Mr. CEO Sassy Bride

“What exactly did you say?” A look of disbelief crossed Hannah’s face as she gaped at Leilani in shock. “You… you told him not to pay? Like, he doesn’t need to fulfill the three-month deal?”

Leilani remained silent, refusing to meet her best friend’s eyes as she looked away.

They had both settled on a bench in a nearby park, watching as Ethan played with some balloons by himself.

Leilani had recounted every moment from the previous night to Hannah – from her humiliating entrance at the party, to Nelson pushing her into the pool, and to her failed attempt at selling his clothes which resulted in her being accused of theft.

She held nothing back, including the part where she had boldly told Nelson that she wouldn’t leave until three months had passed and, as payment for saving her from jail, she had told him to forget about paying her for the deal.

“Tell me, Lani. Why did you do it? Are you out of your mind? We were hoping he would change his mind about not paying you, and when he finally agreed, you just told him to forget it? Does that make any sense to you?”

Leilani let out a sigh, unsure of how to justify her actions. The truth was, she didn’t even know why she had told Nelson to forget about the money.

“It was about my pride, Hannah. He thought I was only doing it for the money and that was…” She paused, trying to find the right words to explain herself.

“If it wasn’t about the money, then why did you pull those pranks in the first place?” Hannah cut in, giving her a sharp look.

Leilani pursed her lips, scratching the skin behind her ear. She had never expected her best friend to take this matter so seriously.

“Look at Ethan,” Hannah urged, gesturing towards where Ethan was playing.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Look at the other children around us,” she continued, prompting Leilani to do so.

“Is he content with playing alone? Does he not yearn to play with other children? Does he enjoy being confined to a wheelchair?” Hannah challenged Leilani, whose eyes were now brimming with tears.

“You had the chance to save your brother, but you refused. Why, Lani? Tell me, why?”

Leilani silently wiped away her tears and shook her head in refusal. “I do not know why I rejected the money, Hannah. I knew I needed it more than anything in this world, yet I turned it down,” she sobbed softly, her gaze fixed on Ethan.

A comfortable silence enveloped them before Hannah spoke up again.

“You are in love, Lani,”

Leilani’s sobs stopped abruptly as she turned to look at Hannah in shock.

“What?” she murmured, unable to believe the words.

“It’s the truth, bestie. You have feelings for Nelson,” Hannah affirmed, a slow smile spreading across her lips.

Leilani couldn’t understand why her friend was grinning like she had won a victory.

“What do you mean, love, Hannah? He is not someone I could ever want, let alone love. He is bossy, arrogant, controlling, cold, and much more. So, please, I cannot fall in love with someone like him,” she blurted, her heart inexplicably racing in her chest.

“Is that so? Then can you explain why you told him not to give you the money?” Hannah questioned, giving Leilani a knowing smile.

With her mouth hanging open, Leilani jumped to her feet and hastily announced her departure. “I should go now. Please give Ethan my apologies for leaving so abruptly,” she said, rushing off.

A satisfied smile graced Hannah’s face as she watched her friend sprint away.

“I knew it,” she whispered, still observing Leilani who seemed to be running away from the truth.

Just then, Ethan cried out, “Leilani, my balloons!”

With alacrity, Hannah sprang from the bench in pursuit of the errant balloons, only to discover a young man had already retrieved them.

The man approached Ethan and returned his balloons with a charming smile. “Here are your balloons, Handsome,” he said.

Ethan was taken aback by the stranger’s kind gesture, realizing no one had ever offered to help him before.

“Thank you very much, sir,” he replied graciously as he reclaimed the vibrant balloons.

“I’m Herbert, and you?” Herbert inquired with keen interest, to which Ethan responded with equal interest.

“I’m Ethan, Ethan Hernandez. And this is my sister_,” Ethan began to introduce his sister, but to his surprise, Hannah was the only one present.

“Where’s Lani, Hannah?” he asked, perplexed as to where his sister had gone.

Hannah, lost in admiration of Herbert’s striking appearance, failed to respond immediately.

He was tall, with perfectly tailored suits draping his broad shoulders, giving off an impeccable air.

“Hannah!” Ethan’s raised voice brought her back to reality.

Smiling apologetically, she explained, “I’m sorry about that. Lani had to leave suddenly after receiving an urgent call from her boss,” glancing at Herbert out of the corner of her eye.

Herbert raised an eyebrow as he considered Hannah’s words. Leilani received a call from her boss?

Meanwhile, Ethan’s mood had turned somber.

“She could have at least said goodbye before leaving. Who knows when her boss will allow her to have another day off like this,” he lamented sadly.

“Don’t worry, she’ll see you again soon, silly,” Hannah chuckled, playfully messing up Ethan’s hair.

Then she addressed Herbert tentatively, “May I ask who you are, sir?”

Herbert flashed a charming smile and extended his hand for a handshake. “I’m Herbert Jones. I was just waiting for a friend when I saw Ethan’s balloons flying away.”

Hannah couldn’t help but melt at the sound of Herbert’s voice. He was simply gorgeous.

“I am Hannah,” she introduced herself, her enigmatic complexity shrouding her words.

“I am Ethan’s sister’s friend, but I would say we are practically family, having grown together over the years,” she continued, her linguistic energy bringing life to her story.

As she spoke, she kept her hand tightly clasped with Herbert’s.

“Wow, that is truly impressive!” Herbert praised, still shaking hands absentmindedly with Hannah.

Ethan gazed at the two of them, knowing that they were now bound together forever in the beyond. He cleared his throat, signaling his presence.

As if on cue, Hannah and Herbert both released their hands and apologized in unison, their voices ringing with laughter.

“I would like to get to know you both better, Hannah and Ethan. Would you care to join me for a walk around the park?” Herbert inquired, raising his hand in invitation.

“I am definitely in!” Hannah eagerly accepted, raising her hand in excitement.

Their attention shifted to Ethan, who had remained silent until now.

“Don’t worry, Ethan. I’ll give you a ride,” Herbert offered, sensing his melancholy mood.

Ethan’s smile finally returned as he replied, “I would love to get to know you better as well, Herbert.”

“Of course, Ethan. You can ask me anything and I will provide you with an answer,” Herbert reassured, coming up behind Ethan and taking hold of the handle of his chair.

****

In the night, as Nelson sat in bed working on his computer, he couldn’t help but sense Leilani’s bad mood. It had been palpable since he had returned from the office.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she quietly arranged her bedding. Her eyes were filled with such sadness it pained him to see.

Nelson tried to focus on his work, but something was nagging at him. He wanted to say something to her, but the words refused to come out.

“Shit,” he cursed inwardly, putting his laptop aside and moving closer on the bed to peek at her on the floor.

As he watched her, he noticed that she had covered her whole body with a duvet.

It didn’t take long before he began hearing some soft whimper coming from her and he became agitated.

He couldn’t stand the thought of her in such a desolate state.

Without thinking, he gingerly pulled the duvet off her head. “Why are you crying?” he asked, attempting to mask his concern, but his expression betrayed him.

Leilani was uncertain if he was concerned about her tears, but the thought quickly crossed her mind that she might be interrupting him with her sobs.

“I apologize for disturbing you, sir. I will remain silent this time and you will not hear a peep from me,” she assured in a hoarse voice.

“Why are you crying, Leilani?” Nelson inquired.

Everyone referred to her as Leilani, but when Nelson did so, it felt so intimate. She pushed aside the prickling feeling in her cheeks with a deep breath and shook her head.

Without uttering a word, she laid back down and covered her face.

Nelson stayed in his squatting position for a while, making sure she had stopped crying. When he didn’t hear any more tears, he stood up and grabbed his phone before heading out.

As he reached the lobby, he dialed Herbert’s number, but the phone rang for a long time without any answer.

“Damn, is that fool already asleep?” he muttered to himself before calling his assistant’s number again.

This time, Herbert answered on the second ring, much to Nelson’s relief.

“Mr. Carter?” Herbert’s raspy voice emitted through the phone.

“Yes, it’s me. Now open your eyes and update me on the task I assigned to you,” Nelson demanded, his tone authoritative.

“But sir, it could wait until tomorrow. It’s quite late…” Herbert trailed off.

“Herbert, tell me what I ask of you, or I will fire you this instant,” Nelson threatened in a gruff and irritated tone.

A pin could be heard in the ensuing silence.

“My speculation was correct, sir. They are siblings, and the other woman is her closest friend,” Herbert stated, breaking the silence.