The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Who would give a second thought to a crumpled piece of paper? Yet there she was,

somehow so acutely aware of every little thing about Seth. The scrawl on the paper

beneath her shoe was all too familiar.

Cicely couldn’t fathom why she, who couldn’t even remember half her classmates’ names,

had such a vivid recollection of a few scribbled words.

Danielle spotted the stray paper fluttering at her feet, and her complexion turned ashen.

She shoved her way past the housekeeper, rushing to grab it, only to find Cicely had

beaten her to the punch.

Not quite ready to give up, Cicely scrutinized the handwriting.

“Give it back!” Danielle’s voice was sharp, her hand outstretched, reaching desperately for

the paper now in Cicely’s possession.

Cicely dodged her attempt. Holding up the paper, Cicely looked at Danielle, who appeared

visibly nervous. In her mind, she could hear Seth’s impatient voice on the phone.d2

She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Her face, previously unreadable, now shone with a

touch of mirth. It was like a delicate bud on the verge of blooming in spring, yet encased

in a thick layer of ice.

The atmosphere around them grew colder by the second, casting a chill over the entire

living room. Everyone was used to Cicely’s privileged tantrums as the princess of the Ellis

family and remained silent, even though they all knew how juvenile young love could be.

“Give it back to me!” Danielle was fixated on recovering the homework sheet, her hand

open and her tone thick with indignation.

With a faint smile still gracing her lips, Cicely slowly brought the item between them into

view.

“At first, I was a bit puzzled. With your holier-than-thou attitude, acting like everyone owes

you a fortune, who in their right mind would bother to study with you? But then I figured,

in a world of billions, a few fools are to be expected. Never did I guess that one of those

fools would be Seth.”

Danielle faltered, accustomed to Cicely’s occasional barbs but not expecting her to drag

Seth into the fray.

She had been holding back, her emotions building up inside. If it weren’t for Uncle

Creighton by her side, she might already be confronting Cicely head-on. Some things she

could tolerate, but not when it came to Seth being belittled because of her.

“Cicely, you need to stop this. I’ve lived with Seth for so long. Even if you are the

untouchable princess of the Ellis family in the P City, in front of him and me, what are you?

In this world, not everything has to be yours just because you want it.

“At the very least, if you want to be with Seth, you should ask if he even wants to be with

you. Flaunting your one-sided affection and acting all high and mighty, don’t you find it

pathetic?”

Cicely listened patiently, her face a mask of derision as the servants and even Creighton,

her father, looked on with disapproval. His daughter, coddled and cherished, should be

treated like a treasure by everyone.

“Did I ever tell you to stay away from him?” Cicely’s voice was laced with sarcasm, the

question seemingly unrelated to Danielle’s tirade.

Danielle hesitated.

Cicely stepped closer. “Whether or not he likes me is his business. And what are you to

lecture me? Suddenly clinging to him after I’ve laid my claim? Where was your affection

for him before?”

“How do you know I didn’t…”

“Do you?” Cicely interjected smoothly, “You know what Seth’s like. If you liked him, would

things have come to this?”

Caught off guard, Danielle struggled to respond, “What are you implying?”

With a dismissive chuckle, Cicely continued, “Do you think he’d tolerate a girl with ulterior

motives hanging around him without showing any irritation?”

Realizing what Cicely was suggesting, Danielle laughed mockingly, “Cicely, you really

don’t know how annoying you are.” The implication was clear: Seth was fed up with Cicely.

Cicely’s gaze drifted, recalling the impatience in Seth’s voice, and she nodded, “It seems

he really is quite bothered by me.”

Danielle scoffed, her smile tinged with scorn.

Cicely returned the look with amusement. “As you say, if he’s annoyed by me because he

knows about my feelings, what does his indifference towards you signify? Affection? If

that’s how he shows he likes someone, then I suppose, in his eyes, everyone but me is

worth his affection.”

Danielle’s lips tightened at the barb.

Clutching a throw pillow from the couch, Cicely brushed her freshly washed hair behind

her shoulders, her pale, beautiful face glowing in the lamplight.

“So, Danielle, what exactly are you trying to prove? That Seth’s choice makes you better

than me? What’s bothering you so much inside? Has the Ellis family treated you so

differently? What’s with this secret competition?”

Creighton’s brow furrowed slightly at his daughter’s words.

Danielle, stung as if by a wasp, retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting?!”

“Nonsense? Perhaps. Ask yourself if I’m wrong then.”

Danielle bit her lip hard. “Cicely, don’t pin your baseless accusations on me to justify your

own ‘noble’ feelings. No one’s a fool here. And don’t be so sure of yourself, thinking

everyone should like you.”

“I don’t care if anyone besides Seth likes me.” Cicely retorted with an air of indifference,

her languid eyes suddenly turning icy, “If you insist on poking the bear, Danielle, let me

remind you once more, all of P City knows I’m the pampered princess of the Ellis clan. I’ve

never faced a slight in my life. Whether I’m seen as an imperious brat, or as a spoiled

drama queen, my family raised me this way, not to be trampled on. If I have to suffer the

slightest injustice, you all will pay a price a thousandfold. So before you do anything that

involves me, you’d better weigh the consequences if you can handle them.”

Her words were nothing short of audacious.

Danielle clenched her fists tightly, her body trembling. Suddenly, she snatched the paper

from Cicely’s hand.

Cicely didn’t bother to hold onto it.

“So you admit you’re an arrogant tyrant? Do you think Seth has lost his mind or gone

stupid to fancy someone like you? I’d love to see what you’ll look like in ten years if you

don’t end up with him. What kind of face will you wear then?”

After saying her piece, Danielle glared venomously at Cicely.

Cicely stood still for a few seconds, glanced at Creighton but said nothing, and walked

over to the couch, tossing a decorative pillow onto it with a huff.

Everyone was puzzled, but the next moment they watched her bend down and pick up the

glass of milk from the coffee table.

The maid chuckled almost imperceptibly, just for an instant. The timing was perfect, just

when Cicely liked her milk at its favorite temperature.

Danielle watched speechlessly as Cicely started sipping her milk, her brow furrowing in

confusion. After a few seconds of staring at Cicely as if she were a lunatic, Danielle picked

up her books from the floor, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and told Creighton she

was heading up to rest before stomping up the stairs.

Creighton sighed and turned his gaze to Cicely.

After drinking half the glass, Cicely puffed out her cheeks, apparently in a silent huff with

Creighton, who could only offer a helpless, wry smile. “Are you really mad at me?”

Cicely was indeed seething, “Am I not allowed to feel upset after being scolded?” She

continued drinking.

“You two are sisters. Can’t you consider my feelings? Every time you meet, it’s either

silence or a fight. Can’t you think about my feelings?”

“If I didn’t care about your feelings, I would’ve slapped her the moment she opened her

mouth today.”

Creighton’s attempt at playing the sympathy card didn’t work and instead made him feel

even guiltier. Knowing his daughter’s temperament, he didn’t doubt she would indeed

resort to violence. In that sense, she was indeed “considerate.”

Cicely finished her milk. Setting the glass on the coffee table, she muttered, “Goodnight.”

“Cicely.”

“Do you really think I’d hold a grudge overnight? Goodnight.”

With that, Cicely ran upstairs.

Lying in bed, she let herself take a few deep breaths, then slowly calmed down. Her gaze

fixed on the pink canopy above as she lay in silence.

She was Cicely, the coddled darling of the Ellis family, never wronged in sixteen years,

never bending to anyone’s will. And yet, for Seth, she’d already experienced a lifetime’s

worth of patience.

She endured his tone today, thinking she had truly disturbed his studies, refraining from

seeking him out, only to find he had spent the day with Danielle, tutoring her. The more

she thought about it, the more suffocating it felt.

…

Seth had just tossed his phone onto the bed and was about to head to the bathroom when

the device buzzed. Without hesitation, his expression as indifferent as ever, he continued

toward the bathroom.

But then he stopped at the door. After a second’s pause, he walked back and picked up

the phone.

[Seth, I’m home.]

Seth’s lips tightened slightly, and he threw the phone back on the bed. Before he could

walk away, it buzzed twice more.

He picked it up again. Two messages from two different people. Danielle’s message was

on top, pressing down on Cicely’s. He tapped on Cicely’s message directly.

[Don’t you have anything to tell me? If you don’t know what to say, then tell me what you

did this afternoon.]

Seth frowned. [Interrogating me?]

[Then you say it first.]

[Nothing to say.]

After a long wait, Cicely’s next message came through, [Seth, I’m really angry right now.

You’re my man, and you should be comforting me!]

Seeing the punctuation, he could almost visualize her defiant, pouty face. Seth’s lips

twitched into a half-smile. He typed a few times on the screen, then chucked the phone

back onto the bed.

…

On the other side, Cicely stared at her phone screen for the longest time.

Seth had replied with just three words, without even a period. —[Not your man]Books

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She took a deep breath, pushing down the anger and hurt, thought hard, and finally sent

another message his way. Then she just waited, staring at the phone, but the reply was

like a pebble dropped into the ocean, no response for ages. Waiting for a reply felt like an

eternity.

By the time Seth emerged from the shower, twenty minutes had passed since her

message. Looking at her text, he couldn’t help but frown.

[Seth, do you think we’ll be together in ten years?]

Such an out-of-the-blue question.

He opened the chat to reply, but his fingers hesitated to type. His eyes, usually so

impassive, seemed to darken a shade.

Together in ten years? Hm. She sure was thinking ahead.

His fingers moved, and then he turned off the screen, placed the phone on the nightstand,

got under the covers, and turned off the lights.

—

Cicely didn’t remember when she fell asleep, but the next day the alarm startled her

awake. Disoriented for a few seconds, she reached for her phone first thing.

Seth’s chat was open. She stared for a long time, hope and anxiety in her eyes fading to

disappointment.

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