(ARIELLE'S POV) The day after a hangover was always brutal—a not-so-gentle reminder that I wasn’t as young as I used to be. As I worked at the restaurant, my back ached in that relentless way it always did these days. When I left, Ashley was still asleep, even snoring a little. Poor thing; she’s r
(ARIELLE’S POV) "Arielle, are you alright?" A voice asked, tapping my shoulder. I instantly jolted back to reality to find Rebecca standing by my side, a worried look on her face. "Yes, of course. Why?" She gave me a look that was both sympathetic and full of concern, her eyes soft. "You’ve
Something felt off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. "I’ll just check with his school," I muttered to myself, trying to reassure myself that there was some logical explanation. But as I pulled out of the driveway and made the short drive to the school, my nerves only seemed to escalate. What
(JARED'S POV) I had just wrapped up a virtual meeting and was about to dive back into work when Arielle’s call flashed across my screen. The unexpected sight of her name made my heart skip a beat. There was a flicker of hope. Stupid, maybe, considering how firmly she’d shut me out before, but I co
“Do it now!” I snapped at the principal, before turning back to Arielle. She was pale, and her hands were trembling—cold, almost lifeless in mine. I held her tighter, trying to calm her, but the words didn’t come out as I’d hoped. "He’ll be fine," she whispered, but it was a lie she was telling he
(JARED’S POV) Denzel Hernandez. The name hit me like a punch to the gut. The last person I wanted to hear from, not when my world was already falling apart. My grip on the phone tightened as anger surged through me—why the hell was he calling now? "Look, I don't know how you got my number, but I
I had no time to waste. "Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll sign over the shares. Just don’t hurt him." "Good. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse on 5th and main. Come alone, and with the documents." "And Maverick?" "He'll be waiting for you. Unharmed...for now." "Don't hurt him," I warned. "Don't involve
(JARED'S POV) The engine of my car hummed, my heart churning with dread. I was leaving the city, its bustling ambience now gradually swallowed by the deserted path that led to the warehouse. As I drew nearer, my grip on the steering wheel tightened. This whole thing still didn’t feel right. Some
“I won’t be long in the shower,” he promised as he dashed into the bathroom. I picked up my phone and found a couple of missed calls from Michael Langley. A little frown crossed my face until I realized he might’ve worried after checking on me at my suite. I didn’t owe him any explanations of cours
(ARIELLE’S POV) I was awake—eyes closed, but very much aware of my surroundings. I could feel the gentle early morning breeze dance over my skin as it traveled across the room. The warmth of Jared’s skin against mine, his spring arms wrapped around me like a second blanket, brought back very vivid
(MICHAEL’S POV) I was on a zoom conference call with my strategy team back home when my phone rang. Normally, I’d just ignore it and let it ring out until whoever it was on the other end got the message. But when I looked at the caller ID, I thought better. “Jared. Is everything okay?” I asked my
“That bounce in his step? You’ll only ever find it in a man who’s in love. And you.. your skin has a different glow this morning. Plus you arrived an hour late for our appointment,” Ellen finished with a shrug. “Morning, Dr. Keystone,” Jared nodded as he walked into the room. “Good morning, Mr. Sm
(ARIELLE’S POV) I woke up in his arms, this time, fully aware and hardly willing to break the contact between our bodies. I slowly turned around to look at his face, to be sure none of it was a dream. Jared’s lips stretched in a smile and his eyes peeled open gradually. “Hey,” he said. “Hey,” I e
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words died away in the back of her throat the moment I slid myself into her. It felt like heaven. It felt like returning back to a place I’d vowed never to set foot in, only to realize I’d never really left in my heart—if I was being honest with myself. She
(JARED'S POV) When we arrived at the hotel, Arielle insisted on stopping by her room first for a quick shower and to change her dress. I didn’t object because I thought I could use the time to surprise her with a little culinary adventure. The poor chicken I put in the oven would have fared better
(JARED’S POV) It was all I could think about for most of the day. And I feared it bothered her somewhat too. It didn’t help my case the slightest bit that she built a wall between us, pushing me off every time I tried to broach the topic. Of course I knew that had to be the reason—our adventure of
“Sorry about that. I just wanted to go through everything we have to do first,” Julian explained, earning a little roll of the eyes from his ex-wife. I was glad that I didn’t need to be sedated for the tests they were about to conduct. Something about lying still and unconscious again with no defin