MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

meters from me.

I reeled back in shock as he was the last person I expected, but at the same time, I was grateful for the interruption. Why he was here or how he got into my meeting room didn't matter, all that did was the fact that I was going to get a breather from the pervert seated a few "J..Jared," I called him again, as I took on his appearance. He was looking a little disheveled, little bruises on his forehead and brow, and what was that? I frowned as I caught a whiff of alcohol on him.

What is going on? I wondered, and was just about to ask, when he approached Mr Zeke, his strides menacing.

"Ah, Mr. Jared, I presume? I recognize you from the business news," Mr Zeke said, nervously. One could tell he was intimidated by the sight of Jared.

"I was just discussing a business deal with Miss Smith here," he said, trying to feign innocence.

Jared's eyes darkened. "I'm sure you were," and without warning, he lunged at Mr. Zeke throwing punches with a violent intensity that left me both frozen and scared.

"Jared, stop!" I shouted, rushing to intervene, but he was too far gone from reasoning.

"You think you can just touch her?" Jared snarled, throwing another powerful punch directly to his face. I winced when I heard a bone crack.

"Jared, please stop," I pleaded, scared for Mr Zeke's Life. He was a total dickhead, but he doesn't deserve to die.

I finally managed to get in front of Mr Zeke, knowing Jared wouldn't hurt me, and that did the trick because he halted and I used the opportunity to pry him away from Mr. Zeke.

"You're going to kill him!" I exclaimed, my voice hoarse from shouting, and my body trembling from the sight of Mr Zeke's battered face.

Jared's chest heaved with heavy breath, his eyes darkened with anger. But slowly, he seemed to come back to himself, his eyes dwelling on me.

"Arielle," he mumbled, his voice rough and clipped. "I'm sorry. I saw him...I saw him touching you."

I took a deep breath, still trying to process what had just transpired. I was trying to recognize the man in front of me, because this wasn't the calm, sophisticated Jared I thought I knew.

He was completely different-someone who had hidden a dark side, one she almost never witnessed when they were together. Was this the kind of man Sofia was hell-bent on being with?

But I shook my head, trying to shake the thoughts off. Now was not the time, I decided, and just in time I saw Mr Zeke stealthily slip away.

I turned to Jared, trying to keep my emotions in check. "It's okay. You...I have to take you to the hospital," I said, and it was not just about his fists that were bloodied, but because of how pale he looked and the little bruises he had, making me wonder how he got them. But he shook his head. "I don't need the hospital, I just need to get out of here. Can you drive me to the penthouse?"

I hesitated, unsure if I should be helping him after what he had just done, despite it being in my interest. But something about his demeanor, the way he seemed to be struggling to stay upright, made me nod against myself. "Fine, I'll drive you. Come on," I said, taking his arm and leading him out of the room.

As we stepped out of the meeting room, I quickly scanned the hallway, praying no one saw us. I spotted a few, but thankfully, they seemed engrossed in their pursuit and didn't spare us a glance.

I swiftly guided him toward the personal elevator I rarely used, trying to avoid drawing any attention to us. As we stepped inside, I left out a sigh of relief, relieved for the temporary reprieve from being seen.

With one hand steadying Jared, I used the other to book an Uber in my phone, as my car was currently unavailable. Ashley had driven me to the restaurant, and I hadn't made any plans for my car to be brought after me.

By the time we reached the back exit, the Uber had arrived. I helped Jared into the car, and it sped off as I rattled off the address of the penthouse.

The ride was quiet, with Jared staring out the window, his expression unreadable. I couldn't help but steal glances at him, wondering what had triggered such a violent outburst and move.

Minutes later, we arrived at the penthouse. As we stepped out of the car, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I remembered the countless weekends Jared and I had spent here, enjoying each other's company.

But those memories were quickly

replaced by the remembrance of the last time was here- the push from Sofia, my fall, and the subsequent dramas. I swallowed tightly, pushing the painful memories aside. Now was not the time to dwell on the

past.

As we approached the front door, I turned to Jared. "What's the passcode?" I asked, trying to sound cool despite the rage of emotions swirling inside of me.

"It's still the same," he replied, his voice low. "It hasn't changed."

Yet another surprise, I thought, but I didn't show it. Instead, I nodded and punched in the code, surprised that I could recall it after all this time.

The door slid open and stepped inside. The familiar surroundings enveloped me, and I was even more taken aback when I saw the interior design was like it used to be.

That surprised me, because I remember Sofia changing things around here. I couldn't control my curiosity, so I turned to Jared, "the design still looks same "

"Yeah," he nodded. "I had an interior decorator decorate it back to its original design, like you did. I still had the design, so it wasn't hard to pull together."

I paused, and our eyes locked for a moment. I wanted to ask him why he did it, but I averted my gaze. I didn't want to visit the past. Asking questions like that will take us back to the past, and I'd rather not be there. That decided and I led Jared to the couch.

"Here, sit," I said, and he lowered himself on it, his features still rigid, with Jaws clenched.

I refused to meet his eyes because I knew they were boring into me. "Is the first aid box still in the drug cabinet upstairs?" I asked, trying to keep my tube light and casual despite the magnitude of the situation.

He nodded, his eyes still nod leaving my face. "Yeah, it should be."

I nodded and hurried upstairs, andnovelbin

another flood of nostalgia hit me as I entered what used to be our room. It was still decorated the same way,

with the same furniture and the

the

same colors. It was as if time had stood still, and I felt a jolt of sadness asl realized that Jared had kept everything the same.

The bed, the dresser, the nightstand -everything was exactly as I had left it. I felt a lump form in my throat as approached the dresser, where a framed photo of us used to be swallowed hard, trying to fight the

memories that threatened to

overwhelm me.

But I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I retrieved the first aid box from the cabinet and headed downstairs, the sound of my heels echoing through the silence.

As I returned to the living room, Jared was still seated in the same position I had left him, his gaze fixed on me. I approached cautiously, trying to keep my emotions from being distracted by those intense eyes of his.

"Let me help you with those wounds," I said, opening the first aid box anxiously and pulling out antiseptic wipes, gauze, and bandages.

He nodded, his eyes finally leaving me. I proceeded to clean and dress the wounds while still trying to process all that had happened. The way he had burst into the meeting room unexpectedly, the way he had attacked Mr. Zeke like a vicious Lion.

As I finished up, I looked up at Jared, meeting his eyes finally. "How did you get yourself injured, and why were you at the restaurant?" I asked the question I have been wanting to ask.

Jared's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with anger. "I was there to ask about your relationship with Dwayne?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "My relationship with Dwayne?" I repeated.

"Yes," he replied, his gaze unwavering.

I sighed and grabbed my temples as I felt anger already brewing inside of me. But just before I could lash out at him, he leaned forward and claimed my lips in his.

A strong smell of alcohol instantly hit me, and before I could react, I tasted its fiery flavor on my tongue. The kiss was anything but nice; it was intense, needy, and furious. As I breathed, I detected a blend of tobacco and cologne on him. Jared's lips were firm, demanding, and they seemed to be sucking the air out of me. I felt my heart racing, threatening to burst out of my chest.