Midnight Bride The CEO's Temptation

After everything that Crystal had gone through with Nathan, it broke her heart to hear that Nancy, like her, had been so disempowered by a man. Crystal had found her salvation, though, and she thought maybe Nancy could too. She touched her new friend's hand and said, "This doesn't have to be the end. There is always room for hope."

"I don't know about that," Nancy admitted. "Most of the time, I don't even know what I'm doing from day to day. Should I go back? Should I try to fight for custody of my son, or should I just leave well enough alone? I know that Paul will be a good Father to Clark, but the woman he is with is no good..."

Crystal: "When was the last time you saw your son?"

Nancy: "It's been a while. I don't know. Even when we were together, Paul didn't let me see Clark. I had to beg to see my own son, and most times, he still didn't let me see him..."

Crystal: "Were you sleeping together?"

Nancy: "Not after I got pregnant. After that, he brought another woman home with him, and he stopped making love to me. They had sex on our bed right in front of me. It was disgusting."

Crystal: "What an asshole!"

"The worst of it was..." Nancy shrugged and left her sentence to hang in the air, unfinished.

"The worst of it was… What?!?!" Crystal demanded.

Nancy: "That woman was also pregnant, and when Clark was born, she secretly bullied him. I tried to stop her, but do you know what happened? She threw herself to the ground, had a miscarriage, and blamed me!"

Crystal's face went white. She had experienced nearly the same thing. "There is a special place in Hell for bitches like that!" she exclaimed. "Let me guess; Paul believed her, right? I had the same experience. Are all men this blind?"

Nancy just shrugged and shook her head sadly.

Crystal: "What did Paul do?"

Nancy: "Well, he scolded me. He said that I was a vicious woman and that Clark's injuries were a result of my cruelty and negligence."

Crystal was furious. "Why haven't you fought for custody?" she asked.

Nancy: "His income is higher than mine, and his background is stronger than mine. So, he would win. If I could just see Clark occasionally, that would be enough. I begged Paul on my knees to let me, but he said no. It is useless to try..."

Crystal: "You kneeled to beg him? What an asshole! No Mother should have to beg like that to see their child!"

Nancy began to cry. She covered her face with her hands and said nothing.

Crystal: "I need to help you get Clark back!"

"It won't work," Nancy sobbed. "What can two single women hope to accomplish...?"

"I don't know," Crystal admitted. "But we should still try. You can't just sit and wait around like this."

"Okay, but can we talk about something else now?" Nancy dried her eyes with her sleeve and said, "You are here about the cufflink, right?"

"Yes." Crystal nodded and said, "There are other reasons too, though..."

"Of course, there are," Nancy agreed. "But for now, let me see what you've got."

Crystal sighed as she rummaged through her bag for the jewelry box. Once she found it, she handed it to Nancy, who immediately opened it up.

The cufflink was made of amber, and there was a small black spider in the middle. Nancy smiled and said, "I have seen this. Paul has one that is the same. It looks special, so I remember it very clearly. Will it actually help you find your family?"

"It might," Crystal replied. "My mother left this one to me. The original owner is my Father. Of course, Paul is too young to be my Father, but where did he get it? I'd like to know the answer to that question."

Nancy frowned and said, "With my relationship with him being as it is, I doubt he would answer any of my questions..."

Crystal: "Don't worry, I can handle this. I still can't believe what an asshole Paul turned out to be, though..."

"It doesn't matter." Nancy brought her fingers to her lips and tittered. "Do you want to hear a secret?" she asked..

Crystal smiled and said, "Of course!"

Nancy: "In private, I call Paul," Asshole Burnett!"

"Asshole Burnett!" Crystal laughed out loud and said, "That name is great!"

Nancy: "I think so too. What about Nathan? Should we call him 'Bitch Davis?"

Crystal smiled and murmured noncommittally as she brought her coffee to her lips. There was a lot more to Nancy than her first impression had perceived. She was a gorgeous woman, and her temperament was outstanding. After being a housewife for several years, though, she'd begun dressing very casually. Thus, she looked a bit like a conservative dumpling.

"What are you thinking?" asked Nancy.

Crystal: "I thought that if we dressed you up, Asshole Bennett would regret the way he treated you and admit that he'd been wrong."

Nancy sighed and said, "That's not the case, though. He was the one that ordered me to dress this way. Now I do it out of habit, but I didn't always dress this way. Once upon a time, I was a real hotsy-totsy..."

Crystal: "I bet his lover dresses sexy, though. Am I right?

Nancy: "How did you know?"

Crystal: "Men are like this. Their wives must be ordinary, but their lovers must be slutty. That way, they can keep their wives' home and have fun outside of their marriage."

Nancy began to look at Crystal differently. Her brow furrowed, and she said, "There is something very special about you. You are wise beyond your years, and I appreciate your counsel."

Crystal blushed. It had been a long time since someone had appreciated her for her mind. "I used to be the same as you," she said. "But being with Nathan forced me to grow up very quickly."

Nancy: "Was he really that bad to you?"

Crystal: "You have no idea. He locked me up and assaulted me. Then he had me put on a cross and lashed within an inch of my life. I barely made it out of there. But enough about me - What do you think about what I said? You're still young, so it's not too late to try out my idea. I really want to know whether Asshole Burnett will regret what he did if he sees you dressed differently."

Nancy frowned and said, "It won't work. He already has a sexy woman, and he has Carl. He won't care about me. And with his background, he can get any woman he wants."

Crystal: "Don't say that. He will regret what he did. I am sure of it. What is his background, anyway?"

Nancy: "Honestly, I don't know. He has a ton of bodyguards, though. That's all I know. If you truly think that your plan might work, though, let's give it a try. What should I do first?"

Crystal thought about it for a moment, and then she said, "Let's start in the bathroom. When was the last time you shaved your legs?"