The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

At the sight of Yasmine, Chloe quickly sat up in bed, a piece of apple Damon had just given her still between her lips.

“Mom…”

Yasmine gave her daughter a cursory glance, her gaze swiftly moving to the swell of Chloe’s belly.

Chloe pursed her lips and gently rested her hands on her abdomen.b2

Yasmine approached, shooting a glance at Damon standing beside the bed, “Her belly’s quite big. Maybe ease up

on the snacks.”

Damon’s lips tightened as he stepped aside to make room for her.

Stanley followed, casting a disdainful look at Damon, “Seems like you only care about the babies. You couldn’t care

less about our dear Chloe’s well-being. Jerk!”

A vein throbbed on Damon’s forehead as he glowered at Stanley, “Get out!”

Stanley snorted and took Yasmine’s arm, “Take it easy, Yasmine.”

Ignoring Stanley, Yasmine bent down beside the bed and gently touched Chloe’s rounded belly, her usually cold

face softening. Then, looking up at Chloe, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ve brought two top OB/GYNs from B country.

They’ll get the scoop and coordinate with the hospital to assist during delivery.”

Chloe glanced at Damon, “Damon’s got it covered.”

Yasmine paused, “Most women go through childbirth, and with today’s medical advances, there’s hardly any risk.

Just relax.”

Chloe nodded. She’d heard it all before and knew it well. It seemed everyone was more nervous than she was.

“I get it. And Rose had her baby a few days ago—both are healthy, all went well.”

Yasmine nodded, her eyes fixed on Chloe’s belly, her palms sweating silently. She too had been through childbirth,

but the sight of Chloe’s twin-carrying belly still made her worry. It looked as if Chloe could give birth at any minute.

Chloe was used to the sight and smiled lightly, “Well, there are two of them.”

When Alyssa and Elizabeth entered the room and saw Yasmine, they were surprised.

“Yasmine!” Elizabeth’s eyes welled up as she rushed over and hugged her, “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Yasmine’s brow twitched, “You make it sound like I’m not in this world anymore.”

Elizabeth shook her head, “Weren’t you kidnapped by a gangster to be his bride?”

Yasmine was silent.

The word “gangster” raised Chloe’s eyebrows as she looked puzzledly at Damon. It seemed their fates were

intertwined. Neither could escape being a gangster’s bride.

Damon’s gaze met hers, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

Elizabeth was genuinely teary-eyed. Yasmine didn’t follow her train of thought, but the sight of tears softened her.

“There’s no gangster’s bride here.”

“I saw it all at the coronation. You were whisked away by that man, right onto a plane. He’s the President of B

Country. We felt so powerless. Oh dear…”

Yasmine let out a chuckle, “Was it that you didn’t dare, or you didn’t want to bring me back?”

Elizabeth’s crying stopped, and she let go of Yasmine, wiping her eyes, “I was just worried you’d get too fond of

being a gangster’s bride. I mean, I would have taken care of Chloe.”

Yasmine raised an eyebrow, “You mean you would’ve taken care of Chloe and had your eye on my grandchildren

too, right?”

Elizabeth’s smile faltered, “That’s not it.”

Yasmine smirked, knowing that was at least one percent of the truth. The room fell silent for a moment until

Elizabeth, perhaps feeling awkward, said: “Dear, how’s your leg?”

Yasmine pushed her away, stood up, and walked confidently in front of her. Dressed in a light green business suit

with cropped pants and a casual jacket, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, she didn’t look like someone who had

ever suffered a leg injury. Her presence was formidable, even more so than Chloe’s.

Elizabeth clapped with delight, “It’s healed.”

“Yes, so I’m fully capable of looking after my grandchildren,” Yasmine replied with a smile.

Elizabeth pouted, “Fine, we’ll do it together. But will Boyd let you? Are you not going back?”

“Why should I?”

Elizabeth leaned in, curiosity written all over her face, “He’s okay with this?”

“Does it matter what he thinks?”

Elizabeth moved closer, “What’s this? Have you grown a spine, or has his softened?”

Stanley, meanwhile, focused on Chloe, “How about it, Chloe? Fancy giving me a shot at raising one of them?”

Chloe looked at him, “Which one do you have in mind?”

“Which one are you willing to part with?”

Chloe hesitated, “I don’t want to part with either. Can’t you spare the kids?”

“Then I’ll take a girl. A girl’s got to be tough to avoid being bullied, right?”

Damon’s expression darkened, “What are you two talking about?”

Chloe turned to him, her expression apologetic. She hadn’t had the heart to tell him.

How could she explain that she caved under Stanley’s relentless persuasion and casually agreed to let him teach

her children some skills? She had never mentioned this to Damon.

As Chloe’s due date approached, her mind was clouded with doubt. The thought of her babies enduring hardship

alongside Stanley was unbearable, and she found herself yearning to back out.

“This was a promise I made to Chloe. It’s got nothing to do with you, so butt out,” Stanley spat dismissively at

Damon, rolling his eyes in disgust.

Damon’s brow furrowed as he shifted his gaze to Chloe. “What promise with him? Since when?”

Chloe felt a headache coming on. “There wasn’t any,” she admitted.

Stanley snickered. “Trying to back out on me, Chloe? No dice. If you don’t agree, well, you might just wake up one

morning to find one less kiddo in the crib.”

Chloe’s breath hitched, panic rising as she clutched her belly and looked to Damon for help.

“Damon…”

He shot her a frigid glance, and she immediately averted her eyes. She shouldn’t have made such a clandestine

deal with Stanley. She hadn’t taken it seriously at the time. But now, out of nowhere, Stanley was holding her to it.

Couldn’t he just forget about it?

Damon’s frown deepened as he looked back at Stanley. “Did you even ask me?”

Stanley nonchalantly replied, giving him a sideways glance. “Would you have agreed?”

“Absolutely not.”

“That settles it, then.”

The tension was palpable as the rest of the room watched the drama unfold. Yasmine was the first to speak up.

“The babies aren’t even born yet. Let’s cross this bridge when we come to it.”

Stanley shrugged. “Sure. I’ll just keep it in mind.”

Chloe exhaled in relief.

—

Two days later, the Queen of Y Country arrived in Chloe’s room, accompanied by two doctors.

Chloe was stunned by the honor. The room was crowded with people: Grandma, Mother-in-law, Mom, Dad, Damon,

Stanley, Nathan, Yulia, Anya, Queen Julia, Lea, and the Queen’s accompanying physicians.

Chloe was bewildered. It was like national treasures were being born – such a spectacle.

And to think of all the other doctors who hadn’t shown up yet: those called by Damon, brought by Stanley, and now

those brought by Julia, Chloe couldn’t help but picture the scene of her delivery, surrounded by a dozen doctors

watching her give birth. She touched her forehead, trying to banish the thought.

News that Queen Yulia herself had come to P City to visit her granddaughter spread like wildfire across the internet.

Chloe’s childbirth became the center of everyone’s attention.

—

The night before her due date, Chloe felt a heaviness in her belly.

Jane calmly directed Chloe to the delivery room, with Damon following closely behind.

At Chloe’s insistence, the international array of top-notch obstetricians didn’t all crowd into the delivery room.

Instead, they gathered in an adjacent observation room, ready to step in at a moment’s notice.

The others all anxiously waited outside the delivery room.

Then, some one approached unsteadily yet swiftly from the end of the hallway, drawing cold glances from

everyone present.

Alyssa’s brows knitted tightly. “What are you doing here?”

Mixed emotions crossed the faces of those who turned to look at that man.

Elizabeth instinctively glanced at Yasmine, who simply gave that man a brief look before turning away. No one knew

how Yasmine felt.

The person who showed up at this time was no other than Presley.

Despite the many who harbored resentment toward him, they all chose to keep their distance. The only person who

could speak frankly to him here was Alyssa.

“We don’t want you here. Please leave,” she said firmly.

Presley glanced at her. “I’m not in the mood for petty squabbles right now. That’s my great-grandchildren in there

too.”

Grandma’s face darkened. “My granddaughter-in-law is in that room. If you’re looking for your great-grandchildren,

look elsewhere. Maybe check the cracks in the sidewalk or under a rock to see if one might crawl out.”

“You…” Presley was seething yet had prepared himself not to react. He just wanted to see his great-grandchildren,

the future of the Harper family.

“Angry? Want to flex your patriarchal muscles? Let me tell you, Presley, no one here cares for your antics. Even if

the child bears the surname ‘Harper’, it’s Damon’s ‘Harper’, not yours.”

“Even if they bear Damon’s surname, it’s still Harper,” Presley couldn’t hold back, raising his voice at Grandma in

the hallway.

Alyssa, however, didn’t have much of a reaction, just sneered and slowly said, “As long as Damon doesn’t mind, I

can make both kids take Chloe’s last name.”

Presley was taken aback.”Alyssia, how long are you going to keep messing with me? What’s the use of showing off

your verbal prowess against me whenever we meet?”

Alyssa merely scoffed. “As long as you stay out of my sight, I won’t go out of my way to cause you trouble. I have

no interest in entangling with someone whose morals are so skewed.”

Presley took a deep breath, “From now on, I won’t say a word. Is that okay, Alyssa? No matter how much you rage,

Chloe’s children are my Harper heirs—no matter what surnames they take. If you want to feel satisfied, be my

guest.”

With that, he sat down stubbornly on a bench outside the delivery room.