The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

How could Ella just abandon Paul and walk away? She dug her heels in, trying to stand her ground, even leaning

back against Noah's hold, but he didn’t flinch or change expression as he continued to pull her along.

“Let go of me!” Ella snapped in a low growl, frustration boiling over.

Noah didn’t reply, just kept that stoic face as he relentlessly led her upstairs.

Ella grabbed the banister, forcing Noah to a halt. She was breathless from the struggle but still demanded, “Why

are you doing this?”

Noah's gaze was heavy, “Ella, make no mistake, he provokedfirst.”

“I'm well aware!” Ella retorted immediately, “Tonight, I'm his date, and your actions are clearly disrespecting

him.”d2

“Why should I give him any respect?” Noah shot back.

“Have you thought about the consequences of your actions tonight?!” Ella’s knuckles whitened as she gripped

the banister, her voice trembling slightly.

“Do you see the looks we're getting from downstairs? Do you have any idea what they're all thinking? Aren't you

afraid of the rumors that could spread?”

At her words, Noah glanced down the stairs with a slight turn of his head. The grand ballroom was aglow, filled

with the clinking of glasses and the murmur of well-dressed guests exchanging pleasantries. All eyes were on

them now, a mix of shock, curiosity, and inquiry.

He squinted slightly, then let out a low chuckle. Turning to face her, the smile on his face sent a shiver down

Ella’s spine. She felt the pressure of his arm around her waist increase as he stepped closer. Their proximity was

such that no words could explain it away.

“What are you doing?” she stammered.

“I was just thinking,” Noah's voice was low as he stared at her panicked face, “maybe we should give them the

they're so curious and eager to see?”

Ella was stupefied, disbelieving what she was hearing, “Have you lost your mind?”

Downstairs, whispers were growing louder, the questioning of their relationship clear. She glanced instinctively

towards Paul. If Noah really did something drastic, where would that leave Paul's dignity?

Her action only incensed Noah further. Even now, her first thought was concern for Paul.

Suddenly, Noah's hand grasped her chin, forcibly turning her face back to him. A collective gasp rose from the

crowd below. Ella’s heart tightened, and in a surge of defiance, she pushed Noah away and turned, lifting her

dress as she ran up the stairs.

At this moment, she didn’t know what was best to do; she only knew that getting away from Noah was

paramount.

She didn’t understand his sudden desire for such drastic action. If it had been four years ago, she might not have

hesitated, even welcomed it, but things were different now.

He was engaged, and she had a boyfriend. More importantly, she no longer harbored feelings for him. She

refused to deny the progress she’d made in those four years of absence.

“Ollie!”

Unable to calm the storm of emotions downstairs or worry about Noah's reaction, she hastened upstairs.

Missing the expected climax of the evening, Ollie looked a bit disappointed but still gave Ella a big hug as she

arrived. “I've missed you so much these years. You're amazing, you know, leaving and coming back without a

peep.”

Ella quickly apologized, “I'm so sorry.”

Ollie snorted, “Sorry won't cut it. You have no idea how much we've been through with your Uncle Noah trying to

find you.”

“What?”

With a playful flick on Ella’s head, Ollie remarked, “All because of you.”

Ella was surprised.

“Grandpa Jon already warned us ahead of time. However, that Noah can be so petty.”

At that moment, Noah approached with a cold expression, “Talking behind my back and not even having the

decency to avoid me?”

Ollie, linking arms with Ella, retorted, “If you knew | was talking about you, why didn’t you just walk away?”

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Ella admired Ollie for her unchanged directness over the years.

Noah shot her a frosty glance, which Ollie ignored, leading Ella to a lounge area reserved for VIPs.

“Con, tell us all about your life these past few years.”

Cicely straightened up, glancing at the still buzzing ballroom below, and a subtle smile played on her lips as her

eyes flitted from Noah to Ella. “Your date looks rather forlorn.”

Ella hesitated, her eyes scanning the room before she ventured, “Can I invite him up here?”

“Of course!”

“Absolutely.”

“Sure thing.”

“No.”

Among the chorus of approvals, a single, distinct voice stood out. Ella didn’t even need to think twice to know

who it was. She ignored the voice and stood up, stepping out of the VIP area.

Noah's face darkened to an extreme, his eyes ablaze with fury.

The others watched with interest as the man who could hardly contain himself for half a minute abruptly stood

up.

*

Ella, dress in hand, headed straight downstairs. “Paul!”

As she approached the staircase, she softly called out to Paul.

Everyone thought this was probably the end of the night's , but to their surprise, the protagonist, who had

just rushed up the stairs, suddenly ran down again.

Paul, surrounded by guests, turned at the sound of her voice. “Why are you back down so soon?”

Ella smiled as she approached, “Cupstairs with me. They're all waiting forto introduce you.”

However, Paul's expression suddenly darkened. Ella, confused, reached out to him, stepping forward. At that

moment, her other wrist was forcibly seized.

She turned in surprise to face an irate Noah. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Ella...” Paul called out softly, but she was already being forcefully whisked away by Noah, his grip tighter than

before, his whole demeanor radiating menace.

The ballroom erupted into chaos. With the sscene repeating itself, doubts were inevitable.

Noah's search for his suddenly missing niece from years ago was an open secret. Rumors about the uncle and

his niece had been floating around for years. Though Noah's sudden engagement had shut smouths, his

niece’s departure reignited suspicions.

As tpassed, the whispers in P City about the two dwindled naturally. Tonight, it was clear that the issue was

far from over and was, in fact, fermenting anew.

It seemed that P City, just recently quieted, was about to be abuzz with fresh gossip.

*

Ella was whisked out of the banquet hall and into the elevator, still in a state of shock and anger. She struggled

fiercely, but to no avail against Noah's grasp.

Remembering the humiliating scene that had just unfolded before the crowd, she felt a wave of helplessness

wash over her, and her eyes reddened involuntarily.

“What do you want?!” she growled, her scalp tingling uncontrollably, dreading the answer she suspected but

dared not fully contemplate.

All she felt was a suffocating lump in her chest. “Why can’t you just leave Paul alone?”

The thought of Paul being the subject of gossip tonight due to her, sent a sharp pain through her heart. The

embarrassment he faced was all her doing.

Ella didn’t notice the sudden bulging veins on Noah's forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes when she mentioned

Paul. “What did he ever do to you, to deserve such humiliation?”

With a loud thud, Ella was suddenly pinned against the elevator wall. A gasp of pain escaped her as Noah's

imposing frloomed closer, his furious expression magnifying in her dazed vision, pressing down upon her

lips.

Ella’s breath hitched, her eyes widening as the blurry vision of Noah's face contorted with wrath becall too

clear in his fierce kiss.

Her resistance was futile as Noah's arms, strong and unyielding, held her tight, nullifying any chance of escape.

His kiss was a venting of fury, and despite his anger, he was reminded of the kiss she had impulsively given him

at the airport four years ago. That memory had jolted him awake on countless nights since.

She had left him nonchalantly, as if their past meant nothing—She was selfish and uncaring.

It wasn’t until the elevator dinged its arrival that Noah finally released her. Without giving her a chance to speak,

he pulled her out of the elevator and into his car.

Only as the car exited the underground parking did Ella cto her senses. Instinctively, she buckled her

seatbelt, and closing her eyes, she tried to process the whirlwind of events.

After a long pause, she took a deep breath, gripping the seatbelt tightly, her voice trembling despite her efforts

to sound calm. “What exactly are you doing?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know.” Ella burst out, unable to bear his reckless behavior. “Why? Where does this leave your fiancée?

How am | supposed to face Paul...”

“Shut up!” Noah's voice was a grinding, explosive force. “Don’t mention him again.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Eventually, the car cto a sudden stop. Ella turned to the familiar outline of the villa and felt a fresh wave of

anger.

She didn’t move, but Noah carried her out of the car and into the house.

“Letgo! I'm not going in!” Her struggles, though futile against his strength, were desperate and insistent.

But Noah carried her upstairs, to her old room, under the astonished gaze of the household staff.

The room was as clean and unchanged as the day she left.

She had hoped the journey would calm him down, but when he pinned her to the bed and kissed her again, her

panic soared to new heights. More terrifying than the elevator was the fact that his hand was now under her

dress, his warm palm directly touching her waist, tightening its grip.

“Uncle Noah.” her voice was laden with fear.

“Mmm,” Noah responded, his touch as scorching as his gaze, relentless and unhesitating.

Ella tried to pull away his hand, but he pinned it beside her body. He finally stopped and looked down at her, the

turmoil in his dark eyes startling her. “Don’t you like me? Isn't being together what you want?”

“No.” Ella shook her head, “No! Letgo!”

But Noah seemed determined to be gentle, despite the anger that the veins on his forehead betrayed. “That

won't do. | want this.”

“Uncle, we can’t. Please, letgo?”

His kisses trailed down her cheek, her jaw, and her neck. “No.”

Despair washed over Ella as she closed her eyes. “Have you thought about what this makes me? You're engaged.

By doing this, where do you put me?”

Her words seemed to strike a chord, and for a moment, there was a pause. Noah abruptly halted his movements.

Ella slowly opened her eyes, quickly clutching her disheveled skirt as she retreated to the head of the bed, tears

streaming down her face.

Noah sat up on the bed, bending one knee, his somber gaze falling out the window.

Ella watched him nervously, her heart pleading countless times for Noah's rationality to return. It was just a

moment of impulse on his part, as long as he calmed down.

“I could...” The room had been quiet for a while before Ella spoke up softly, “I could pretend that tonight never

happened.”

The silent Noah suddenly turned to look at her, his dark eyes filled with a shadowy and icy light.

After a long pause, he slowly stood up from the bed, seemingly having regained his composure entirely.

However, his next words did not put Ella at ease. “I'll take care of this.”

With those words, he left.

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The door closed, and Ella was still in a daze. So, what did he mean by that? How was he going to ‘take care of it’?

She pondered for a long time, thinking all possibilities improbable.

Before long, there was a knock at the door, and the voice of a servant cfrom outside. “Miss.”

Ella, realizing her attire was in disarray, scrambled to open the wardrobe and pulled out an old nightgown she

had left here years ago. Only after slipping it on did she open the door.

The servant didn’t dare look up, only raising her eyes when she noticed Ella had changed. “Here's the late-night

snack Mr. Noah instructed us to prepare for you.”

Ella indeed hadn’t had dinner that evening. On the tray was a steaming bow! of beef soup with a couple of

poached eggs on top, accompanied by plenty of side dishes.

It was her favorite.

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She had directed him from the sidelines, detailing what the soup shop included, and though he was clearly

annoyed, he added everything just as she wanted.

Her eyes reddened a bit. Smemories seemed to be etched into her DNA, surfacing unexpectedly no matter

how much thad passed.

“Thank you.”

She took the tray, and the servant smiled, “Mr. Noah personally made it himself.”

Ella wasn’t surprised. Only he would know this soup in this house.

Ella hesitated for a moment, “Could | borrow a phone? | need to make a call.”

The servant promptly looked down, “I'm sorry, Miss, but | don’t have a phone.”

Ella frowned, “Then, please borrow Uncle Noah's for me.”

“Mr. Noah isn’t home.”

Ella felt more and more that something was off. She changed into a simple outfit and opened the door again,

only to find her exit guarded. One servant had turned into two stoic bodyguards.

Seeing her emerge, they blocked her path.

Ella’s face turned grave, “I want to go home.”

The bodyguard was expressionless, “Mr. Noah says this is your hnow.”

By now, even if Ella were a fool, she would know what happened. She was being detained by Noah.

“Where's my uncle?”

“Mr. Noah is busy with something. He instructed you to get srest.”

The bodyguard was curt, and Ella knew that making a fuss wouldn't help matters, especially since she had

already been through so much that night.

It wasn’t until the next day, when she was half-awake to the sounds of commotion outside, that she opened her

eyes.

“Ella?! Where have you taken her?!” Jon's frantic voice cthrough the window, jolting her awake. She leaped

out of bed.

Pulling open the window, she only caught a glimpse of Jon's furious entrance into the villa. She quickly turned

and opened the door to head downstairs, only to be stopped again.

Ella’s brow furrowed deeply, “Can’t | even go downstairs?”

The bodyguard spoke rigidly, “It would be better for you not to go down right now.”

“That man downstairs is my grandfather.”

“Miss, please wait a little longer.”

*

Downstairs, the moment Jon entered the house, his walking stick swung with a gust, landing fiercely on Noah's

neck.

“Mr. Jon!” The butler, pale with fright, rushed forward to grasp his arm.

Jon, trembling with rage and barely able to stand, pointed a shaking finger at Noah. “Call off the engagement?

Have you lost your mind?!”