The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2047

Charlie's stride halted, his fury cresting. "What..."

Camden shrank back, tears streaming down his cheeks. "My son and wife are in his hands, Mr. Diaz. I can't risk their lives for the company. I'm just a regular Joe, busting my hump for the firm, and I'm willing to do that. But I can't put my family's safety on the line. It's just not fair. Why me..."

Seth was silent for a long moment. Charlie watched his expression carefully, but it was as calm as a still pond, eerily composed. "How long would it take to start over?"

Camden, still cowering, thought for a second. "It’s a six-month job. If we work our ass off, two months."

Seth closed his eyes.

The wedding next month... It was too late.d2

"Go find Ray, see if he has a backup ready."

Camden nodded eagerly, "Right, right, right! Maybe he still has a backup. We need to find him fast before he leaks our program."

Charlie jolted into action and dashed out.

*

Seth spent the whole night in his office, waiting for Charlie's response. Ray had suddenly become their only hope.

At the school, Cicely had fallen asleep at her desk numerous times, her rest fitful and uneasy. She had hoped it was all a dream, but each time she woke, the reality of her surroundings and the two busy figures nearby brought a suffocating feeling. Anxiety and helplessness welled up, followed by silent tears.

The thought of Seth, who had spent two years and a fortune on this, potentially facing ruin was unbearable.

Disappointment? Regret? Defeat? Despair?

She didn't want to see him like that. Just the thought was heart-wrenching enough.

He could blame her and they could not get married, but she couldn't bear to see that look on his face.

Issac had been by her side the whole time, pained to see her this way. As dawn broke, he stepped out to buy breakfast. Two portions for Joel and Joel’s friend. The remaining one he placed before Cicely.

The school cafeteria's offerings were always the same - buns and oatmeal.

Joel and his friend, having worked all night, didn't stand on ceremony. They munched on the buns without taking their eyes off their screens. The room filled with the hearty scent of the steamed buns.

Cicely woke again, and Issac pushed the bag toward her, "Have some breakfast."

Cicely, groggy, looked around, sniffed at the bag, then her face turned, and she bolted from the room, hand over her mouth. Issac followed quickly.

Outside the room, Cicely leaned against the wall, heaving with nothing to bring up.

Issac handed her water. After rinsing her mouth and quenching the churning in her stomach, she settled down.

Issac, concerned, draped her dropped jacket over her and whispered, "I'll take you to the hospital."

Cicely shook her head, "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."

She sat down by the flowerbed, pulling the jacket tight around her, and sniffed. "I can't stand the smell in there. Can you check on their progress for me? Can they crack it?" Pale and weak, her voice barely held strength.

Issac reluctantly left her to ask Joel about the progress.

Joel looked worn but hopeful, "We should be able to do it. We're trying to interface and modify, but we can't give a definite timeline. Just tell her to hang in there and that it'll work out."

Issac nodded, "Thank you."

He reported back to Cicely. Despite being promised a certainty, no answer made sense to her without getting a successful decoder break.

She looked up at the brightening sky, biting her lip in worry. "Issac, what do you think Seth will do when he finds out the program is gone?"

After a pause, Issac replied, "He won't lose it. He's young but steady. Even with something like this, or if he ever fails at something, he won't act irrationally."

Cicely's swollen eyes reddened again. "But he's been working on this for two years."

Issac avoided her pained expression, "Everyone faces failure once."

"But I want his life to be smooth. I don't want him to face failure, especially not because of me."

Guilt and the harshness of reality made Cicely's heart ache with every thought. She hung her head, tears falling, drop by drop.

Issac approached, gently placing a hand on her head, soothing her. "The data won't run away from the flash drive. They'll crack the program sooner or later. You really don't need to worry this much. Speak to him clearly, and he will understand, especially since you did it for his sake. Even if it's not recovered, it hasn't leaked, and these programs are made by people. They can write them again; it's just a matter of time."

Cicely's mood steadied with Issac's comforting logic. She looked up, "What time is it?"

"Seven. What you need to do now is get some good sleep, then explain things to him at the company."

"But he'll be worried if he finds out. I can't sleep."

"There are two hours until work starts." Issac held her back as she tried to rise, "You can definitely sleep for two hours before going to the company. I booked a room for you in the hotel next door. Go rest a bit."

Cicely felt truly awful, and this time Issac was insistent. She acquiesced and went to get some rest.

...

Yesterday, Patty dropped by the set to see Danielle. Danielle promised to show her around the studio city that evening, so they ended up staying at a hotel.

The next morning, they were up early, ready to head back to the city center. After they finished breakfast in their room and packed up, they headed downstairs.

Just as they were about to walk out the front door, Danielle was suddenly grabbed by the arm by someone who appeared out of nowhere. She let out an instinctive scream.

"Danielle, it's me."A familiar, anxious voice rang out. Danielle snapped back to reality and saw that it was Ray.

"What... how..." She glanced at a startled Patty and quickly shook off Ray's hand. "Let go of me!"

Ray didn't let go, but looked around and took out a cellphone from his pocket and handed it to Danielle. "Danielle, I really like you, but I can't expect you to be with me. This is the last thing I can do for you. I hope you get what you want, and I wish you happiness."

"Also, don't go to Diaz International before noon to see Seth. If you want to talk to him, you can ask him to meet you somewhere else."

Danielle was confused, "What are you talking about? Why can't I go to Diaz International, and why should I go see him..."

"Danielle, I'm out of time, I have to go. Just remember what I said."

Ray kept an eye on his surroundings as he spoke, then abruptly cut Danielle off, pulled his cap down low, and hurried away.

Patty, frowning at the scene, asked, "Who was that guy? All sneaky like a fugitive. What's with the phone? Is there something important on it?"

At that moment, Patty's driver approached, and after greeting them, Danielle linked arms with Patty and they walked down the steps.

"Let's check it out in the car."

*

After finishing his breakfast and taking a stroll outside, Creighton received a call from Patty. Right off the bat, Patty's shrill voice almost pierced someone's eardrums.

"Creighton, you sure raised a piece of work! She’s so heartless and ruthless, the Diaz family can't afford to have her, nor would we dare. This wedding is off! Forget it! I will never agree to let her marry into the Diaz family in my lifetime."

If Patty had just criticized him, Creighton wouldn't have minded, but she started off by belittling his daughter to nothing, and Creighton's temper flared. "Patty! What's gotten into you this early in the morning? Where did Cicely wrong you to deserve such strong opinions?!"

Patty snorted, "Where did she wrong me? She nearly ruined Diaz International. Where do you think she wronged me?! Is she at home? If so, tell her to come to Diaz International right now. We're going to settle this today."

After Patty hung up, Danielle suggested, "Patty, Ray advised us not to go to Diaz International this morning. Let's ask them to meet us somewhere else instead."

"Why can't we go to Diaz International?! Since when does my family's territory depend on his say-so."

With the company on the brink, it was understandable for Patty to be livid. Now with her chest heaving with indignant rage, her fury was palpable. "I always knew she was a curse, and yet I had to be entangled with her. We got nothing from the Ellis Group but managed to drag Diaz International down first. What a disaster!"

"To Diaz International!" Patty almost roared at the driver. Danielle frowned but seeing Patty's raging and domineering demeanor, didn't dare to speak up and just accompanied her to Diaz International.

*

Creighton was left confused and annoyed after being yelled at and abruptly hung up on. He wanted to call Cicely to ask what was going on, but considering the time, she might still be asleep. Instead, he called Issac, only to find his phone was off.