The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 1832

Morrison was too angry to speak. He'd shelled out for the top trending spots, and now he had to remind her that it was actually his birthday that day with a grand gesture?

Ha! As if he could do something so idiotic.

The hospital room fell into an awkward silence.

Rose sat on the couch, her eyes glued to her phone, seemingly engrossed in whatever was on the screen. Occasionally, the murmur of male voices could be heard, which he mistook for some TV show.

After a while, he pulled out a debit card from under his pillow and tossed it at Rose. Rose picked it up and examined it, "What's this for?"

Morrison gave her a sideways glance, "You don’t recognize a debit card?"d2

Rose pursed her lips, "I mean, why are you giving this to me?"

"A debit card is for spending money. Can you stop asking such dumb questions?"

"You think I'm short on cash?" Rose's laugh was faint, showing no interest in the card.

She truly wasn't short on money. Her family might not have provided her with much affection, but they never skimped on material things.

To groom her into a true young lady and then sell her for a good price, they had calculated this deal very thoroughly. Yet, she never rebelled against them for the lack of affection.

They wanted to groom her into a young lady, and she was more than willing.

A girl with looks, figure, refinement, knowledge, and elegance, this was also her personal desire. She wanted and anticipated this – to be a refined and perfect woman. Only then could she confidently appear in front of the man she liked at any time, making it easier for him to fall in love with her. Only then could she truly become herself.

Her desires were clear, so she accepted the Davis family's cultivation without question. They had their motives, and she had her own plans. It was a mutual benefit, nothing more.

And because everything had always gone so smoothly, she had never known financial distress. Now, with Chloe's help, her company was also thriving. So she had everything, especially money.

Morrison gritted his teeth in frustration at her words. For the first time, he realized how damn hard it was to win over a woman.

"You may not need money. But you need the money that comes from me, your husband."

Rose raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Facing her silence, Morrison added, "Keep it. If you want to buy anything, use this card. The PIN is..."

"I don't want it."

Rose suddenly cut him off, tossing the card disdainfully back onto the hospital bed.

Morrison was about to explode, "You..."

"I don’t want it. If you really want to give me money, just transfer it to my account."

Morrison's face twitched, his lips tightened, and a vein in his forehead threatened to burst.

This damn woman!

"Who cares if it's old-fashioned when you've got money to spend? People would kill to have that."

"I don't need your money. If I'm going to spend, I need to keep up with the times."

"Since when does a debit card embarrass anyone?! Do you know how much is in there? No one would dare laugh at you. The PIN is..."

"Mr. Witt!" Rose interrupted again, raising her voice, "If you really want to play the domineering CEO trope, please, get with the times. Even CEOs need to evolve. No woman likes a CEO who’s a hillbilly. The young ladies nowadays are romantics at heart. Money is good, and CEOs are great, but a hillbilly CEO is a major turn-off."

The room fell silent, so much so that within seconds, Rose could distinctly hear the grinding of Morrison's teeth. She smirked slightly, "What made you suddenly decide to give me money?"

The grinding stopped abruptly.

Morrison remained silent, his face cold.

Rose pressed her lips together, "Well, since you're done with dinner, I should head home. You'll have a nurse to look after you tonight."

As she prepared to leave, Morrison, who had been silent up to that point, looked up sharply, "Try and leave this room, I dare you."

Rose circled the foot of the bed, looking up at him. "Domineering CEOs aren't supposed to be unreasonable."

"I'd be reasonable if you were less stubborn."

"How does me going home to rest bother you?"

Morrison was silent for a moment, then said gruffly, "I'm bored on my own. You have to keep me company."

He grabbed her arm fiercely, "Don't forget that I got hurt because of you."

Rose: "Jerk..."

--

Rose didn't want to make a scene. In the end, she stayed, although she did step out to buy some fruit.

Concerned she'd trick him, Morrison kept her bag and phone as "hostages," only handing her a $20 bill, enough to buy fruit for the evening. He then headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Rose followed to the bathroom door, slightly amused.

"Mr. Big Shot CEO, if I decide to splurge a bit, do you think twenty bucks is going to cover it?"

"Apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, cherries, and cherry tomatoes—that's all you've been eating lately. How expensive can it be? Twenty is plenty. And you can keep the change. I should be generous with my wife." With that, he splashed water on his face.

Rose watched his back and slightly said, "You can hand out a million bucks to someone else just like that, but twenty dollars is generous for me?"

Morrison looked up, turned off the tap, and stared at her through the mirror, "What did you say?"

Rose arched an eyebrow, "Nothing. I'm off."

Morrison felt pleased that Rose was finally playing along. No longer at odds with each other, he settled on the couch and picked up his tablet to catch up on some work.

With him spending most time dealing with Rose, a backlog of tasks had piled up.

He was relieved she agreed to stay. He glanced at her bag and phone next to him, and considered the trivial $20 in her pocket – she had no chance of escaping. Feeling better, he finally settled down to tackle his workload.

The sudden knock on the door shattered the brief silence that had just settled in for a few minutes. Morrison frowned, a subtle irritation flitting across his brow, but he managed a terse, "Come in."

He returned his gaze to the document he'd been scrutinizing, now peppered with red annotations. Once he saved the changes, he lifted his eyes.

The figure standing before him drew his eyebrows together even tighter. His voice took on a chilly edge. "What is it?"

"Since you've been hospitalized for quite a spell, I thought it was only right to check in on you," Mona's voice sounded softly, accompanied by a subtle smile on her face.

Dressed in an ill-fitting hospital gown, she appeared exceptionally delicate and petite, with a slightly pale complexion, which gave her an unhealthy look. However, her demeanor suggested that nothing had happened between her and Morrison the previous night.

Morrison remained silent.

"Morrison, we don't have to be like this. Setting aside our history as lovers, at the very least, we're old classmates and friends. I admit that I hadn't quite let go before, but laying it all out there clears the air. You don't love me, and I can't force you. Everyone has their youthful and reckless moments, times when they are naive and ignorant about love. I can understand that, just like you.

“But friendship is cultivated over time. After all these years, I don't want to lose you as a friend. So, you don't need to put up walls around me on account.

“When it comes down to it, who are you, and who am I? If I really did something, I'd only be hurting myself, right?"