The CEO’ s second choice novel Chapter 40

　　Elena

　　It was the Oxford Open Day, and I was a ball of unrepressed nerves. The last month has been extremely hectic in terms of my mental health and I finally realise now that what happened to me was not my fault. Nicholas has been a sexual predator since high school, and after my story hits the news and media outlets, so many other girls have come forward with their own stories, some even with stories that played out while I was still with him.

　　It seems I started a #MeToo movement among the wealthy upper class.

　　As it turns out, there was no video footage of what occurred between Nicholas and I. It had been erased but Sebastian and Elijah’s statements coupled with my torn dress and photos of my bruises were enough to prosecute him. But Anabelle’s statement was what surprised us all; what she had to say cemented Nicholas’ fate, and the Addington's became pariahs in the social circles. Sebastian financially crippled them by causing their stocks to drop. I would like to say that I was sorry for them, but I was not; Mr Addington knew what his son was capable of because they were so much alike.

　　Yes, that is exactly what I mean.

　　My phone was ringing somewhere on my desk and the caller ID told me it was Anabelle calling. Yes, you read that right. We have become quite close over the last month or so, especially after we found out how alike we are. To top it off, she was enrolled in Oxford at Exeter College in the same course I was thinking of applying for! That I could relate to someone on such a deep level astounded me; Sebastian calls us soul sisters because of how alike we were. But, where I’m brunette, she’s a perky blonde with bright green eyes, with a tall, waif-like body. Also, she admitted to me that she was actually a lesbian who had to hide what she was from her family as she needed to produce an heir to continue the line; she was an only child.

　　“Hey, Belle,” I answered my cell phone and perched it in the crook of my neck as I continued to get my things together. “You’re late, babe. The alumni are trickling in and I think you will be most impressed at the outcome.” She says and I mentally curse my tardiness this morning. I was on light anti-anxiety medication and my mind was all over the place now.

　　“I am leaving as we speak! Down the stairs and out the door!” I exclaim and she giggles. I will most definitely be late; it takes about an hour to get to Oxford Uni’s main campus from Kensington, and again I reprimand myself. My scattered mind will have to be brought up at my next appointment with my doctor.

　　“Good, because I am rather lonely here all by myself,” she says.

　　“You shouldn’t even be there, you tart, you’re already enrolled in the course!” I say with a laugh as I get into the Maybach and we leave the estate. Anabelle giggles, “I couldn’t help it! You want to catch the attention of at least one alumnus and I will get nowhere on the Thompson name alone; I need good backing if I want to be a published author. These guys will be brutally honest in their review of me and ignore my family name, that’s all I want.” She says, and this made me smile; Anabelle was as ambitious as I was and really well-read in classic literature; she truly was my soul sister and was steadily becoming my best friend. After the thing with Nicholas, no one wanted to be associated with her, so I approached her and apologized for my role in her loneliness. But she wasn’t bitter at all. She was just relieved that our stories were heard and believed.

　　“Just leave an alumnus for me, please I will be there soon!” I ask her in jest, and we say our goodbyes after that.

　　The last month has been hard, but also enlightening. The two girls I thought were my best friends have completely cut me out of their lives because of the scandal with Nicholas. I thought we were closer than that, but they revealed that they were friends with me because of my name alone. This hurt me deeply, but Sebastian says that it was for the best; actual situations often revealed people’s true intentions.

　　Speaking of Sebastian, our marriage has been steadily improving in all aspects. We still make love almost every evening (and morning if I must be terribly honest) and his mother’s queries of children have been on the increase.

　　I am terribly sorry, but I do not think it wise to bring a child into a world where their mother was trying to improve herself for the better. Our marriage was still new, and we needed to get to know one another properly first; Sebastian agrees with this wholeheartedly. The whole arranged marriage and popping out heirs for the family was extremely medieval, and I refuse to conform to their expectations of me.

　　They didn’t call me The Rebellious Heiress because I liked conformity.

　　Fifty-five minutes later, we arrived at Exeter College. I told the driver that I would be there for a while so he could take a break as he waited for me. I make my way over the lush lawns and I look down to pull out my phone, but as I do so I bump smack bang into someone. I faltered and brace myself for the fall, but it never came as the other person grabbed my wrist and I steady my feet.

　　“Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry-” I start to apologize, but as I look up I find myself staring straight into the clear blue eyes of Elijah Somersett. My mouth goes dry as I notice the slight smile playing on his lips and he lets go of my wrist. “Elena?” He asks with a curiosity to his eyes and I nod and return his smile. “Hello, Elijah,” I responded, and suddenly felt incredibly awkward.

　　Why was I always running into this man? He may have saved me from a horrendous fate, but being around him makes me nervous. After my ordeal, he came to see me at the villa, with Sebastian’s permission, of course. He apologised for seeing me naked when Nicholas was assaulting me, a gesture I thought was incredibly sweet. He and Sebastian have made plans to open safe houses for abused women and are calling them Daisy’s Home a secret homage to me. The two are getting along so much better now, and I thought his attraction to me would have ceased, but it has not. He still looks at me with longing, so I tried to stay clear of him.

　　Elijah gives me a warm look. “And what might you be doing here, Jane?” he asks, referring to me by the character of my favourite book; a nickname he started calling me recently. I cross my arms in front of me. “I could ask you the same question, Mr Somersett. Here to brush up on your Classic Lit?” I ask, but all he does is chuckle.

　　“Something like that,” he says before cocking his head towards the entrance. “Join me, the lecture is about to start.”

　　I follow Elijah inside and I marvel at the beauty of the old building; it is visually stunning! “Wow!” I remarked out loud and heard Elijah chuckle at my awe of the building. “I wasn’t aware that you were interested in applying to Oxford. Is this a recent development?” he asks me as we make our way down the halls. I shake my head. “No, it has been on my mind since my shadowing of Sebastian; I decided the business world was not for me,” I say and I am taken back to his words in Dumont Industries’ board room:

　　“I don’t know what you’re doing in the corporate world when literature is your first love. This is not the environment where you would prosper in Elena.”

　　He gives me a dimpled smile and a slight nod, “I knew that already,” he says before we come to a stop outside the lecture hall. He opens the door for me and we enter the room together. This was when I noticed all the eyes in the room that were trained on me, especially Anabelle’s in the back row.

　　“I will speak with you later, Elena. Enjoy the Open Day.” Elijah says his goodbye with a smile and touches my upper arms. I return his goodbye with a nod before heading over to Anabelle. She gawked at me as I sit down. “How the hell do you know Elijah Somersett?!” she exclaims in a hushed tone and I shrug as a frown plays over my brows. “He’s Sebastian’s business partner and the one who saved me that night from Nicholas,” I say and her eyes widen at my response.

　　“Well, he’s also a top alumnus here and currently the one who will be giving us this lecture.” She says and now it was my turn for my eyes to widen. Was that why everyone’s eyes were trained on me as we walked in?

　　“Good morning, everyone.” Elijah starts. Could I possibly ask him to be my mentor? This thought runs through my mind as he delivers his 2-hour lecture and by the end, I was more impressed by this man than ever before.