Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband-Chapter 284: Hiding

Serena sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, tapping her fingers against the side of the table. She couldn’t believe she was still searching for him—the very man who had, just moments ago, beckoned her closer, only to vanish without a trace. It wasn’t as if she cared all that much, or so she told herself, but something about his sudden disappearance didn’t sit right with her. It nagged at the back of her mind, making it impossible to focus on her meal.

And so here she was, out on the street, looking around, hoping to catch sight of him, but the street was disappointingly empty.

Just as she was about to take a few steps forward, her breath caught. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction. Her brother.

Serena barely suppressed a groan. Of all people, why did it have to be him? If he saw her now, he would start asking questions about why she was avoiding him and knowing him, he wouldn’t stop until he got answers. Answers she wasn’t in the mood to give.

Without a second thought, she spun on her heel and darted toward the nearest alleyway. She didn’t care how desperate it looked—she was not about to let him catch her. No way in hell. Why did he think she was coming to this restaurant for breakfast and not returning until she was dead tired? She didn’t want to talk to him. Not when he insisted on not listening to her.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was that the moment she took a few hurried steps into the narrow passage, a strong hand would latch onto her wrist. Before she could react, she was yanked forward with enough force to send her stumbling straight into a solid chest.

Her instincts kicked in instantly and she was ready to elbow the man and break free, but just as she raised her hand to strike, she caught sight of his face.

She stilled.

Ah. So it was him. The same man. The one who had beckoned her closer before vanishing into thin air.

"The Pied Piper?" The words left her lips before she could stop them, her voice carrying in the quiet space between them.

The man’s lips curled into an amused smirk, his grip on her wrist loosening slightly. That was when she realized, with a sharp jolt of horror, that she hadn’t just thought the ridiculous nickname—she had said it out loud.

Oops.

Before she could even begin to feel embarrassed, he moved. In one swift motion, he pulled her further into the shadows of a recessed alcove, pressing her back against the cool brick wall.

She frowned and tried to resist," What are you doing?"

"Helping you hide from your brother," He answered. But she was so nervous with his closeness that she did not even hear what he said. Or she would have realized that this man seemed to know her and her brother.

She was distracted with the way his arms had caged her in, hands braced on either side of her head, effectively trapping her. And his scent. Everything about this man was just too attractive.

"Pied Piper?" he mused as he tilted her head "An interesting choice." His gaze flickered over her face, studying her reaction. "The Pied Piper lured children away with his hypnotic music. Tell me..." His smirk deepened as he leaned in ever so slightly. "Do you think I’m hypnotic?"

However, just as he moved his hand to caress her face, she glimpsed the wedding ring on his hand and stiffened.

Well, the name might have slipped out, but she was no fool to pander to this man’s ego, especially a married man. She pushed at him and when he did not budge, she lifted her foot to knee him. But before her knee could connect with its mark, he caught her and moved closer to her," I knew you would pull this. You used to call me Ice man and now you’re calling me Pied Piper. So, who am I?"

However, just as he lifted his hand to caress her face, a glint of gold caught her eye. Her breath hitched. A wedding ring.

For a moment, she simply stared at it, her mind racing to process what it meant. Then, like a bucket of ice-cold water poured over her head, clarity struck.

The name might have slipped out in a moment of distraction, but she was no fool. She had no intention of feeding this man’s ego—especially not when he was clearly married. Disgust curled in her stomach. Whatever game he thought they were playing, she wanted no part of it.

With renewed determination, she shoved at his chest, trying to put some much-needed distance between them. He didn’t budge. Not even an inch.

Annoyance flared within her. Fine. If he wasn’t going to move, she’d make him.

Without hesitation, she lifted her knee, aiming for the part he probably used to think. If a polite rejection wouldn’t work, then maybe pain would.

But before her knee could connect, his hand shot out, catching her leg just in time. With infuriating ease, he shifted his stance and moved even closer, pressing her back against the wall as his hand caught her below the knee, so one of her leg was still lifted in the air.

His lips quirked in amusement. "I knew you’d pull something like this." His voice was low, edged with something dangerously close to familiarity. "You used to call me ’Ice Man,’ and now I’m the ’Pied Piper.’" His fingers tightened just slightly around her wrist, as if grounding her in the moment. Then, tilting his head, he murmured, "So, tell me... who am I?"

Serena stilled. She knew this man? And she used to call him Iceman? Who could she be..."You’re Aiden Hawk."

He smiled then and the hand on his leg tightened as she saw his eyes flicker with joy," So you do remember me? I thought..."

Serena shook her head, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just avoided her brother, only to end up in the hands of a man who wanted to kill her. " You tried to kill me."

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m