Chapter 42Greg Benedict had openly admitted his interest in Jess. In addition to that, he declared himself Gavin’s rival when he stepped into his house to threaten him.“You won’t see me coming,” Greg smirked, his eyes filled with mischief as he turned to leave.Gavin stood there, his mind reeling at the audacity. As the door slammed shut, Gavin let out a soft, breath. “That brazen lunatic.” He muttered, loosening his tie. He slumped into the couch, the exhaustion and the remnants of his hangover rushed in sinking him deeper into the plush couch. In no time, sleep took over. Meanwhile, Jess had been pacing their bedroom. She was restless and uneasy.She and Gavin had just made up, and now Greg showed up and complicated everything. What was he thinking, coming here?Instinctively, she searched for her phone, only to remember that it was still with Gavin.“Is Greg gone?” She wondered, carefully pulling the door open. She peered into the hallway and when she didn’t hear any voice
“Ryan?” Jess repeated under her breath. What was there to talk about? She had been expecting to talk about Greg. Actually, she was going to apologize to him.As they each took their seats at the table, Jess reached for a glass of water— hoping to cleanse her mind from the lingering flashes of her steamy dream— and to calm her nerves.Across from her, Gavin sat quietly, his eyes fixed on her, deep in thoughts.He had done all these to protect her from knowing the truth but seeing Greg today made him realize that they couldn’t have any secrets between them, it would sink their ship.While Gavin was searching for the best way to tell her what was going on, Jess shifted uncomfortably, squirming under the intensity of his gaze. “Jess,” Gavin finally broke the silence between them, his voice both serious and tender.“Huh?” Jess looked up.“There’s been some talk going around about our relationship…” “If this is about Greg, I swear, I didn’t do anything with him. I didn’t tell him anythi
The internet went wild. Wilder than Gavin expected. The story was a cliche, yet why were many people so intrigued by it? Why were they so interested in it? Ryan cackled to himself, while the internet was on fire, he was benefitting. He had gained more recognition as the ‘poor boy’ while Gavin and Jess suffered. Where ever they went, hushed voices and whispered gossips followed them. Even in Gavin’s company. He had only come to work to close a deal. His workers treated him with respect as usual, but as soon as he turned his back, they were gossiping and whispering. Conversations stopped whenever he walked into the room. Glances were exchanged. The gossips wasn’t just on the internet, it had spread across his office too.Gavin clenched his jaw all day, wondering if Jess was having a better day. Meanwhile, Jess was mortified. At the grocery store where she was buying some food for the house, people weren’t taking it lightly with her. They were calling her names to her face.“Ho
Gavin jolted out of his multi-billion company, his ass on fire, eager to make Ryan pay for the emotional damage he’d caused his wife. But more importantly, he was eager to spend time with Jess. The idea of going on a trip, taking pictures— just behaving like absolutely normal couples for once had him really excited. It wasn’t a thing he had planned before, but now thinking about it, he had always wanted to do things like that with Jess. “Damn you, Ryan.” He cussed under his breath, “but thank you.” He slammed his car door shut, stepping on the gas like he was on paw patrol. Gavin could think of nothing else but the look on Jessie’s face when he would tell her about the idea to end this ugly drama. Unexpectedly, his phone rang. He glanced at the displayed screen and seeing Jessie’s number made his heart leap. He answered it and Jessie’s voice sounded through the speakers “Hello,” she began. Gavin’s excitement shifted. Her voice was shaky and heavy like someone who had be
How could people be so hateful without knowing the full story? she asked herself for the umpteenth time. But most importantly, how could Gavin have the same approach to every scandal? Five years ago, when Candace dragged him for cheating and taking advantage of a drunk girl, Gavin ignored it until he could shut their mouths by becoming a billionaire. Jessie wondered if he was adamant to fight back or if he was just playing safe. She hated the chaos of this whole scandal. Just like her appetite, she had lost sleep and peace from the day Ryan had decided to spread false rumors about them, but it was a wonder that Gavin, laying right next to her was soundly asleep. Jess heaved a deep sigh, as she turned, backing him. Her mind relentlessly drifted to her experience at the grocery store. She tried to block their voices away but the harder she tried, she felt like she was losing her mind. In the dark of the night, Jessie sought solace in the happy memories of her childhood but
For a moment, Jess allowed herself to relax. The morning was perfect for a meal of waffles and coffee, reading an old newspaper about haunted houses in the fifties while occasionally raising your gaze to take in the view by the window. She had began to forget about the gossips and uglies, leaning into the warmth of Gavin's presence and the reassuring plan that Ryan would get what he deserved. She was beginning to forget the world outside. Then came a knock. It was quiet at first, just a soft tap at the door. Gavin frowned, sitting up slightly as Jessie's gaze flicked from the gloves to the door, her expression shifting from calm to worry. "Maybe room service?" Gavin said, his words a way of reassuring her that they were far from the chaos. "But did you order something?" Jess asked, her voice uncertain. Gavin shook his head, already rising from his seat. "No, I'll go check." Jess watched as he moved towards the door, her heart rate rising. They hadn't told anyone where
Jessie could feel her heart rate rising, increasing. Gavin was offering her another shot? And he was doing it so sweetly, so sincerely. She moved her lips to speak but her breath hitched in her throat instead. "I know I haven't been the best husband," He continued, "But I'm willing to try." A small smile slipped on her face, her eyes uncontrollably dreamy as she locked gazes with him. "Let's do that," she said quietly, "Another shot sounds good." Gavin reached for her hand on the table, and gave it a gentle squeeze.. "It's gone cold," Jess chuckled, looking at their breakfast. "That's not good," Gavin replied, chuckling too. "So the staff that came gave me a long list of fun things we can do, what would you like to do first?" "We have skydiving, swimming, hiking, picking apples..." "Picking apples?!" he re-echoed as if he hadn't heard himself before. "How is that a fun thing?" "I want to try it" Jessie teased, "Who knows I might find it fun." Gavin snapp
Candace barged into Ryan's office. She had been calling him for ages and he had been actively ignoring her calls. She was furious. As the door slammed shut behind her, Ryan shot to his feet, hand in pocket, bracing himself to face her squarely. "You spineless idiot!" Candace roared, "I knew your plan would backfire, what were you thinking using the whole ex card?!" "It was fun while it lasted. I had a satisfying few days." "huh!" Candace scoffed, "Now I can see why she left you. You're so small minded, you're satisfied with little wins. It's shameful." "It is also shameful that you're still pining for your married ex boyfriend. Let's not run a test of who is more pathetic." Ryan shot right back, his eyes flaring with anger. "I can also see why Gavin cheated on you, you feel you're better than everyone else when you're barely anything!" Candace's eyes darkened, her lips pressed into a thin line, "What did you just say to me?" she asked, her voice a low, yet heavy growl