Chapter 2017


    Cicely arched an eyebrow, reaching out to yfully snag Seth''s tie and draw it from its loops,


    twirling it around her fingers. "Seth, you''re only three years older than me. Howe you''re so old-


    school about some things?"


    Seth''s gaze dropped to her delicate fingers as they danced the tie in front of him.


    "Still, your willpower seems to becking. You didn''t n on getting hot and heavy with me before I


    turned eighteen, yet here we are."


    Her voice was soft and teasing, her words lingering in the air like a siren''s call, an eighteen-year-old


    temptress enchanting him.


    He reached out, capturing her hand, and spoke in a husky, velvety voice, "Am I to me for having


    a weak spot for you?" His voice was naturally melodious, and in the solitude of their study, the


    lowered tone added an intimate charge to the atmosphere.


    "Even if it is my fault, it can''t be all my fault. Why is it that my will crumbles only with you? That''s


    something you should ponder."d2


    Cicely huffed and pulled her hand back. She had seen me shifted before, but never quite like this


    —where the one doing the shifting actually managed to make the used feel better about it.


    She pushed up on her toes, "Alright, I''ll ponder it now." As she spoke, she turned back to the


    computer and bent forward, once again settling into Seth''sp.


    Her idea of "pondering" involved taking hold of the mouse again, her eyes scanning the design


    layout with focus. "Let''s start with two nurseries. One room in pink, with a princess bed and white


    lace canopy, and leave this corner for toys."


    "The other one in blue, hmm... What do boys like? Should we go with a theme? Transformers?


    Sports cars, or something else? What did you like when you were a kid?"


    Seth replied, "Tanks, airnes, excavators."


    Cicely paused and looked back at him, "Excavators? Are you sure?"


    Seth''s lips curled, "The joy of boys, you wouldn''t understand."


    Cicely blinked, "Indeed, I don''t." She decided to take his word for it.


    Turning back to theputer, Cicely scrolled to their master bedroom, "For our room, let''s go with


    pastel blues, I want hangingmps at the head of the bed, and a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows


    with ckout curtains and ayer of white sheers."


    "As for the living room, I like a grey palette. And the balcony...


    "Are you nning to build an amusement park here? We''ll need a long slide, bumper cars, and a


    carousel. Should we add a couple of basketball hoops? We could y basketball with them, or


    badminton.


    "Ah, and I want a music room. The study needs to berge, so I can be with you while you work.


    You work, and I''ll sketch you."


    Cicely talked endlessly that afternoon, brimming with enthusiasm. She seemed to have so many


    ns for the future, and in every detail, she included him.


    As she spoke, it was as if she could see these visions right before her eyes, as if she''d already lived


    them.


    Eeach n sounded as mundane as daily meals, but her expression was far from the in


    simplicity of everyday sustenance. It was rare for her to be so visibly content and engaged.


    "Who says you don''t know anything? You could totally be an interior designer."


    Finally, Seth wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her from hisp, and ced her on the desk


    before standing to fill a cup with warm water from the dispenser.


    Cicely, propping herself up on the desk and swinging a leg, took the cup with interest still sparkling


    in her eyes. "The things I want, naturally seem the best to me. I can''t please everyone else."


    Seth also had a cup of water, and after a sip, he nodded inplete agreement to her words.


    "Indeed, it''s unrealistic to expect you to cater to others'' tastes."


    Cicely took a few sips, cup in hand, her gaze still sweeping theputer screen.


    Seth pursed his lips and walked over, decisively shutting theputer down. "Let''s call it a day,


    Mrs. Diaz. You''ve been at it all afternoon."


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Cicely looked slightly disappointed, tinged with a trace of mncholy, "I can''t shake the feeling I''ve


    missed something."


    "It''s just a blueprint for now. All your ns can be revisited once the house is built. Let''s go."


    If they didn''t leave now, he suspected she might spend the night in the study.


    With a resigned sigh, Cicely hopped down from the desk and left the room in good spirits. Seth


    could tell that her mind was still abuzz with design ideas.


    *


    No one ever thinks they''re in the wrong. In their minds, everything they do is justifiable. Cicely was


    no exception. She figured she was too easily appeased. Seth could do almost anything, and it


    seemed she would just roll with it. At least for now, that certainly seemed to be the case. The


    explosive rage that once threatened to consume her had dissipated without a trace.


    During dinner, Cicely asked Seth what he nned to do about the current situation. His initial


    response had been Ray, and that wasn''t entirely incorrect.


    Removing and then buying the trend on social media had cost a fortune, and Danielle hadn''t


    wielded that kind of financial power—yet.


    Besides, Danielle wouldn''t be foolish enough to act under her own name. If traced back to her, not


    only would she face another confrontation with Cicely, but she''d also risk losing favor with Seth.


    The news from Issac couldn''t have been clearer.


    Ray was stillid up in the hospital. Most people knew what had happened but not the details.


    Ray had attempted to force himself on Danielle, so any normal woman wouldn''t be caught dead


    near that hospital, unless she was there to pull the plug on his life support.


    But what Danielle did was show up at the hospital, fully armed, and enter Ray''s room. She didn''t


    end Ray''s life; instead, he was alive and kicking, even having managed to trip up Seth.


    Calling Danielle foolish would be an understatement. She yed her hand well. Using Ray as a


    pawn, she managed to turn herself into the center of public sympathy, absolving her of suspicion,


    and casting the woman who had pped her on set, threatening to kick her off the project, as the


    prime suspect in everyone''s mind.


    And then, everyone pitied Danielle, squeezed by what they called "the mighty clout of capital." Seth,


    being the reasonable man he was, would naturally suspect Cicely. If Patty were to discover that


    Cicely had affected her son''s career and bullied the girl she liked the most, she would naturally step


    in to fix things for her son and Danielle.


    Was Danielle naive? Far from it—she was shrewd as theye.


    "Ray''s family has lost its clout," Seth said, his face a mask of indifference. Their reputation had


    taken a nosedive, theirpany was in chaos, a real dog''s breakfast, and they were broke, with not


    a decent script in sight. Hardly a threat.


    Cicely let out a chuckle. "Looking at Ray''stest move, he''s going for broke, not willing to let you off


    easy. Even if he’s down, he has certainlynded a blow."


    "Mm. I shouldn''t have given him the opportunity to strike."


    Seth didn''t seem inclined to borate, leaving Cicely to specte that he had some kind of n in


    mind.