Midnight Bride The CEO's Temptation

When Nancy heard Michelle's threat, she turned to Crystal and said, "Let her go."

Crystal nodded and took her foot off Michelle's back. Then Nancy rushed to Clark's side. She was terrified of what Michelle might do to her son.

Michelle used the night table to help herself stand, and once she was on her feet, she glared at Crystal. "This is not over," she promised. "Not by a long shot."

Before Crystal could respond to this veiled threat, a servant stepped into the room. When she saw Michelle, her eyes lit up. "Miss Michelle!" she exclaimed. "I finally found you! I am so happy! My Master has been looking for..." As the servant was speaking, she noticed the mess, and the rest of her sentence caught in her throat. She looked at Michelle. "Wh-Wh What h-happened to you?" she stammered.

Crystal sneered and said, "She was sleepwalking when she walked into our room. She accidentally hit the candle on the dresser. It tipped over, and it started a fire."

"Luckily, Crystal was there," Nancy continued. "She came to the rescue and put out the fire. She is a hero! If she had not been here, the whole house might have burnt to the ground. I am glad that you are here, though. Please help her back to her room so that she can get some rest."

The servant hurried to Michelle's side and helped her out of the room.

Once she was gone, Nancy let out a long, relieved sigh. Then she turned to Crystal and said, "Things can't go on like this. When Michelle tells Paul about what happened, shit is going to hit the fan. We need to move out of this house as soon as possible! What do you think?"

Crystal frowned and asked, "Why are you so afraid of her?"

"I know her well," Nancy replied. "She is certain to make things worse, and if Paul comes to me, he will not let me and Clark go. If we are going to leave, now is the time."

"But you didn't do anything wrong..."

"It doesn't matter. Michelle will lie to make herself look better, and Paul will believe her. Then he will force me to confess to crimes that I did not commit, and he will punish me - and likely assault me. I don't want to go through that again."

"You're not thinking straight." Crystal seized Nancy's wrist and said, "What about Clark?"

Only then did Nancy think about Clark. She gave him a squeeze and kissed him on the forehead. "I cannot leave without him," she replied.

"And you cannot leave with him. Not now." Crystal explained that Paul would sic the law on her if she did, and then she would never see her son again. She said, "Running away is not the solution. You have to face this problem and find a real-legal solution."

"But..."

"Nancy, listen to me. You should face your problems without fear. If we leave, Paul will win. Do you understand?"

Nancy thought about it for a moment, and then she nodded. "So, what do we do?" she asked.

"Just hold on for a few days. After the wedding ceremony, Eric will fulfill his promise and take us away. It may be hard to wait, especially if Paul decides to hurt you, but you can manage. You have done it before. You are stronger than you realize."

Just then, the servant returned. Crystal looked up and asked, "What do you want?"

"Paul wants to see Nancy," the servant replied.

Nancy's heart sank. As she had expected, Michelle had gone straight to Paul, and most likely with a basket full of lies. After a moment's consideration, she said, "I'm not going. Just tell him I'm asleep."

The servant frowned and said, "He isn't going to like your reply."

Nancy shrugged, and the servant went away. Moments later, though, Paul barged up the stairs. Before he reached the landing, though, Nancy shut and locked the door. She could tell that he was angry, and she did not know if she could face him again.

Once Paul reached the door, he pounded on the door and shouted for Nancy to let him in. When she refused, he began to repeatedly punch the door, creating a terrifying cadence that did not stop until the skin over his knuckles had split, leaving blood splattered all over the place.

Nancy hugged Clark in her arms and covered his ears. "Please, leave," she cried. I'm already in bed. I just want to go to sleep."

Crystal stepped forward and said, "If you are here about what happened with Michelle, we can explain. Michelle provoked everything. She attacked Nancy, and she accidentally started a fire. I put out the fire. None of this was Nancy's fault or mine."

"Get out here!" Paul roared.

"We're not leaving this room," Crystal replied. "We didn't do anything wrong."

"This is your last chance!" Paul exclaimed. "Get the fuck out of this room!"

"You are being played for a fool," Nancy interrupted. "Michelle is up to her old tricks again. The child she was carrying was not even yours. She admitted it to me just now. If you do not believe me, then I have nothing more to say. Just forget that I said anything at all... And go away."

Paul clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. "How dare you talk to me like that?" he growled. "You cannot even look me in the eyes. That is how guilty you are!"

"It has nothing to do with guilt," Nancy explained. "The problem is that your face makes me want to puke."

Paul was angrier than he had ever been in his life. He thought - How dare this woman make Michelle have a miscarriage? Now she has burnt Michelle's hair! What will she do next?!?!

"Do you think I want to see you?" Paul shouted. "You are such a stupid woman!"

Nancy smiled and said, "If that is true - and I hope that it is then when the wedding is over, there is no reason for us ever to see each other again, and you can have your Happily Ever After with Michelle! I think you are the perfect match for each other, especially since you are willing to raise another man's child!"

"Nancy Carter!" The tone in Paul's voice was terrifying. "I am warning you for the last time. Open the goddamn door!"

Crystal chucked. "And what if she doesn't? she asked. "Are you going to huff and puff and blow the door down?" Almost as soon as she finished taunting him, he began to rage, and as he began to kick at the door, her face turned white.

I think I have gone too far this time - Crystal realized, and her whole body began to tremble from fear.