(ARIELLE’S POV) "I didn't know how to tell you," I said softly. "It wasn’t something I hid on purpose. I was afraid of how the academy might react if they found out I was pregnant. I wasn't sure if they would still accept me." Dwayne’s expression grew somber, his eyes filled with a mixture of unde
****Three years later**** "And the overall best graduating student and winner of this year's $100,000 scholarship grant is Arielle Meyers!" I gasped at the announcement, unable to believe the event anchor's words. It was not only after the hall erupted in applause, and people were glancing at me
(ARIELLE’S POV)I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, and when I looked at Dwayne, he was already watching me, amusement dancing in his emerald eyes. His smile was slow, almost teasing, as if he enjoyed how flustered I’d become.“Um,” I stammered, regaining a bit of composure. “Maverick, baby, ca
(JARED'S POV) "Come on Sofia, we'll be late," I called out. It was a Sunday evening, and we were preparing to leave for my mum's place for dinner. Since the return of Sofia's parents, Mum had made it a ritual that we all had dinner with the Golds at her place every Sunday. As much as I would rat
(ARIELLE’S POV) "Can we talk?" Dwayne's deep voice came through the phone. I paused for a moment, before responding, "Sure." "I don't mean at your place. At a restaurant or somewhere outdoors." "That's fine," I responded. "Alright, I'll come pick you up in two hours." "Alright," I said, and th
(Arielle’s POV) I was genuinely touched by his kind words, and tears welled up in my eyes in gratitude. Before I could stop myself, I was up on my feet, hugging him." "Dwayne," I whispered, my voice trembling. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close. " You don't have to thank me. These are w
(JARED’S POV) "The greatest pain of love is the pain of its loss, and the greatest loss is the loss of self." I sighed and tore my gaze from the quote in the book I have been forcing myself to read for minutes now. It's funny how it resonates so well with my current state of life. Sighing aga
(JARED'S POV) After Sofia left, I managed to get hold of my phone and went online, my eyes scanning the numerous headlines. "Billionaire caught drunk at a local bar," "High society's latest scandal." And with each headline, a picture of me half stumbling was attached. My chest twisted in growing a
“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