A Night of Desire

That one, clear, syrupy-sweet "honey" of his made every onlooker gasp.

Wasn’t Seth Quinn, the CEO of Aegis, supposed to be a cold, ruthless man? How could such a tenderly spoken "honey" possibly come from his lips?

Clara Grant clearly heard the sharp inhales from all around. She bit her lip, stopped in her tracks, and turned to look back at Seth Quinn, her eyes asking, ’What is it?’

But Seth Quinn just beamed at her, and Clara Grant heard another round of gasps from the crowd.

’Of course,’ she thought. ’This man is handsome enough when he’s not smiling. When he does, he’s lethally charming, making women swoon and men jealous.’

Meanwhile, the onlookers were in an uproar internally: ’Wait, what? Wasn’t Seth Quinn, the CEO of Aegis, supposed to be a stern man who was notoriously sparing with his smiles? Who is this gorgeous man with the radiant smile?’

So much for the rumors!

Clara Grant glanced awkwardly at the crowd, their jaws practically on the floor. She thought with a sigh of resignation, ’Seth Quinn is definitely doing this on purpose!’

’Otherwise, what’s he doing calling me ’honey’ and grinning like that?’

Clara Grant’s gaze fell back on Seth Quinn. She raised her eyebrows, signaling that if he was done, she was leaving.

Only then did Seth Quinn’s smile soften slightly. His voice became impossibly gentle and affectionate. "I’ll come pick you up after class this afternoon. Go on."

’He dragged this out just to say that?’ Clara Grant couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly. ’He is so doing this on purpose!’

’He already made that grand announcement about us getting married. The students and faculty at school must know by now, right? What’s the point of all this?’

’He’s so... childish!’

But despite her silent griping, a warm feeling blossomed in her heart.

...

"Thanks to" Seth Quinn’s little performance, Clara Grant had a trail of people following her the entire way, whispering amongst themselves. The voices weren’t loud, but she could still make out their words of admiration and envy—and probably some bitter resentment as well.

Some people she even knew ran up to greet her, taking the opportunity to express their admiration, envy, and congratulations.

When she finally reached the classroom door, Clara Grant breathed a sigh of relief. Her face was getting stiff from all the smiling she’d had to do on the way.

She reached up to rub her cheeks and pushed the door open to enter the classroom.

The moment she looked up, she saw Chloe Grant sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by a few people. Clara Grant paused for a moment. ’When did Chloe Grant become the type of good student who comes to school this early?’

But she quickly averted her gaze and looked away. Just as she was about to sit down in her own seat, her classmates, having snapped out of their daze, immediately swarmed around her. Even the few people who had been gathered around Chloe Grant ran over to her side.

Clara Grant jumped, startled, as they all closed in. While she had always gotten along with her classmates well enough, Chloe Grant’s presence meant that even those who had nothing against her were only ever polite. They had never been this "warm" before.

While she was still reeling, her classmates had already started talking all at once.

"Clara, I can’t believe you got married before we even graduated. Congratulations!"

"Totally! Clara, you’ve absolutely won at life. Marrying the CEO of Aegis, of all people! You’ll be able to get any role you want now, won’t you? I’m so jealous!"

"Oh, come on. She’s the wife of Aegis’s CEO now. Why would she even bother with acting? She can just stay home and enjoy being a pampered wife."

"Yes, yes! You guys should have seen it! At the school gate, the way Mr. Quinn treated Clara... wow, he was so gentle and doting. Mr. Quinn is so incredible, and he loves you so much. Clara, you’re so, so lucky."

"Exactly. Anyway, congratulations!"

"..."