Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 118

(JARED’S POV)

“I hope I’ve made myself clear? Because I won’t be as nice the next time!” Arielle’s mother hissed through gritted teeth. One look at the fire in her eyes and I knew right away that she wasn’t joking about her threat.

The spot where her palm has struck my cheek stung like it had been doused with a generous amount of boiling oil. I looked past her and at Arielle. There was a brief look of pity on her face before her expression steeled into hostility. I looked away in embarrassment, holding a hand up to my face.

“Of course, ma’am ,” I nodded, my eyes fixed on the ground as I slowly backed away from them.

I’d hardly taken three steps backwards before Arielle’s mother stormed past me, guiding the boy with one hand. My eyes trailed their movement, briefly making contact with boy’s as his grandmother pulled him into a waiting car just outside the school premises.

When I turned around to face Arielle, I found she’d somehow slipped past me while I had my back turned to her. My eyes stung with hurt and humiliation. I felt a weight clamp itself around my heart, threatening to crush it with each counting heartbeat. I swept around the corner with my eyes, trying to spot Arielle among the milling bodies of parents and their children.

I tried to move myself from the spot but I felt rooted. I couldn’t pull the images of the boy from my mind. One look at him and I could tell the resemblance. I felt it in my gut even! Something about him just struck a chord within me and pulled me to him, just like it would happen between a father and son. I needed answers. I had to find Arielle.

“Daddy? My friend Brian said he was going to build a treehouse with his dad over the weekend. Can we build a treehouse too?”

My head snapped in the direction of the voice. A young boy was talking to his father while the latter led him by the hand towards their car in the parking lot. The man had a proud smile on face as he guided the boy into the vehicle.

“Of course, son. We’ll build the biggest treehouse ever,” he announced, much to the excitement of the boy who squirmed in delight.

The sight stirred an ache in my heart, a reminder that I too would have had a child that age if Arielle and I hadn't lost ours.

I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on what brought me here. I had to find Arielle.

With a new found zeal, I resumed my search for her. I took the short flight of steps two at a time, my eyes searching every corner for any sign of her.

One time, I thought I’d found her but it turned out to be a lady with an identical hairdo.

I’d almost given up on finding her in the schoolyard when I spotted her on the far side of the building, deep in conversation with another lady I assumed to be a teacher. Now was my best chance to get an audience with her. I walked as fast as I could, careful to stay out of her line of sight until I got close enough to approach her.

Once she spotted me, she abruptly ended her conversation with the teacher and began walking away, but I doubled my pace and closed the distance between us.

“Arielle, please wait,” I said.