The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride
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."

"I've known from day one that your mother prefers Danielle. It's easier for me to accept that she came to confront me for Danielle's sake than to think that you sent me away from our home because you misunderstood me because of Danielle, don't you think?"

Seth looked down at her smiling face, "Would that make you happy?"

"How could it not?"

He had sent her home to keep her away from Patty, clearing up misunderstandings and letting her know he was protecting her. She couldn't be happier.

"Then believe that."

"Is it so hard for you to be honest?"

Despite saying this, she knew Seth's nature all too well. He could did so much for her, but he would never say it loud.

"With your temperament, if it weren't for me, there wouldn't be any woman who could put up with you."

Seth sidestepped past her, "Naive. As long as I've got enough charm, there'll be a line of women waiting."

Did she actually think that women these days were still simple-minded, selfless kids?

Cicely didn't like hearing that and followed him. "You really know how to tick off a lady."

Seth opened the door to the study, "Upset?"

Cicely frowned, her meaning clear.

Seth's lips curved up slightly, "Perfect, I've got something here to cheer you up." With that, he stepped into the study.

Driven by curiosity, Cicely followed.

Seth sat down, fired up his computer, and after a few smooth clicks, an image popped up on the screen, prompting Cicely to lean in closer.

"What's this?"

"Architectural floor plans."

"Why are you showing me this?"

Seth watched her bent over and hunched, so he scooted back his chair and pulled her into his arms.

In a daze, Cicely snapped back to reality. With a swift kick of his long legs, Seth, still holding the chair, smoothly glided back to the computer. His well-defined fingers gripped the mouse, scrolling down the images bit by bit.

"Here's the front yard, a fountain, the garden, over here's a man-made lake. This space could turn into a playground.

"The backyard has an orchard, a greenhouse, and a veggie patch.

"There are two guest houses on each side.

"This one's the interior design. If there's anything you don't understand or want to change, just let me know."

"Hold on, hold on." Cicely cut him off, blinking rapidly. "So what is this, exactly? What kind of plans?"

"Can't you tell? It's pretty obvious. It's our bridal suite design."

Cicely's eyes trembled uncontrollably, "The design is already done?"

That was fast.

Her face could barely contain the thrill and excitement.

"Happy?"

Cicely didn't speak, but her hand left the mouse and she leaned closer to the computer screen, a clear sign to Seth that she might be more than just happy.

But all this, compared to the manor that Creighton prepared for her, which could easily be called a castle, wasn't much of an improvement.

"This is the basement. And we gotta have one of those home theaters.

"An elevator straight to the rooftop? Smart glass roof, no worries about rainy days.

"Swimming pool and multipurpose room, very nice.

"Our bedroom. Let's see, study, guest room, guest room, guest room, toy room, and children's room..."

Cicely's excited voice slowed as she focused on the last two rooms, then zoomed in on the screen to see the details more clearly. After a while, she turned to Seth, her eyes sparkling. "Can I supervise the decoration myself?"

Seth raised an eyebrow, "It's not out of the question, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Cicely immediately frowned and pouted, twisting ninety degrees on his lap, her face full of accusation. "Why not?"

Seth's expression softened as he adjusted her position on his knees. "It's a dirty and tiring job that people wouldn't do even for money, and you're eager to take it on?"

"It's my bridal suite. How could I entrust it to someone else?"

"Sweetheart, leave it to the pros. You can rest easy."

Cicely stopped arguing. After all, when the time came, if she insisted on going, he couldn't stop her.

She glanced back at the screen, her expression subtly shifting, tinted with a touch of embarrassment. "One children's room. Is that enough?"

At her words, Seth's eyebrows lifted, his dark eyes softening with amusement. "How many do you think we'll need?"

Cicely fiddled with the hems of their clothes, trying to tie a knot. Her head was lowered, her cheeks blushing. "How about two?"

His dark eyes carried a hint of teasing, a light smile playing on his lips. His hand, hooked in the long strands of her hair over her shoulder, trailed down to the nape of her neck. Naturally, he pinched her incredibly soft earlobe.

"Maybe we should have a few more since you're so good?"

Cicely squirmed at his touch, tilting her head to nuzzle. "How many is that? We can't have too many; childbirth takes a toll on a woman's vitality. I still want to look good for a few more years."

Seth chuckled, "You are only eighteen, and childbirth is a long way off for you. For now, your job is to hit the books."

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