The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 1848

With a smug smile, Rose arched her eyebrows and patted her rounded belly, “We’ll just have to see how our son turns out. I just hope he doesn’t inherit your emotional intelligence and end up driving his future wife away.”

“If that ever happens, it won't just be about getting back at him for your sake, we’ll be lucky if we can even keep our son around.”

As she spoke, Rose suddenly shivered.

“I have no idea if Damon will spoil his daughter. What am I thinking... Of course, he will. I can't even begin to imagine how far he’ll go. If our son ever crosses his little princess, I dread to think what kind of crazed things he might do.”

Morrison frowned, torn between which matter to address first. Should he comment on her dig about his emotional intelligence, or Damon’s potential for madness?

But before he could get a word in, Rose had already taken a deep breath and continued. “Anyway, it’s their own business. If our boy really does end up hurting Little Moon’s feelings and gets a taste of his own medicine, he’ll have it coming, right?”d2

She turned her gaze to Morrison with a swift shift in tone.

Morrison’s scalp tingled, “Why do I feel like there’s a hidden message in what you’re saying?”

Rose chuckled, “Oh no, you’re just overthinking it. So, do you agree with me?” That smile seemed eerily mischievous.

Morrison chuckled nervously, “Whatever you say is right, dear.”

Rose looked pleased, “Mm-hmm.”

--

Carrying twins was proving to be quite the challenge for Chloe. At eight months, Damon had flown in the best doctors from overseas and had Jane on a 24-hour watch by Chloe’s side.

In truth, Chloe was faring better than many other women expecting twins, but when had Damon ever paid attention to the pregnancies of others?

He attended all of Chloe's appointments, which were private, and he had only seen a few other expectant mothers, all with single pregnancies. Next to Chloe's belly, they seemed to have it easy, making Damon even more cautious.

By the eighth month, walking had indeed become a struggle. Chloe graciously accepted all the help she was given. There was no point in putting on a brave face now.

Everyone around her was on edge, fearing any possible mishap, and to ease their minds—and her own—she let them fuss over her.

Thankfully, she had daily visits from friends and family, so loneliness never had a chance to set in.

Even Stanley would pop in now and then, sometimes disappearing for lengths of time, and at other times appearing almost every day.

Damon had tried every trick in the book to keep Stanley at bay, and while occasionally successful, Stanley had started to openly engage in a battle of wits with him.

At home, Damon spent his spare moments strategizing how to handle Stanley. At first, Chloe was concerned, but as it became apparent that their antics were harmless, she relaxed and let them have their open confrontations.

Both Damon and Stanley could tell Chloe was worried, so they kept their rivalry in check so as not to truly alarm her.

Lately, though, it seemed Damon had found an effective way to manage things.

--

Yulia arrived with Anya to visit Chloe, and as soon as they entered, Anya scampered over to hug Chloe's legs.

“Chloe, how are my little cousins doing?”

With motherhood on the horizon, Chloe saw Anya with newfound affection, almost seeing her as a daughter. “They’re doing just fine, thank you for asking, Anya,” she replied, her voice tender.

Anya’s big, round eyes fixed on Chloe’s belly, and after a moment of wonder, she placed her chubby, delicate hand gently on it, patting softly. Then she exclaimed with surprise, “They are my little cousins, so it’s only right for Anya to care about them. I promise I’ll always protect them.”

Chloe smiled, “That’s very sweet of you, Anya. They might be quite mischievous, though. Will you be okay with that?”

Anya shook her head confidently, “It’s okay. They’re little, so a bit of mischief is forgivable. I will try my best to keep them from being too naughty.”

Her childlike voice was soft and endearing, trying so hard to sound “grown-up”. The sight was utterly adorable. The thought of her children being pampered by such a cute little aunt made Chloe’s heart swell with warmth.

As Yulia hung up her coat and joined them, she couldn't help but smile at the exchange between Anya and Chloe, though her expression was a mix of amusement and resignation.

"Anya, be careful not to bump into Chloe, okay?"

"I am being careful," Anya replied, then turned back to Chloe’s belly. "Are they sleeping or playing now? Are they being naughty?"

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head, "They're being good. Probably sleeping."

"I see."

Anya seemed a tad disappointed, probably eager to play with them. She then climbed onto the nearby sofa, swinging her legs as she kept her eyes on Chloe's belly. "I'll just wait quietly for them to wake up and then we can play."

Yulia let out a resigned laugh and said to Chloe, “Ever since she saw them move that one time, she’s been obsessed with coming over.”

“She’s welcome anytime. I get bored at home, and Anya is such a good girl. I really like having her around.”

“Still, she’s young. You never know when she might accidentally cause trouble.”

Chloe smiled softly, changing the subject, “Did Nathan bring you guys over?”

Yulia’s smile faded slightly, “No, he’s been tied up lately.”

The change in her demeanor was noticeable.

Anya, who had stopped swinging her legs, chimed in, “Yeah, Nathan’s busy. He’s always going to see pretty ladies now.”

Chloe’s brows knitted together, noticing Yulia’s discomfort, and directed her attention to Anya. “Do you know this pretty lady?”

Anya shook her head, “I don’t. But I know that each time, the pretty lady is different.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow, “Different?”

The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, one that seemed to carry the weight of grown-up troubles, even in the innocent setting of a child’s observation.

"Mmm, yeah, I've seen them, just yesterday afternoon Nathan took me to meet them. Uh..."

Anya clapped a hand over her mouth mid-sentence, her wide eyes darting between Yulia and Chloe, regretting her slip of the tongue.