Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Aiden glanced over at the woman still buried in her work. She hadn't bothered with breakfast again, and every now and then she'd look up from her desk, eyes flicking to the door like she was waiting for something or maybe someone. He

honestly had no clue what she was hoping for.

"Sir, Mrs. Ferguson wants to go to Palm Bay. Should I...?"

Dylan paused, his fingers freezing mid-turn of the page, gaze dropping to the file in his hands.

Everyone-Aiden included-always called her "Mrs. Ferguson" in front of him, whether they were talking business or not.

Dylan lowered his eyes, set the file aside, and stood up. He didn't say a word as he walked straight out.

"Sir?" Aiden called after him, but Dylan just stepped into the elevator without looking back.noveldrama

Aiden leaned over and whispered to Clara, "Mrs. Ferguson, you go on ahead. I don't think he's the type to say no to you."

That was all Clara needed to hear. She relaxed, noticing that the car was already heading toward the downtown area. She pulled out her phone and set Palm Bay as their destination.

The man driving had a lazy, almost playful air about him, one hand resting on the wheel. When he noticed Clara calmly setting the GPS, he smirked. "You really don't stand on ceremony, do you?"

Clara finished up and leaned back in her seat. "Didn't you come to Capital City to see Charles? He's there too. Giving me a lift is just on your way."

Norman raised an eyebrow. So, she knew who he was.

He tried to remember if he'd ever met her before-maybe a forgotten fling from a past trip? But with a face like hers, he was sure he wouldn't have let it slip his mind.

After a moment, he just asked, "Have we met before?"

"I've seen your profile online," Clara said. "You look pretty much the same as your pictures."

Norman tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, amused. "And what made you look me up?"

Was she actually interested in him?

Clara could practically see what he was thinking. People always said Norman Chester, second son of the Chester family, was the wild one-never serious, always surrounded by women.

But the more someone put themselves out there, the more likely it was just a mask. The real stuff stayed hidden.

She didn't answer right away, and Norman almost pulled over. Before he could, Clara spoke up. "Did you notice all the helicopters on that fast stretch? They're looking for me pissed off Walter-today was supposed to be the end of the line for me. Lucky for me, yourshowed up. If you drop me off now, those people will see that you tried to help me escape, and they'll assume you're on my side. Oh, and I heard your Chester family is planning a marriage alliance with the Fergusons overseas?"

Norman's smirk faded a little.

That marriage was top secret. Even when Walter turned eighty and Norman's older brother visited the Fergusons, nobody let slip what was really going on. The tabloids had no clue.

So who was this woman? Which family did she belong to?

1.n

He didn't slow down; if anything, he pressed harder on the gas. "Here I thought was in for a little romance, and meanwhile, you're already plotting to drag me into your mess. Palm Bay's Dylan's turf, you know. If Walter's after you, don't tell me you managed to get Dylan involved?"

.n

Clara just shrugged. "Yeah, he's in love with me. He's refusing the marriage alliance for my sake-even if it means going up against his grandfather. So now the old man wants to get rid of me, just to force his hand."

For once, Norman was speechless.

He was quiet for a while before finally blurting out, "Dylan's in love with you?"

Clara nodded and closed her eyes, like she didn't have a care in the world.

They drove in silence for ten minutes. Then Norman couldn't help himself. "You mean Dylan Ferguson, CEO of Ferguson Corporation?"