Midnight Bride The CEO's Temptation

As she was lifting the dustpan, a shard of glass slipped past the guard and sliced the back of her hand. For some reason, though, she did not notice. It was as if her mind was so preoccupied with her predicament that her body was on autopilot.

****

When Nathan returned to the bedroom, he did not announce that he was there. He was surprised to find her cleaning the bedroom. It was a task that was usually delegated to the servants. There was something sexual about a woman cleaning, though, so for a while, he just stood in the doorway and observed her.

Her attention to detail aroused him, but when she cut her hand, his heart bled as surely as the back of her hand did. There was a sad expression on her face, though, and he found it odd that she had not cried out in pain.

Suddenly, it occurred to Nathan that Crystal was pretending. He had always known that she was a good actress. He folded his arms across his chest and stepped boldly into the room. When she saw him, she flinched. He sneered and said, "I\'m on to you. No matter how pathetically you act, I\'m going to punish you today!"

"Fine." Crystal nodded. "How are you going to punish me? I look forward to it. It will be our final transaction."

There was a knock on the door, and Nathan scowled. Without turning to see who the intruder was, he shouted, "WHAT?!?!"

There was a servant at the door, and she looked frightened. "M-M-Master D-Davis..." Her voice trembled.

"WHAT?!?!" There was a hot fire burning in Nathan\'s eyes.

"I\'ve g-got the stove," the servant stammered.

Finally, Nathan turned to face the servant.

He said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

The servant nodded. She left the room, and when she returned, she had a stove with her. She set it up, turned one of the elements on, put a ring on it, and left the room.

Crystal was terrified. At this point, there was little doubt in her mind which was in control. She did not think that Nathan was capable of doing whatever he was about to do. She thought - This must be the work of Gerald!

Nathan picked up a small pair of iron tongs and used them to pick up the ring. The ring was made of gold, and there was a rose where there would normally be a gem. He glared at Crystal, and she saw a trace of hesitation and pity in his eyes as if the real Nathan were trying to fight his way to the surface.

Almost immediately, the look was snuffed out of existence, and it was replaced by rage. He brought the ring up to her face, and her whole body trembled. She clenched her fists in anticipation. She was ready, but the anticipation was killing her. "Do it already," she hissed. She spat in his face and told him not to be such a p***y.

Nathan pressed the ring against Crystal\'s forehead, and she sent her mind away. She could smell her flesh cooking as he branded the rose into her forehead, but she refused to feel the pain. She would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.

Nathan applied more and more pressure to the ring, and she began to feel faint. In a disconnected sort of way, she thought it would be funny if she did pass out. It would rob Nathan of his moment - Ha! Ha! She smiled.

"You bitch!" Nathan roared. "Why are you smiling? Do you think that this is funny? I guarantee you that you will not be laughing once you look in the mirror. There is no way that you can forget me now!"

The ring had begun to cool off, and Nathan finally set it aside. Crystal immediately lifted her hand to touch it, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "Don\'t touch!" he snapped.

"It still burns," she murmured. "Even now... it still burns..."

"Your flesh is still cooking," Nathan explained.

"How l-long?" Crystal whispered. Her lips were pale, and her vision was blurry. The searing pain seemed to be seeping into her blood vessels. The misery spread to her limbs until her whole body was suffering.

"Not long," he replied. "But seconds likely feel like hours to you right now." There was compassion in his eyes, and it seemed that Nathan was in control again. He frowned and shouted for a servant to bring a cloth and a bucket of ice water.

A moment later, a servant appeared. He had a cloth and a bucket of ice water. Nathan dipped the cloth in the water and wrung it out. Then he put three chunks of ice in the middle and folded it up to create a cold compress, which he pressed against Crystal\'s forehead.

For the first time since he had pressed the ring to her forehead, Crystal cried out. The pain was too much, and she tried to push him away.

Nathan sighed. "Let it be. It hurts now, but it will be soothing before you know it." He lifted the cloth for a moment so that he could see the brand. He smiled and said, "Now you will never forget me. I will forget you, though."

Crystal looked up at him with empty eyes. She thought - You win. But who cares...? He hadn\'t really accomplished anything. She would be out of his life in a day and a half, and that would be that.

Nathan glared at her. "Do you think Eric Bush really loves you?" His brows furrowed. "Or is he just trying to torture me by snatching my love away from me? Now that I do not love you, do you honestly think that he will still want you?"

"Maybe not..." Crystal shrugged. "If that is the case, then I will finally be free!" She smiled bitterly, "I would live the life I wanted. Away from men who tortured and ruined my life!"

"You miserable cunt!" Nathan roared. Nothing she had ever said to him had ever made him as angry as what she had just said. If she was speaking the truth, then his revenge was ruined, and she had played him like a fiddle. "You selfish woman! You are going to die cold and alone!"

"Maybe so." Crystal shrugged again. "But that is my business. You need not concern yourself. As they say, I have made my bed… I must lay in it"

Nathan was so angry that he could not speak. He wanted to hit Crystal. He knew, though, that if he started hitting her, he would not stop until she was dead. For a while, he just stared at her without saying a word. Finally, it seemed that she was going to break the silence. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, her face turned white, and she slipped into unconsciousness. He caught her out of reflex, and as he looked at her face, he felt a stab of pain in his heart. "Oh, my God," he muttered. "What have I done....?"