The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2121

Noah had many friends, and in previous years, she used to stick close to him. Whenever Noah was roped into a new group chat, Ella was inevitably there as well.

Take, for instance, the old neighborhood crew—friends from way back when, the sort who grew up on the same block and trudged to school together. As time marched on, they'd all spun off in their own orbits, some landing in different cities, others hustling through the same ol’ town, but whenever a reunion cropped up, Ella would be there, mingling and melding with the crew as if she'd never been anything but one of the gang.

This particular group was a bit looser with their banter than most.

It was a Thursday night when Ella, fresh from a shower and cozied up in bed, noticed her phone buzzing with a barrage of messages from the gang. Amidst the chaos of notifications, her name was flashing in a bold, beckoning red.

Driven by curiosity, she tapped into the thread, only to be greeted by a chorus of congratulations for Noah.

She clicked on the message that had tagged her: [@PrincessElla, spill the beans! Who's the lucky lady Noah's snagged? Pics or it didn't happen.]d2

Ella blinked in disbelief. Noah's got a girlfriend?

Instinctively, she scrolled through the chat history and discovered that someone had shared their upcoming nuptials with a celebratory digital toast. After the initial wave of well-wishes, talk turned to the dwindling number of bachelors in the group, and naturally, all fingers pointed to Noah.

Bombarded with tags and probably fed up, Noah had blurted out a bombshell: [Not single. Don’t bother sending me wedding gifts under a hundred grand.]

[Damn!]

[Holy smokes!]

[The big shot at Visionary Productions keeping his love life under wraps?]

[Which girl has he charmed?]

[@PrincessElla, come on, give us the deets on your new auntie-in-law! Pics, please.]

The chat erupted with further tagging, congratulations, and a burning curiosity that only intensified with Ella's cryptic response. Her fingers hovered over the screen for an eternity before she finally tapped out a message, forcing a smile through the digital divide, her fingertips trembling above the keys. [No comment, folks. But let's just say she is quite the looker.]

Her playful deflection only stoked the group's curiosity. In no time flat, Noah added someone new to the chat: [Any questions? Ask her yourself.]

A brief silence fell before the chat exploded again.

[Damn, the lady herself?]

[Really?]

[The Mrs.?]

[Hello everyone, I'm Rebecca.]

[Welcome to the family.]

[Pics or it didn't happen.]

Ella quietly exited the chat, her mind replaying the image of the woman she'd seen at the mansion. Noah and Rebecca truly seemed well-matched.

The next day, Noah went public with the engagement.

News outlets were all over the story, digging into Rebecca's background. The Mintons—owners of P City's largest private hospital, with their heiress Rebecca apparent holding a PhD and serving as a resident physician in their own medical facility.

In theory, she could've snagged a senior position straightaway, but she chose to start from the ground up. Her actions were beyond reproach. Even as her identity became fodder for the internet, criticism was scarce. The public was too enamored with the match.

Indeed, she was the woman Ella had encountered that fateful night. Apparently, Noah and Rebecca had known each other for ages—a fact that had entirely escaped Ella's notice.

Back at school, the engagement was all anyone could talk about. Some even approached Ella with cryptic congratulations on gaining such a stunning aunt-in-law. She found it all quite amusing.

Armed with her textbooks, Ella settled into a seat in the multimedia classroom. Paul joined her shortly after. "You okay?"

Ella glanced at him, a wry smile playing on her lips, and nodded before diving into her book. "Is it that obvious?"

"What is?"

"My crush on my uncle."

After a pause, Paul replied, "Very obvious."

Ella simply nodded, her expression serene.

Paul watched her for a moment. "What's on your mind?"

With a bitter laugh, Ella said, "I am wondering, if he is so smart, how did he never see my blatant attempts? And why did he let me stay close to him?"

Paul furrowed his brow.

*

On Friday afternoon, Noah phoned Ella to pick her up for a trip back to the family home.

Driving himself, he parked outside the school, catching sight of Ella through the car window. She was dressed in a simple blue and white striped sundress that accentuated her delicate collarbone, adorned with a red pendant necklace that set off her fair complexion. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, flowing with each step.

At the school gate, Ella waved goodbye to her classmates with a smile, then turned her gaze to his car. The smile on her face faded slightly, yet she still walked over.

Ella thought she was doing quite well, although it was somewhat deliberate. However, when she instinctively put her hand on the handle of the passenger seat, the beautiful familiar face revealed by the slowly retracting car window still made her smile stiff for a moment. She instinctively looked at the driver's seat, but all she could see was the well-defined hand resting on the steering wheel.

After a few seconds, she quickly adjusted her emotions, greeted Rebecca with a smile. "Hey, Rebecca."

Rebecca returned the smile warmly. "Hi there."

Ella moved to the backseat, and as soon as she was in, Rebecca turned around to chat. They talked about Ella's major, her life at school, and then the conversation naturally drifted to whether Ella had a boyfriend.

Ella, no longer playing games to make Noah jealous, shook her head. "Not yet."