Denzel chuckled, shaking his head. "This is my game, Jared, you don't get to call the shots. Business first, sentiments later. Hand me the briefcase, and I'll let the kid go." I nodded and opened the briefcase, praying Denzel kept to his own bargain. With all he has done, I know he's not one to be
(ARIELLE’S POV) I sat huddled on the couch in the dimly lit living room downstairs, my heart pounding in my chest, my hands trembling so violently I could barely hold them still. Thirty hours. Thirty hours since the last time I saw my son, and I hadn’t slept a minute. Not a single second of rest
"Are you all right, baby?" He nodded, clinging to me tightly. "I was scared, Mama. But my Daddy came to rescue me," he said those last words, with a proud gleam in his eyes. "Your Daddy?" I couldn't help but ask, even though I knew he was probably referring to Jared. "Yes, the handsome man who w
ARIELLE'S POV) It's been days since the kidnap incident, and I'd been trying to move on, getting back to my life. Though the experience still lingered, I took preventive measures to ensure it didn't repeat itself. I’d taken the week off, leaving the restaurant in the capable hands of Stephan and
In the end, I settled on Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, Pizza Casserole, King Ranch Mac and Cheese. Comfort food. Neutral. At exactly 6 p.m., the doorbell rang. I wiped my hands on a towel, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Jared stood outside, a bottle of wine in his hand. "Hi," he beamed at me
(ARIELLE'S POV) Maverick’s curiosity was boundless, and Jared answered each of his questions with a patience that somehow irritated and intrigued me. But then Maverick dropped a bombshell. "Dad, will you stay the night?" Maverick asked, his eyes gleaming expectantly. Heat shot up my face, and
“What is your problem?” I muttered, hating the unsteadiness in my voice. “You need to leave.” His grip loosened, but his eyes searched mine, dark and unreadable. “Arielle,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. “All I’m asking for is a chance. Let me prove it to you. To him.” I shook my hea
(ARIELLE'S POV) I stood, frozen, my mind still reeling from Jared's revelation. The hell? Jared Smith, the ever-composed billionaire, suddenly broke and homeless? It didn’t add up. Especially not with his influential family in the wings. What kind of game was he playing this time? The toothbrush
“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