The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride

Chapter 2092

The undertone of humility in his voice was unmistakable. Didn't he realize it himself?

Cicely turned her head away, her voice indifferent, "That depends on what you want to do."

Seth gave a wry smile, "Alright, then you..."

"I'm going downstairs." Cicely cut him off, having already taken the lead out of the room.

Seth followed her.

There was no one in the living room, empty as if she had just played out a scene in her mind alone.d2

Seth, oblivious, saw Cicely standing on the last step looking silently into the living room. He turned back to take her hand and led her to the couch, bending down to find the remote and turn on the TV. "Sit here; it'll be ready soon."

Cicely sat down obediently.

*

Half an hour later, dinner was served. The dishes on the table were unquestionably to her liking.

Cicely sat down, reflecting that every time they ate together, it seemed the meal catered mainly to her tastes. Aside from the vague awareness that his preferences were light, she had little recollection of his specific favorites.

Seth sat across from her, his gaze locked on her, not wanting to miss any expression on her face.

Cicely calmly picked up her fork and took a bite from the closest dish, her face expressionless.

"How is it?"

"If I say it's not good, would you stop eating?"

Seth paused, then took a bite himself. It tasted just fine.

"I'll have this one. You eat whatever else you find palatable."

Cicely frowned, watching as he swapped his plate with one from in front of her. For several minutes, Seth ate only that one dish.

Cicely’s expression grew increasingly troubled as she pushed the two plates in front of her forward, "I've had enough of these; take them away."

Seth hesitated before taking the partially eaten plates to his side of the table.

Cicely ate slowly; no matter how much Seth slowed down, he finished significantly ahead of her. After finishing his portion, he put down his fork and sat there, his dark eyes fixed on Cicely once more.

Cicely looked up at him with a lightness in her tone, "Not eating anymore?"

Before Seth could respond, she made a move to set down her fork, "Then I'm done too."

Seeing that she hadn't even finished half of her meal, Seth picked up his plate and stood up.

"I am not finished." Cicely paused her motion, lifting her gaze to him.

"I'm just getting more rice." Seth emphasized again before turning to the kitchen.

When he came back, his plate was refilled.

"I've had enough of this one too."

...

Eventually, Cicely finished one plate of rice; Seth forcefully ate four. He consumed more than half of the dishes on the table.

He could have slowed down, and eaten less, but she would have seen through it. He didn't want to deceive her or let her know he was deceiving her. Besides, he knew she was only trying to get him to eat more.

Cicely watched him finish without a change in expression, then set down her fork and stood up. "Need help with the dishes?" The question was clearly just a formality.

Seth also stood up and said, "No need."

Cicely nodded, stepping out from behind the chair. "I'll be going then."

Seth's hands, which had been resting on the table, clenched as he stood frozen, watching her go.

As Cicely's figure receded, he finally stepped forward to follow.

Reaching the doorway, Cicely stopped and turned to look at him. Seth's voice was familiarly repressed and hoarse, "I'll drive you."

"No need, it's not far." It wasn't far—just a short walk to her place.

After she spoke, she turned away. Seth parted his lips to speak but could only watch her leave, his eyes laden with unspoken longing and restraint.

Cicely paused, looking down at her wrist where a sudden tight grip had fastened. His palm was cool, the pressure strong as if he hadn't managed his strength.

The pain made her frown. Seth's gaze fell on her expression, and he released her swiftly as if shocked. "Sorry."

Cicely stared at the spot on her wrist he had held, feeling the blood flow back, and absentmindedly rubbed it, staring down and murmuring, "Seth."

She raised her eyes to the man standing awkwardly in front of her. "If you're going to keep making mistakes in things that don't matter and then apologizing, don't show up in front of me anymore. I don't handle pain well, and it makes me not want to deal with anyone."

Seth's eyes stayed on her wrist, and after she finished speaking, he paused before slowly responding, "What did you say?"

Cicely frowned, "Do you have a hearing problem?"

"No..."

"Good."

Cicely mumbled in acknowledgment and turned to leave again.

Seth instinctively wanted to hold her back. His hand lifted but hesitated mid-air, and instead, he stepped in front of her.

Cicely stopped, her gaze meeting Seth's face, filled with hesitation and tension. His voice was husky with a tremble."Did you mean that I can still see you?"

"If I tell you not to see me, would you stay away?" She asked, feeling as if her chest was stuffed with cotton.

"I would."

The cotton in Cicely's chest felt soaked, heavy and suffocating.

Seth's voice, rough and strained, rose again, "If you don't want to see me, I'll stay out of your way. I have managed to do it before."

His eyes flickered with a cool, detached warmth, "Your so-called managing, does that mean locking yourself away, not leaving the house for weeks, drowning your sorrows in booze, and living on glucose? If Charlie hadn't brought me here, were you planning to trap yourself until the end?"

Seth's lips were pressed tight, hiding the anxiety and unrest welling up in his eyes, his voice bearing the weight of deep, internal wounds. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist seeking you out."

Cicely's gaze shifted, catching the tumult of emotions in his eyes before stiffly looking away.

"Seeking you would mean wanting to be close to you, to hold you, to kiss you, and wanting you by my side every day. And I might even force you to stay with me, but you wouldn't like that, and then you'd start to drift away from me again like before." Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He paused, a look of torment crossing his handsome features, an expression she had never seen before. It was as if he were trapped in a labyrinth, desperately searching for an exit, going over the same paths again and again. "I want to let you go, but at the same time, I want to be with you. You'll probably hate me for it. I've been racking my brain, trying to find a solution, but nothing seems to work."

Cicely remained silent for a long moment before slowly nodding, "So, you haven't figured it out yet?"

Seth cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head, "I don't know."

Cicely tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Neither do I."

She moved past Seth, heading toward the front door. "Don't try to force me to show up again by harming yourself like this. Even if you were to die in there, I would just let Hugo mourn you, and nothing would change."

Her voice, cool and gentle, faded as she walked away, but it was enough to make Seth freeze in place.