The Unwilling CEO's Love Game

She sat by Zachary's bedside, her face bare, with tears streaming down her cheeks, looking forlorn and delicate as a rain-soaked lily, stirring a deep compassion in anyone who saw her. It dawned on Yasmine that this was the reason they had tried to stop her from coming.

Yasmine's arrival had caused a stir.

Layla, upon seeing Yasmine, instinctively glanced at Delphine, who looked up with her dewy, reddened eyes. To an outsider, it might seem as if she were the one who had lost her husband.

"Yasmine, what brings you here?" Layla approached her, trying to shield Delphine from view.

Yasmine merely glanced at Delphine before fixing her gaze on Layla. "Shouldn't I be here?"

"Of course not," Layla replied, her voice faltering. "Zachary specifically instructed us not to tell you."

Yasmine stepped closer, "Then tell me, why are you here?"

When not putting on airs, Yasmine was the amiable Mrs. Turner everyone called out of respect. Once she took on her role, the authority in her voice was not to be taken lightly.

Her beauty was matched by her commanding presence. Even without a touch of makeup, her sheer poise was enough to overshadow others.

Layla found herself at a loss for words In her panic, she blurted out, "I'm a doctor."

"Is Zachary mentally ill?" Yasmine shot her a skeptical look. "If you still want to practice medicine, keep in line. I've warned you before, stay away from Melvin. He's off-limits to you, and so is Zachary." With the conversation taking such a turn, Layla's face flushed with embarrassment.

She had once taken Melvin to Angel City for treatment, harboring ulterior motives of growing closer to him and becoming the woman replacing Jocelyn. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Since she was introduced to Melvin by Zachary, his guard was down.

That night, as she attempted to hypnotize Melvin to claim him for herself, Yasmine caught her in the act.

Yasmine had warned her to stay away from Melvin.

So, shifting gears, Layla found a way back to Zachary's side.

Zachary had no romantic feelings for her, but he didn't outright reject her either.

And now that Zachary was in trouble, she came immediately.

Whether or not she could be Zachary's woman, as long as she was under his protection, few would dare cross her, and she was bound to fare better.

"Get out!" Yasmine was done with her.

Though Layla was reluctant, she had no choice but to obey.

Once she left, Delphine looked at Yasmine with a hint of panic.

Yasmine paid her no mind and asked the doctor, "How's he doing?"

"If the bullet had been a hair off, Mr. Turner would be beyond saving. We've removed the bullet, but he's lost a lot of blood. His blood type is rare. These few bags may not be enough," replied the doctor with caution.

Looking at the pallid Zachary, Yasmine couldn't just stand by. "He's AB-negative, so am I."

She shrugged off her jacket and rolled up her sleeve. "Take mine."

Years ago, Yasmine had taken a knife for Zachary and needed a blood transfusion. It was then they discovered her blood type.

Zachary, too, insisted on donating his blood to Yasmine and found out he shared her blood type.

Back then, it was said they were made for each other, their survival intertwined.

As Yasmine donated her blood, she watched the man on the bed with a faint smile.

The debt she owed him years ago, she's paying it back now.

Zachary had always refused to take her blood, not wanting her to suffer. Once he had money, he would stockpile AB-negative blood, just in case.

He even kept people with AB-negative blood on retainer, who were on their way to come now.

Bored, Yasmine turned to Delphine. "How long have you been with him?"

Delphine was caught off guard by Yasmine's calm inquiry, her gaze flickering. "I'm not going to bite," Yasmine said, sizing her up. "How old are you?"

Delphine remained silent, visibly nervous.

Yasmine chuckled lightly. "How can you be the woman by his side if you're so afraid of me?" Delphine bit her lip, her eyes still moist from crying, her timid and fragile demeanor pitiable.

Yasmine saw in her a reflection of her own eighteen-year-old self.

She had been timid and scared when she was young. But for Zachary's sake, she had braved up, making herself seem formidable.

"To stand by a man like him, you can't be weepy and weak. If you don't command respect from his people, they won't see you as their boss's woman."

Yasmine spoke as if imparting wisdom to Delphine, who looked at her bewilderedly, aware that Yasmine and Zachary were divorced and had a teenage son. Delphine hadn't expected Yasmine to be so enlightened, even teaching her how to act the part of the boss's woman.

"Don't you love Mr. Turner anymore?" Delphine finally spoke up, her voice as sweet and soft as she looks, the kind men often favor.

"Do you think you'd have a chance if I still loved him?" Yasmine seemed genuinely bored, toying with the young girl.

Delphine took a deep breath, her gaze on Zachary filled with adoration and determination. "I'll become the woman he loves most." Yasmine raised an eyebrow, amused. "There's some spirit in that statement."

"Doesn't it make you angry?" Delphine couldn't understand Yasmine.

"Why would I be angry? You know we're divorced, don't you? I'm just his ex-wife," Yasmine remarked, looking at the motionless man beside her. Just an ex-wife, after all.

She had thrown caution to the wind to follow in his footsteps, and he'd sworn he'd love her until death did them part. Yet, after all the hardships they shared, here they were at this crossroads. "But you still see each other every year," Delphine said, her tone tinged with a mix of confrontation and disappointment, yet lacking the force to truly make an impact. It was more about the bitterness. Yasmine arched an eyebrow, a hint of nonchalance in her gesture. "Yeah. After all, he's the father of my child, and I'm the mother. So, you'd better step up your game. Otherwise, he and I will never truly be done."

Delphine was shocked more than once.

Yasmine was brutally honest, with no intention to conceal anything, reminiscent of a senior giving her protégé the lowdown on how to snag the popular guy.

The more Yasmine behaved this way, the more threatening Delphine found her.

Because it showed that Yasmine couldn't care less about her.

Indeed, Yasmine didn't even consider Delphine worth worrying about. There were plenty of women vying to be Zachary's one and only, and for someone like Delphine, Yasmine didn't need to exert any effort. She'd simply wither away in time.

Every young girl has her moments of confusion, but it'll be over as they grew up. Beauty alone isn't enough to keep a man.

"I'm going to be the last woman he's with," Delphine confidently asserted.

Yasmine's eyes gleamed with a touch of admiration. "You've got spirit. Go for it then."

However, to Delphine, that "Go for it" sounded more like a patronizing sneer.

She fixed her gaze on Yasmine, "My name is Delphine."

Yasmine nodded with a smile, her eyes sparkling with mirth yet veiling a chill, "Sure, I'll remember that. Delphine."