Enticing Ex-wife: Bound By CEO's Crazy Love

"You must know that this is your retribution. This is what you deserve after betraying me. Unfortunately, your daughter will have to suffer your retribution too. It's worse than death, isn't it?" Hugo Hua, a tall and handsome man, leaned against the desk and crossed his arms across his chest, his left foot across his right. He looked so lazy but noble. With an undisguised sneer at the corners of his mouth, he raised his eyebrows. He waited for an answer from her.

They were in an extremely luxurious office. As a matter of fact, each room in this office had its own design for its unique functions and characteristics. The layout was casual and relaxing, creating a natural atmosphere. But it was easy to identify its simple yet elegant northern European style.

Eight chandeliers with Swarovski crystals were hanging on the ten-meter high ceiling. Each crystal was so eye-catching, reflecting the owner's unique taste.

It was noontime, and the bright sunlight seeped through the French window, illuminating the whole office. Wendy Luo stood in the middle of the office with her head down, looking so helpless.

If it weren't for the pressure of life, she would never step into this office where she didn't really fit in. She couldn't help thinking that even if she sold all of her belongings, it couldn't even pay for a bottle of hand soap in his bathroom.

Looking at the customized Persian carpet on the floor, she felt uneasy. If she could, she wanted to lift her feet in fear that she might stain the carpet.

Hugo Hua stared at Wendy Luo. But since her head was bowed down, he could only see the top of her head. The sunlight sprinkled on her head, making her hair look more desiccated. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a rubber band. She was wearing an old down-filled coat and white jeans.

She kept her head down. She never looked up no matter how harsh his words were. With a frown, her mouth remained shut. But with his last words, she felt like she had to say something now. So she took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. With an expressionless face, she stared at Hugo Hua. "Let's make a deal," she said.

Hugo Hua burst into laughter. "Who do you think you are to bargain with me? Do you really believe that I'm still interested in you?"

Wendy Luo didn't say anything. She lowered her head again, took out a small box from the reusable bag at her feet, and opened it carefully.

Hugo Hua noticed the skin at the back of her hands was rough and dry. In the past, her hands were so slender and smooth that he couldn't help but hold them. But now, he could barely recognize this pair of hands. There were also some fresh long red marks on her arms that looked like scratches. He could tell that she had done some heavy work. As he thought about it, his heart twitched a little. He could somehow feel the pain.

He walked up to her, took the box, and asked, "What is this?"

"Inside this box are all the things you gave to me. Since you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore, I'm giving them back to you. You can do anything you want with them. You can throw them away or destroy them. Without these memories, we will become strangers to each other. But I will only give them back to you on condition that you have to give me one million dollars." After she finished talking, Wendy Luo breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had said them all.

The gifts that Hugo Hua gave her were all limited editions that worth millions of dollars. If she sold them, she would be rich. But she couldn't just sell them to anyone else because she knew that if he found out, he would do something to torture her. So returning them to him in exchange for one million dollars was the only way she could think of to get some money. Although it wasn't that much, it could help her start a new life. Besides, it could also give Hugo Hua a closure to their previous relationship.

Hugo Hua gently fiddled with the things in the box with his fair and slender fingers. There, he saw his letters to her, tied together with a red ribbon. There was also a Stephen Webster necklace, a Chanel bracelet, and a Wellendorff ring. It was actually a couple ring, and he was still wearing the other one on his finger.

These were all the things he had given to her. And now, she was returning them to the original owner.

"Something is missing. Where is the brooch from Van Cleef and Arpels?" Hugo Hua looked at Wendy Luo's face and curled his lips.

"I need money for my daughter's hospitalization, so I sold it," she admitted frankly.

"Good. Very good."

Wendy Luo didn't know what he meant, and she wasn't interested either. Her only concern now was to get the money for her daughter's treatment.

Hugo Hua pressed a button on his table and said, "Give me one hundred thousand dollars right now." He then lowered his head to write something.

Wendy Luo was confused, but she had made a concession in her heart. If he would only give her one hundred thousand dollars, she would accept it. After all, she badly needed money right now.

A few moments later, his secretary knocked on the door and came in. There were two guards behind her, holding cash in their hands. They walked to Hugo Hua's desk, put it down carefully, and left. The secretary was a little surprised to see Wendy Luo standing in the middle of the room. She couldn't believe that such a shabby woman entered the president's office.

Hugo Hua didn't mind the people who came in. He continued writing without raising his head. After a while, he stood up and threw the piece of paper in front of Wendy Luo. With an expressionless face, he said, "That check is for nine hundred thousand, and this cash here is one hundred thousand." His voice was still as cold as usual. He didn't even spare her a glance when he spoke. She didn't know if she had annoyed him, but the faint feeling made her shiver.

Wendy Luo lowered her head and looked at the check on the floor. Indeed, it was nine hundred thousand dollars. She didn't expect him to just agree to her demand so easily.

"You said that everything was here. But just now, you also said that you sold the brooch. This is not a fair deal. But for the sake of your child, I will still give you the full amount. However, you must take the brooch back and return it to me." Finally, Hugo Hua looked at her.

Wendy Luo didn't say anything but just nodded slightly in agreement. She would definitely return the brooch to him because she didn't want to owe anything from him.

She picked up the check and put it in her bag carefully. She then walked to the desk to get the cash.

"Why in such a hurry? Are you afraid that I will go back on my word?" he said as his lips curved into a faint smile.

"If you don't want to give the cash to me, it's alright," Wendy Luo said as she retracted her steps and turned around to leave. But Hugo Hua stopped her. "Wait a minute."

He pushed all the bundles of cash on the desk, and they fell to the floor. She could see his face as he sat opposite her. It made Wendy Luo realize that they really belonged to two different worlds. She didn't even know if she could still have the courage to enter his world.

Hugo Hua smiled at her and said, "Pick them up one by one. Make sure that you don't miss even a single note." He then stood up and walked to the lounge in his office. Tears streamed down her face as she watched his receding back. This day finally came. From now on, the two of them would have nothing to do with each other.

It took them twenty-five years just to end up like this. Wendy Luo was adopted by Hugo Hua's father, Hale Hua. At that time, he was the CEO of H Group. She was five years old back then and Hugo Hua was eight. The first time that they looked at each other, she didn't expect that her fate would intertwine with his.

She squatted on the floor and picked up the money one by one. Looking at the bills in her hand, she remembered the time when he gave her the 999 roses. It was the first time that he had told her he loved her. It was also the first time that she had felt the happiness she had never felt before. Wendy Luo didn't know how long she had picked up the notes on the floor

and how much memories she had recalled. When she was done, she looked around to make sure that she had picked up everything. It was only then that she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She stood and straightened up, finding that she was still alone in the office. Wendy Luo held the bag of money in her hands tightly as if she was afraid that someone would take it away. This money would save her daughter's life, so she must take good care of it. She shouldn't waste her time thinking about the past. Those memories were nothing compared to her daughter.

She didn't even cast a glance at the door to the lounge. She raised her arm to wipe the tears on her face with her sleeves. She then took a deep breath and walked to the office door. She opened it and went out as if nothing had happened.

When Wendy was already outside the company, she thought of taking a taxi to the hospital to see her daughter, Merry, and pay the hospital bills. But then, she remembered that she had a lot of money in her bag. Thinking that it wasn't safe to take a taxi with so much money, she decided to walk. Besides, the hospital was not that far from Hugo's company.

While walking, she recalled everything that happened in his office. Until now, she still couldn't believe that she traded that box for one million dollars. Wendy had actually taken care of the things inside that box for a long time. No matter how poor her family was in the past years, she didn't sell anything from that box. As a matter of fact, she didn't sell the brooch herself. It was sold by her husband, Jeff Wang, to pay his gambling debts.

The brooch was the first gift that Hugo gave her. Although it was not as valuable as the other gifts, she had always treasured it. She could only sleep well if it was under her pillow. It was a rose brooch with big and small diamonds on it. It had never faded for more than ten years. Instead, the finely polished diamonds got more and more dazzling. In her sleepless nights, Wendy would always hold it in her hand to make her feel relaxed.

Walking in the middle of the bustling capital city with many young fashionable people around, Wendy felt that it was really difficult for her to fit in into this big city. Especially that she didn't have the luxurious jewelry she used to have and the customized clothes from other countries that she used to wear. Now, she was just an ordinary housewife, walking on the street.

When she looked at the couple walking towards her, Wendy remembered what happened a few days ago. It was the first time she had seen Hugo again after four years.

Since it was November now, it was snowing heavily, and the cold wind seemed to pierce through her thick cotton clothes to her bones, freezing her to death. This kind of weather was actually very rare. It was said that it could only be experienced every one hundred years. And since it was really snowing heavily, the street was almost empty. There were only trees standing on the roadside, swaying with the wind. Fortunately, none of them fell down.

But a 4S auto store was still very lively. Since it was the biggest 4S auto store in Beijing, all kinds of high-end sports cars imported from abroad could be seen here. Young elites and businessmen in Beijing usually gathered here, so the place was very high-end. It had large banquet halls, cafes, restaurants, and vehicle display areas. This place was fully equipped for the people in the higher class.

"Wendy, do you even know how to work? You have already broken several coffee cups this month. Do you have any idea how much those cups worth? They were bought abroad. If you can't do this job, I better look for someone else. I understand that you're just new here. But still, you have to pay for those cups that you broke. I'll deduct two thousand from your salary this month. It's actually just half the cost of the cups. The next time you break another one, you will have to pay its original price. Get back to work now."

"Yes, sir. I'm so sorry. I'll be more careful next time." Wendy bowed her head and kept on apologizing until the manager walked away. Tina Zhao came to her, helped her picked up the broken pieces of the cup on the floor, and whispered to her, "Are you okay? Just be more careful next time."

She forced herself to smile and said, "It's okay. I should learn my lesson." Her salary was only five thousand a month, so two thousand was already a large amount of money for her. It was almost half of her salary.

Wendy had just finished cleaning up when one of her coworkers called her. "Wendy, bring this cup of coffee to Table 8. Be careful, okay?" She nodded with a smile and took the tray. Although she had only started working here less than a month ago, everyone was friendly to her because she was always enthusiastic, cheerful, and helpful to others.

Wendy walked towards Table 8 carefully. The customer was a man, sitting on the sofa with his back to her.

As she got closer to him, she smelled the man's faint fragrance. He smelled green tea, which was so refreshing.

"Good afternoon, sir. Here is the Blue Mountain Coffee that you ordered. Please enjoy..." Before she could finish her words, Wendy was stunned. The man in front of her looked very familiar. He had only changed a little in the past four years. His face was much thinner now, and his features became sharper. He was still as handsome as before, but he looked a little arrogant and domineering now.

As her hand trembled, the cup of coffee instantly fell on the table. The cup didn't break, but the coffee spilled on Hugo. Wendy hurriedly took out some tissue from the pocket of her apron and wiped his shirt. But as soon as her hand touched him, she reflexively retracted and just stood there staring at him.

When the manager saw her standing there at a loss, he already knew that she had made trouble again. So he trotted over to check.

Before he could open his mouth to scold Wendy, he saw Hugo sitting on the sofa and wiping his clothes. He pulled her to the side and shook hands with Hugo with a smile.

Wendy didn't know what had happened, but she didn't dare to leave without permission. She just stood there, lowered her head, and rubbed her hands that were suffering from frostbite. Since she came back four years ago, her hands had been rough with hand work and she had suffered from frostbite on her hands every winter.

"Hello, Mr. Hua. What brings you here today? You should have let me know ahead of time that you're coming. Do you need a new car? I can give you our best price." The manager became unusually polite and energetic in front of Hugo. He was totally different from his serious demeanor in front of his staff.

"Nothing. I'm just bored in the company today, so I came to have a look. Don't worry about me. Just do whatever you need to do," Hugo replied flatly.

"Alright. But, did my waitress cause you any trouble? I saw her just now..." Before the manager could finish his words, Hugo raised his hand to stop him.

"No, it was not actually her fault. I accidentally spilled the coffee. She even helped me and gave me some tissue." As he spoke, Hugo waved the tissue in his hand.

The manager seemed to feel relieved. "Well, I thought she made a mistake again. She's really stupid. In less than a month of working here, she has already broken a few cups and plates. She's always absentminded. Actually, I'm thinking of..." The manager stopped talking when he saw the impatient look on Hugo's face.

Hugo stood up, bowed his head, and buttoned up his suit that he had unbuttoned when he sat down just now. He straightened his collar, picked up the black woolen long coat on the side, and put it on his arm. The manager immediately picked up the Burberry scarf on the back of the sofa. He had seen this scarf in the mall last month. It was a limited edition with a shocking price. How he wished he could have one too! But he didn't dare to waste any more time. He quickly smoothed the scarf and put it on the coat in the crook of Hugo's arm carefully.

After thanking the manager politely, Hugo turned around and walked straight to the door. He passed by Wendy without even sparing her a glance. It was as if she was just an unimportant stranger in his eyes.

The manager stood there for a while with a smile on his face. He seemed to be mesmerized by Hugo's politeness just now. Wendy moved forward and started wiping the table. Much to her surprise, the manager said to her proudly, "Do you know who he is? He is the renowned Mr. Hugo Hua of H Group. He is a regular customer here. He has bought many sports car from our store. If you piss him off, you will be in big trouble. Next time that he comes here, ask someone else to serve his order, okay? I don't want you to make trouble for me."

Then he seemed to have realized something, so he said, "Well, you are just a waitress here. Why am I telling you these things? I'm sure that you won't understand." The manager turned around and walked away, leaving Wendy alone.

Wendy stopped wiping the table and looked ahead. She then muttered, "I feel like I don't know him anymore."

The cars whizzed past Wendy, but she didn't mind them. She was walking to the hospital to see Merry again. Only when she was alone could she felt less exhausted. Since her mind was too preoccupied, she arrived at the gate of the hospital unconsciously. She tried to forget all her worries and put on a smile as she entered the hospital.

Wendy had been here in the hospital for quite a long time, so the nurses on the third floor already knew her. They even called her by her first name now. She was thankful that they were all kind to her and Merry. "Wendy, you're here. Have you had breakfast yet?" "Wendy, how is Merry? Is she feeling better today?" Wendy was on her way to the director's office, and she greeted all the nurses that she met.

"Where have you been? I called you, but you didn't answer." Jeremy Lian raised his head. He and Merry were playing with building blocks.

He was the director of the Internal Medicine Department of this hospital. He came from abroad with superb medical skills and fame. As a matter of fact, many people came to see him from all over the country. Jeremy Lian studied nephropathy abroad, and he was Merry's current attending physician.

"Oh, I went to raise money. It's not easy to get a kidney donor. We've been waiting for three years. I don't want to miss this opportunity." Wendy put the bag of money on the table, sat down, and rubbed her sore arm.

When Merry was only two years old, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Since then, it was Jeremy Lian who personally took care of her in the hospital. Wendy and Jeremy Lian became more familiar with each other. She treated him as a friend, so she didn't hide anything from him. He was aware of her family's current situation.

"You look tired. Drink some water first." Jeremy Lian came over and handed her a glass of water. He then took her arm and tried to massage her.

"No need. I feel much better now." Wendy casually pulled her arm out of his hand and walked past him to see the blocks that Merry built.

She knew very well that Jeremy Lian liked her. Although she didn't know whether it was love or merely sympathy, she clearly knew that she only wanted him as a friend. Jeremy Lian was an excellent man, and they were not from the same world either. After all, she was already married.

Jeremy Lian respected her a lot, so even though they were friends, he never asked her any personal questions. Just like right now, he didn't ask where she had gotten such a large sum of money today. He knew that Wendy was from a poor family, and she couldn't afford to pay the high cost of her daughter's treatment. So, as soon as they found out that there was a kidney donor, he personally gathered some money to help her. He was able to raise around eight hundred thousand dollars. But he didn't tell her because he wanted to surprise her. Jeremy Lian was just an ordinary doctor with a monthly salary of a few thousand dollars. He never received red packets from the patients' families. But he worked hard and saved money for several years. As a result, he was now able to buy a house in Beijing for his future family.

But since he knew that it was almost impossible for Wendy to raise such a large amount of money, he didn't have the heart to see her helplessness. Just like what she said, it wasn't easy to find a kidney donor. To help her with the financial burden, he sold his house and borrowed some money from his friends to collect the amount of eight hundred thousand. But it seemed useless now. He reached out and pushed the bank card that had been hidden under the glass of his desk inside.

Jeremy Lian held Merry in his arms and walked through the hallway. He would take her downstairs to bask in the sun. "Look, Dr. Lian is here." The nurses shrank at the side of the corridor and whispered to each other upon seeing him approaching.

Aside from being a famous doctor because of his skills, Jeremy Lian was also known for being an indifferent person. He seldom spoke even with his patients. He would simply inquire about the patients' condition, check them, and write diagnoses without saying anything more. Because of his attitude, patients often complained about his coldness. They felt that he was so irresponsible because he didn't show care to them. But everyone in the hospital knew that although he was young, his medical skills were excellent. He could make a diagnosis with just a few inquiries. Even the old doctors agreed that he was unparalleled.

Jeremy Lian continued walking, not minding the nurses. Every time he saw his colleagues, he just nodded at them slightly as a greeting. After getting along with him for a long time, his colleagues had already known that although he was a cold man, he was a good person. Today, so many people were surprised seeing him holding a little girl in his arms.

"Merry, don't sleep yet, okay? I'll take you to the garden so you can see the beautiful flowers there," he coaxed Merry softly.

One of his broad and soft hands was under her legs, while the other gently wrapped around her back. Merry nodded obediently and rested her little head on his strong shoulder. She looked like a cute doll.

If Jeremy Lian wasn't wearing a white gown, people would think that he was a father playing with his daughter. This time, he was wearing a beautiful smile, and the coldness in his eyes was replaced by warmth. He thought of teasing Merry, so he trotted. She got a little scared and held onto his neck tightly. At times, he would also make faces that made both of them laugh.

Jeremy Lian didn't know that Wendy had seen everything. She had been standing in front of the window upstairs, watching them. Wendy lowered her head slightly and leaned against the glass window. Her hair, which was tied behind, was a little messy now. Some strands even fell on her face. Some strands of hair that also scattered on her shoulders looked like dry straw, lazily curling up.

Her hollow eyes were filled with undisguised gratitude. She hadn't seen Merry laughing like this for a long time. Merry was just a little girl, but she had to suffer so much pain. As a mother, Wendy felt so sorry for her. Sometimes, she even hoped that she hadn't given birth to Merry. If Merry was not born, she would have been free from this torturous pain. Merry was a sensible girl. Every time she saw Wendy crying secretly on the sofa, she would climb onto it and reached out her little hand to wipe the tears on Wendy's face. Imitating the way Wendy coaxed her to sleep, she would wrap her arms around Wendy's neck and coax her, "Mommy, don't cry. I will always be a good girl. I will listen to Uncle Jeremy and take my medicine obediently. I promise I will recover soon and play with other children."

All of a sudden, Hugo's words rang out in Wendy's ears. She seemed to see his face full of mockery and complacency in front of her again. "This is your retribution. This is what you deserve from betraying me."

Downstairs, Jeremy Lian was still playing with Merry. He let her ride on his neck so she could touch the snow on the branches of the trees. Wendy had dreamed of this scene many times. In her dreams, the man was sometimes Jeremy Lian, and sometimes Hugo, but never Jeff.

Jeff seldom went home to be with Wendy and Merry, and Wendy had gotten used to it. He was addicted to gambling and never cared about his family. Sometimes he would even hit Wendy when he drank too much. There were times that Wendy felt like giving up. But as she saw Merry growing up day by day, she felt that there was still hope in her life. No matter how difficult her situation was, she could bear it because of Merry.

It was almost noon. She only asked for a half-day leave, so she had to go back to work in the afternoon. She hurriedly went downstairs and brought Merry back to Jeremy Lian's office for lunch.