Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

The executive blinked hard, half-convinced he was hallucinating.

Was the sun rising in the west today?

The CEO of Ferguson Corporation was married—and apparently head-over-heels for his wife.

"No need, she's not coming in for a while," Dylan said, his tone flat.

Morgan, who'd made a career out of reading people, leaned in conspiratorially. "Did you two have a fight? You're always so busy with work and meetings overseas. Maybe you should spend more time with your wife. Relationships only grow if you put in the time, you know?"

As he spoke, Morgan tried to sneak a peek at the marriage certificate, dying to see what kind of woman had actually managed to win over their famously cold CEO.

Then he saw the name. And the photo. He froze, then rubbed his eyes again, just to be sure.

Wait-this couldn't be right. That name... that face...

Clara?

Everyone at Ferguson Corporation knew Clara. Back when she worked here, she was always hanging around Simon. Everyone joked she was obsessed with him. If any woman even looked Simon's way, Clara would chase her off, then turn around and dote on him even more.

And Clara wasn't just pretty-she was stunning. No actress on TV could compete. But the way she chased after Simon had rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

Morgan wondered if he was just seeing things. Maybe it was a different Clara? Maybe it was just someone with the same name...

But photos didn't lie. That was definitely Clara's face, and she looked far from happy.

Weirdly enough, the CEO actually looked kind in the photo-there was a gentle curve to his eyes Morgan had never seen before.

Honestly, he wished he could unsee all of this. Why had he been so nosey? Now he just felt uncomfortable.

How did Clara end up with the CEO?

He slipped away quietly, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.

Dylan closed the marriage certificate, his voice cool as ever. "I'll make time for her."

He just wasn't sure she'd want him to.

Maybe she'd only feel happy if he kept his distance.

Morgan, who was usually confident and composed at forty-something, suddenly felt a little awkward. "If è you're willing to spend time with her, I'm sure any woman would fall for you. Anyway, I've got a couple more meetings today, and here are the latest reports for you. Ohpand congratulations on your marriage! Should we give out wedding candy to everyone? I know a few really good places-I'll have them send over their best today so everyone can celebrate." noveldrama

No one got to Morgan's position without being sharp.

Even if he wasn't Clara's biggest fan, as long as she was the CEO's wife, he'd

make sure everything went smoothly.

Sure enough, Dylan gave a short "Mm," looking at him with a rare sign of approval.

"Thank you for handling this, Director Morgan."

Morgan practically glowed. The CEO never complimented anyone-usually, the

best you got was a grunt, even if you pulled off a miracle.

He straightened up, beaming. "Leave it to me, sir. I'll get on it right away!"

།

Some of the other executives had been gossiping, betting that with the CEO's personality, he'd be single forever. No one expected him to get married this fast.

Morgan left the office in high spirits—only to nearly bump into Simon, who was coming up to the executive floor.

Simon knew all the higher-ups at Ferguson. When he ran into Morgan, he greeted him politely. "Director Morgan."

Morgan felt even more awkward now, after what he'd just discovered. He couldn't even look Simon in the eye.

Simon hadn't shown his face at Ferguson in ages, not since things soured between him and Dylan over Clara.

He was here today to ask Dylan directly—had Dylan hidden Clara away?

After all, Clara hadn't shown up anywhere for a week. She wasn't even at home.

He'd asked Ryan, too, but Ryan was

even more clueless-and a total wreck. The guy did nothing but bury himself in work or sit around staring into space, like his soul had left his body.

Simon nodded at Morgan, then marched straight to the CEO's office and pushed

open the door without bothering to knock.

"Dylan, did you hide Clara somewhere?"

Morgan, still hovering by the door, straightened at Simon's words.

He'd have to keep this secret—no matter what-for the good of Ferguson Corporation.