The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

After wrapping up a hectic day at the office, Derek would inevitably make his way to the hospital to visit

Yasmine.

Most of the time, he’d grumble about the overwhelming stack of paperwork and corporate hassles.

Sometimes, he’d just lug a pile of files into Yasmine’s room, flipping through them and venting to her as

she listened.

Bryson and Aliza had both talked to him about not burdening Yasmine with work woes, but Derek paid

them no mind.

Yasmine, bored out of her mind, eventually found herself sifting through Derek’s documents without

even realizing it.

As days passed, Derek was either furiously gaming by her bedside or sleeping so soundly that it

bordered on offensive.

Aliza was exasperated every time she saw him, but Bryson, her husband, eventually stopped

complaining.d2

Aliza was baffled. Once, the sight of her son eating had been an eyesore for him. Now, Bryson was

pampering him with food and treats just as good as Yasmine’s hospital fare.

The change in her husband’s attitude puzzled her. Before, their son could run himself ragged without

earning much more than a sideways glance from his father. Now, what had changed?

Watching her own son’s sloppy appearance, Aliza couldn’t hold back her concern. “What are you

thinking? You’re practically coddling him into uselessness. All he does is sleep and eat.”

Bryson disagreed, “Nonsense. Don’t I know my own son? He’s doing great.” Aliza took another look at

her son’s unsightly mannerisms, turned away with a heavy heart.

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Over time, Yasmine had gotten a rough understanding of the company’s projects thanks to the endless

files, which also helped her pass the time.

She wasn’t oblivious to Derek’s intentions. He was clearly trying to distract her and keep her occupied.

And she did feel the need to find something to do, but aside from reading, she struggled to find any

other engaging activity.

Derek wanted her to be involved with the company, so she went along with it, and it seemed to work

well. But the pain of losing her baby was a hurdle she hadn’t expected to be so hard to overcome.

She couldn’t forget. Every dream was filled with her baby’s cries, laughter, and the happy moments

when they called her “mom.” She could even envision her baby’s face in the dreams, bearing a striking

resemblance to Boyd when he was younger.

The happier the dreams, the more brutal the awakening. And then, her hatred for Boyd grew even

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stronger.She couldn’t imagine forgiving him in this lifetime.

The best revenge, they said, was to live well and act as if the other person was a stranger. But she

realized she hadn’t hated him enough back then.

Because truly hating someone meant wanting them to live a lifetime in misery, almost wishing to see

them torn apart a thousand times over.

Yes, there were countless moments when she wished Boyd was dead. She wanted justice for her baby.

Now she understood the extreme and seemingly insane actions of Johnson, the regret that even death

couldn’t amend.

She never thought that the pity she once felt for Johnson in the graveyard would one day be her own

cross to bear, but what could she do? She had to live on, carrying a lifetime of regret and hatred.

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As her health improved day by day, and after turning away Serana countless times, Yasmine finally

allowed her into the room. Seeing Yasmine’s new haircut, Serana paused for a moment.

“You cut your hair?”

By now, Yasmine could carefully walk a few steps out of bed. As Serana entered, Yasmine, draped in a

robe, stood by the window, arranging the fresh flowers Aliza brought daily into a vase – her skill in the

art had improved significantly.

“You’ve been wanting to see me for so long, and that’s your question?” Yasmine didn’t turn around,

inserting a freshly trimmed sunflower into the vase and adjusting its position.

Serana hesitated, “How are your injuries?”

“I suppose I won’t die.”

Yasmine’s response left Serana at a loss for words. The room fell silent, save for the hum of the air

purifier and the snipping of Yasmine’s shears.

Clearly, Yasmine wasn’t inclined to engage with Serana.

Serana felt an unease she always did around Yasmine, a sensation that had lingered over the years

and never faded.

“The accident was all my fault. If I hadn’t chased to the graveyard, you wouldn’t have…”

She trailed off, not because she couldn’t continue, but because the temperature in the room seemed to

drop suddenly, and she felt goosebumps all over. She instinctively looked at Yasmine, who still had her

back to her, seemingly continuing her task as if nothing had happened.

Was it her imagination?

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“You’ve suffered so much, even lost a baby. I felt I needed to come and sincerely say thank you and I’m

sorry.”

Yasmine placed another sunflower into the vase, the stem cut too short, leaning against the rim of the

vase.

“No need for thanks,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.

“Boyd was backed into a corner in that situation. I hope you won’t blame everything on him. You know

well enough what happened back then. He was just trying to save us in his own way. Besides, he didn’t

know you were pregnant. Maybe if he had known, he wouldn’t have made that choice.”

“Do you want me to hate him or not?”

Some petals dropped on the floor.

Serana pursed her lips tightly, “I just don’t want you to misunderstand him. He never intended for either

of us to die.”

“Serana,” Yasmine suddenly called her name in a flat tone, “whether I hate Boyd or misunderstand him

is not for you to dictate.”

Meanwhile, Boyd, who visited the hospital daily without fail, stood outside the room. He didn’t demand

to see Yasmine but hoped to be a little closer, to hear her voice if nothing else. At that moment, he

paused at the sound of Serana’s voice inside the room, frowning and not moving away.

Each word from Yasmine sent tremors through his heart.

Yasmine’s voice continued to cut through the tense air, “As for Boyd being forced into this mess, let’s

get one thing straight—he was only coerced by thugs to kill you. And I bet those two goons never

imagined his bullet would end up hitting me, an innocent bystander, huh? Surprised? So was I.”



“Compared to his endless declarations of love for me, it turns out you, the unwanted burden, weigh

heavier on his heart. You should be over the moon. You and Boyd are quite the pair, aren’t you? I’ve

lost, and I’ve lost spectacularly. If I were you, I’d be thrilled too. Did you come here just to hear me

admit defeat, to see the face of a loser?”

“I didn’t. I’m genuinely concerned about your health, and my thanks and apologies are sincere.”

“Thanks and sorry are two words that, when put together, sound to me like you’re just showing off. I will

not accept your thanks, and your apology…”

Yasmine turned slowly, her pale face a mask of endless cold and hatred. She began to approach

Serana, each word dropping like solid blocks of ice. “Can your apology seal the bullet wound in my

body? Can it heal the knife wound in my back? Or can it bring back my baby?”

Yasmine closed in, causing Serana to step back in panic, her gaze inadvertently landing on the

scissors in Yasmine’s hand.

“What… what are you going to do?”

Yasmine let out a cold laugh, “What’s the point of your hollow apologies when you can’t give me back

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what I’ve endured and lost?”

Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbing Serana’s arm. “You must’ve forgotten these past few days just

how petty I can be. You’ve made my life miserable. How could I possibly let you off the hook? Since

you insist on apologizing, shouldn’t there be some sincerity in it?”

Serana fell back onto the hospital bed in her panic. Looking at the scissors now firmly gripped in

Yasmine’s hand, her face turned ghostly pale with fear.

“No, Yasmine. I… I’m pregnant.”

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“Don’t you dare bring up that to me!” Yasmine’s voice was sharp, perhaps the highest pitch she had

ever used in her life.

Boyd heard her voice and his face turned ashen. He kicked open the door to the hospital room and

burst in.

In that instant, Yasmine glanced at him. Her eyes were filled with coldness, sarcasm, and indescribable

hate.

It was just a moment, a fleeting one. He saw her actually raise the scissors and without a moment’s

hesitation, plunge them into Serana’s chest.

“Ah…!”

Serana was in so much pain that she couldn’t even scream.

Boyd was frozen at the door, struck still by Yasmine’s glare. Now, the scene before him was utterly

unbelievable.

Yasmine had really done it. She was not an irrational person. She always scorned such self-destructive

acts.

“Boyd.” Serana saw Boyd, then looked down at the scissors sticking out of her chest and her face

turned deathly pale, as if she was about to pass out.

Yasmine let go of her, stepped back with a laugh, and watched Boyd approach. “It’s all because of you.

If you had left me alone, if you didn’t claim to love me while still holding onto her, trying to juggle both

ends without the ability to reconcile, sacrificing one to preserve the other, things wouldn’t have

escalated to the point they are today.

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“Look at this, Boyd. Just look. You’ve shot the woman you claim to love, you’ve lost your baby, and the

one you’ve been so desperate to protect is now in this state. You couldn’t protect anyone, and yet all of

it is because of you.”

Her smile widened, her voice light, her tone almost gentle, but her words were razor-sharp.

Boyd’s eyes were filled with deep sorrow and horror. “You hate me that much?”

Yasmine’s smile stretched even further, “It’s just a shame I’ve only got a pair of scissors right now.”

