The CEO'S Forbidden Temptation

chapter 5

A Choice in the Pouring Rain

The digital clock in the executive work area showed 8:00 p.m. as Leng Yue finished organizing the market-acquisition analysis she had just completed.

Beyond the skyscraper’s glass walls, torrential rain hammered the city, accompanied by violent gusts of wind and flashes of lightning.

Leng Yue headed down to the main lobby.

She tried ordering a taxi through several apps on her phone, but the weather was so severe that every driver canceled the request.

Sitting around at the office and waiting for a miracle was never Leng Yue’s style.

With determination, she opened her small umbrella and stepped into the downpour, walking through the freezing night toward her rental home.

The storm quickly soaked through her work clothes. Her blazer and silk blouse clung to her skin, outlining the graceful curves of her figure. Her legs grew cold and tired after nearly forty minutes of walking through the relentless rain.

But just as she reached the intersection leading toward her neighborhood, Leng Yue suddenly stopped and ducked behind the wall of a nearby building.

Through the dim glow of the streetlights, partially obscured by sheets of rain, she spotted two large black SUVs blocking the road.

Nearly a dozen men in black rain gear bearing the Fu family insignia had surrounded her rental home, pounding on the doors.

And standing among them was Fu Yancheng, his face twisted with fury.

“Search every corner! That woman can’t have gone far!” Fu Yancheng shouted over the roar of the storm, barking orders at his men.

Leng Yue narrowed her eyes.

Facing Fu Yancheng and a dozen armed guards in her current condition—freezing, exhausted, and without a strategy—would be foolish.

She needed far greater leverage.

And she needed a dangerous ally capable of helping her tear the Fu family’s business empire apart from within.

Without hesitation, Leng Yue turned around.

She walked calmly toward the only truly secure place in the area.

Lu Chen’s villa.

She pressed the button on the iron gate, then walked up to the main entrance and knocked firmly.

Within seconds, the heavy teak door opened from inside.

Lu Chen stood there.

He was dressed casually in a black shirt with no tie, the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

When he saw Leng Yue standing drenched on his doorstep—with rainwater dripping from her long black hair and her soaked clothes clinging to her figure—Lu Chen’s gaze immediately darkened.

A dangerous intensity flashed in his eyes.

“Back to my bedroom voluntarily, Ms. Leng?” Lu Chen drawled, his deep, husky voice carrying a provocative edge.

Leng Yue wiped the rain from her beautiful face and looked up at him without the slightest trace of fear or submission.

“Fu Yancheng’s men are surrounding the area,” she said steadily. “I need a safe place to stay tonight, and you need an executive assistant intelligent enough to dissect and dismantle the Fu family’s entire business structure from the inside.”

Her eyes sharpened.

“We can form a mutually beneficial alliance.”

Lu Chen stepped just beyond the threshold and reached out, his fingers closing gently but firmly around her chin, forcing her to meet his dangerous gaze.

“I have absolutely no interest in negotiating business after office hours, Leng Yue,” Lu Chen murmured, his voice low and lethal.

“On my private property, my rules are the only ones that matter.”

His gaze held hers.

“So make your decision now.”

“Come inside and play the part of the woman warming my bed tonight…”

His voice dropped another octave.

“…or I’ll open that gate and let your ex-husband drag you back.”

In the distance, beyond the villa’s fortified grounds, the footsteps of Fu Yancheng’s men grew closer as they searched the surrounding streets.

Leng Yue didn’t panic.

She didn’t whimper.

She simply stared into Lu Chen’s hawk-like eyes, calculating every opportunity and every risk with the sharp mind that had carried her this far.

Then a faint smile appeared on her beautiful lips.

Cold.

Alluring.

Dominant.

Leng Yue stepped closer, her rain-soaked body drawing nearer to his. She gently brushed his fingers away from her chin, then leaned toward his lips and whispered in a provocative, captivating voice:

“I accept your offer, Mr. Lu Chen…”

Her eyes gleamed with defiance.

“But be prepared, because I won’t be responsible if you’re the one ending up on your knees before me.”