(JARED’S POV)
I watched in horror as Sofia’s grip on the laptop tightened. “Sofia, please,” I begged, trying to keep my voice low and not aggravate things. “Don’t do this. That laptop has very important files and contacts.” “Important files and contacts?” she sneered. “Or just important contacts?”
“Sofia, stop this,” I warned, my patience wearing off.
“I’ll stop when you fire that secretary of yours,” she spat.
My jaws clenched, as I paused to weigh my options. I couldn’t afford to lose these files. “Fine, I’ll fire her.”
Sofia’s expression changed a little now, a sly smile spreading on her face. “Do it now.”
I grabbed the intercom, my hands heavy with reluctance. “Brooke, you’re fired, effective immediately.”
Brooke’s voice came through the intercom. “Sir, please…what did I do?”
But I ended the call, unable to best her pleas.
“Satisfied?” I asked Sofia, my eyes hard, and my tone cold.
“No,” she replied, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Promise you’ll come home today.
I hesitated, but the thought of losing those files kept me in check. “Fine.”
And then she handed me the laptop. “Here you go.”
I accepted, grateful she had not smashed it like she threatened. That would have cost my company a lot. As I tried to return to work, she tried to snuggle up to me, but I shrugged her off. “I have work to do, Sofia. Just leave.” She did it all the time; she misbehaved and then tried to act cozy to evade accountability. Well, not anymore. I was no longer going to let her get away with her shit.
She shrugged, unperturbed. “I’ll see you at home, then.”
I didn’t bother to respond. I kept my eyes on the screen until I heard the door click shut behind her. Only then did I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
I pushed the laptop aside, suddenly too drained to care about the files. My mind wandered, drifting back to a time when life wasn’t this… heavy. Before Sofia, before the chaos. To a time when I had peace, when I had her. Arielle.
เอน
Without meaning to, I let my thoughts slip back to her. Arielle’s face, her smile, the way she’d look me with quiet understanding, without judgement. She didn’t need to play games to get my attention, didn’t resort to manipulation or threats. She was just… good. Steady.
Kind.
God, what had I done?
Would I have been happier if I hadn’t let her go? Would I have avoided this constant storm if I had stayed with her? The regret settled in my chest like a heavy weight, pressing down harder with each passing thought. I’d been so blind, letting Sofia’s reappearance destroy everything good I had. I could see that now. But it was too late.
How did I end up here? Trapped in
an engagement I didn’t want, clinging to it not out of love, but out of obligation. I couldn’t break it off, not without hurting my mother or risking my position as chairman of the Billionaires’ Board.
The reason being that; one of the major criteria for holding the position was to be either married or engaged. So I was merely hanging on while waiting for the next best opportunity to bale out.
I sighed, trying to refocus on work, but my mind refused to let go of Arielle. I hadn’t seen or heard from her in months, and the not knowing gnawed at me. Where was she? What was she doing? Did she hate me? I grabbed my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart now.
“Any update?” I asked when my investigator picked up.
“No, sir. We’re still working on it.”
“It’s been eight fucking months!” I snapped, my grip on the phone tightening. “How hard can it be to find one woman?”
“I understand your disappointment, sir, but-“
I hurriedly cut him off. “Just find her!” I barked. “I did not place you on a huge payroll to get no results from you?”
I ended the call, slamming the phone
down in frustration. My hands covered my face as I let out a deep, tired sigh, No one—no one—seemed willing to help me find Arielle. Not her mother, not her friends, not even her old boss. It was like she had vanished into thin air, determined to erase me from her life completely.
But I couldn’t let her go. Not yet. Not ever.
I would find her, no matter how long it took. No matter what it cost.