CEO’s Seduction Trap

Mr. Moore seemed to immediately grasp Leila’s intentions. He looked at her with amusement rather than anger. “You’re quite crafty, girl.”

With that, he nodded towards Leila. “Let’s go, let’s talk outside.”

A few minutes later, Leila found herself in Mr. Moore’s car. Mr. Moore reached for the mineral water in the cup holder, unscrewed the cap, and took a few sips without hesitation. He then openly asked, “Were you here to catch me in the act? Hoping to catch me red-handed and force me to sell the project to The Ramirez Group at a discounted price?”

Dealing with smart people, the worst thing you can do is play dumb. Since she was caught, Leila didn’t lie and simply said, “Sorry.”

Mr. Moore mocked lightly, “Hoping for my forgiveness?”

Leila replied frankly, “I know it’s impossible.”

“Since you don’t want my forgiveness, why apologize?”.

Leila smiled awkwardly and said, “Apologizing because I was indeed wrong. I shouldn’t have intruded into your privacy.”

“So if you had the chance to choose again, would you still do it?”

Leila answered honestly, “Yes. For survival, you know.”

Being kind is important, but being tough is crucial. Kindness is the bottom line, but it won’t solve problems.

As Leila finished speaking, Mr. Moore stared at her for a moment with a serious expression, then suddenly laughed, “I knew I didn’t misjudge you. You’re quite something, kid.”

Leila remained silent.

Seeing her silence, Mr. Moore leaned back and looked at her, “Come on, tell me, what were you planning to do after catching me in the act?”

While Mr. Moore spoke, Leila kept observing his mood. Seeing no signs of anger, she paused and spoke honestly, “I brought the acquisition proposal with me. I hope you can give me a chance.”

Mr. Moore was skeptical, “Just that?”

Leila calmly responded, “Just that. The competition for your project is fierce, and I’m confident in my acquisition proposal. But I need a ‘reason’ for you to look at me differently.”

Mr. Moore chuckled, “Aren’t you thinking of threatening me with something? Like forcing me to sign this acquisition agreement?”

Leila explained, “Business is about fairness. I resorted to this as a last resort. I’m not hiding it from you. I’ve just joined The Ramirez Group and urgently need a solid project to establish myself there.”

Mr. Moore smiled, “So shouldn’t you be trying to force me to sign this acquisition agreement?”

Leila replied, “I just hope you can ‘look at me differently.’ You give others one chance; I hope you can give me two. Ultimately, I am in need of your help.”

After listening to Leila’s words, Mr. Moore’s appreciation for her grew even more.

After a few moments, Mr. Moore looked at Leila and asked, “What do you think about me having another woman and a child outside?”

Leila didn’t expect Mr. Moore to ask this and was slightly taken aback. After a moment, she calmly replied, “I don’t understand it, I don’t respect it, but I’ll keep it to myself.”

With that said, Mr. Moore chuckled and pulled out his phone from his pocket, dialing a number. When the call connected, he teased, “Mr. Ramirez, where did you find this girl?”

The next second, Mason’s low, amused voice came through the phone, “You’re compromising?”

When Mason finished, Mr. Moore looked at Leila with a smile and said, “Have Leila leave me the acquisition planner later. I’ll give you an answer in two days.”

Mason said in a deep voice, “She is in charge of this project, you give her an answer directly.”

Hearing Mason’s intention to help Leila, Mr. Moore quickly picked up, “Okay, I’ll tell Leila the results directly at that time.”

After discussing the project, Mr. Moore and Mason exchanged pleasantries on the phone. As they ended the call, Mr. Moore turned to Leila and said, “Alright, let me see your acquisition proposal.”

Leila quickly retrieved the prepared acquisition proposal from her bag and handed it to Mr. Moore.

Taking it, Mr. Moore didn’t immediately open it. “I’ll give you a result in two days.”

“Thank you, Mr. Moore.”

Mr. Moore chuckled, “You should thank yourself. You fought for this opportunity.”

Their conversation in the car didn’t last long before Mr. Moore was called away by another phone call…

As Leila headed back to the hotel, her mind was filled with personal matters. The person she had encountered at the hospital seemed to be her biological father, Keith Patel, who had disappeared five years ago after taking the last of their money and fleeing.

Sitting in the taxi, Leila leaned her head against the window, her thoughts in turmoil. She couldn’t quite describe her feelings at the moment. She had imagined many scenarios for meeting Keith again-sad, happy, tearful-but never this.

The reunion felt like two strangers pretending not to recognize each other, as if they were from different worlds.

Lost in her thoughts for the entire journey, Leila hadn’t snapped out of it even when the car arrived at the hotel.

The driver noticed that Leila wasn’t herself and kindly asked, “Miss, are you okay?”

Leila forced a smile on her face. “I’m fine.”

She turned and walked towards the hotel. Suddenly, a trembling voice came from behind, “Leila.”

Leila’s steps halted at the sound without turning back.

“Leila, is that you?”

Leila’s eyes turn red. After a moment, she turned around and spoke, “Dad.”

Hearing Leila call him ‘dad’, Keith burst into tears. He stepped forward and embraced her tightly, choking back tears as he said, “I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime.”

After five years, Leila couldn’t shake the feeling that this embrace was unfamiliar.

After the hug, Keith looked her up and down. “You’ve grown up and taller.”

“You seem thinner.”

“How have you been all these years?”

Keith rambled on with concern. Leila interrupted, “Dad, why don’t you ask about Mom?”

At the mention of his wife, Keith’s eyes flickered, clearly wanting to avoid the topic. “I…”

Keith stammered for a while without completing a sentence.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Leila looked at him calmly and asked, “Who was the lady you were with just now? Is she your friend?”

Faced with Leila’s question, Keith’s face turned red.

Leila asked again, “Have you been doing well these years?”

Keith looked embarrassed and flustered. “Leila, let me explain…”

The reunion between father and daughter, which should have been warm, was unexpectedly tense.

Not far away, in a black business car, a bodyguard observed the two for a while before pulling out his phone and dialing Mason’s number.

When the call connected, the bodyguard said, “Boss, Miss Patel met a middle-aged man, and she seems very emotional.”

As the bodyguard spoke, Mason furrowed his brows. “Have you seen the man before in Neo city?”

The bodyguard replied truthfully, “No, judging by his attire, he seems to be a hospital orderly or some kind of support staff.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Mason frowned. “Investigate his identity and report back to me.”

“Understood.”

After hanging up, the bodyguard instructed his colleague to investigate Keith’s identity.

An hour later, he sent the investigation results to Mason’s email.

The moment Mason received the email, he picked up his phone and dialed Daniel’s number.

“Daniel, book a flight to S city.”

Daniel was accustomed to Mason’s sudden arrangements and promptly responded, “Alright, Boss.”

On the other side, Keith spent a full hour explaining to Leila. From the time he left Yort city with the company’s last bit of money to being deceived and losing everything, to his various struggles leading him to S city…

“I really didn’t mean to cut off contact with you and your mom. It’s just that I couldn’t face you.”

“I had hoped that once I got back on my feet, I could repay the money and ensure you and your mom had a good life. But who knew I’d run into scammers, not only failing to make money but also losing everything I had.”

Leila stood on the steps, staring down at him. “And then?”

Keith hesitated at her question. “And then?”

Leila continued, “Why did you betray Mom?”

The word ‘betray’ hung heavily in the air.

Keith’s body froze, his lips trembling as he attempted to explain, “It wasn’t a betrayal, Leila. I, I just couldn’t face returning to you and your mom, so…”

Leila calmly interrupted, “So you chose to start a new family with another woman in this place?”

Keith fell silent.

‘Excuses’ seemed like a shield, covering up the ugly truths of human nature in this world.