The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

But Boyd didn’t release her. “Is there no other way?” he asked.

“Right now, seeing you just annoys me. You’d better stay out of my sight for a while.”

Boyd’s frown deepened, his silence lingering. “How long is ‘a while’?”

“I’m not sure.” It could be days, or months. As time passed, he might realize there was no need to cling

so tightly.

“Do you think that’s an answer?”

Yasmine chuckled. “To be honest, I’d be happy never to see you again. Can you accept that

answer?”d2

He didn’t respond, his mouth a tight, sharp line.

Yasmine laughed softly at his expression. “Three months, then.”

Three more months until graduation. That answer seemed to weigh heavily on Boyd.

Three months, whether it was the symbolic end to their college life or just a simple cycle of 90 days, he

couldn’t accept either. How many college days did one get in life, or sets of 90 days? Unless absolutely

necessary, he didn’t want to waste a single day.

“You should know that as long as I know you exist in this world, as long as I can see you, touch you, I

can’t keep my distance completely.”

Yasmine felt a vein throb in her temple. Were sweet words a natural instinct for men? To any other

woman, those words would have been a downfall. The whole ‘to the ends of the earth’ or ‘faithful until

the mountains crumble’ spiel was touching, sure. But pretty words had their place, and right now, she

saw his persistence as nothing more than a nuisance.

“Boyd, don’t you think you’re being a bit presumptuous? You’re dissatisfied with whatever answer I

give. How about you tell me what you want?”

After a long stare, Boyd finally said, “Yasmine, you know I can’t let you go. But you’re unhappy, you

don’t want to see me, and I respect that. I hope it won’t be for too long. If you won’t make a statement, I

won’t wait forever. I hope you can cool off over the next few days.”

Yasmine raised an eyebrow, seemingly in agreement, then glanced at her captured hand.

Boyd let go.

Derek, trailing behind Yasmine, had no idea whether her acquiescence was genuine. “Hey, you’re not

just stringing him along to get rid of him, are you?”

“Why is breaking up so hard?”

Derek smirked. “Because he likes you. And honestly, with your temper, I doubt anyone but Boyd could

put up with you.”

Yasmine shot him a look. “What’s wrong with my temper? Did I throw a fit or cause a scene?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. You should leave some room for negotiation. You’re so absolute. You don’t

give others a choice.”

Yasmine scoffed. “By that logic, should a convicted murderer have the choice not to die?”

“There! You see?” Derek pointed excitedly at her. “You go straight for the death penalty. But Boyd’s not

a murderer, is he?”

“Do people need to commit murder to get a death penalty?”

Derek patted his forehead speechlessly. “Fine! Do as you please.”

—

Boyd indeed stayed away from school.

Their public breakup in the cafeteria had become the latest campus gossip. Seeing Yasmine walking to

and from school alone only fueled the rumors.

And the woman at the center of it all, Serana, drew plenty of attention too. At first, she also stayed

away from school. When she reappeared, she went directly to Yasmine.

Stopped by Serana at the entrance of the science building, Yasmine couldn’t help but laugh. “Got

something to say?”

Serana nodded. “Yes. I heard about your cafeteria showdown with Boyd. Maybe we should sit down

somewhere to talk.”

“We can talk here,” Yasmine cut her off without a second thought.

Serana paused, but her expression remained neutral. She was used to Yasmine’s demeanor.

She continued, “I understand why my presence bothers you. You’re not wrong to think I have feelings

for Boyd. He’s always looked out for me, and if he weren’t exceptional, you wouldn’t be with him. But

Boyd likes you, not me. And there’s no need to accuse him of confusing old friendships with love. If he

truly liked me, I’d be happy, but if that were the case, we would’ve been together a long time ago.

“You’re also right that part of the reason I considered dating someone else was to give you peace of

mind. But that’s just one reason. I also wanted to move on from my own feelings.

“Everyone likes to kill two birds with one stone, and you, being smart, surely understand that better

than I do. So, there’s no need to exaggerate my motives.

“I won’t interfere with your relationship with Boyd. And if you don’t trust me, at least trust him. Ask

yourself why you chose to be with him in the first place.”

Yasmine watched her the whole time. This was probably the most Serana had ever said to her.

She waited until Serana finished, then gently touched the air with her book, motioning between them.

Her eyes seemed to search for the right words, but finding a simple response to Serana’s lengthy

speech proved difficult. “I don’t care if you have a thousand reasons for dating now. Do you think I have

the time to understand them all? The fact that you have feelings for him is enough for me.

“And as for Boyd, yes, I chose him. But who says that means I have to trust him completely? Falling for

him, I guess, isn’t his fault, but when he knows you’ve got a thing for him and still insists on taking care

of you, letting you harbor fantasies—that, I’m sorry to say, is prime “jerk” behavior in my book.

“The fact you’re telling me all this today really doesn’t mean a thing. Confessing your crush on Boyd

and promising not to mess with our relationship? Accusing me of being unfair, heartless, and making a

scene for no reason?”

She let out a derisive snort, “And why, pray tell, do you think I broke up with Boyd?”

Serana bit her lip, furrowing her brow as she looked at her, but in front of Yasmine, no matter what she

did, she always seemed to come up short, even feeling foolish for showing anger.

Yasmine flipped through the book in her hand, smiling at her, “Isn’t it all because of this?”

Finally, anger tinted Serana’s face, “Don’t you get it? By coming clean to you, I wanted you to know you

can disregard my existence. What do I have to do for you to stop this drama with Boyd?”

Yasmine sighed, stepping closer to Serana and leaning in to look her in the eyes, then smiled. “Did

Boyd stop caring about you?”

Serana’s face stiffened.

Seeing this, Yasmine’s smirk grew colder. “Looks like you came here to take your frustration out on

me.”

Yasmine slowly stood up straight, her smile tinged with sarcasm. “But did you pick the wrong target?

He ignores you, and you come to me, what’s the use? Do you really expect me to patch things up with

him just to keep him on your radar? Isn’t that a bit naive?”

Arguing with Yasmine was pointless. Whatever Serana said could easily be dismissed by Yasmine’s

nonchalant words. Everything she said to Yasmine might as well have been gibberish. Her thoughts

were stripped bare. Anything she said or did, in front of Yasmine, was practically a joke.

Serana trembled, her lips quivering as she tried to speak but couldn’t utter a word. What was the point

of speaking anyway? Yasmine always had a retort.

There was nothing she could do, tears welling up in her eyes before finally spilling over.

Yasmine raised an eyebrow. “Tears don’t get you far with another woman.”

With that, she propped the rolled book on her shoulder and walked away.

“No!” Serana suddenly grabbed her, her voice breaking with emotion.

Yasmine, caught off guard, nearly stumbled but regained her composure to find Serana looking at her

with tearful eyes. “What will it take for you to stop doing this to Boyd? Tell me what will satisfy you?”

Yasmine’s patience was wearing thin from Serana’s tearful voice and persistence. She took a deep

breath and yanked her hand away. “You talk about not ruining our relationship, yet here you are, all

teary-eyed, begging me to let you stay by his side? Serana, are you out of your mind? If you want to be

with him, talk to him. What’s the point in pestering me?”

“But you don’t want that. He cares about your feelings, and you threaten him with a breakup.”

“A threat?” Yasmine laughed, “Whether it’s a threat or not, he has made his choice. You need to face

reality. Aren’t you in a relationship? Or do you plan on being with him even after marrying someone

else?”

“I won’t get married.”

Something seemed to twitch on Yasmine’s forehead. “Lunatic.” At her wits’ end, she turned and strode

away.

Serana shouted from behind, “Boyd and I are like family. It’s impossible for us to be together. Why do

you insist on driving me away from him?”

If Yasmine didn’t mind the pain of hitting someone, she would have turned back and slapped that

madwoman hard. Pulling out her phone, she called Boyd for the first time in a week. The call connected

quickly, “If you didn’t reach out soon, I was about to come looking for you.”

“Well, thanks to your darling Serana.”

There was a pause on the line, “What happened?”

“She came over to give me a piece of her mind. I told you that dating you is just one disaster after

another. I forced you to drive her away? Ha, come and take her away yourself.”

She laid down the gauntlet and hung up.

Boyd’s expression darkened. As he left his office, his assistant looked puzzled, “Mr. Boyd, the meeting

is about to start.”

“Cancel it!”

When Boyd arrived at the school, he saw Serana sitting pale-faced on a bench beneath the lab

building. As he approached, tears spilled down her wan face. “Boyd…”

“What did you say to her?”

Serana choked up, “I asked her to make up with you. I promised her there was nothing between us. I

wanted her not to mind my presence, but she wouldn’t listen to anything I said.”

Boyd began to understand why Yasmine was so furious with him. With her temperament, how could

she possibly tolerate interference in her affairs, especially by Serana in such a manner.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Serana.”

As if anticipating his words, Serana suddenly covered her ears, “No, I don’t want to hear it. I know we

won’t be together, and I’m not asking for anything. But Boyd, since I was seven and entered the

orphanage, you’ve been with me, looking after me. All these years, it’s always been this way. You can’t

drive me away. We’re family, aren’t we? Being family is enough. Can you tell Yasmine, can she please

not target me?”

“Calm down.” Boyd’s gaze was stern with warning.

Serana clutched her chest, bit her lip hard, took a few deep breaths, and slowly stood up, wiping the

tears from her face before forcing a smile, “I know you won’t abandon me. I understand it’s hard for

you, but I won’t make it difficult. I think I upset her just now. You better go find her.”

Boyd watched her for a long moment before finally saying, “I’ll take you home.”

Serana shook her head, “You should be with her right now, or she’ll be upset again. I’m really okay…”

As she spoke, she managed another pale smile.

Boyd grabbed her, his voice tense but still trying to be gentle, “I’m taking you home. Be good.”

Serana’s tears fell again. “Boyd, can’t you just stop doing this to me.”

Boyd pursed his lips, “We are leaving now.”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for

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Serana wiped away her tears, but still followed Boyd as he walked away. They crossed the entire

campus together; with many onlookers, it was inevitable that a wave of gossip would ripple through the

crowds.

The commotion that Serana and Yasmine had stirred up under the science building, and now Boyd

taking Serana away, seemed only to confirm the rumors that had been swirling about Boyd breaking up

with Yasmine over Serana.

The whispers eventually reached Yasmine, morphing into a story that Boyd, in the end, had chosen his

childhood sweetheart over her. She just snorted at the news. If anything, it suited her just fine.

But that very night, Boyd was back, pestering her.

They couldn’t quite break up, but staying together was equally impossible. Because of the spectacle

Serana had caused, confronting her halfway, Yasmine had given Boyd fewer chances to speak up. It

was a messy tug of war that lasted over a month.

Graduation was looming. The school was bustling with corporate recruiters coming to campus to hire

fresh graduates.

While most seniors were busy networking and interviewing, they witnessed a rare spectacle. The news

spread like wildfire, and when it reached Yasmine’s ears, even she was momentarily stunned.

“Hey, did you hear? Boyd just slapped Serana across the face.”