Forbidden Seduction [ Forbidden Obsession]

“Bring me a woman who will be your wife within a month, Alex, or I will personally take charge of finding a match for you,” Mr. Salazar declared, giving his son a stern gaze.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

From the corner of his eye, Alex noticed his stepmother rolling her eyes while slowly sipping her hot coffee.

“Ugh! Maria! This coffee is scalding!” Pearl exclaimed, distracting Salazar from continuing the conversation. The idea of Alex finding a wife irritated her to no end. She despised the thought of him introducing a woman as his bride.

Upon hearing Pearl’s scream from the kitchen, Maria hurriedly rushed into the room. She was visibly shaken, working for the Salazar family for the past three years. The only issue she had was with Mrs. Pearl, whom she knew had married Mr. Salazar for his wealth.

“Gold-digging woman!” Maria muttered under her breath as she entered the kitchen. Pearl had scolded her in front of Mr. Salazar, who seemed to favor Maria among all his other staff. Maria wondered what she had done to deserve Pearl constantly breathing down her neck.

“I want everything to be perfect. Serve my breakfast at 7:30, always start with coffee, make sure you check the water temperature before I take a bath, do this, do that, keep nothing here, remove this,” Maria had to endure Pearl’s incessant nagging just to appease her.

Pearl glanced over at Alex, who sat there with an unreadable expression. The last thing on his mind was getting married. He despised the idea of being tied down to one woman. Alex Salazar had never believed in love, despite his father’s countless stories about love and his mother, from the day they met until her final moments.

Alex let out a heavy sigh, yearning for his mother’s presence. He wished he had convinced her not to embark on that fateful journey.

Ten years ago, Annie Salazar had been thrilled to attend her sister’s wedding. The event was widely covered in the news. Preparations had been underway for a month leading up to the big day. Just like everyone else, Annie had departed with Salazar’s private pilot and his jet, heading to Paris for her sister’s wedding. As the pilot flew, the weather suddenly turned violent, a storm that he could not control.

Marcus had been Salazar’s pilot for a decade, with twenty-five years of experience. Never had he encountered such a life-threatening situation. He did everything in his power to regain control of the plane, but his efforts were in vain. A deafening crash resonated throughout the cabin. Annie screamed, shutting her eyes tightly.

In the midst of the chaos, Annie’s scream pierced the air as she tightly shut her eyes. The plane was struck with such force by lightning that it erupted into flames, engulfing half of the aircraft. Marcus, already aware of their impending doom, swiftly abandoned his seat as the turbulence persisted and rushed over to Annie.

The magnitude of what they were experiencing shook Annie to her core – Marcus could see it in her shaken state. He embraced her, and together, they let out a terrified cry as another lightning bolt struck, causing the plane to plummet into the fiery forest, reducing it to ashes and leaving no trace of their identities.

Salazar, feeling the weight of this mournful day, made the decision to keep Alex oblivious to the heartbreaking events. To divert his attention, Salazar arranged for Alex to continue his studies in NYC, concealing the truth about what had occurred. At the age of seventeen, Alex was no fool. He sensed that something was amiss the instant his grief-stricken father unsuccessfully tried to hide his sorrow and hastily sent him away to pursue education in the bustling city.

Salazar ensured that Annie and Marcus received a proper burial and generously compensated Marcus’ family with a substantial sum of money and scholarships for his two children. He took great lengths to prevent news of Annie’s demise from circulating, doing everything in his power to shield Alex from the knowledge of his mother’s abrupt departure. However, ten years later, a journalist reached out to Alex and exposed the full truth.

Just as Alex arrived at his office, his secretary informed him that a certain Mr. Raymond urgently requested a meeting. Initially, Alex hesitated to entertain someone who wished to remain anonymous, but after giving it some thought, he decided to see this mysterious individual.

“What is it that you want?” Alex inquired, his eyes fixed on the document he was perusing, paying little attention to the person standing before him.

“I am here to discuss something that may pique your interest,” Mr. Raymond stated as perspiration formed on his forehead. He found himself standing in front of the country’s most influential and youngest billionaire, knowing that failure was not an option.

“And what might that be? Huh? Just so you know, I won’t be offering you a penny, nor am I interested in the affairs of my rivals. I’ve grown weary of hearing the same information repeatedly. It no longer holds any interest for me,” Alex declared, still not bothering to acknowledge the person in front of him.

“It concerns your mother,” Raymond revealed. The words nearly knocked Raymond off his feet as Alex abruptly ceased what he was doing, lifting his head to finally look at the individual who had been standing there.

“What did you say?” Alex inquired, feeling his right hand tremble as he instinctively covered it with his other hand. He had trained himself never to display vulnerability before anyone, but in this moment, it was impossible to hide.

Trembling slightly, he couldn’t bear to hear anyone mentioning his mother. Raymond adjusted his glasses, placing them higher on his nose. “I possess complete information regarding your mother’s passing a decade ago,” Raymond cautiously spoke, aware of his choice of words. He could immediately discern from Alex’s gaze that any attempt to provoke him would result in the inevitable mourning of his own family. Before Raymond could utter another word, Alex stood up abruptly. He found himself pushed against the wall, with Alex’s hand at his throat, choking the life out of him. Raymond struggled helplessly for a breath, watching as his life flashed before his eyes. “If you dare bring up my mother’s death, I won’t just kill you. I’ll ensure your death is excruciatingly painful. I’ll burn your body and scatter your ashes to the farthest corners of the earth,” Alex threatened.