CEO’s Seduction Trap

Leila briefly explained the situation, and Zoe immediately had a plan.

He didn’t waste any time and asked directly, “Do you want to get your money back, or do you want to send them to jail?”

Leila was straightforward, “Get the money back.” Sending them to jail would surely upset Dasha. With her surgery coming up, she couldn’t afford any stress.

“Got it. I’ll get back to you soon.”

When Leila returned to the hospital, Tessa had already arrived. Seeing Leila, Tessa pulled an apple out of her bag and handed it to her. “I grew this myself, try it.”

Leila thanked her, “Thanks.”

Tessa continued to take out various items from her bag, mostly local specialties and a few homemade dishes.

“I made some homemade dishes for you. Takeout isn’t good for your health.”

Dasha was grateful, “You’re too kind.”

Tessa laughed, “If the hospital weren’t so far from my house, I’d bring you food every day.”

It was clear that Dasha and Tessa got along well, which reassured Leila…

To ease Dasha’s worries, Leila made a call to Samuel around noon, making sure Dasha could hear. Leila sent a message to discuss with him beforehand, so now he played his part well, as a boyfriend.

Leila asked, “Are you busy right now?”

Samuel replied, “Not really, just having lunch in the cafeteria.”

Leila, “Now?”

Samuel answered, “Yeah, nothing to do, so I came down for an early lunch.”

Standing by the window, Leila fiddled with the potted plant Tessa had brought, trying to sound affectionate but feeling awkward since they weren’t actually a couple.

Samuel, being the “ladies’ man” at the company, picked up on her cues immediately and coughed lightly before asking, “Do you miss me?”

Leila’s ears turned slightly red, more from embarrassment than shyness. Facing away from Dasha, she replied, “Yeah, I miss you.”

Hearing their conversation, Dasha and Tessa exchanged glances, both smiling. Tessa, thinking the person on the phone was Daniel, smiled even more broadly.

“Leila, I miss you too.”

Before Leila could respond, a sudden fit of coughing was heard behind Samuel. He instinctively turned around.

Seeing the two men standing behind him, Samuel stunned, and he wished he could disappear.

Mason stood there, dressed in a sharp suit, looking stern. Behind him was Daniel, the source of the coughing.

Daniel had initially coughed to give Samuel a hint but ended up choking on his own spit, turning a fake cough into a real one.

The situation among the three of them was awkward and comical.

After a while, Daniel stopped coughing and was the first to break the awkward silence. “Mr. Ramirez, a lot of people are watching.”

Mason remained expressionless and still.

Samuel forced a smile, “Mr. Ramirez.”

Mason glanced at him, strode away.

As Mason walked off, Samuel let out a long sigh of relief.

Leila, who was still on the phone, heard Samuel’s words as well… she stood by the window, lost in thought after hanging up.

“Missing Samuel?” Dasha asked.

“No,” Leila replied.

Dasha thought Leila was just shy and smiled, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Mom understands.”

Leila smiled back, thinking, No, you don’t understand.

Tessa, overhearing their conversation, was slightly confused. “Samuel? Not Daniel?”

“Daniel?” Leila asked.

“Isn’t Miss Patel’s boyfriend Daniel?”

“No, Leila’s boyfriend is Samuel. Daniel is just a colleague.”

Tessa was speechless, feeling sorry for Daniel for silently giving so much without recognition…

Leila took out her laptop to deal with the mess left by the previous project manager. The more she looked into it, the more complicated it seemed, involving many companies and departments, a complete tangled mess.

Leila worked until 8 PM and finally made some progress. Just as she was about to close her laptop for a break, her phone buzzed. She received a transfer from Darren, $500, 000.

Immediately after, another message popped up: [The money has been transferred. Tell your lawyer to stop bothering us.]

Leila leaned back, picked up her phone, and sent a message to Zoe: [I received the money. Thank you. How much are the fees? I’ll transfer it to you.]

Zoe replied: [No need, I’ve heard about your mom’s illness. Take care of her first.]

Looking at the message, Leila thought, Sometimes, friends are much better than so-called blood relatives.

With the $500, 000 now, Leila felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. At least she no longer had to worry about Dasha’s surgery expenses.

That night, Dasha insisted Leila go home to have a good rest.

Leila just came out of the hospital when a black Bentley suddenly stopped in front of her.

Mason looked at her with a smile, “Miss Patel, what a coincidence.”

Coincidence?

Quite a coincidence indeed. It took at least an hour to drive from Neo City to Yort City.

Seeing Leila remain silent, Mason lightly touched his chin with his fingers and chuckled, “Really, it’s just a coincidence. You don’t believe me?”

Leila stood on the steps without moving, “I believe you.”

They stared at each other for a moment. Mason laughed softly, “Get in the car, I’ll give you a ride.”

Leila remembered their last conversation: If you’re sure you don’t want anything to do with me, remember to reject me next time.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Ramirez, but I’ll take a cab.”

She looked around and take a taxi.

The cab driver quickly noticed Mason, not just because of his outstanding car, but also due to his intense gaze. As a man, the driver understood what that look meant.

After driving a short distance, the driver glanced at the rearview mirror and spoke to Leila with a smile, “Your boyfriend?”

“No,” Leila replied.

The driver chuckled, “I see, a suitor then.”

Leila wanted to refute, but said nothing.

Meanwhile, Mason arrived at a private club room. As he entered, he was hit by the stench of blood. He frowned slightly.

“Where is he?” Mason asked.

A bodyguard stepped forward, “In the next room.”

Mason didn’t say anything else, but nodded towards the bodyguard, signaling him to bring the man in.

Soon the bodyguard dragged a man in. The man’s legs dragged on the ground, and his body covered in blood. The bodyguard tossed him to the floor like a dead dog. “Boss.”

“Are you Darren?” Mason asked.

The man on the floor twitched and croaked out, “Who… who are you?”

Mason looked down at him, his deep eyes filled with coldness. “Don’t remember me? Let me help you. The Ramirez Family kidnapping case in Neo City.”

Darren’s body stiffened immediately upon hearing that.

Mason noticed, “Remember now?”

Darren met Mason’s eyes, filled with terror.

His eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically, stuttering, “I-I don’t know, I don’t know anything.”

When a person’s life is threatened, their first instinct is to tell the truth. However, there’s one exception: when they know that the truth could get them be killed faster than a lie.

Seeing that Darren wasn’t going to confess, a flicker of impatience crossed Mason’s face. He turned and gave a subtle nod to the bodyguard.

“Don’t kill him.”

“Got it,” The bodyguard understood and dragged Darren back into the inner room.

As Mason exited the club, he received a call from Caleb.

“Seriously? Such a coincidence?” Caleb started.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Mason ignored his remark and instead sent a text to Leila: [Are you asleep?]

There was no immediate response.

“Mason, did you hear me?” Caleb’s voice insisted through the phone.

Mason tapped his screen absentmindedly, lighting a cigarette. “What? If it’s nothing important, I’ll hang up.”

Caleb took a deep breath. “Alright, to the point. I heard there’s been progress in the kidnapping case from back then, and one of the suspects is Leila’s uncle?”

“Yes.”

Caleb asked, “What are your thoughts?”

“What do you mean?”

Caleb explained, “The suspect is Leila’s uncle. What about her…?”

Mason chuckled, “Are you worried that dealing with her uncle will upset Leila, or that Leila might be involved with her uncle?”

“Do I look like an idiot? Leila was just a kid back then. Plus, when you had your incident, The Patel Group was also in trouble. There’s no way she was in cahoots with Darren.”

Mason answered only one of Caleb’s questions, “She won’t be upset.”

Caleb was surprised, “You’re that sure?”

“She’s not that kind of person,” Mason replied.

Caleb advised, “Since he’s Leila’s uncle, make sure you have all the facts straight before you act. If there’s a mistake, it’ll be hard to explain to Leila.”