The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2026

Seth's expression was far from sunny.

He was hurt, sleepless from the night before, and his dark eyes, though lacking in deliberate coldness, held a certain dry chill.

"Cicely?"

Footsteps shuffled outside the door, and Creighton's familiar voice called out for Cicely, laced with confusion, "Why aren't you coming in?"

Seth's gaze snapped up suddenly, landing on Cicely, who was standing at the doorway, looking back over her shoulder.

His eyes narrowed slightly.d2

When Cicely turned back around, her face was etched with a faint smile.

For the umpteenth time, Seth found himself detesting her all-too-common smile.

"There's no rush. No life-threatening danger, she just has to suffer a bit," Cicely reassured, taking Erik's arm.

The group approached the hospital room. Patty shifted awkwardly to the side, eyeing Cicely with a look that was anything but natural.

It was unclear when Cicely had taken up her post at the door, and what she might have overheard.

Seth's gaze never left Cicely. Danielle's attending physician, upon hearing the Ellis family had arrived, hurried over.

"Is the kid going to be alright?" Erik's concern was genuine.

"Right hand's index and middle fingers are fractured, both legs have severe comminuted fractures, and there's a broken rib in the chest. We're confident about the surgeries, and with proper treatment and rest, she'll be healed in six months."

"Gosh! That serious."

The injuries were indeed severe, and Erik's heart trembled.

He might get angry at Danielle from time to time, but in the end, she was still his granddaughter. At a time like this, he still felt a pang of heartache.

Cicely's lips tightened, and the smile on her face uncontrollably waned.

The extent of that injury was enough to evoke thoughts of how serious the car accident had been. Any slight mistake, and Danielle might have lost her life for real.

Her eyes lingered on Danielle's unconscious face, a trace of barely noticeable scorn slipping across her otherwise serene expression.

Impressive, indeed.

"Any complications?" Cicely's voice suddenly broke the silence.

The doctor hesitated, "It won't affect normal activities, but it will certainly impact her ability to perform complex dance moves, and as for playing the piano, I'm sorry..."

The doctor's words had been vague and tactful. There were various unavoidable consequences of comminuted fractures. Saying that she couldn't perform high-difficulty dance movements had been just a form of consolation.

What courage and confidence could a dancer have if they were unable to execute even "complex" moves?

"What do you mean? That won't do!" Patty's voice, a bit sharp, suddenly rose.

"Danielle has been studying dance and piano since she was little. She was a stage actress, and next spring she was scheduled to take her piano exam."

Cicely remained silent, simply giving Seth a fleeting glance.

His brow furrowed distinctly.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Staring at Danielle, who lay there oblivious, Cicely felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.

Maybe it was the late night, or perhaps because she had woken up too early.

She looked at Seth, "I brought breakfast for you; it's in your room. Do you want to head back now?"

After a few seconds, Seth rose to his feet and moved towards her.

Cicely turned to Erik and Creighton, suggesting, "The important thing is she's alive. It's pointless for so many of us to hover around; it might even disturb her rest. Should we disperse?"

Her logic was sound.

The group left the hospital room, leaving only the special assigned nurse to watch over Danielle.

After seeing the elders off, Cicely followed Seth back to his room.

She took the breakfast from the food box and placed it in front of him, then sat on the couch and pulled out her phone.

Seth began eating with a spoon, the silence in the room profound.

Online attention seemed to belong exclusively to celebrities.

The buzz about Seth had vanished from the charts, but there was no shortage of topics binding him and Danielle together.

[Did you guys hear? I witnessed the accident. The car that caused it was initially heading straight for Mr. Diaz's car, but Danielle's vehicle suddenly darted out, trying to shield Mr. Diaz. Then it seemed Mr. Diaz realized and rushed in front of her, but Danielle still ended up taking the hit. Her brand new car was totaled.]

[Wow, were they both risking their lives to protect each other? Is this the thing called love?]

[I also know that the two of them came out from the same club, each driving their own cars. Surprisingly, they didn't touch a drop of alcohol coming out of the club. Are they too in sync, or is there something else going on between them?]

[Huh? Really? You're implying they were together from the start, aren't you?]

Cicely exited the feed and launched a game.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" Seth's voice broke through the sound of her gaming.

Without looking up, Cicely responded, "Ask what? Did something happen between you and Danielle?"

Seth's frown deepened, "No."

"Hmm, I believe you." Her tone was indifferent, her attitude casual, "You're straightforward, which puts me at ease. But why do you need me to ask first? Seth, we haven't been together long. If I had to question you about everything, you'd get fed up and dump me sooner rather than later. It wasn't easy getting you; don't lead me into making mistakes and then use that as an excuse to leave me."

"If I really wanted to leave, would the reason matter?" Seth replied coolly.

Cicely slowly lifted her head, smiling at him.

"So you've considered dumping me?"

Seth finished his last spoonful of oatmeal and set the spoon down.

"I'm just addressing your concerns."

Cicely raised an eyebrow, nodding with a slight smile, "I won't be petty enough to overthink things and badger you if you and Danielle occasionally cross paths. No matter why you and her ended up in the same place at the same time, experiencing the same car accident on the same road, if you say there's nothing between you and her, then I believe you.

But Seth, maybe you don’t have to ease my worries. There might come a day when I actually look forward to them becoming reality."

Seth's gaze shifted, his dark eyes probing hers, emotion inscrutable.

“What were you expecting? That I’d drop you like a hot stewato?”

Cicely stood up with a wry smile, making her way over to him, “I guess maybe it's more like a mutual expectation.”

She methodically packed a few containers into a lunchbox, stealing a glance at his shadowed eyes, “You look like you haven’t slept a wink all night. Shouldn’t you be resting? Charlie called and said you haven’t even started on the IV you’re supposed to be on.”

“Aren’t you going to explain what you just said?”

After placing the lunchbox on a nearby cabinet, Cicely chuckled softly, “What’s there to worry about? The ball’s always been in your court, hasn’t it?”

Seth watched her tidy up the dining area and stand by his bedside, “Lie back, I’ll get a nurse to come set up your IV.”

Cicely approached the topic with a nonchalance that implied it wasn’t up for further discussion, and Seth didn’t press it, changing the subject instead,