’m just tired from studying, so I

thought I’d take a break and read some other books to refresh my mind.”

“Other books?” he echoed.

Cicely nodded vigorously. “Yeah, it’s important to read a variety of books. It helps with

comprehension skills.” Her eyes darted away, avoiding his gaze.

The room was quiet, save for the occasional shuffle of papers.

Suddenly, Seth’s cool hand cupped her chin, his thumb caressing her soft skin. Cicely

reluctantly met his gaze, blinking rapidly to hide her embarrassment.

Seth loomed over her, his handsome face framed by silver-rimmed glasses, the picture of

refined sophistication. The danger that lurked beneath his calm exterior was both

intriguing and a little intimidating. Those sharp, penetrating eyes seemed to see right

through her. Cicely felt her resolve waning.

“What kind of reading has you so enchanted?” he prodded.

Cicely’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink as Seth’s face loomed close, and her mind

swirled with the scenes she had just read about in her book. “It’s just a classic.”

“What?”

Cicely felt a tingling in her scalp, “How… How Steel Was Tempered.”

The corners of Seth’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. “How Steel Was Tempered,

huh? It is indeed a world-renowned .”

“Ah… um…” Cicely’s gaze darted away, avoiding his eyes.

“So tell me, how was the protagonist’s steel tempered?”

How was it tempered? Cicely was ready to bite her tongue off. Her head was filled with the

book’s descriptions of men’s fiery passion.

“Um, it’s a long story, too complex for brief words.” She could feel a fine sweat breaking

out on her nose.

Watching her blush, Seth changed the subject, “Does your foot still hurt?”

Eager to shift the conversation, Cicely nodded quickly, “It hurts, but seeing you makes it

feel a lot better.”

She remembered the veiled threat Seth had left her with yesterday. Thinking back to how

she’d been under his sway until now, Cicely lifted her chin and pulled her cheek from his

grasp, stating, “When I’m hurt, I feel miserable and sad. As my boyfriend, you should be

taking care of me, cheering me up, right? Telling me to stay away until I’m fully healed—

that’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?”

Seth raised an eyebrow, silent for a moment, then nodded, saying indifferently: “Well,

when you put it like that, I suppose it is.”

Cicely snorted, “I was so intimidated by you yesterday. So now I’m doubly in pain, doubly

miserable. How you make it up to me is up to you.”

“Alright.”

Seth uttered the word calmly and moved to sit on the coffee table across from Cicely.

She looked at him with some anticipation. Seth tugged at his lips, his fingers capturing her

chin again while his arm encircled her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Cicely let out a surprised yelp as he captured her lips with his. Although they had kissed

the night before, she was still stunned by the suddenness this time. By the time she

recovered, Seth had spun her around so that she was still in his arms, and now he was

leaning back on the couch, sitting where she had been.

Her heart pounded madly, face unnaturally red with the intensity of the kiss.

Cicely, a bit nervously, clung to Seth’s shoulders, her mind involuntarily conjuring images

that were not exactly PG-rated. Just as she thought this, Seth abruptly stopped. Then he

sat up, pushed his glasses up his nose with a deft motion, and casually picked up the book

that had been behind her.

Realizing what he was doing, Cicely quickly sprang up to snatch it, but Seth, calm and

composed, caught her wrist with one hand while flipping through the book with the other.

He watched Cicely with a teasing smile. “How Steel Was Tempered, huh?”

Cicely, covering her hot face, felt like she could never show her face again. “Can we skip

this topic? Don’t you know how embarrassing it is to get caught reading this? I suspect

you’re purposefully trying to catch me in an awkward spot. What’s wrong with reading this

kind of book? Hasn’t everyone at some point? It’s my first time, okay? I haven’t even seen

the illustrated version, so don’t traumatize me, alright? How am I supposed to face this

stuff in the future?”

Seth’s expression darkened, “You plan to continue reading this?”

“Our teacher said, if there’s something we don’t understand, we should read more and

learn.”

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