MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

My eyes trailed after Sofia as she rose from the table. The sudden twist of plans had taken a very hard toll on her and I knew she'd gone into the bathroom to pour out her heart.

I almost felt bad for her. Almost. But the air in the room was growing unbearably awkward, and I needed to leave as soon as possible. I quickly nudged Ashley in the side, silently signaling that it was time to go.

"We'll be taking our leave now," I said and kicked back my seat. Ashley followed suit and picked up her purse from the table.

"Oh... but we're not done speaking yet, my dear," Mrs. Smith said nicely.

"Yes, we don't know if we have your blessing yet," Tiana chimed in, her wide eyes looking at me innocently. She put her hand on Jared's on the table and I could see an unmistakable restraint- just the tiniest bit- from Jared. For a moment, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of annoyance. Tiana reminded me of a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.

I pushed the feeling aside and forced a smile. "I don't owe Jared anything. And he doesn't owe me. You don't owe me anything either so I don't think I owe you my blessings. And frankly, I don't think it's of much consequence to either of you." I saw the blood rush up to her face even though she struggled to keep her smile intact.

"Thanks for the meal, Mrs. Smith. We'll speak with you on a later date about the arrangements for my friend's family business," I nodded to Jared's mother.

"Of course. As long as my terms are met, Arielle. Your car's around the corner. A guard will hand you the keys on your way out. Take care of yourself," Mrs. Smith said.

"Take care of yourself too," I said and turned around to leave. A thick set man, nearly as tall as the pillars of the house, was waiting outside to give us my car keys.

"I didn't ruin anything in your little car," he reassured with a playful wink as he handed the keys over to me. I nodded in embarrassment and walked over to my car.

"What a day," Ashley sighed as she went around to the passenger side. I unlocked the car doors and just as I was about to open the driver's side and step in, I felt a sharp grip on my wrist.

I looked up to find Jared and a wave of goosebumps sprouted along the length of my arm. His face was set in thin bard lines and his eyes were determined and dangerous.

"Hey!" I screamed in unison with Ashley who'd jumped down from the car and was coming around to help.

"Come with me," he said and forcefully pulled me off the car with an ease that replaced my fear with irritation.

"Let me go!" I protested with great struggle. But Jared wasn't moved by my little slaps and scratches. He didn't seem fazed by any of it.

"Hey! Jared, let her go! Let her go, you bloody psycho!" Ashley screamed from behind and rushed to my aid. She threw a series of rapid punches on his back and that seemed to catch his attention.

He turned around and sneered at Ashley like a dangerous animal and she stood back momentarily, her stance now hesitant.

"Jared, you're hurting me.. If you don't let me go..," I squirmed as I tried to break free from his vice-like grip.

Jared pulled me into himself, holding me close to his body against my protest and he looked into my eyes with raw intent. His voice went low as he bent to speak. "We have to talk, Arielle. That's all I wanna do. Stop fighting." "Hey," Ashley snapped from behind. "If you don't let her go this instant, I'll ...," she threatened.

Jared turned around sharply, his face set in an ice cold glare. "If you don't get away from us, you can as well kiss your uncle's business goodbye. Trust me. I don't bluff. Think I'd listen to my mum? You're joking," he said. Ashley stood still, her face clouded in uncertainty as she sized Jared up. She had her fists clenched by her sides and her chest rose and fell heavily with effort.

"It's okay, Ash. I'll take care of this. Just wait by the car." I said. "Come on, go," I repeated when she remained standing.

"Don't try anything stupid," she said as a final warning before turning around with a loud scoff.

Once Ashley had exited the garden, I used the diversion to wrench my wrist free from Jared's grip.

"What the hell do you want from me, Jared?" I snapped sharply.

Standing alone with him, I felt a myriad of emotions, some of which I was certain I shouldn't feel. But my chest was constantly constricting with an undeniable ache.

Was it jealousy? I waved it off and squared my shoulders, my chin high up with resolve.

"Well congratulations on your engagement with Tiana. She's pretty and sophisticated. Just as you like," I said with a sarcastic smile.

Jared stiffened at my words. I could see the veins on his temple glide over each other as he gritted his teeth. There was something else. Something underlying beneath his expression. But I couldn't quite place it. Was he hurt by my words? What right did he have to feel hurt?

(JARED'S POV)

I studied Arielle's features, resisting the urge to hold her close to myself again. I'd be lying to myself If I tried to deny how much I enjoyed her fighting in my arms, just the feel of her skin against mine. A little smile crossed my lips at the memory. "Are you gonna start speaking any time soon?" Ashley queried. I got so lost in the way her hair bounced off her shoulders along with the hoops she wore on her ears.

It looked like a piece of poetry.

"You look stunning," I muttered.

Her face was drawn out in a look of incredulity. "Are you serious right now? Why did you hold me back, Jared? Why am I here?" Arielle queried.

"I'm leaving," she threatened and made to walk past me. But I held her back and pulled her around gently.

"Okay.. I'll talk now," I said and

searched her eyes before speaking again. "So the truth is... ever since Sofia came back into my life, I've had this weird feeling y'know. Like there's something off. I knew she'd ultimately wanna get back with me. But didn't want to hurt her again. I've learned the repercussions of that the hard way," I paused to search her eyes. But she lookednovelbin

away and I knew I'd struck a nerve.

I'd known right from the start that Sofia planned to reconcile with me. So I struck a deal with Tiana- to invest in her father's business while she saved me from hurting Sofia again. In all honesty, Arielle was the biggest factor in all of the arrangements. I'd reasoned that since Sofia and Tiana had grown up together, Sofia would be hesitant to hurt her and at the same time her focus would be inadvertently moved away from Arielle.

Besides, the arrangement with Tiana was purely contractual as we'd grown up together and she considered me family. She'd also mentioned that she was with someone so we knew right from the start there'd be no feelings attached.

On another hand, I was secretly

investigating the spy in my company. I didn't trust Mr. Langley for all the bond we claim to share and I suspected he had a hand in the activities of the spy. I was ultimately spying on Tiana myself. I couldn't be too sure she wasn't involved in the same whole scheme. The investment plan was just a scheme to get someone on the insides of Langley and Co.

Ashley's uncle's business was merely collateral damage- nothing intentional. Thadn't been lying when I told her that at lunch. But all of it was redeemable and my mother had stepped in to reason with me already. I'd only threatened her to

get some privacy with Arielle.

"Tiana's just a ruse to get Sofia off my back. You must trust me. I just... I just care what you think about all of it. Are you cool with it?" I asked.

She narrowed her eyes at me and I could feel the anger rippling off her. "Are you asking me that right now, Jared? What does it matter to you what I think? Are you doing this to get me jealous?" she ranted.

"No. Far from that, Ari. Look, I know what all of this is about. It's about the incident at the club, yeah?" I said.

She didn't say a word, looking away.

"I'm not stupid, Arielle. You... you caught me saying a lot of dumb things. But I swear, it was the alcohol talking. Not me. You've gotta believe me," I reassured her.

"Of course. You'll blame it on the alcohol. Why should I ever trust anything that comes out of your mouth?" she fired back, her face a picture of pain and hurt.

"Because I love you!" I blurted out before I could think twice.

"What?" she asked, looking genuinely flustered.