Dangerous Desire The CEO’s Hidden Woman

One man was seemingly checking if the two persons in the flesh matched with the photo on his phone. After he had double-checked with careful scans, the two men walked a few steps toward Skyler and Scarlett. One of them said respectfully, “Good evening, Mr. and Miss. Morris. Welcome to London! Mr. Sandler sent us to pick you up. The car’s ready for you there.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Skyler thought they were some scammers or con artists in the first place until he heard the familiar name “Sandler.” Scarlett was unexpectedly calm, and she declined the kind offer politely, “Thank you, sir. But don’t bother, we can take a taxi.” Scarlett turned around and was about the leave. The man stopped her by saying, “Sorry, Miss. Morris. Can you wait for a second? Could you just hold on for a moment?”

The other man quickly dialed a number and murmured a few words into the phone. He returned to Scarlett, saying, “Mr. Sandler said it’s okay if you insist on taking a taxi, but we have to follow you to the hotel and ensure your safety. Is it alright if we follow through with his instructions? I apologize terribly for the inconvenience.”

“Hmm, alright. Please don’t bother to call a taxi, we’ll take your car. Thank you, sir.” Scarlett realized there was no way to turn down Francis’s orders, as always. The two men took the luggage behind them and put them in the boot one by one. Skyler and Scarlett got in the car. The baggage was delivered to the hotel intact, as were Scarlett and Skyler.

The two stood in the middle of the room silently. Neither side took the initiative to ask or explain anything.

“Hmm, is it your…?” Skyler broke the silence first, but he looked at his sister and didn’t know what exact words should be used. Boyfriend? Partner? He had no idea.

“Just ask, anything you would like to know.” Scarlett sighed and walked to the leather sofa. She was exhausted from the journey.

Skyler handed her a glass of water and said, “Is it Mr. Sandler who saved us last time?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he pursuing you?” Skyler was both curious and concerned.

Scarlett drank a full mouthful of water and answered his question inarticulately, “Nope, he isn’t.”

“I don’t believe you! If he is not pursuing you, how can he send people to pick us up late at night… he even took care of all my registration stuff two days ago. That means I can go directly to the supervisor tomorrow. He’s amazing!”

Scarlett stayed quiet.

“Or…you’ve already established a relationship?” Skyler asked cautiously.

“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s complicated…” Scarlett thought of the words Francis had said on Christmas day and sighed.

Skyler took a seat beside Scarlett and said with a gentle voice, “When we were at the hospital, I sensed it. It was really strange. But I wasn’t sure then so I didn’t ask you anything. I think he’s a good man. I hope I didn’t get him wrong, but I really saw love in his eyes when he’s with you. And I know, from the careful preparations he made for us tonight, that he must care about you a lot. I guess he must have protected you and helped you get rid of the stalkers and haters when your video went viral online too… Right?”

Scarlett nodded and looked into Skyler’s eyes.

“See? He’d done much more for you than anyone else. And he doesn’t just throw money at you, he obviously cares about you a lot. Your relationship seems fine to me, and you don’t have to be secretive.”

Scarlett suddenly had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Skyler looked at his sister, and his tone was peaceful and comforting, “Scarlett, not having had a happy childhood does not make you inferior. To me, you’re perfect. And having fallen in love with a man much older than you shouldn’t have caused you trouble and sadness. Love truly is blind, just like they say. I’m always with you, you know that, right? I will support you no matter what happens.”

“Thank you, Skyler.” Scarlett walked to her room, ashamed of the flood of tears.

Before closing the door, she said, “Thank you so much, my Skyler. Yeah, you’re right. He’s done a lot for me. He’s sacrificed a lot. But there’s one thing you got all wrong.”

Scarlett paused for a moment.

“He doesn’t love me.”

Scarlett couldn’t stop the tears now.

How could Scarlett tell Skyler that it was definitely not a story of true love and hardly a healthy relationship? How could she tell him that Francis thought of her as no more than a convenient toy– a fuck buddy? Is a 20-something girl who can’t resist the charm of a mature man doomed to get hurt?

Though it was Scarlett who had accompanied Skyler to Britain and promised to arrange everything for him, there seemed to be no room for her to play that role at all. Francis had already set everything up for Skyler, including renting a wonderful house for him.

After living in the hotel for two days, Skyler received a phone call from an old lady telling him that the house was ready and he could come for a check and move in at any time. Skyler told Scarlett about the house, and they both agreed that it was undoubtedly Francis’s doing– again.

When they arrived at the house, they were amazed by its perfect location– only 7-10 minutes from Cambridge. Scarlett thought that it was a room in an apartment, but it was actually a whole house!

She got angry because she wanted Skyler to live in the student dorms and have friends around him; she thought it was unnecessary and wasted for him to live in such a big house. She was so angry that she didn’t even notice that she actually dialed Francis’s number.

“Scarlett?” A deep voice spoke.

Scarlett gritted her teeth and tried to control her emotions.

“Francis, I told you that I would take charge of Skyler’s expenditures in Britain, and I only needed you to ensure his safety. Don’t you think you’re doing way too much? He doesn’t need such a big house! He’s supposed to live in the residence hall and have friends around!”