Mr. CEO Sassy Bride

Nelson Carter could be seen pacing back and forth in the luxurious living room, glancing alternately at his phone and the entrance door.

A battle raged in his mind, one voice urging him to call Leilani and ask why she wasn’t home yet, while the other advised him to remain aloof.

After two hours he returned from the office, he expected her to be home already. But a thought struck him – had she met that Jones guy again?

The mere mention of his name made Nelson’s nostrils flare and his hands clench in rage.

But just then, the sound of the entrance door opening interrupted his thoughts. Leilani walked in, and Nelson was immediately in her face.

“Where have you been, Leilani Hernandez?” he demanded in a deep voice, striding towards her.

Leilani’s eyes widened in shock. “Is Mother back? Is she upset about my absence?” Leilani asked, her heart quickening with fear.

“Where have you been?” Nelson repeated, trying to mask his fury.

Leilani hesitated, then decided against explaining her whereabouts. Instead, she eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you asking, Sir?” she inquired, her gaze darting over him.

“Because you’re my wife,” Nelson stated plainly, not backing down.

Leilani scoffed, struggling against his dominating demeanor. She did not like being questioned like this.

“Do you remember, sir, that my role as your wife only holds weight when in the presence of Mother? And since Mother is absent now, I am free to do as I please. Please, let’s not have this conversation again, sir,” Leilani sarcastically pleaded, already planning to walk away.

However, before she could leave, Nelson suddenly erupted.

“Where did you go after your outing to the hospita–” He caught himself, sealing his lips in an instant.

Suspiciously, Leilani looked up at him. “Did you just say hospital?” she tentatively asked, but Nelson simply looked away.

“I never even informed to you I was going to the hospital. So how did you know, Mr. Carter?” Leilani firmly demanded.

Nelson remained silent, walking away from her and heading towards the stairs.

“I need an explanation, sir. How did you know I was at the hospital today?” Leilani pursued, trailing behind him as they climbed the stairs.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

They eventually reached their bedroom, and just as Leilani was about to block Nelson’s path, she stumbled and appeared to be about to fall onto the marble floor.

But her fall was prevented by a pair of firm hands. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with Nelson’s mesmerizing deep blue eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she struggled to catch her breath as they silently gazed into each other’s eyes.

“How did you know I went to the hospital, sir?” Leilani pressed on, grateful that her voice came out as strong as she intended, despite her breathlessness due to their close proximity.

Nelson hadn’t anticipated her obstinacy or that she would ask that question again. He abruptly let go of her waist, causing her to almost lose her balance, and headed into the dressing room.

Infuriated, Leilani decided to leave him and conduct her own investigation. Was he possibly stalking her?

Lost in thought, Leilani’s phone suddenly rang, indicating a new message in her bag.

Gently exhaling, she retrieved her phone and noticed that the message was from Jones. An unintended smile appeared on her lips as she began texting him back.

An hour had passed since then and Leilani was still engrossed in conversation with Jones over the phone.

The clacking of the keypads as she typed was accompanied by her bubbling laughter, much to the annoyance of Nelson who lay on the bed next to her.

“Can you please keep it down or leave?” he snapped suddenly, giving Leilani a cold look.

Slowing down her movements, Leilani pulled the duvet away from her face and flashed Nelson a sheepish grin. “My apologies, Mr. Carter. I’ll lower my volume now,” she apologized, still sporting a playful smile.

Just as she was about to lay back down and cover her face, Nelson’s authoritative tone stopped her. “Who are you talking to at this hour?” he demanded.

Cocking her head to the side, Leilani pretended to ponder before responding. “If you’re not stalking me, Mr. Carter, then how did you know I went to the hospital?” she asked seriously, her playful facade fading away.

“I’m not stalking you, that’s not what I asked. Who-are-you-chatting-with was my question?” Nelson retorted, his face twisted in a scowl.

“It’s-none-of-your-business is my answer,” Leilani shot back, sticking her tongue out at Nelson before lying back down and covering her face.

Nelson couldn’t believe her childish behavior. He continued watching her from the bed and was taken aback when she suddenly burst into another fit of laughter.

Fuming with anger, he wondered who could be the cause of her amusement. Jones’s face entered his mind, igniting a fierce rage within him. He clenched his fists, wishing he could rip the fabric away from Leilani’s face to see who she was chatting with.

_____

The next morning after breakfast, Leilani opted for a simple green, flowery dress. Not one for makeup, she only applied lipgloss and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

Preparations were made for Leilani’s date with Jones, which had been agreed upon during their conversation the previous night. As she stepped outside and strolled toward the immense entrance gate, she was halted by Nelson’s driver.

“Forgive me, Madam,” the man said with a courteous tone. “But Mr. Carter specifically instructed me to be at your disposal whenever you wish to leave.”

Leilani’s curiosity was piqued, and she raised an eyebrow, studying the man for a moment. “When exactly did he give you this instruction, sir?” she inquired.

“Just this morning, Madam,” the driver replied promptly.

A frown formed on Leilani’s face as she nibbled on her bottom lip, deep in thought.

The driver gestured towards the garage, ready to take her wherever she desired to go, but she shook her head firmly.

“No, sir. I shall manage on my own. Thank you,” she stated politely, offering a small smile before walking away.

Meanwhile, at Nelson’s office, work had been a struggle for him as his mind was preoccupied with his own musings. The recurring thought on his mind was last night’s events. He couldn’t help but wonder who had managed to make Leilani laugh so hard.

Or was it perhaps her friend?

Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his face wearily, attempting to focus on his work once again.

However, his concentration was broken by the sound of his ringing phone. He grabbed it and saw that it was his driver, whom he had deliberately assigned to Leilani to provide feedback on her whereabouts.

“Speak,” he ordered loudly as he answered the call.

“Mr. Carter, your wife has just left the residence. She insisted on venturing out alone,” the driver’s voice came through, and Nelson shot up from his seat, instantly on edge.

“What? And you permitted her to leave?” he bellowed into the phone.

“I apologize, sir. But she left me with no alternative as she ran off-”

“Keep quiet, you foolish old man! Now tell me, where did she go? Did she disclose her destination to you?” he inquired in a low, expectant tone, hoping to God the driver had some information on Leilani’s whereabouts.

“No, sir. She did not mention anything to me,” the driver responded, and Nelson’s frustration only grew.

As the driver completed his words, Nelson’s frustration boiled over as he hung up on the man.

“L-E-I-L-A-N-I,” he forced out each letter through clenched teeth, dialing Leilani’s number.

He called her again and again, but no answer.

In a fit of anger, Nelson jumped to his feet, endlessly redialing her number. “Answer the damn phone, you foolish woman!”

Finally, on the third ring, Leilani picked up, surprise evident in her voice. “Mr. Carter?”

“Yes. Where are you?” Nelson demanded in his characteristic commanding tone.

“I’m on my way to meet-” Leilani began to explain, but another voice interrupted in the background.

“Hey, Lani!” Nelson listened intently and recognized it as a man’s voice.

“Hey, Jones,” Leilani’s cheerful reply cut through the line, causing a sharp pain to pierce through Nelson’s heart as he pictured her smiling at another man.

“I’ll call you back, Mr. Carter,” Leilani rushed to say before ending the call.

“L-Lani,” Nelson tried to call out, but the line went dead, worsening his already sour mood.

Frantically, he attempted to reach Leilani, but she refused to answer his calls.

“Damn it! What is she doing with that Jones-man? And where are they?” He seethed, gripping his phone tightly.