“Haven't we met?” Jasmine’s pulse quickened as Olivia studied her. Would she remember? Would she call her out for their last encounter? Olivia hadn’t exactly been the easiest customer back then, and Jasmine had definitely lost patience with her attitude. Just as Olivia’s lips parted, about to say something, a voice called out, interruping. “Miss Jasmine?” Jasmine turned to see a retreat staff member standing a few feet away, her expression tense. She frowned, quickly pushing back the nerves Olivia had stirred. “Yes?” “I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s urgent.” Jasmine glanced at Georgia, who raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. She then looked back at the staff, nodding. “Alright.” With an apologetic glance at Olivia and the others, she stood and followed the staff member outside the café. The moment they stepped into the cold air, Jasmine’s heart rate picked up. “What’s the matter?” she asked. The staff member hesitated before speaking. “It’s about your fiancé, Mr Blackstone
Jasmine followed Chad as he walked into the retreat mansion. She didn't know whether to call it a mansion or hotel because as big as it was, it held at least thirty plus guests. The moment they stepped into the mansion they heard a voice coming through the speakers. "Attention all residents of the Reed's retreat, due to severe weather conditions, there is an official lockdown. No one goes out. Please remain indoors and follow all safety protocols given by staff until the storm clears." Whispers followed as the guest watched the snow fall outside, all looking confused by the sudden storm. Meanwhile, Jasmine glanced at Chad who she half expected some kind of reaction, but he paid no attention to the warning and continued walking. She ran after him as they reached their suite. He pushed the door open, stepped inside, and without hesitation, dropped his bags on the sofa. For a second, Jasmine thought he might actually stay. Maybe, this storm had forced him to slow down and face what
Jasmine was woken the next morning to the intercom announcing another shared festivity. She threw on a blue sweater, a scarf, and a warm coat before stepping out of her room. The hallways were quieter than usual, probably because guests were still asleep or reluctant to leave their cozy rooms with the storm raging outside. As she made her way down to the main hall, she looked outside, the snowstorm had only worsened overnight. The snow had already buried the ground long ago and even the pathways made it clear that no one was going anywhere anytime soon. She sighed, rubbing her arms. The room still had this freezing cold around it despite the multiple fireplaces. Five more days until Christmas, and instead of feeling festive, she felt trapped. The retreat was supposed to be a peaceful, luxury winter getaway. Something out of her normal boring life but instead it felt more like a cage. And Chad? Well, he wasn't making it any better. As usual, he was nowhere to be found. She didn’
Jasmine's heart was still racing as she searched the area. She didn't know what her next move would be but she had to act. After searching the highs and lows of the house she ended up back in her room but the moment she opened the door she saw Chad He was sitting at the edge of the bed lowering his head lost in thoughts. The lights in the room were turned off leaving the place dark. Frustration bubbled inside her. "Where have you been?" she demanded, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. "I've been looking for you all morning, Chad. People have started to suspect things." “Watch your tone.” He said coldly and she shivered for a second before continuing. "Are you even listening to me?" she crossed her arms. "We agreed to this arrangement, but you disappearing like this is making things worse. If you don’t want to be here, then why did you even bother?" Still, nothing. Jasmine clenched her jaw. "God, I don’t know why I even care anymore. Maybe because I'm the one stu
The retreat was as quiet as ever when Jasmine stepped out later that evening. But she didn't expect much—it was midnight, and the guests were all in their rooms. Well, all except for her. But how could she sleep, with her mind racing with a million and one thoughts? She continued her stride to the large windows, which revealed the falling snow. She couldn't help but admire it—she had loved the snow ever since she was young, and even now, it was just as beautiful. She moved closer, pulling off her glove and reaching for the window to feel its chill. Before her hand made contact with the glass, a voice spoke. "Lovely, isn't it?" Startled, she turned immediately, her chest hammering. Her eyes met warm brown ones. It was Jordan. She didn't know much about him, but judging by the way Chad looked at him, he was probably bad news. He took some steps closer, his eyes fixed on the falling snow outside. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said casually. “But you looked like you could use so
Chad spent the rest of the night thinking about the news he had gotten a few days ago. Peter had reported the investigation looking into his family's case had brought up some new suspicion about someone surviving the explosion. The very idea of someone surviving that fire that'd taken out almost the entire neighborhood made a shiver run down Chad’s spine. For years, he had accepted the brutal truth that his family was gone, wiped from existence in that fiery destruction. No bodies to bury, just ashes and the worst of all was that he couldn't even identify theirs. Now, after all this time, someone was claiming otherwise? He exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers against his temples. “Damn it.” His mind had been running with wild thoughts ever since then he needed to escape not just because of Jordan but because he didn't understand what exactly was going on and not so many miles away from the scene. Who? Who could have possibly survived? Peter had been only mentioning that certai
She pressed her hand over Chad's chest, trying to at least create an opening to slip past, but it was of no use. The man was as solid as a damn rock. But finally, he took the hint and stepped back, giving her enough space to slip past him. “I told you, it’s nothing,” she said quickly, reaching for the door. Chad didn’t stop her this time. “You’re a terrible liar,” he commented, and in the next minute, she was gone. ~••~ THE NEXT MORNING Jasmine and Chad were back in the lodge. After their awkward morning, they had managed to agree to keep up their fake relationship and well-played act. While they were here, they had to make sure no one caught the hint of pretense. Breakfast at the lodge was lively. Everyone was chatting over the freshly prepared meal. Jasmine had usually been the only one coming for breakfast, but now seeing Chad, a few of them were shocked. Jasmine and Chad sat together in the long dining hall. She didn't understand why everyone needed to have breakfast at on
Jasmine headed back to the lodge and the first thing that caught her attention was Georgia and Chad. Georgia was talking to him and she even saw her laughing at something he said, though Chad remained blank and emotionless. Pushing down whatever unusual feeling she felt, she approached them. “Georgia,” she greeted. Both Georgia and Chad turned to look at her. A smile appeared on Georgia's face or at least the previous one became wider. “Jasmine! Didn't think I'd see you here. I assume you won't be needing any lessons right?” She chuckled and Jasmine followed, though it wasn't genuine. Jasmine looped her arm through Chad’s and then looked back up at her. She saw the way Georgia's expression stiffened. “It's a hot tub, I couldn't miss it. Especially not under a weather this cold. “ “Same here.” She replied. I was just talking to Chad, have you guys met?” Jasmine smiled, deciding now was as good a time as any. “Yes, actually. Oh, let me formally introduce you. This is Chad,
Chad walked out of Ava suite taking a deep breath as the elevator door closed.He closed his eyes, his back pressing against the cold wall. It was his first one on one conversation with Ava since their breakup and he'd always avoided her cause he never knew how he'd cope with talking to her after all these years.His heart squeezed, the wall he'd built over it almost cracking.She was gone. The woman he'd love from all those years was gone and all he'd seen was just a selfish woman who just wanted something from him and was using tricks to get it. He could see right through her. The elevator door opened and so did his eyes. He was hurt but the feeling was slowly fading, being replaced with something ice-cold and frozen. He stepped out of the elevator and walked back to the guest wing. He'd been hoping to get something out of her but it was pointless, she wasn't going to tell him anything.It was already midnight when Chad arrived at his suite, he slowly opened his suite door walkin
Chad managed to keep calm just enough to avoid Jasmine asking any more questions that he wasn't in the mood to answer. Some part of him felt a disturbed feeling for the way he spoke to her but he shoved the feeling right back to where it came from. He couldn't afford to feel anything for anyone. Chad walked confidently through the halls, adjusting his suit as if to ready himself. He was going to speak to Ava, trying to find out what exactly what she was up to even when he had promised himself he'd never get involved with her again. It was still early evening, around 5pm but due to the cloud covering the sky it looked a few hours to midnight. Chad made his way to the other wing of the mansion–Ava’s wing. He pushed the elevator button and watched it close. He saw a staff member just outside the door looking like she wanted to protest against him stepping to this side of the mansion. Another staff member cut up to her before she opened her mouth and whispered something that made h
Curiosity kills the cat. That was what Jasmine had heard since she was growing up, yet the need to know what Ava was talking about kept biting her. She fiddled with her clothes, contemplating her next move, but then the room door suddenly opened, and Chad strolled to the wardrobe. She watched as he searched through the walls of perfectly hung shirts until he finally pulled out a small briefcase that looked like it could also pass as a box. Completely ignoring her presence, he unlocked it, and paper piles fell from it. Chad searched for half a minute, his usually expressionless face filling with concern. “Where is it?!” He said, his voice barely above a whisper as he swiped through it. After another minute he slammed it shut causing Jasmine to flinch a little. His frustration was clear and the usual calm and composed wall he wore was now replaced by raw unease. “What are you looking for?” she finally asked. Chad's mind was in his own business, completely oblivious to what Jasm
Jasmine's conversation with Georgia was the definition of pointless. She tries to get Georgia to say something about her and Jordan and why she'd been balling her eyes out because of him. After half an hour of trying to get her to feel comfortable enough to talk. Georgia ended up excusing herself, practically running out of the scene the moment she saw Jordan approached. She was very sure that wasn't how people were supposed to react when seeing their soon to be husband. Jasmine didn't bother waiting for him to speak and turned, walking away from him. She couldn't go back to the lodge, Chad was still there and after their kiss, she wasn't ready to be anywhere close to him yet. She moved wherever her feet could take and ended up on the other side of the mansion. Coming to think of it she'd never really been on this part of the house. It was a different area entirely, though it was painted in the same white and grey as the entire house, this part just looked different. Ahead of he
Ava restlessly paced back and forth in her private suite, anger boiling within her. The room was very massive, she had an entire floor to herself, isolated from the rest of the rooms in the mansion. It was just exactly the way she liked it. Exclusive. She'd thought that if she became sarce for a few days Chad would soften his heart towards her or at least chase after her but oh how wrong she had been. She wondered if Chad truly liked Jasmine and had forgotten about her completely. No, she couldn't let that happen; she still needed him. Ava picked the glass of pine juice that stood on the luxurious desk in the middle of her room. She took a sip of the juice and dropped the glass back down. Christmas was in two days and yet she still hadn't achieved the main purpose of the retreat. She had thought that if she stayed distant and played the devastated ex, Chad might come to his senses. Maybe even chase after her. But no. Instead, she had been forced to watch him kiss Jasmine. The e
Jasmine’s breath hitched as she stared at Chad, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. The tension between them was still very thick from their previous kiss. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to snap out of it. It was just a kiss, her very first but it was only to make their relationship believable. Nothing more. Chad still didn't say anything but his expression had gone back to its usual stoic self. His grip on her waist was firm, as if he wasn’t ready to let go just yet, jaw slightly tight, Something she didn’t have enough courage to even say. Jasmine forced a laugh, hoping to break the tension. “Well, that was fun.” Luckily for her, Chad snapped back to reality and his grip on her loosened and he stepped back. What was going on with him? He mentally scolded himself. It took a few seconds for him to finally find his voice but when he did, it was as sharp as ever. “You call that fun?” Jasmine lifted a brow, feigning nonchalance. “You’re welcome, by the way. Ava’s going
Jordan’s smirk deepened as he stepped closer, clearly enjoying himself. “Well, this is a surprise,” he mused, looking Chad up and down like he was sizing him up. “Didn’t think I’d run into you here.” Jasmine internally rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching. She'd just spoken to him a few hours ago and here he was pretending to know nothing. Chad didn’t reply. He simply stood there, his grip on her steadying as he looked anywhere but at Jordan. Jordan chuckled at the silence, rocking back on his heels. “Still the same, huh? Always the quiet type. Makes me wonder how you keep up in business when words are just as important as numbers.” Jasmine felt Chad’s grip tighten slightly. Jordan turned his attention to her, amusement flickering in his eyes. “And you, Jasmine. I have to say, I didn’t expect this.” He gestured between the two of them. “Mrs Blackstone—his fiancée? That’s new.” Although Chad didn't speak, he wondered how he knew her name and for a fleeting moment, he felt a wave of
Jasmine headed back to the lodge and the first thing that caught her attention was Georgia and Chad. Georgia was talking to him and she even saw her laughing at something he said, though Chad remained blank and emotionless. Pushing down whatever unusual feeling she felt, she approached them. “Georgia,” she greeted. Both Georgia and Chad turned to look at her. A smile appeared on Georgia's face or at least the previous one became wider. “Jasmine! Didn't think I'd see you here. I assume you won't be needing any lessons right?” She chuckled and Jasmine followed, though it wasn't genuine. Jasmine looped her arm through Chad’s and then looked back up at her. She saw the way Georgia's expression stiffened. “It's a hot tub, I couldn't miss it. Especially not under a weather this cold. “ “Same here.” She replied. I was just talking to Chad, have you guys met?” Jasmine smiled, deciding now was as good a time as any. “Yes, actually. Oh, let me formally introduce you. This is Chad,
She pressed her hand over Chad's chest, trying to at least create an opening to slip past, but it was of no use. The man was as solid as a damn rock. But finally, he took the hint and stepped back, giving her enough space to slip past him. “I told you, it’s nothing,” she said quickly, reaching for the door. Chad didn’t stop her this time. “You’re a terrible liar,” he commented, and in the next minute, she was gone. ~••~ THE NEXT MORNING Jasmine and Chad were back in the lodge. After their awkward morning, they had managed to agree to keep up their fake relationship and well-played act. While they were here, they had to make sure no one caught the hint of pretense. Breakfast at the lodge was lively. Everyone was chatting over the freshly prepared meal. Jasmine had usually been the only one coming for breakfast, but now seeing Chad, a few of them were shocked. Jasmine and Chad sat together in the long dining hall. She didn't understand why everyone needed to have breakfast at on