The CEO's Bride

"Ouch!" Rose screamed as she removed the piece of glass from her leg, bending down to pick up the remains of the cup she had broken.

"It will be trouble if anyone sees this," she said to herself.

Just as she was about to leave, she bumped into someone and fell down due to their weight, causing something to drop from his wrist.

"Argh, what the actual heck?" she exclaimed. She raised her head to see who she had bumped into, and just looking at his luxurious shoes, she knew she was in trouble.

She gazed at him from toe to head, her mouth agape as she stared at him, lost in admiration. The tall, stacked, and luscious man in front of her had well-carved brown hair that suited him perfectly. She scrutinized every single part of his body as if she had forgotten something on it. Then, she noticed his ocean blue eyes, which were strikingly beautiful and hard to miss.

"Excuse me?" he said, his voice snapping her back to reality as she continued to gaze at his body, mesmerized.

"Damn his voice," she said, still mesmerized. He snapped his fingers in front of her, making her jump in fear as she tried to compose herself. She cleared her throat, even though there was nothing to clear, just a nervous habit. He pointed to the ground, showing her his broken wristwatch. Rose thought he was pointing out the blood on her leg.

"Yeah, I know, I'll take care of that," she said, looking him in the eye. But then she realized her mistake and looked down to see the broken watch.

"Oh my god," she bent down to pick it up. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said, looking at him with remorse. He showed no emotions, his face a blank slate, leaving her wondering what he was thinking.

"Do you know how much that cost?" he asked, his voice cold and emotionless, like he could bring down walls with a single word.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she stuttered, confused why a handsome man like him was so cold. Just then, a man in a black suit called out from behind, "Andre!" Andre turned around, and Rose thought to herself, "Oh, so he's Andre."

The way Peter called him only meant that they was a close relationship or familiarity, as one wouldn't dare address someone with such an aura without permission.

"Andre," Peter called out again, this time closer. "The clients are seated inside, waiting for you."

Andre looked at Rose with a stern expression. "You must pay for this," he said.

"Where do I get that kind of money?" Rose replied, desperation in her voice.

"That's for you to figure out," Andre said, handing her his card. Rose was hesitant, wondering why he was giving her his card.

Andre's expression turned annoyed, and he dropped the card on the floor and walked away, leaving Rose feeling overwhelmed and anxious Peter looked her up and down, his gaze belittling her, before turning and walking away.

Rose watched them leave, wondering who these men were. She picked up the card and limped away, her mind reeling. Later, Rose sought permission from her friend Peniel, one of the hotel's manager, to treat her wound. Peniel had always been her savior.

"Thanks so much, I don't know what I'd do without you," she said, grateful.

Peniel smiled. "It's fine, I've got your back. But you should wash your hair, it looks like it's been ages since you last did." He gently arranged her unkempt black hair.

"I know, I just haven't had the time to take care of myself lately."

His expression turned serious. "You need to prioritize self-care, Rose. You're a lady, after all. Now, go before the new boss sees us chatting."

He smiled and nudged her towards the door.

"I'll fill you in on the new boss later. I don't want to risk getting on his bad side."

Rose smiled and said "See you later" as she left, feeling grateful for Peniel's support and curiosity about the new boss.

Rose opened the door to her apartment, limping carefully to avoid making any noise that might alert her landlord, who had been pestering her for rent. She dropped her bag on an antique couch and sat down, sighing heavily due to the pain.

She remembered why she came back home and looked at the fresh cut on her leg. She thought back to the incident that led to her hurting herself.

"Who could he be?" She remembered the card and brought it out from her bag, staring at it.

"Why does he look so elegant? He looks like an actor from Italy."

She got up, walked to a drawer, and brought out cotton wool and spirit to clean the cut. As she sat down. As she cleaned her wound, Rose winced in pain, "Mmmm." She caught herself thinking how similar the sound was to a pleasurable moan. Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She answered, and Mia's voice was on the other end, asking where she was. Rose was supposed to be at work at 5:00, but it was already 5:30. She quickly covered her cut with a plaster and rushed out the door.

When she arrived at the coffee shop, Mia was busy making coffee. Rose slipped in, trying to catch her breath.

"What kept you so long?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm so sorry," Rose replied, still trying to catch her breath.

"You're lucky the boss didn't notice your absence. He came and went in a hurry."

Rose let out a sigh of relief. "I totally forgot about work. It's like you've finally found a fortune and don't want to work here anymore." Mia teased, passing a coffee to a customer with a flirtatious smile.

"Quit doing that," Rose whispered, rolling her eyes.

"He's so cute," Mia said, smiling as the customer left.

Rose picked up her apron, "Speaking of cute guys, I met one today..."

"Hmm, really? Rose wants to talk about a guy? The Rose I know doesn't find any guy attractive, even if he's cute and sexy as hell. Tell me about him, I'm interested."

"He's umm..." Then she remembered the situation. "I think I'm in trouble."

"Just a few seconds ago, you wanted to tell me about the cute guy you met, and now you're in trouble. That's really janky."

She looked at Rose and saw that she looked terrified. "Tell me what's wrong, calm down, calm down."

"Okay," Rose said. "At the hotel where I work, I was walking through the hallway with glasses, and I slipped and broke them. After cleaning up the mess, I was leaving when I bumped into this man. It was not intentional, why would I bump into him on purpose?" She looked at Mia.

"I'm not getting this story of yours. Why are you so terrified if you only bumped into him?"

"His wristwatch, I broke his wristwatch. Mia, I know you don't understand what I'm going through right now. If only you saw this man, his look alone is fierce. He's tall and all, and he specifically told me to pay him back. See, he gave me his card. You and I both know that I don't have a dime to give to anyone; I have bills to pay, my rent, and others." She began to panic.

"You know, you might not have to see him again. I'm sure he came for a business meeting, so I'll tell you not to call him." Mia said.

"Right? I thought so too. I don't want to ever see him because men like that will definitely want my body." Rose said.

"Exactly, but I can give him mine, since you said he's cute," Mia said in a humorous way. Rose looked at her with disgust, and then they both chuckled. A customer walked in, and they stopped talking and moved away from each other.