(Aiden’s POV)“Son, let’s talk,” Dad said, grabbing my arm when I tried to follow Jessamine and my son.I blinked the tears away, meeting Theodore Knight’s eyes. He lifted his brows, not uttering a word. Instead, he nudged his head, pointing at the apartment’s small living room. He released my arm, walked calmly, and sat on the single sofa.“What are you doing here?” I gritted my teeth, sitting on the loveseat, but my eyes were pinned on the bedroom door.“She’s not going anywhere, Adam,” he glanced at the door, then returned his gaze to me.I believed him. I was sure he would do anything in his power to make Jessamine stay, and not because he wanted her for me, but because of his grandson. When Kyle was born, I was ecstatic about finally having my heir. Although I never considered following this stupid Knight’s tradition, I could not deny the pride of having a son the first time I held him in my arms.“Why are you here?” I asked again, clenching my fists.He scoffed. “Why are you her
(Aiden’s POV)Will and Jeanne were included in the list of my father’s best bodyguards, and being Theodore Knight’s only son, their job was to keep me safe 24/7. For the past ten years, they never failed to protect me. I could not even escape on their watch.When Kyle was born, I told them I was no longer their primary concern but my son. They understood the task as they knew how important Kyle was to me as I was to my father. Today, although Will said Jeanne was following the taxi, my confidence in their abilities waned.“What do you mean you saw her getting into a taxi?” My heart battered in my chest as I dashed toward the bedroom.As if my world collapsed, my legs wobbled, and my body shivered in fear, seeing an empty bedroom. Not even Charlie was there to alert me that they would leave. I had to think faster, not wanting Jessamine to go through emotional despair. She had just given birth. And since yesterday, I did nothing but cause her too much pain, and the best thing she needed
(Aiden’s POV)“Argh!”I groaned; the throbbing pain in my jaw and around my eye pulled me out of unconsciousness. They said you would see stars or time would stop, making you see everything around you in seconds, but that did not happen to me.Everything went dark.I squeezed my eyes shut when everything seemed blurry and slowly opened them again. I moaned, squinting, wondering where I was and recollecting what happened. Even though I had been an asshole around women in the past… that was if I had been… no one dared hurt me because women liked my company, and I was heavily guarded. No one messes with Adam Knight, and I didn’t need to do that since I was treated royalty wherever I went. “Argh!” I tried to get up, but Colleen sat on the couch, pushing me back.“Here! I don’t want you to think we’re irresponsible like you.” Colleen frowned deeply, shoving the ice pack on my cheek.“Ouch!” I snarled quietly, snatching the cold compress from her.As if it was an automatic response, Will
(Aiden’s POV)“I don’t ever want to know him.”I never realized how sharp those words were until I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. My heart cried in extreme pain, realizing my best friend had disowned me. Jessamine did not look at me again. As if I did not exist, she walked toward her mother, took our son from her after Benedict cleaned her wound, and sat on her old bed. She kissed his tiny hand and murmured she was sorry that his father was dead.“Mr. Knight,” Will said, his voice apologetic as he called me.“What?” I asked without looking at him.“Your father called, asking you to return home,” he informed me in his low voice as if they could not hear him.Sonia flickered her eyes on my bodyguard but kept her lips pressed. She turned her back and talked to Benedict quietly. Benjamin had always been on my side, but like his wife, he was quiet and stared sadly at her daughter. Unexpectedly, it was Colleen who approached me, anchoring her arm on mine and tugging me out of her si
(Aiden’s POV)“I can’t talk right now, Xavier,” I muttered, almost in a hushed tone.My eyes flickered on Aaron and Sasha, who were eyeing me curiously. I sighed and leaned my head on the backrest, squeezing my eyes shut as I wondered whether I should ask Sasha to call our lawyer. “If that’s what Jessamine wants…”I sighed, thinking hard. What does Jessamine want? Doesn’t she want to hear my side? Will she ever forgive me? But what do I want? I breathed again, unsure of what I wanted at the moment. More questions popped into my mind, making me dizzy and hurting as it still led to one thing – I lied and took advantage of my best friend. “Let’s talk as soon as I return. I had a meeting in a minute,” Xavier said and paused.I am sure he is waiting for me to say more, but as soon as he returns from his business trip and visits Jessamine, he will know everything. Knowing Xavier as a protective friend and more like a brother to Jessamine, he will not let this pass and would never help m
(Aiden’s POV) “You?” Aaron’s brows clumped together. His mouth half-opened, and it took a while before words came out. “You did… What?”“I told you already. I assaulted -”He groaned, shaking his head as if he did not understand what I said.“I heard that part, Adam.” Aaron stood up and stepped toward my table. “What I don’t understand is how it happened.”Aaron arched his eyebrows and crossed his arms to his chest while waiting for my answer.My pressed lips twitched, unsure of other ways to explain what happened without going through the details. I didn’t want to put Jessamine in a problematic situation because she was drunk and drugged that night. I was supposed to be the hero, her Knight in shining armor, saving her from James.I opened my mouth but closed it again when the door opened. Sasha entered the room quietly, placing the coffee cups on the table, but seeing me shutting my mouth drew skepticism to her face. She glanced at me, then at her husband, who pressed his lips tigh
(Jessamine’s POV) I stared out the window, wondering what time it was. Earlier, Dad mentioned fixing the lights in the backyard. At first, it confused me, wanting to ask what was wrong with the lights, but as the sun was about to set, the dark backyard garden greeted me.Colleen said my bedroom had the best view, overlooking what I called an overemphasized backyard garden. Whenever I opened the curtain, I could see the colorful flowering plants and shrubs invading the backyard with pink, white, yellow, and red colors and the tree house where Aiden and I used to play.I used to love the sight of it, and as the dark ate the garden view, my heart ached, crying in silence and wishing Aiden had not returned home. I would not have lost my best friend.When Aiden lost consciousness after Benedict hit him, my heart faltered, and I panicked when he did not wake up. My instinct was to rush to him, but Charlie’s bark reminded me of what he had done, stopping me from running to his side. The fam
(Jessamine’s POV) “What?” I gaped, tiny sobs escaping my mouth.The anger and bitterness inside me were about to erupt, so I clenched my fists hard, not caring about the envelope I held. I was afraid that my emotions would overflow and end up hurting the woman I thought had changed. “How dare you not tell me, Mom!” I growled, gritting my teeth and placing my fists to my side, scared my hand would land on my mother’s cheek.She snickered, walking past me and opening the main door, glancing and silently telling our unwanted guest to leave the house, but Jeanne glued her foot to where she was standing.My nostrils flared in anger and annoyance at her, and maybe she realized I would not utter even a single word, so she placed her hands up in the air and sighed resignedly.“If you think I know about it before then, you’re wrong. Teddy visited me in my office the other day, telling me everything about his son,” she answered, throwing her hand in the air.My pursed lips trembled as I tri