CEO's Enticing Ex-wife

The strong aroma of caffeine pervaded the air. Louie Ling was sitting by the window, drinking coffee with Amelia Fang when she saw the man. He walked towards their table.

She exclaimed, "Nelson! Is it really you?"

The man was dressed in casual clothes. He smiled at them and said,

"Louie, Amelia. Haven't seen you two in three years. You ladies have become more beautiful than ever."

'Beautiful, huh?' Louie Ling thought.

She waved to the waiter not far away from them, and then turned to look at Nelson Ning with a playful smile. "If I remember correctly, that's the word you use to praise every woman you pass by!"

"Oh, yes! I remember it too! He used it once on the old lady in charge of dormitory, and was almost driven out with a broom!"

Amelia Fang recalled with a frown. Seeing the serious look on her, Louie Ling smiled more brightly.

Nelson Ning kept in toe with the two beauties' teasing, and the topic naturally shifted to their past.

It was late autumn and the night was extraordinarily cold; the air around smelled of loneliness.

It was not until dark that Louie Ling returned home. The luxurious, high-end villa was her exquisite prison, where she was kept imprisoned willingly.

Imprisoned in a lonely marriage...

Auntie Zhang was on leave that night, and she was the only one left in the dreary prison. After taking a shower, she climbed into her bed.

The loud ring of the doorbell cut through the silence in the villa. With a frown, Louie Ling reached out for her phone to check the time.

After hesitating for a moment, she got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. She slowly climbed down the stairs. Looking through the living room's mirrored door, she saw the familiar face.

She opened the door and heard the sharp voice. "Took you long enough! Were you trying to freeze me to death?"

Charles Liang's eyes were full of anger, and the pungent smell of alcohol filled the air between them.

Louie Ling frowned without looking into his angry eyes. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and said coldly,

"Why do you have to always come in the middle of the night?"

Saying so, she turned around to leave.

"Stop!"

the man growled and reached out to grab Louie Ling's thin shoulder. Since she had been in bed earlier, she was only wearing a silk pajama. She struggled, trying to get out of the rude man's grasp. She cursed,

"Are you crazy? You are hurting me!"

Instead of letting go, he exerted more strength on her shoulder and dug his nails into her frail skin. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder and Louie Ling let out an involuntary groan before tightening her lips shut.

He forcefully pulled down her hand that was covering her mouth and nose. Charles Liang asked in a cold, hoarse voice, "Do I make you sick, Louie?"

The poor woman trembled and looked up into his mad eyes. His dark orbs made her feel inexplicably cold. But with a sneer on her lips, she said in an indifferent, ethereal tone,

"Please, could you find something new to do? This drunken madness is getting too old, okay?"

A gust of cold wind blew through the open door. A flicker of unidentifiable emotion flashed across the man's eyes, and his condescending gaze was fixed on Louie Ling. Her cold eyes stared back at him in defiance, but this cold woman had been smiling at another man this afternoon. It was exceedingly fascinating.

A surge of pure anger rose from the bottom of his heart and instantly pumped through every cell in his body. Taken over by this whopping feelings of hatred and anger, he pulled the woman into his arms. With a sneer, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.

"Hmm!"

There was nothing but muffled protests. The strong smell of alcohol invaded her nose, and her stomach churned as bile rose up her throat. Louie Ling pushed the drunken man away from her with all the strength she could muster and ran towards the living room.

Charles Liang staggered backwards, losing his balance-powerful push from such a frail woman. He grabbed on to the iron door quickly before falling to the ground.

Looking up, he realized that Louie Ling had already disappeared from his sight. In the dim light, his shadow seemed long and lonely.

When Charles Liang walked into the living room, he heard the vomiting sounds from the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water. The anger in his eyes did not fade at all.

This was the third time. Every time he kissed her while he was drunk, she would throw up rudely to show her disgust. She was a weak woman, but somehow her strength greatly increase during times like these. Tonight, he was prepared for it, but she still managed to shove him.

Exhausted, Charles Liang dropped onto the sofa. Squinting slightly, he counted to three in his mind. The bathroom door opened. Wiping her mouth, Louie Ling walked towards the sofa. Her expression was different, a little better. She looked at him and asked indifferently, "Did you have dinner yet? I'll cook some noodles for you. Auntie Zhang is not home."

Charles Liang slowly opened his eyes; a faint fragrance emanated from her. His deep eyes turned sharp once again. He looked around the house and asked in a low growl, "Did you go out today?"

A hint of doubt flashed across her eyes. Louie remembered the feeling she had had while she was in the cafe that afternoon-the sharp chill she had felt from behind her... 'It was not an illusion after all. Is he spying on me now, or was it really just a coincidence?' she wondered.

"Yes. I was bored at home, so I went to have some coffee. I bought some scented tea from the supermarket. If you want some, you can make it yourself."

Charles Liang frowned and changed the topic. "I don't want instant noodles. I want fried rice with eggs! Put some tomatoes in it. No carrots." After a pause, he continued,

"Prepare some hot water and get me some fresh clothes. I need to take a shower first. I don't want you vomiting in the kitchen."

Biting her lip, she turned around and went upstairs to find his pajamas, ignoring his mockery.

By the time Charles came out of the bathroom, Louie had made the fried rice, just as he had asked.

Under the soft light, he saw that her usual cold face was a little softer. Her plain pajamas didn't reveal anything; it was a size bigger and she fit in comfortably.

He looked around and saw that she was watching TV intently.

Charles whispered to himself, "Stupid woman."

Recently, Louie had been infatuated with the TV play, "I love you". Wallace Chung perfectly performed the overbearing and infatuated Master Murray, and their love was touching, yet distressing.

She had already watched it several times and had cried as many times. Every time she thought of the play, she felt sad and sentimental. There really were so many things in life which were just too late to do, and people too late to love!

"Get me the hair dryer," Charles ordered, languidly walking towards the sofa. He unwrapped the towel to wipe his hair, which was wet and messy. Several strands of short hair fell over his forehead, which gave him an evil, attractive look.

Louie withdrew her gaze from the TV and met Charles's deep eyes. There was clear complacency in them. He was ordering her!

He was trying to stir up trouble on purpose; she refused to indulge him. Getting up from the sofa, she walked to the cabinet and grabbed his hair dryer. "Here," she said, handing it over to him.

"Go on. Dry my hair," he said, eyeing Louie coldly. He walked to the leather sofa in two long strides and sat down. The sofa groaned under his weight.

Biting her lower lip in frustration, Louie plugged in the dryer and found a comb to do his hair.

"It's too hot. Are you trying to burn me to death?"

Charles asked sarcastically.

Louie scoffed. Her eyes fixed on her favorite TV play, she answered casually,

"Your hair will dry faster if the temperature is higher."

Charles snorted and picked up the remote control on the tea table. With a sneer, he changed to the news channel.

Louie was maddened by his childish behavior. "Charles! What's wrong with you? Do you really have to act like this every time you get drunk? Change it back to the TV play channel!" Normally, she would have tolerated his hateful attitude, but tonight, she was inexplicably on the edge of her temper. You could even say that she was affected by the sentimentality of the TV drama. A flame was burning inside her-thawing her frozen heart, melting the ice wall that had been frozen for the past three years.

Charles didn't respond. Louie's voice was not too loud, and the anger in her tone was suppressed by the roar of the hair dryer and the sound of the TV. He turned a deaf ear to her and continued to watch the news. The smile at the corners of his mouth became broader.

Louie fumed. She turned off the hair dryer and unplugged the power cord angrily. After placing the hair dryer back in the cabinet, she glanced at the TV coldly, turned around and left the living room.

Every time they quarreled, Louie would stand down. Anger surged in her, but she suppressed it; she hardly had any energy left to fight him.

Surprisingly, Charles didn't stop her from leaving. He stared coldly at her retreating back, and the sneer on his face gradually disappeared, and his gaze became unfathomable.

Since Louie left, Charles had no interest in watching the news anymore. He turned off the TV lazily and sat at the dinner table to eat his fried rice with eggs.

Around ten minutes later, Louie heard light footsteps outside her room. She turned down the volume of her computer and listened to the sound.

The footsteps stopped outside her room, and then came a knock on the door, accompanied by Charles's deep voice. "Louie, open the door."

Remaining seated at the table, Louie replied indifferently, "Your room is all set up, and the door is not locked. Good night!"

In the course of the past three years, she had only lived with him for a few days. Except for the time when they had returned to his parents' home, they lived separately. He had several lovers outside their marriage, and she preferred to stay alone anyway.

Both of them had a silent understanding; they did not interfere in each other's business. He had once said that as long as she did not embarrass him in public, he would not bother her. She had willingly accepted his terms.

There was a moment's pause before he spoke again, and this time his tone was heavier. "Open the door. I have something to tell you."

'Does he really intend on pestering me this late into the night?'

After considering it for a few seconds, Louie paused the TV show. Then, she stood up and walked to the door. In an irritated tone, she asked, "What do you want? Say it!"

"Louie, if you don't open this damn door right now, I'll break it down!" There was undisguised anger in Charles's voice, and his warning was crystal clear. He gritted his teeth in anger, thinking of what Louie had done that afternoon. His wife smiled brightly while talking to another man, but in front of him, she was like an ice sculpture-hiding behind thick blocks of ice in spring, summer, autumn and winter.

And he could only quarrel with her while he was drunk. The two of them seldom met each other, except during few occasions. No one in Charles's business circle knew his wife. This was their marriage.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Louie opened the door a crack and asked,

"What is it? I'm going to sleep!"

Squinting, Charles pushed the door open, swaggering into the bedroom. He said sarcastically,

"You sleep with your computer on?"

He walked to the king-size bed, which was covered in a light blue quilt, and threw himself onto it lazily. Looking up at Louie, who was still standing at the door, he asked, "How many days have you given Auntie Zhang off?"

Louie was annoyed. She frowned. The hateful man, as soon as he walked in, slumped into her bed and was now asking her insignificant questions.

"Two days. Today and tomorrow,"

she answered in a stiff tone. Then, she walked to the computer desk and sat down on the chair in front of it with her back to Charles.

"My mother is coming tomorrow. You'd better ask Auntie Zhang to come back. You'll come with me to the airport to pick my mother up in the morning." Charles looked up at the crystal chandelier above his head. He settled his head comfortably on the pillow and casually pulled up the quilt to cover himself. He still had his slippers on.

"Tomorrow?" she asked loudly. "I see." But she had made plans with Amelia.

"What? Are you busy tomorrow?" Charles asked casually, sounding unconcerned.

"It's nothing. I had planned on going shopping with Amelia. I will cancel. Will mother be staying here or somewhere else?"

Louie didn't care much about her mother-in-law's arrival, because like most other mothers-in-law, her mother-in-law didn't like her and was unnecessarily strict with her. She wondered why the old lady was coming now.

There was no answer. Louie turned around and saw that Charles had already fallen asleep.

She sighed and looked at the sleeping man. He was such a hateful man, but his sleeping face looked so peaceful. He was fair and masculine. His dashing eyebrows were gently spread. His nose high, and his thin lips were slightly pursed. And those long and thick eyelashes... She was jealous of them. No wonder women chased after him, even though he was a married man.

He was a pain in the ass while he was awake, but she didn't mind it as much while he was fast asleep. Even while he was drunk, he only ever acted crazily in front of her. She had heard that drunk people knew clearly what they were doing; she believed this to be true. Obviously, alcohol took off his indifferent mask. However, he would always go back to his cold and heartless self the next morning.

After standing in front of the bed for a few seconds, Louie bent down to take off his slippers and shifted his legs on to the bed. After tucking him in, she turned off the computer and walked out of the room.

Charles had been a little strange this time. Louie didn't want to think too much about it. She thought about what Nelson had said that afternoon; her mind was in a mess. Was that man really willing to come back? Had he gotten over the pain in these past three years?

He said nothing when he left three years ago. Why did he tell her when he was about to come back now? Was he planning something, or did it mean that he had completely let go of her?

Early next morning, the harsh alarm from his phone woke Charles up from his sleep.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he had dozed off in Louie's room. Their bedroom...

A slight sneer appeared on his face, mixed with indifference.

Louie was nowhere to be seen. Needless to say, Charles knew that she must have slept in another room last night. She treated him like a plague that was just too late to get rid of completely!

Rubbing his aching temples, Charles got out of bed and walked to the wardrobe. His clothes had been neatly arranged-this was Louie, always clean and tidy. Sometimes, he felt the urge to fully overturn all of the clothes just to see her pissed off face.

When he went downstairs, the smell of fried eggs welcomed him, accompanied by the faint fragrance of chopped green onion.

"Your toiletries are in the bathroom." He heard Louie's voice from the kitchen. It was plain and calm, but made him go crazy.

Without pausing, she concentrated on frying the eggs. As she tossed it, the fragrance grew stronger.

Charles turned around and walked into the bathroom, instead of going into the kitchen.

It was a simple breakfast-a little too simple. Milk and fried eggs.

"Why won't you eat the eggs? Did you poison them?"

Charles asked sarcastically, picking up the eggs.

"Humph! I would give that a try if you are willing to write a final note beforehand."

Without lifting her eyes to look at Charles, Louie sipped on the milk elegantly.

"And what would this note say? That I leave all my inheritance to you? I didn't know that you were so keen on getting all my money."

Charles took a bite. It tasted good.

Raising her eyes and glaring at Charles with disdain, Louie said,

"Don't assume that everyone is a slave to money just like you. I was talking about a suicide note, to show that your death has nothing to do with me. I don't want to go to prison for killing you."

Saying so, Louie emptied the rest of the milk in one breath!

"Are you that eager to see me dead?"

Charles's tone was dry. He chewed on the eggs as if he were chewing on Louie's flesh.

She didn't reply.

After a while, Charles changed the topic.

"I have to go to the company first. I'll pick you up at ten o'clock. The plane will land only at eleven, so there's no need to hurry."

"You are busy on weekends too?" Louie asked casually, holding the empty glass with both hands.

Drinking the milk, Charles was slightly stunned by her question. He looked up at her with a flash of doubt in his eyes. She had never asked him about anything, let alone details regarding his work. Even when he had to stay overnight elsewhere, she never bothered him with questions.

This was rare. Charles put down the cup in his hand and said in a softer tone, "I've been a little busy lately, but I'll pick you up on time."

Louie looked away from him. Looking at her empty milk glass, she said calmly, "If you don't have time to pick me up, I can take a taxi to the airport." She could have easily driven there by herself, but she thought it would be inappropriate.

If she drove to the airport, his mother would be unhappy again. In order to save his face, she had to give up the idea of driving. And if she went by car, she would have to drive back alone, while his mother rode with him in his car.

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Charles refused her idea and said domineeringly, "I will come back to pick you up." Then, he picked up the glass on the table and drank the milk in one go.

"Don't hurry Auntie Zhang. We will have lunch at the hotel. Ask her to come back and prepare dinner," Charles added before leaving.

"Okay." Louie cleared the table. Although it was a simple breakfast, she still had to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen.

As soon as she finished washing the tableware, the phone rang in the living room. Wiping her hands, she walked to the telephone and without checking the caller ID, she answered, "Hello?"

A woman's angry voice came from the other side. "I'm looking for Charles!"

Louie frowned and asked coldly, "Who is this? Charles isn't home."

Perhaps it was because Louie's tone was strong and demanding that the woman was stunned. The anger in her voice faded and her tone softened a little, but there was still a questioning tone as she asked, "Who are you?"

Louie searched for the identity of the voice in her mind quickly, but she had never heard it before. After a short hesitation, she said indifferently, "It doesn't matter who I am. The person you are looking for is not here at the moment. You can call his cell phone."

"I called his cell phone, but his phone is turned off! I have called him more than twenty times since last night. You must be his lover, right? Tell Charles that I don't care how powerful he is. If anything happens to my sister, I won't spare him."

The woman hung up the phone without giving Louie a chance to speak.

Putting down the phone, Louie couldn't help but chuckle. Charles had broken another woman's heart, and even made her sister call with a warning.

But how did this woman know the landline number? Although Charles had fun with other women, no one called him at home. These women knew that he was a married man, and he was quite honest about this too. Perhaps he thought that he didn't need to hide his married identity because of how powerful he was.

No matter how affectionate and spoiled these women were, they wouldn't call home or try to talk to his wife. Louie admired the way he handled them. Maybe it was the allure of his riches, or Charles himself-women were willing to be his mistresses and live this insecure life with him.

Because of this, the call aroused her curiosity. Louie could not help but wonder who the woman was. What was the relationship between her sister and Charles? What was the relationship between her and Charles?

As she pondered over this, the telephone rang one more time.

She thought that it was the woman again, so she answered and said flatly, "Charles is really not home."

"Louie? This is Auntie Zhang." "Oh!" she exclaimed, feeling a little embarrassed. Auntie Zhang continued, "Charles called me just now. He said that his mother was coming. I'm in a taxi now and will be back by noon."

"I was about to call you! No need to hurry. Charles said we wouldn't be having lunch at home. You only need to prepare dinner," Louie said in a gentle voice.

"Okay, I'll do that," Auntie Zhang replied softly and hung up the phone.