The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Yulia’s lips quivered as she shook her head, her eyes widened with fear and helplessness. “What do you even

want?” she stammered.

Nathan looked at her with a cold detachment. “The question is, what do you want, Yulia? You wanted this marriage,

pulled every trick in the book to get it. You called the shots in the beginning, but when it ends, that’s not your call. If

you’re planning on going head-to-head with me, by all means, let’s see who’s tougher.”

“So what are you saying? That I’m stuck with you until you’re bored? I can’t ever bring up divorce?”

“You can bring it up, and I might agree, as long as you leave Anya with me.”

“You know I’ll never give up Anya!”

A smirk crept onto Nathan’s face. “Who knows? Maybe Ronald and his shares are worth more to you than Anya.”d2

Yulia bit her lip so hard that white marks formed around her teeth. “Why are you doing this, Nathan? Anya’s my

daughter. She’s got nothing to do with you. Why are you so obsessed with her?”

“People don’t always need reasons. I like her, and that should be enough.”

Yulia’s anger flared at Nathan’s shameless reasoning, her hand itching to slap some sense into him. “But you’ll end

up hurting her. With your playboy lifestyle, you might even marry someone else. What can you offer Anya, except a

life full of scandals and tabloid headlines? How can she grow up healthy in a home with a stepfather and

stepmother? What are you really thinking? Is this how you like Anya? I will never agree. Over my dead body will I let

you take her.”

Nathan’s lips curled into a sneer. “Suit yourself.”

Yulia felt her anger choking her, unable to vent.

Over her dead body? What would happen to Anya if she died?

How utterly cruel!

The feeling of helplessness, of being trapped, was unbearable.

Nathan watched as she fell into despair, then stepped back and headed for the door. But Yulia grabbed his shirt,

pulling him back with a desperation she couldn’t hide. “What do you want from me, Nathan? What are you trying to

do? What will it take for you to let me go?”

“Let you go?” Nathan’s voice was like ice. “How come you get to decide everything? When you were scheming to

trap me, did you ever consider whether I’d let you go? Now you want to walk away scot-free? You think I’m just

some toy you can play with until you’re done?”

Yulia looked up at him, her expression a tangled mess of emotions. “I’ve heard enough. I admit I was wrong, but we

can’t drag this marriage on forever, right? Give me a concrete date. When can we truly end this?”

Nathan’s expression darkened. “Tell me, Yulia, why do you suddenly want to talk divorce?”

Caught off guard, Yulia was unsure how their conversation had circled back to this topic.

Nathan’s grip tightened on her shoulders. “What if I helped you take over the company?”

Yulia’s eyes flickered with shock.

“You wouldn’t need Ronald’s shares. Would you still bring up divorce after you got what you wanted? Or should I

ask, are you divorcing me for Ronald?”

Yulia’s brow furrowed, and after a long moment, she shook her head. “No. I can’t forgive him. If it weren’t for his

shares, I’d never want to see him again, even if we got divorced, I don’t love him anymore. I haven’t for a long

time.”

“Then who do you love now?”

Yulia paused, a struggle evident in her eyes. “I love Anya…”

Nathan’s breath caught, his face twitching involuntarily. “I mean the love between two adults?!” He bellowed at her,

and Yulia flinched, closing her eyes.

Nathan took a deep breath to calm himself. “So why the hell are you in such a rush to divorce?”

“For the shares!”

“Cut the crap! Ronald’s been dangling those shares over you for ages. You never mentioned divorce before.”

Yulia felt her face numb under Nathan’s tirade.

“Speak up!” he roared again, and Yulia’s ears rang with the force of his voice.

Anger began to bubble up inside her. “It’s because of you. If you hadn’t been fooling around, putting Anya in the

spotlight, I wouldn’t need to force this issue. What position have you put us in? Did you ever think of your wife while

you were out with other women?”

Suddenly, Yulia’s usually gentle demeanor burst forth, stunning Nathan into silence. “You remember you’re my

wife?!”

Yulia’s retort was sharp. “What good does it do? Did that stop you from playing around?”

“If you acted like a wife should, would I have the chance to play?”

Yulia couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at his words. “Do you realize how awful you sound? Blaming your wife because

you’re out with other women?”

Nathan’s face was a mask of tension. He stared at her for a long moment before his expression softened, and he

stepped closer, towering over her. “So since it’s not about Ronald, it’s about me, huh?”

Yulia opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“Because I’ve found other women, and you’re jealous? Can’t handle it? You’re hurt and sad, so you want a

divorce?”

Caught off guard by Nathan’s blunt question, Yulia blushed crimson.

“Who’s jealous?! It’s because you’re affecting Anya.”

“Just Anya?” Nathan frowned.

“I…”

“Yulia,” Nathan interrupted, his voice threatening. “You better think carefully before you speak.”

Yulia fell silent for a moment before looking up at him with a mixture of defiance and vulnerability in her eyes.

“What do you want me to say?”

“Just tell me what you really feel.” he urged.

She pressed her lips together, then threw the question back at him. “How much do you hate me?”

Nathan frowned. “I’m the one asking the questions here.”

“What if I said I like you? Would that make you happy?”

His gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto her. “It’s always nice to be liked.”

“Is that enough for you?”

He scrunched his brow, clearly not satisfied with where this was going.

Yulia continued, “What if it’s not just ‘like’ that I feel for you?”

The hand gripping her shoulder suddenly loosened.

God knows it took everything in Yulia to say these words. If it hadn’t been for the tension between them, that feeling

of everything falling apart, or Nathan’s probing questions leading her to this moment, she might never have spoken

her truth.

With things as they were, the worst-case scenario was a divorce – a clean break. She braced herself for his

reaction, but when she felt it, her heart contracted. Not from disappointment, but from despair.

She knew it.

She convinced herself not to show too much, mustering a nonchalant smile. “Don’t worry. It’s just talk.”

“But it’s more than ‘like,’ so you mean you love me?” Nathan pressed, his voice deep and heavy.

Yulia didn’t answer.