All Chapters of His To Own: Daddy's Secret Desires.: Chapter 21 - Chapter 26

ARLAN'S POV:The silence between us was deafening as we both stared into each other's eyes or perhaps soul.I leaned back in my chair and cleared my throat, deciding to cut through the awkwardness. “Look, I know this is… weird,” I began. “For both of us. And yeah, I’ll admit I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes.”Her gaze shot to mine, her brow arched slightly. "A bit?"I raised my hands in mock surrender. “Okay, maybe more than a bit. But hear me out. I’m sorry about yesterday but trust me, I'm not here to make things harder for you. I just need a few minutes, and then I’ll get out of your hair.”Saraya studied me for a moment, her expression indifferent, before finally sighing. “Fine,” she said. "But since you’re here, tell me what you know?""I believe your dad has explained everything to you.""You know that's not true from your end." She retorted.I sighed and decided to give in. "Well, the moment Alex called and told me Isla was pushing the weight of her shares around, I already h

MATILDA'S POV"Saraya..." I called out again for God knows. "I had heard it before, hadn’t I?" I asked myself so loud.It was maddening how familiar it sounded, like a word teetering on the edge of recognition but refusing to step forward. I drove until I found myself at an empty bridge, the car screeched to a halt as I parked on the side and stepped out. I clenched my fists and let out a loud, guttural yell, the sound echoing into the night. It didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it only amplified the turmoil raging inside me.“Saraya,” I muttered under my breath, the name lingering on my tongue like a bitter aftertaste. Why did it feel like I should know her? Why couldn’t I place where I had heard it before?My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts. I pulled it out with shaky hands, the name on the screen reading Tessy. For a moment, I debated whether to answer. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, but Tessy wouldn’t stop until I picked up.Clearing my th

ARLAN'S POV: Saraya ended the call abruptly and I knew I deserved it, I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand down my face. She was right. I was confusing her, and it wasn’t fair. I had tried to keep my distance, to draw a line between us, but every time I thought I could walk away, I found myself reaching for her again.The thought of seeing her earlier had kept me awake all night and when I did see her, I almost lost every sense of reasoning.It had taken me a great deal of discipline to contain myself while we were in the boardroom meeting.I sighed heavily, staring at the phone in my hand as I was trying hard to resist the urge to call her again. And Matilda...The memory of her walking into my office just an hour ago replayed in my mind like a scene from a movie.****One Hour Ago*I had barely closed the door to my office when Matilda turned to me. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by unannounced,” she said, taking a seat on the couch.I raised an eyebrow while chuckling,