The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2016

"What are you doing?"

Cicely furrowed her brows at him, but Seth just started the car, made a U-turn, and headed off.

She panicked, "Where the heck are you taking me?"

"Settling scores."

His answer was characteristically terse. Cicely got it, her gaze turned gloomy, yet all she said was, "Pull over."

Seth acted as if he hadn't heard.d2

"I'm not going."

"So, you'd rather stew in silence and then silently chalk up another one against me? I'm not siding with Danielle, and if I'm covering for anyone, it's not for her. I've got a clear conscience, but I don't want you thinking there's something going on between us. Let's clear the air, so you don't pin any false charges on me."

Cicely took a deep breath, "I know, and that's why you need to pull over. I'm not going."

Seth didn't reply and didn’t stop the car either.

"Seth, I don't know anything at all. I can't help with your work. The best I can do is probably try not to cause you trouble or hold you back.

“I am indeed angry and feel wronged, but I've swallowed that now. You probably don't get it, but do you have any idea how much effort that takes? So don't waste my energy. Just because I don't want to go now, doesn't mean this issue will just vanish.

“I'm not accusing you of anything, but I've calmed down because of you. If you are so kind, consider it a debt to me. Just think of ways to make it up to me, to cheer me up."

Seth eventually pulled over to the side of the road. Silence filled the car, his hands gripping the steering wheel ever tighter.

Didn't he understand?

"No one understands it better than I do."

Cicely breathed a sigh of relief because he pulled over the car, but his non-sequitur made her instinctively turn to look at him. "What?"

The steering wheel cover bore the clear imprint of his fingers. He turned to her, his handsome face contorted slightly in restraint.

"Fine, we won't settle scores."

It took him a while to say that, and Cicely felt that his words didn’t match the expression he wore. "What are you trying to say?"

Seth steered the car back onto the road. "I’ll warn Danielle again. You just focus on your studies for now. Even if you don’t intend to manage the Ellis family business, you should be able to understand what’s going on, to not be cheated or swindled."

Cicely was pleased by his word "again," and her furrowed brow relaxed a bit. "Don’t I have you?"

Seth intentionally changed the subject. Cicely looked at the side of his face and noticed a subtle smile at the corner of his tightly drawn lips.

"Aren't you afraid that one day it might be me selling you out?"

Cicely blinked naturally, her smile extending, "My dad says you have a natural talent for business, smart and savvy with a unique touch."

Seth glanced at her, "Isn't it awkward to say such things to the person's face?"

Cicely chuckled. Was he embarrassed to be complimented?

"You have a knack for business, got an early start, and now you can stand on your own two feet. I'm just not cut out for it. Even if I study now, I can't catch up to you. I lack the talent and started too late. If you decided to sell me out one day, what good would my learning do? When have you ever failed to do what you decide upon?"

Seth pursed his lips, "My point is to get you involved, to understand the documents, to grasp the overall situation of the company, and to be prepared. If something happens, you should know what’s going on."

"How could anything happen with you around? If there is an issue, it would only be because you wanted it to. If I knew too much and that day came, I’d have to watch everything you did to me. Wouldn’t that be more heartbreaking?"

His expression seemed unchanged, yet it was different somehow.

Cicely smiled, "I'm just saying. After all, the Ellis family will be mine, and it will be yours. It's ours, so how could anything ridiculous happen?"

"Ours." Seth murmured, as if savoring the meaning of the word.

"Yeah, ours." Cicely replied casually, noticing the car's smooth drive, she asked, "So, where are we going?"

"Home. There's something I want to show you."

Cicely raised an eyebrow but said no more.

The car sped up, cruising down the broad, tree-lined avenue. Back at the apartment, it seemed as though nothing had changed.

Cicely scanned the room multiple times, and Seth, observing her do so, asked, "What are you looking for?"

Cicely shook her head, "Just feels strange. I didn’t sleep here last night, and now it feels a little unfamiliar."

She said this, turning to Seth with a smile, "Am I as fickle as you? This place holds so many special memories, yet I can forget it just like that. At least this time I didn’t think about it at all."

Seth bent down to fetch her fuzzy slippers and placed them under her feet.

Cicely kicked off her shoes and slipped her feet into the slippers, casually asking, "Did you think I wouldn't come back here, so you put away the slippers I usually wear?"

"They'd just gather dust otherwise."

Cicely pulled a face, her eyes glancing at the spare slippers in the corner. "Did someone visit?" She took off her down jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

Following her gaze, Seth responded with a nonchalant "Hmm," "My mother stopped by."

Cicely paused. Her beautiful eyes flickered, and she scoffed. "She was looking for me, right?"

She suddenly stood still, looking up at the man, "Is it because I slapped Danielle on the set, so she came here either to hold me accountable or to teach me a lesson on Danielle's behalf?"

Seth's expression was indifferent, "No."

Cicely stared at him with a smile, "I'd rather you said yes."

"It's not true."