(Emily’s POV).“You are free to go around as long as Arthur is with you. He will be your guide, and please, come back to the hotel in the evening. I have to meet with my clients.”Those were Mike's words to me as he stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his suit jacket with a quick glance. He was already dressed, the sharp lines of his navy suit making him look even more commanding than usual. I reached out and gently tugged at his tie, fixing it for him.“I’ll be fine,” I said, giving him a soft smile. "Maybe I’ll try to see some of the malls around here. It’s not every day I get to explore Paris."Mike looked at me with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Just remember, the credit card is in your hand, and I topped up the balance yesterday."I blinked in surprise, laughing softly. "You topped it up? Mike, I barely even shop. You know that."He gave me a half-smirk and shook his head. "Exactly, that’s why I want you to enjoy this time. You’re here, you deserve to spoil yourself. B
(Emily’s POV).“I’m enjoying my time while you’re in meetings, Mike,” I said with a playful smile, twirling my fork in my hand as I sat across from him at a cozy little restaurant in the heart of Paris. It was one of those places you wouldn’t find unless you were a local or someone who knew their way around the hidden gems of the city. The candlelight flickered between us, casting a soft glow on his face, making him look even more handsome than usual.Mike raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a teasing smile. “Does that mean you like it when I’m not around?” he asked, fishing for a reaction while teasing me in that charming way he always did.I leaned in, gently placing my hand on his cheek, feeling the slight stubble beneath my fingertips. “It’s not like that,” I replied softly, shaking my head with a smile of my own. “I mean, I really enjoyed today. I wasn’t bored. Because if you’re in meetings, and I’m just stuck in the hotel, especially in Paris, I’d feel confused and rest
(Mike's POV)."I want to work with you, Mike."Ben's words hung in the air, sharp and unexpected. I glanced at him, standing there in a neatly pressed suit, looking every bit the picture of sincerity. His face, usually marked with that arrogant edge I’d grown accustomed to, now appeared almost humble—if I could even believe that.We had just returned to New York, and I had hoped for some quiet time with Emily, our son, and the normalcy we desperately craved after everything. But life, especially when it involved Ben, never seemed to allow for peace. And here he was, standing in my office, acting like a changed man. I had to admit, on the surface, he looked the part. He was well-groomed, composed, and not the reckless person who had caused so much damage to Emily in the past. But people like Ben didn’t change overnight, and I wasn’t naive enough to forget everything that had happened between him and Emily. How could I?"How can I trust your seriousness, Ben?" I asked, my voice low
(Mike's POV)."Let him work for your company."That was what Emily said to me while we were lounging on the couch, the soft hum of the city outside our window, and the steady rhythm of our breathing filling the quiet. I looked at her, her face calm, as if she hadn't just dropped that bombshell so casually."Are you sure?" I asked, my voice coming out more strained than I intended. She glanced at me, her eyes soft but unwavering. Emily wasn't the type to speak without thinking things through, but Ben—in my company? It felt like a violation, like opening the door for a storm we had just barely survived.She nodded, her fingers tracing small circles on the arm of the couch. "Yeah, I'm sure." Her voice was steady, but I could see the flicker of something behind her eyes—maybe the ghosts of the past, maybe something else, but she hid it well."But not anything special," she added quickly, her tone shifting. "Put him at the bottom, not an office boy or anything, but just... a regular em
(Emily's POV).“Ouch!” I bumped into someone and then when I looked, it turned out to be my ex-fiancé. Ben and I looked at each other but then I remembered that I was in my husband's office. My arrival this time was a necessity because there was a project that required me as Mike's wife to be present. “Watch out your way,” I said coldly. It didn't matter if I sounded rude, but that's what I was supposed to do since I realized he was hurting me. “How are you, Emily?” As soon as he asked, without even apologizing, I just walked away. I sighed before reaching Mike's room and went inside after knocking on his door. “Hey,” I greeted with a smile. Mike greeted me, hugging me. “I'm sorry I can't pick you up, Love.” “It's fine. I'm already here though.” Mike then pulled out a chair for me and he returned to his seat. “We'll go in ten minutes. I have to sign a few papers first.” I nodded and smiled, then took out my ipad to look at my son who I left with some waiters. I let Mike finis
(Emily’s POV).“What? Are you serious?” I blurted out, the words leaving my mouth before I could even process them. I stared at my father, completely thrown off by what he’d just told me. Dad stood across from me in his office, his hands calmly resting on the large mahogany desk as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell into my day. “I’m very serious,” Dad replied, his tone even and controlled, which only made my frustration bubble up even more.I shook my head, my brain still trying to catch up. “Ben came to see you? At the office?” Dad nodded, leaning back in his chair with that infuriating, knowing smile that said he had everything under control. “He did. He said he would do anything to be forgiven by me.”I was completely floored. Ben, the same man who had shattered my life once, had the nerve to go to my father, asking for forgiveness? I almost couldn’t believe it.“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I demanded, my voice rising with the anger I was trying to keep under control.
(Emily's POV).“Why didn’t you tell me that Ben will work for my father, Mike?” I asked, staring across the dinner table at my husband. The question had been brewing in my mind since I left my dad’s office, and I could no longer keep it in.Mike chuckled softly, his hand reaching for the wine glass. His calmness was infuriating in the most Mike way possible. “I have no right to tell you if your father is the one who has news, Emily,” he said smoothly, echoing the exact words my father had used.I sighed, a heavy, exhausted sound that seemed to hang between us. They both had the same excuse—always so respectful of boundaries, so careful not to step on each other’s toes. But I didn’t know how to feel about that now. I looked at Mike, his face calm and warm, like he was ready to hear everything I had to say. But how could I be mad at him? They were right. I knew that deep down. It wasn’t Mike’s place to tell me; it was my father’s.Still, that didn’t stop the frustration that churne
(Emily’s POV).“Why don’t you give up, Ben?”My voice cut through the gentle hum of the garden, breaking the tranquility as I stepped toward him. Ben was hunched over, hands full of grass clippings as he tended to the flowerbeds in my father’s yard. His head jerked up at my voice, his face creased in mild surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t expected me to show up here, and certainly not to confront him.The annoyance simmered in my chest as I walked closer, a dull ache pushing me to get the words out, to speak my mind finally. Every time I saw him here, every time I knew he was just around the corner from my life with Mike, it gnawed at me like an open wound.Ben stood up slowly, straightening to his full height, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Emily,” he said, his voice calm but wary. “I didn’t think you’d come here just to see me.”“I came here to ask why you haven’t disappeared from my life,” I replied, my tone sharper than I’d intended. “After everything, why not just… give up?”He loo