TEMPTING The Mysterious CEO

The snow fell in big flakes in the middle of the night. It was already 1 am, and Cristelle was still outside.

She was in her thin coat, hands pounding the heavy doors of the Barnett mansion as tears streamed down her face. Her shuddering voice carried down the quiet neighborhood. It sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

"Diego... Please open the door," She begged, her breath clouding before her face, "Diego... Please open up... I really need to see you... Why are you hiding away from me, Diego? I need you."

She couldn't count how many hours she'd been standing in the dry and freezing wind.

The doors were finally pushed open from the inside when Cristelle couldn't even feel her hands.

However, the face revealed behind the doors was not Diego's.

The person Cristelle saw was Mrs. Barnett, Diego's mother. She looked as arrogant and privileged as ever, clad in furs and jewelry.

She scoffed as her eyes fell on Cristelle's swollen belly, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Cristelle? You're waking up our neighbors, and we could get sued. Do you have any sense at all?"

"I'm sorry... Mrs. Barnett," Cristelle sobbed in the wind, "But I really need to see Diego right now... Could you please let me see him? I will be delivering this month."

Mrs. Barnett sighed, wrapping the fur even tighter around her body in the wind, "Cristelle, I thought we'd discussed this. It would be best if you stopped harassing my son. You're not good enough for him. Whatever the delusion you're holding onto right now, you should face reality and give up your ridiculous ideas. Our house will never accept you as Diego's wife."

Cristelle's eyes went red, her mouth falling open hesitantly, "But... But we've engaged...You can't break the promise."

"What promise?" Mrs. Barnett snapped sharply, "The engagement only happened because you were Miss Friesley of the rich Friesley house. But who are you right now with your family falling? Your corrupted politician father has been thrown in jail, and your mother killed herself out of shame. Cristelle, just face the fact. Without the wealth and power of your family, you're just a nobody. The wedding between big families is not charity. We won't let our son marry a girl living on the street."

Those words stung Cristelle bloodily. Everything Mrs. Barnett said was true. Cristelle had lost everything.

Her parents had left her, and her sister was nowhere to be found. Now, she was living in a crappy little apartment, doing three part-time jobs to pay her rent.

But she was still pregnant with Diego's child. The Barnett couldn't treat her this way.

"I don't know if I'm still good enough for Diego, Mrs. Barnett... but your son and I love each other... You can't separate us apart... It's not fair..." Cristelle clasped her belly with one hand. Her face was pasty pale, and she was sweating in the cold wind.

It was not a good sign. Her body was getting to its limits.

"I want to see Diego. If he really wants to break up with me, I want to hear those words from his own mouth."

Cristelle believed that Diego had been locked up by his family. She knew her boyfriend.

That man loved her. He would never run away from his responsibility.

Diego had gone missing for six months.

Cristelle believed every problem would be solved when she finally managed to meet Diego in person.

Mrs. Barnett sniffed, her arms folded before her chest, "Diego has left this country already. If you can find him, just feel free to chase after him. I doubt he would ever accept that little bastard in your belly."

"What bastard? What are you talking about?" Cristelle gasped in the cold wind, "The child is Diego's."

Cristelle was furious. Mrs. Barnett could insult her all she wanted, but she didn't have the right to insult her baby, "Diego and I had this child on that night of your birthday party... You invited me over yourself. Don't you remember, Mrs. Barnett?"

Mrs. Barnett rolled her eyes, "I can't believe how sick you are, Cristelle. I did invite you to my birthday party. But Diego had never left his study room that night. I don't know who you shared your bed with. But I can assure you that the man was definitely not my son. You can't shove this little bastard in our hands and tell us it is a Barnett."

"It's impossible... I don't believe it..." Cristelle shook her head. She couldn't stop her body from trembling violently in the falling snow, "You invited me over to the party. He asked me to go to his room... It couldn't be another man!"

Mrs. Barnett lost her patience. She grabbed Cristelle's shoulders and pushed her. Cristelle fell back as her heavy body collided with the cold and hard ground.

"Stop harassing us, Cristelle. Or I will call our lawyer. You're the one who slept around and got yourself pregnant. It's never Diego's fault. You should feel ashamed! If I were you, I would have killed myself. Please don't show up at my doorway ever again. Or I'll throw you directly in jail, and you could celebrate your little bastard's birthday behind bars. Do you understand?!"

With that, Mrs. Barnett just went back into her house and slammed the doors in Cristelle's face.

Cristelle felt a sharp pain in her belly. She looked down and saw trickles of blood streaming down her shins.

"No..." She sobbed in the wind as she struggled to stand on her feet.

She probably hit her belly when Mrs. Barnett pushed her. Her baby was in danger right now. She needed to go to the hospital immediately.

Diego probably had abandoned her, but she would never give up on her baby. Her baby was the only one she left.

The wind was still howling, and the coldness was biting her skin.

Cristelle stumbled in the endless white of the winter night, knowing she must be strong for her baby. She should save her baby.

Five years later, at the train station of Blue Field City, Cristelle was tiredly looking out of the window, her arms wrapping tightly around her twins.

Some kind pedestrians sent her to the hospital on that cruel winter night. She had thought her life would be miserable. But the arrival of her lovely son and daughter had changed her life.

Being a single mother was not easy. To raise the babies, she needed to take three jobs.

Recently, her daughter, Candace, was diagnosed with selective mutism. Cristelle had to move from their remote town to the big city to find a better doctor for her.

The doctor in their town told her that this kind of condition needed to be treated before Candace's adulthood. Or it would only be more difficult for the girl to recover.

Cristelle quit her job without any hesitation.

She was determined to make Candace better.

Her babies were her everything.

"Mom, hold on tight to my hand. This station is too crowded. We need to stay together or you will get lost," Cody looked up as he held Cristelle's hand after they got off the train.

Cristelle smiled and grabbed her little man's hand, another arm carrying Candace. Cody's hand felt soft and warm in her palm. The boy was a genius. He was far more intelligent and understanding than most kids of his age. And he never hesitated to show his care and love to her. The fact made Cristelle extremely proud.

With the comfort of her baby boy, everything suddenly didn't seem so hopeless.

"I know, sweetie. But you also need to hold Mommy's hand very tightly, okay? It would be best if you didn't get lost," Cristelle smiled at her boy.

"Okay," Cody nodded.

Candace started to wriggle in her arm when they left the train station. Cristelle knew the girl probably wanted to pee. So she brought the babies to the nearest stripping mall.

"Mom, you go to the girl's room with Candace. I'll be here waiting for you guys," Cody mentioned to them calmly.

Cristelle patted the boy's fluffy head, "You need to stay here very still, okay? Don't run around, or Mommy won't be able to find you later. Candace and I will come back really soon."

Cody nodded, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine." Cody was a smart boy. Cristelle didn't worry that he would follow any strangers away. But Blue Field City was huge. She just needed to be cautious.

After giving birth to the babies, Cristelle lost the strength to work for a couple of months, and she failed to pay her rent. For that reason, she had to live in her Uncle's house for a while.

Back then, Uncle and his wife could still take care of the twins for her when she left for work. But now that she had moved to a strange place, she probably needed to consider accepting help from social workers.

When Cristelle took Candace to the bathroom, Cody just stood outside and waited. He looked tiny and cute. A lot of strangers came forth to ask if he couldn't find his mom. The boy only shook his head.

Meanwhile, Linford Bradley happened to walk out of the elevators. His assistant followed him, reporting his schedule for the day.

Before Linford could walk out of the mall, a tiny hand suddenly tugged at the hem of his suit.

Linford dropped his gaze and saw a small boy.

"Sir, you dropped your folder," Cody politely handed a blue folder to Linford. Linford's assistant dropped a folder when they walked out of the elevator. Cody saw that happen from a distance. So he picked it up and sent it to them.

Linford pulled a handsome face, staring at the tiny ball of cuteness before him at his full 6'4 height.

He was not a rude person. He just seldom smiled as the CEO of the biggest business group in the city.

For some reason, his heart melted as he saw the cute little boy.

This was weird. Linford was sure he had never seen this kid in his life before. But the boy just looked extremely familiar... He didn't remember having any cousins at this age.

Linford turned to face his assistant sternly. He really didn't know how to handle little kids. Do they bite?

His assistant, Alfred, took the folder from the little boy, smiling warmly, "Thanks for sending this folder to us, kiddo. That's really kind of you."

"You're welcome," Cody nodded politely and turned around.

Alfred stared at the boy for a while and let out a smile, "Sir, don't you think the boy looks quite like you? Especially his eyes..."

The little boy suddenly stopped in his course as he heard what Alfred had just said.

Furious, the boy whipped around and snapped, "Nonsense! I don't look like him at all! I'm more good-looking than him! You're rude!"

Cody hated it when people teased that he looked like some random guys. He knew those comparisons always made his Mommy sad.

Alfred's mouth fell open, not knowing why his words made the boy so mad.

Linford could see the disgust clearly in the boy's eyes. Of course, he didn't expect the boy to be so full of temper. But he also couldn't deny the boy looked quite like himself.

Linford was the most powerful man in this city, and people tended to suck up to him. He didn't expect the boy to hate him so much.

This was quite interesting.

Linford's lips curled up into a smirk, "Yep, Alfred. You're definitely blind. I don't think we share any similarities."

Cody rolled his eyes and walked away, holding his little chin up.

Linford shook his head and walked out of the hall. Alfred followed up, still confused as hell.

****

Cristelle couldn't get used to the fast pace of the big city. She compared a couple of locations and decided to rent a cheap apartment not far from the area where she would send her resume and apply for a job.

Candace's condition would cost her a lot of money. She needed to save every penny she could get.

Cody was wearing an oversized facial mask as he helped her to clean the house. He was holding a broom that was much larger than himself, "Mommy, from now on, this place is our home."

"Yep," Cristelle climbed the ladder and changed the light bulb, "I promise I will get you guys a bigger house when I find a better job, okay?"

Cody nodded heavily. Candace just sat on the couch and looked at Cristelle confusedly.

She couldn't understand what her mom and brother were talking about.

Cristelle cast a look at her sweet son and daughter. They always gave her strength no matter how defeated and tired she was.

She made up her mind that she would work hard for her sweet babies. She would do anything to provide them with a better life.

****

After leaving the kids to a trusted neighbor, Cristelle went to a nearby hospital, where she applied for her job as a medical assistant. Her friend had introduced her to this job. All she needed to do was go to this hospital and find a doctor named Drew Weston.

Dr. Weston was a famous therapist. Cristelle also found this job for Candace's sake.

When Cristelle finally arrived at Dr. Weston's office, she took in a deep breath as she stood before the door.

She knocked on the door three times, yet no one came to open the door.

"Doctor?" Cristelle called, pushing at the door gently. The door was not locked. She decided to poke in her head and take a look. However, when she tried to push the door open, someone was also pulling the door from inside at the same time.

Cristelle lost her balance and stumbled ahead. The next thing she knew, her face collided with a firm chest.

The man who stood before her was extremely tall, and he was basically built with hard muscles. His hard body even hurt Cristelle a little.

"So-sorry... I didn't mean to," Cristelle apologized as she stepped back, her bag falling off and all the content in it rolling out on the floor.

Linford was quite pissed off. He was never patient with women who deliberately threw themselves on him. Their tricks could get quite annoying and endless most of the time. They seemed too determined to get in his bed, and Linford just got irritated whenever they forged these repetitive scenarios.

He wanted to dust his suit jacket and walk away like usual, but he suddenly saw Cristelle's eyes.

He didn't know why, but those eyes looked so familiar as they stared at him innocently.

Fuzzy clips of memories shot across his mind... sultry dark room, a repressed moan... and blood on the sheet.

Linford closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. But he soon steadied himself, crouching down to help the woman to collect her things on the floor.

It was rare for Linford. He was seldom so enthusiastic about any woman. Even Linford himself couldn't explain why he was suddenly doing this.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to be so clumsy," Cristelle was desperate to get the job. This entrance was definitely what she imagined making before her new boss.

"It's okay," Linford said, his voice deep and throaty. He still felt a bit of a headache now as he bored his clear pale eyes into Cristelle's beautiful face, "What is your name?"

Cristelle thought this man was Doctor Weston, so she answered without any hesitation," I'm Cristelle... Cristelle Friesley. I'm here to apply for the job. I believe my friend has mentioned me to you."

"Oh..." Linford stood up as he flickered through a notebook he had just picked up before handing it back to Cristelle, "Have we met before, Cristelle Friesley?"

The way he said her name was slow and sensual, his voice deep as a cello's. Cristelle only realized how handsome this man was when they locked their eyes. She couldn't help blushing, "I... I don't think so, Doctor."

"Um... I'm actually here for the interview," Cristelle swallowed as she added.

Gosh! This man was so intimidating. She silently thought.

And her friend told her Dr. Weston was a bubbly person.

Linford noticed she was a bit scared. So he smiled at her, "You came here for the interview? Well... Congratulations! Because you just got the job right away."

"Really?" Cristelle's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked charming when she was overjoyed.

"Of course."

"Thank you, Doc. You have no idea how much I needed this job. I'll work really hard," Cristelle smiled brightly as she shook Linford's hand.

"I feel lucky having a diligent worker," Linford couldn't help smiling. This man was already attractive when he was not smiling. Cristelle didn't even have the strength to look him directly in the eyes when he smiled at her like that.

Cristelle felt like she was walking on cotton when she turned around. After that, she couldn't even push open the door.

Cristelle shuddered as she felt Linford lean over to hold the door open for her from behind. He was a tower of muscles. Cristelle felt tingles on her skin as the distance between them shrunk. She could even smell his musky scent.

"Please, Miss Friesley," Linford's voice was polite and sexy.

"Thank you, Doctor," Cristelle murmured as she went out of the door. Her eyes skimmed across his long-fingered hand on her way out. A red bolt of a scar on his wrist caught her attention. Cristelle darted her gaze away instantly. She didn't know how Linford got that scar, but she knew it would definitely be rude to stare at it.

When the real Dr. Weston finally returned, Linford was leaning on his couch, drinking a cup of coffee.

"What the heck did you do to yourself again, Linford?" Drew frowned as he noticed the scar on Linford's wrist, "Did you cut yourself again?"

Linford shrugged as he put the cup of coffee on the table, not answering Drew's question.

"Damn it! Can't you control yourself a little?" Drew cursed as he rushed to find the first aid kit.

"Chill, Man. I'm not dead yet," Linford said with a straight face. Drew would have punched that handsome face if this man wasn't his best friend growing up.