Dangerous Desire The CEO’s Hidden Woman

The weather was getting colder. Going to work had become an excruciating thing because of the freezing cold. People who lived in the city center were safe, but those who lived in distant suburban areas had to commute. Not only did they have to get up much earlier, but they also spent a whole lot of time stuck in terrible traffic jams. Scarlett was one of those pitiable suburban dwellers. Every morning when her roommates were still fast asleep, Scarlett had to get up, get ready, and then hit the road to get to work.

Compared to the hardships she had faced during her childhood, this bitterness was no big deal for Scarlett. At least she was now spending only her own money, and she had already paid off all her debts to her aunt. She wished she could repudiate any connection with the extended Morris family. She wanted to change her last name to Cloud.

Right then, Scarlett received a call from her aunt. Speak of the devil!

“Scarlett, will you and Skyler spend the Christmas vacation with us? We’re all expecting you to come!” It was that same squeaky voice that Scarlett was sick of.

“Oh… um, sorry. No, we’re not going to be able to come this year. We are both really busy with school stuff…”

“It won’t take you a lot of time to drive from Irving to Sabatini, Scarlett! Or at least come for Christmas dinner. Please? We all really want to see you and your brother.”

Scarlett sneered silently. She had already had enough of all of her hypocritical relatives on her father’s side. After Sophie, her mother had died in a tragic car accident, David, her father, left Scarlett and Skyler to their aunt because his new wife wouldn’t accept the two children. From then on, David paid his sister monthly alimony for raising the two kids, but all that money had just gone directly into his own pockets. Except for the tuition fee for a primary and high school that David paid for her, Scarlett had earned every penny herself. Her earnings had sustained both herself and Skyler for years.

She answered directly, “We can talk on the phone if you have something important to tell me. But we’re not leaving Irving on Christmas. We’re working on Skyler’s application to Cambridge.”

“Cambridge? When did you make this decision? Have you ever talked about it with me? Haven’t made I myself clear to you before? I’m not responsible for your tuition fees anymore.” Her high-pitched voice bothered Scarlett. Her aunt sounded very pissed off.

Scarlett had already expected this reaction and was well prepared to strike back. “I have enough money to pay the fee. You don’t have to worry. All you have to do is to leave us alone, just like you did for the past ten years.” Finishing the last word, Scarlett hung up the phone without any hesitation.

Even though she could lie to her aunt, she couldn’t lie to herself. Her current bank savings were far from adequate to pay for Skyler’s tuition fees. But she was planning on borrowing $100, 000 from Chuck. For Chuck, that would be nothing– just the spare change it would take to purchase another mediocre sports car. But it meant a precious opportunity for the best-advanced studies for Skyler. And Scarlett believed that she could pay off the debt sooner or later.

It was destined to be a terrible day. After her aunt’s call, Scarlett encountered another hateful face, this time, in the newspaper! She hastily grabbed a newspaper from the stand when she walked out of the subway station, and as she turned to the financial page, she found the face of none other than her father plastered across it. She immediately scrunched the pages up and tossed them into the trash.

Scarlett arrived at the company and started her daily routine. But it seemed the hardships of the day had only just begun. Because the director of their office had gone on a business trip, the fussy Katy Lee took charge and kept pointing out faults with everything they did. Scarlett was already in a terrible mood and was about to blow a fuse. To top it all of, it was the first day of her period.

Leah stopped her in time from yelling at Katy, “Don’t get yourself in trouble. Be good. I’m serious!” It’d been a tough time for Scarlett to get through the terrible morning. During her lunch break, she received a call from Chuck telling her he would land in Irving in the evening. He asked Scarlett to come out for a friends’ gathering. Scarlett was just planning a solo drunk night for herself otherwise, so she immediately promised to go.

After work, she caught a cab and went directly to Mystic Night Garden. She didn’t go merely for drinks and fun, but with an important purpose…

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When Scarlett arrived at Mystic Night Garden, the party was already in full swing. People were drinking, and smoking, while others watched from the sides. It was like a nouveau riche haven– full of young business professionals who found themselves with so much money that they didn’t know what to do with it except party. Scarlett spotted Chuck in the crowd and walked over to him. Chuck and Allan Nelson talked about their trip to Thailand and recounting how many women they had slept with.

Scarlett tugged Allan aside and sat next to Chuck to toast to his return with a few drinks. “You’re kind of weird today!”

Chuck remembered that Scarlett had never taken the initiative to propose a toast to him when they drank together.

Scarlett held up another glass of icy whisky and knocked it back, attempting to embolden herself so she could spell out her request. “I…I need some money. It’s urgent. I swear, it’s really important. Could you lend me 100, 000 bucks? Please?” Chuck was surprised, not at the amount of money, but at Scarlett, who he thought was the last person who would ask to borrow money from him.