MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

One of the drunken men seemed to recognize Jared. He whispered to the others, "Could these bitches know Smith?"

The second man scoffed, dismissing the idea. "Impossible. They must be some pathetic women trying to cling to the riches." His words were thick with condescension as he took a step closer, reaching for my arm. I jerked away, my voice rising in anger. "Take your hand off me!"

Jared froze. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the situation.

I held my breath, desperate for him to intervene, praying he'd come to our rescue.

But I got the greatest shock of my life.

Jared barely glanced in our direction. His gaze was icy, detached-like we were invisible.

Oliver hesitated, his uncertainty clear, but Jared spoke first, his voice cool and calm.

"We just came out to get some air, Oliver." He motioned to the chaos without a flicker of emotion. "Don't get involved in something we don't know about."

I saw the tension in Oliver's shoulders as he clearly wanted to step in, but he didn't. He was frozen by Jared's indifference.

Jared didn't even spare us another glance. He turned toward the woman beside him, a face I still couldn't recognize, and then, as if we were nothing more than a passing inconvenience, he started to walk away. My heart somersaulted and sank in my stomach.

I felt my breath hitching, as my hands began to tremble. The sight of Jared, each step away from us, was like a dagger to my chest.

"Did...did he just walk away...?" Ashley stuttered beside me.

I couldn't respond as I found it hard to believe. But then, Jared finally turned his gaze towards us again, his expression unreadable now.

My chest tightened, refusing to believe he could leave us like this. I locked eyes with him, willing him to understand the danger, hoping he'd do something-anything-to help.

"Do we have any relationship that requires me to help you?" He asked, looking me up and down. "Tell me; who are you to me?"

The words hit like a slap. I winced, my hope dashing to pieces as I moped in disbelief. My teeth clenched, anger growing and bubbling inside of me despite how helpless I was.

Before I could respond, a loud voice boomed through the air.

"Back off!"

I spun around, relief flooding my veins as I saw Dwayne, flanked by two imposing figures: Claire and Roman, Ashley's boss. Both men strode purposefully in pure black suits. Their presence was so commanding that I could feel Dwayne's fury radiating with every step. The moment they stepped forward, the three drunken men backed off immediately, their faces morphing from bravado to fear.

The lethal aura of the Mafia was indeed extraordinary.

The danger had passed, but my chest still ached. I glanced at Ashley, whose eyes were wide, filled with fear and confusion. She kept looking over at Roman.

I let out a shaky breath of relief, grateful Ashley and I were unharmed apart from a few red marks on our skin from the scuffle. It was nothing a few ice cubes couldn't fix. All things considered, we were as good as alright.

Dwayne walked over to me, his expression tight with worry. "Are you okay?" His eyes searched mine, scanning for any sign of injury.

I nodded, the tension in my body still too raw. "I'm fine," I said, though my voice didn't sound sure.

"Those bastards!" He groaned through gritted teeth. "I'm so sorry, Arielle. I should have gotten here earlier."

I shook my head, I was not going to let him blame himself, when he had actually rescued me. "It's not your fault, Dwayne. You got here when it mattered. If you didn't, I don't know what would have happened. Those men..." My voice trailed off as I tried not to think of the harm they could have caused us.

"Shhh, you're safe now," he mumbled, caressing my hand reassuringly.

As we turned to leave, I looked around, only to realize Jared was gone. He had vanished as if he'd never been there at all. I felt a cold emptiness where his presence had been moments ago.novelbin

Dwayne nudged me gently, snapping me back to the present. "Let's get you two home," he said, his voice low but filled with concern.

I nodded, still shaken. I glanced over at Ashley, who looked even more nervous now. She caught Roman's eye, and I could tell something was off. His gaze was focused on her, and it made my stomach churn.

"How did you meet him?" I whispered to Dwayne, leaning closer so only he could hear.

"Roman is the third party I'm discussing business with tonight," Dwayne explained, his voice low. "When he arrived, he called Ashley several times, but she didn't answer. That's when he knew something was wrong, and we all rushed over."

I winced inwardly, knowing that Ashley was in for a lot of scolding and explanation. But that didn't matter now, all that did was that we were out of harm's way.

As we reached the parking lot, Roman spoke up for the first time. "Use my car," he said, gesturing to a sleek black limousine.

Dwayne nodded, his voice firm. "Claire, drive the truck home." He tossed the keys to her, then motioned to Roman. "We'll go with you."

Roman led the way to his limousine, his driver already waiting. The door opened, and Dwayne helped us get in before getting in with Roman.

As we settled into the luxurious

interior of the limo, I couldn't help the feeling of awkwardness that washed over me. The seating

arrangement had us racing each net

other, with Dwayne sitting directly across from me, his piercing eyes seeming to see right through me. Roman sat across from Ashley, his expression unreadable.

I found myself avoiding eye contact with Dwayne instead gazing out the window as the cityscape rolled by. The tension inside the car was loud, and I didn't want to say a word. was still dazed from the encounter with Jared, and my emotions were scattered. The memory of his indifferent gaze lingered in my mind, making my heart ache.

The silence stretched on until Ashley finally broke it, her voice soft with frustration. "I'm sorry, Ari," she said with a frustrated tone.

I turned toward her, offering a small smile. "It's okay. I'll never be mad at you." I paused, the anger still simmering inside me. "Just... don't put yourself in a situation like that again. Promise me?"

"I promise," she said softly. "And I'm sorry for being useless just now."

I shook my head, giving a soft chuckle. "You're not useless, Ash."

Roman, however, wasn't as kind. "At least you know you're useless," he let out a cold laugh to Ashley, making a sarcastic sound.

Ashley was about to cry just now because of a sore nose, but when she heard what he said, she stopped crying immediately and became furious.

Ashley's eyes widened, her frustration suddenly flaring. "I'm useless? At least I stayed by her side! You didn't even see Jared! Just standing there doing nothing! He's always been a jerk, but this is ridiculous!"

I could feel my face go pale. My heart dropped as Dwayne frowned at Ashley. "Ashley, don't."

But Ashley wasn't finished. She

leaned forward, eyes burning with

intensity as she stared at me.

I

"Arielle, you know what I think? I think, and you gotta admit it, Jared's testing your limits. He wanted you to feel helpless. To force you to beg for his help. To remind you that his existence has value in your life."

I was mute, unable to say anything. I didn't choose to, but my mind was too fogged to put words together.

Roman and Dwayne, on the other hand, chose to remain silent, seemingly unwilling to get involved in the conversation. Roman's expression remained neutral, while Dwayne's eyes were fixed on me all the while.

While Ashley continued ranting, Dwayne leaned over and gently covered my ears, his fingers warm and comforting. I looked at him, amused, but he wasn't irritated. He just wanted to protect me from Ashley's words. Ashley rolled her eyes but stopped talking, clearly deflated. Roman, with a sharp look, said, "We'll discuss your part-time job later."

With that, Ashley fell silent, her anger simmering but contained.

I sighed deeply, my gaze fixed on the city lights blurring by outside the window. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, my mind kept circling back to the same moment-Jared's cold, indifferent stare. His eyes, so detached, as if we were nothing to him. How could he be so indifferent?

The question pounded through my chest like a drumbeat I couldn't escape.

I was confused, hurt, and angry, all at the same time. The pain of his negligence felt like a heavy weight in my chest, crushing me and making it hard to breathe.

His cold gaze haunted me, even when I closed my eyes. It lingered in my thoughts, replaying like a broken record, and the cruel question he'd asked-Do we have any relationship that requires me to help you?-echoed in my mind, over and over again.