CEO’s Seduction Trap

Seeing Keith’s silence, Leila asked, “Dad, you’ve talked so much about how difficult these years have been for you. Have you ever thought about how Mom and I have been living these years?”

Keith still tried to evade responsibility. “You, you had the house left by your grandfather, right? And, I also gave your uncle some money, although not much, it should have been enough for you and your mom to get by.”

Leila furrowed. “What money?” She hadn’t seen any money left behind by him all these years.

Upon hearing Leila’s question, Keith seemed to find a loophole in which he wasn’t entirely irresponsible. He widened his eyes. “Before I left, I gave your uncle five hundred thousand. Didn’t he give you the money?”

Leila shook her head. “No.”

Not only did he not give her any money, but during Leila’s toughest times in college, she had borrowed twenty thousand from him. Her aunt came demanding repayment in less than six months.

Keith started to speak again, “Leila, I…”

But before Keith could finish his sentence, his phone, tucked in his pocket, suddenly rang. Retrieving it, he glanced at the incoming call notification, his face stiffening. He turned away from Leila and answered the call.

Leila couldn’t hear what the person on the other end of the line was saying, only catching Keith’s side of the conversation. “Okay, I got it. Salad dressing, right?” After a pause, he added, “Yeah, I’ll pick up some ribs on my way back. You don’t have to cook; I’ll handle lunch today.”

Perhaps it was Keith’s unexpectedly gentle tone that reminded Leila of her mother suffering in the hospital.

Without waiting for him to finish the call, Leila clenched the object in her hand and turned back to the hotel.

By the time Keith finished his call and turned around, there was no one behind him…

Back at the hotel, Leila lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for hours. In her memory, Keith had never cooked before, even the water for his bath was always prepared by her mother in advance…

Leila lay there for over four hours, lost in thought. Eventually, she drifted into a half-asleep state, burying her face in the pillow to avoid reality. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

She buried her face deeper, not wanting to get up, but the knocking grew louder and more insistent.

Minutes later, Leila reluctantly slipped on her slippers and went to open the door.

It was Mason, standing there. One arm was draped over a suit jacket, the other was loosening his tie. “Have you seen the news about my engagement?” he asked.

“What?” Leila was taken aback.

Mason teased, “How do you feel about me running away from marriage?”

Leila thought Mason was insane, and not in a good way. She glared at him, while he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

After a few seconds, Leila pursed her lips. “I’m currently low on funds.”

“What?”

Leila continued, “If I had enough money, I’d book you a VIP suite at the mental hospital no matter what.”

Mason chuckled. “Being so nice to me?”

Leila wanted to curse him out but ended up choking on her words, saying nothing at all. She walked over to the coffee table, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, took a few sips, then sat on the couch, picking up a throw pillow and hugging it to her chest as she leaned back.

Mason stepped forward, not taking a seat beside her but sitting on the coffee table across from her instead. He picked up the bottle of mineral water she had been drinking from, took a sip, and looked down at her. “Feeling upset?”

Leila’s gaze remained calm. “Not really.”

Mason nodded, not pressing further. “The rumors outside claim that my parents died in a plane crash when I was young, but that’s not the truth.”

Leila asked, “Then what happened?”

Seeing her interest in the topic, Mason set down the water bottle, one hand resting on the table, the other unbuttoning his shirt collar. He said with a hint of sarcasm, “My father did die in a plane crash, but he wasn’t with my mother. He was with his mistress, whom he had been seeing for five years.”

Leila was stunned. “…”

Mason lowered his head to meet Leila’s gaze. “My mother didn’t die; she left one week after my father’s death, one night while my brother and I were asleep.”

“Left?” Leila asked.

Mason scoffed lightly. “Yes. But according to her, she didn’t leave; she just went to pursue her own happiness.”

Leila couldn’t verify the truth of what Mason said. But perhaps human nature was truly ‘evil’ at times, because after hearing Mason’s words, the frustration that had weighed on her all afternoon miraculously eased. Human joys and sorrows were unique to each individual. Yet the tragic experiences of one could heal the tragic experiences of another.

As Mason finished speaking, a brief silence filled the living room.

After a moment, Leila asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

Mason turned his head under her gaze and lit a cigarette. “Probably just feeling inspired, reminding myself never to marry someone I don’t love. It harms both parties.”

Leila was about to respond when Mason’s phone suddenly rang.

“Mr. Moore.” He switched on the speaker, “How has Linda been lately?”

“The child is sick, so she’s at the hospital taking care of him.”

Mason remarked, “Linda has had a tough couple of years.”

Mr. Moore sighed, “She’s chosen her path. We can only offer help; we can’t interfere.”

“She’s a woman worthy of admiration.”

“That girl, stubbornness…”

“You know, Leila reminds me of her back in the day.”

Mason didn’t engage with Mr. Moore’s remark, smoothly shifting the topic. “I heard you’ve been taking care of her these past few years. Didn’t she get any government assistance after her husband died?”

Mr. Moore replied, “I’m not sure about that. I only take care of people; I don’t inquire about anything else.”

Mason remarked, “I admire you just the same.”

“In people’s eyes, there’s no such thing as righteousness. As long as there’s any involvement between men and women, they always see it as an illicit affair.”

Mason chuckled softly.

Mr. Moore burst into laughter. “I wasn’t referring to Leila.”

“I was, I’ll personally teach her.”

“Mr. Mitchell invited me to dinner that day, because…” Mr. Moore had just started a new topic when Mason interrupted, “He’s also interested in your project.”

Hearing Mason’s words, Mr. Moore paused for a moment, then reacted and chuckled lightly, “I never expected that my failed project would be so popular.”

Mason’s voice turned serious, “The failure of your project has its reasons. Outsiders might not know, but insiders are well aware.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Let’s not dwell on it; it’s fate,” Mr. Moore replied.

Next, Mason and Mr. Moore discussed a bidding project. Mr. Moore mentioned that Premier Construction could handle the project but didn’t want to monopolize it. “I’ve been through too much loss before, so I need to be cautious,” he said.

Mason pondered for a moment, “I’ll consider it. Let’s discuss it privately.”

Hanging up the phone, Mason leaned down with his hand on the armrest of the sofa, “You see, sometimes the truth isn’t what you see.”

Leila lowered her head, he was right, she still had a lot to learn.

“Leila, why have you been working so hard these years?”

“To pay off my debts as soon as possible.”

“Is that all?” Mason prodded.

“Mr. Ramirez, dreams may sound ordinary, but they’re not something ordinary people can afford to indulge in. When you’re struggling for basic necessities, what’s the point of dreaming?”

Hearing her words, Mason spoke with a grave tone, “Leila, your biggest flaw is being too rational.”

“Impulsiveness isn’t something ordinary people can afford to indulge in either.”

Impulsiveness always came with a cost. After one impulse, there might be ten consequences to deal with. Ordinary people didn’t have the time or energy for that. So, gradually, they developed a habit of not daring to be impulsive because they couldn’t afford the consequences.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Mason conceded.

“Not perhaps, definitely,” Leila asserted. “Just like now, I know your intentions towards me aren’t pure, and I know there will be things happening under your command that shouldn’t, but I still haven’t chosen to resign. That’s… not daring to be impulsive.”

Leila’s voice was icy, and Mason narrowed his eyes for a moment. “So, if I were replaced by someone else, would you still act the same way?”