GETTING THE HEART OF THE CEO

Seeing his sapphires shine with emotion, Lindsey’s spirit shook. Many nights she cried for him, and she missed every sensation lived by his side. In her mind, her grandmother appeared.

“Kyle! How do you expect me to move in with you overnight? Besides, there’s my grandmother. I can’t leave her alone in that mansion.”

He stood up with her and took her hands.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Lin, your grandmother can move in with us. We’re going to need help; there are already 5 children we have to protect.” A satisfied smirk appeared on his face as he thought of the lively dinners and the reasons to come home early. “Also, just a few meters from the mansion, there’s a spacious three-bedroom house that can be used for your bodyguards or anyone you want to live there.”

“Are you going to propose to me, or do you plan to have me as your lover and the mother of your children?” She eyed him playfully, seizing the moment to get married, to have the church wedding she had dreamed of.

“What are you saying? You will never be my mistress because you’re the woman of my life. If you want, we can get married tomorrow, by civil or church ceremony, wherever you want. I just want you to give me the opportunity to make you happy.”

“Fine! I want you at the mansion tomorrow to ask for my hand. Until we get married, you can’t cross any boundaries with me, no being with the bride before the wedding,” she pointed out playfully.

Kyle played along, gently caressing her cheeks with his finger.

“Tomorrow, prepare everything. I’ll ask for your hand, my beloved. In two days, we’ll get married wherever you want. I’m thinking about the honeymoon. What do we do about the children?”

“What? In two days? No, love, it’s too soon.”

“Yes, in two days, or I’ll violate the bride before the wedding. You decide,” he declared confidently.

“Give me a week? I don’t have the dress, there’s the church, the banquet preparations,” nerves were creeping in again. The thought crossed her mind, ‘It’s crazy to get married in a hurry, and what if my dream day goes wrong?’ “Although I want something intimate, only family, you know that takes time.”

Kyle lifted her chin, gently brushing his lips with hers. He started with a tender kiss, and with each movement of his jaw, he devoured her mouth with passion. Then he interrupted the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers.

“See why I won’t give you one more day. You can get the most expensive dress and the model you want from one of our fashion houses. For safety, we’ll do it at the mansion, and Sussan will take care of bringing the priest. As for the banquet, it’s Freed’s task, and Janna will support us with the decoration. You just have to choose your dresses and our children’s clothes.”

Lindsey looked at him as if he had two heads. ‘You say it so easily.’

“Love, trust me, and you’ll see that everything will go well,” he whispered while running his fingers along her right leg, trying to move up under the dress.

Realizing his intentions, Lindsey recoiled like a spring and grabbed his hand.

“Alright, let it be as God wills. Now that we’ve clarified our doubts, let’s go see the children.”

Kyle let out a displeased growl, and for a few seconds, he stood still, trying to calm his manhood.

“Love, on our wedding night, you’re going to pay for the almost 5 years of your absence.”

Lindsey swallowed hard; she had always missed that passionate side of her husband.

As the couple left the office, they spread the news of the wedding in two days. Realizing she didn’t have much time, Lindsey sent for her grandmother for the proposal. Sussan wanted to kill her son for putting her in a tight spot. Grandpa Hugo handed over to his grandson the wedding rings that were a symbol of love across generations in the Pratt family.

In the small town of Cold Spring, Courtney rented a small room with four walls, a single bed, a two-burner electric stove, a mini-fridge, and a plastic table with four chairs. At the boarding house, she met a girl and, through her, got a job as a waitress in a dive bar where the girls engaged in prostitution.

The bar owner tried to convince her to sleep with some men who wanted to be with her, promising she would earn five times more than her current salary for cleaning tables and serving drinks. She immediately refused; the idea of selling her body never crossed her mind. While she had had men in her life, she had chosen them carefully. She looked at the men who came there and felt repulsed.

For Courtney, adapting to that kind of life was horrible, but she had no other option. At least that job provided for her basic needs. She lived a hellish existence alone without anyone to support her. In the process of adaptation, she had learned to appreciate things.

Courtney headed to work as usual; it was Saturday, one of the busiest days at the bar. Her shift progressed normally until the cause of her nightmares walked into the bar with two men. She watched him, following him with her eyes as they sat at a table towards the back of the place. A cold sweat ran down her body, and her legs started to shake. Her heart felt like it wanted to jump out of her chest. She never thought he would find her in that town.

“Courtney, what are you waiting for? Go serve the new customers,” her boss shouted from the bar.

“Mr. Samuel, please ask Melisa to take care of that table,” she pleaded with fear in her voice.

“I’m ordering you! You’re going to that table, and you’ll serve those customers with the same smile you use with the others. Or would you prefer to grab your purse and leave right now?” her boss yelled with a furrowed brow.

Courtney panicked, torn between running away and losing her job or facing her debt. She couldn’t afford to lose that source of income. She had scoured every corner of that town, and due to lack of experience, she hadn’t been able to find a better job. She gathered courage and forced her legs to move, deciding to confront her reality.