Married to my CEO Crush

PROMISE RING Hey," 10-year-old Emma, said to the golden-haired boy who was sitting alone on a swing while all the other kids were playing in groups. "Why are you sitting by yourself?" Emma asked. "Go away," the boy said, not looking at her. Undeterred, Emma smiled and said, "If you don't have any friends, I'll be your friend. My name is Emma." She had finally mustered the courage to talk to her middle school crush, 12-year-old Dylan, a boy who never smiled and always sat alone, like a lonely angel. The boy stood up and started to walk away without saying a word. "Bye, Dylan!" Emma called out after him. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, surprised that she knew his name. For a moment, he hesitated, then continued walking away without saying a word. Emma watched him leave, her heart sinking with disappointment. She had thought she had made a good impression on him, but he had rejected her just like he did all the other kids. The next day at school, Emma was sitting on the swing, lost in her thoughts, when suddenly a hand holding a popsicle appeared in front of her face. "Here," a voice said. Emma looked up and saw that it was Dylan, the golden-haired boy. He was offering her a popsicle, and she was so surprised and flattered that she couldn't bring herself to take a lick "Aren't you going to lick your popsicle?" Dylan asked, his own popsicle already halfway gone. "No, I'll save it," Emma said with a smile, her gaze fixed on the frozen treat. "It's a part of the memory I'm making with you." Dylan couldn't help but laugh at her remark. "You're weird... but in a good way, Emma," he said with a grin. Emma couldn't believe her ears. Not only did he know her name, but he was also smiling at her. She felt butterflies in her tummy. From that day forward, Dylan and Emma became best friends. They spent every minute they could together, laughing and sharing secrets. They grew so close that it was hard to imagine their lives without each other. But one day, Dylan's family had to move away. The news devastated Emma, and she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye. Before leaving, Dylan promised never to forget her, and he gave her a promise ring with a half-heart engraved on it. "I'll come back for you when I'm older," he whispered as he slipped the ring onto her finger. As he got in the car, Dylan clutched the other half of the heart-shaped ring in his hand. He promised himself that he would keep it safe until they could be reunited. "I'll write you every day, I promise," he had told her, and he intended to keep that promise. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, Emma never heard from Dylan. She wondered what had happened to him and if he had forgotten about their promise. ***15 years later *** With a groan, Emma awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring in her ear. She buried her face in her pillow, hoping the noise would stop, but it just kept getting louder and louder. Finally, she gave up and reached for her phone to turn off the alarm. As she did, she saw the time - 8:20 a.m. - and realized she was late for work! “f**k!” She scrambled out of bed and into her work clothes, barely having time to brush her teeth or comb her hair before dashing out the door. Later that evening, Emma and her best friend Nora decided to celebrate the end of the week with a night out at their favorite bar. "Cheers to the weekend!" Nora exclaimed as they clinked their glasses together. "I'm going to get so f****d up tonight!" Emma shouted, trying to be heard over the loud music. Nora smiled and nodded, knowing that Emma had been working hard and deserved a night to let loose. "Bring it on b***h!" she replied, raising her glass. "Oh my God! He's so hot!" Nora exclaimed, her eyes glued to her phone screen. "Who's hot?" Emma asked, leaning in to get a better look. "Who else than your middle school sweetheart, Dylan Fisher!" Nora replied, her eyes wide with excitement. "I can't believe you went to school with the youngest CEO in the country! He's more popular than a celebrity, and he's literally worshiped by young and old women alike!" Nora said, scrolling through the many photos of Dylan that were all over the internet. "Ugh, Nora. Do you have anything else to talk about besides your obsession with the most annoying and arrogant human on the planet?" Emma sighed, rolling her eyes. "But come on, he's so hot and rich! How come you guys never got together since middle school?" Nora protested. "We are from two different worlds, he’s up there, I’m down here and I love my life! b***h please, tonight is about us, not your silly crush!" Emma said, exasperated. "Fine," Nora huffed. After a few too many drinks, Emma and Nora were both pretty wasted. As Emma made her way to the bathroom, she bumped into a young man in a baseball cap. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she slurred. The man looked at her, gave a curt "sure," and turned to walk away. "Hey, wait!" Emma called after him. "Do you...want to get out of here?" she asked flirtatiously. The man turned back to face her, a smirk playing on his lips. ********** Emma awoke to the shrill beeping of her phone. As she groggily opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in a strange hotel room. The events of the previous night began to come back to her: she had met a man at the bar and left with him. Now, as she surveyed the room, she realized the man was nowhere to be found. But there was a stack of money on the nightstand with a note on top. In disbelief, Emma picked up the note and read, "Last night was fun, here's $3,000 for your service." "What the hell? Does he think I'm a p********e? That I'm some kind of call-girl? That I 'provided a service?'" Emma fumed, incensed by the note. But then, after a moment's thought, she went back into the hotel room and grabbed the money. "Well, he clearly has more money than sense," she muttered to herself as she left the room. The audacity of that man! She seethed all the way home.