Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 198

(ARIELLE’S POV)

We both remained silent for moments after he’d finished speaking. Our eyes were fixed on each other.

I searched for the words to say but every time I opened my mouth to speak nothing came out. Just my ragged breathing. I would have believed it if someone told me I’d just run a marathon. Such was the level of tension in the room following Jared’s outburst.

I could see the fight in his eyes, a desperation to convince me and a commitment to do exactly as he had said.

But how different was it from anything he’d ever told me before?

Just as I was still battling over what to do in my head, the office telephone rang shrilly into the air and rattled me out of my thoughts. I sighed gratefully for the distraction as I picked up the device and held it against my ear.

“Hello. Boss? Oh thank God. I left you a text. Sofia’s in the building and she’s making a scene down here… Hold on.. I think she’s looking for your office…” Rebecca’s panicked voice reeled through the speaker.

I sat upright in my seat. “Wait. Slow down Becca. What do you mean Sofia’s in the building? How did she get past security? Again?” I asked in alarm.

Jared’s brows were knitted in confusion at my words.

“She’s pretty wild, ma’am. And there was only one man on guard at the entrance. The others thought it appropriate to show up late to work today,” Rebecca said with sarcasm in her voice. “I just thought I should let you know a storm’s headed your way…”

“She mustn’t come in here. Becca, find a way!” I said and slammed the phone down on the receiver.

Without wasting any time, I rose from my seat and scanned the room for a decent biding place. The bathroom was way out of the question as that would be the first place to look if anyone came into the office. But another idea hit me almost immediately. It was silly and less appealing. But it would do the trick.

“What is going on? I heard you mention Sofia over the phone.. Is she here?” Jared asked.

“Just keep the questions for later,” I snapped, taking his hand firmly in mine, my pulse quickening. I tugged him urgently toward the tiny dressing room in the corner.

The office was designed in such a way that there was a large shelf just before the dressing room door that obscured it from view of anyone entering the room. I quickly opened the door and pushed Jared inside before squeezing myself inside after him.

“Would you care to let me know what’s happening, Arielle?” he asked again.

“Your girlfriend is here to rip my head off my neck. That’s what!” I hissed at him in a sharp whisper and he went silent.

The room had a single light bulb hanging down from the ceiling but it was switched off and I didn’t want to draw any attention to us by switching it on for a change.

So there I was, pressed against Jared in a small, cramped room.

Maybe it was the tension, but for some reason, I kept hearing the door swing open and my heart skipped a bit every time I imagined Sofia had found her way to the office. I kept my eyes fixed on the tiny space between the door and the floor. I tried to breathe as quietly as possible. I waited for eternity, expecting Sofia to rip down the door at any second and magically find her way to the dressing room. I shut my eyes and said a silent prayer.

“Would you let me speak to her? I could handle this if you let me,” Jared said, his voice a low murmur.

Only then did I realize just how close his voice had come. My eyes quickly flew open in alarm and I nearly lost my breath when I found he was now standing across from me in the tiny space. Our faces were almost touching. He held my gaze in his with the intensity of a falcon watching its prey.

My cheeks heat up. I’d grown powerless under his gaze so that I forgot to give an answer to his question. And he might have forgotten that he’d asked a question as well because he didn’t press for an answer.

He drew in closer so that our breathing synchronized into an awkward song of tension. He placed a hand on the wall right in the space beside my head, for balance or whatever the purpose was. But it only made me even more aware of his presence.

I could feel the heat of his body as it pulled off in waves. His knee grazed mine as we stood in that awkward position.

Jared’s eyes trailed down to my lips and my breath instantly hitched in my mouth. I lost control of my body and felt a heat rapidly building from the core of my stomach, and spreading with the force of an angry avalanche down my legs so that they buckled underneath me.

Then suddenly, I snapped out of my awkward trance and quietly extricated myself from the compromising position. I regained control of my facial expressions and managed to shoot him an angry glare.

“What the hell are you trying to do?”

“I was asking a question,” he shrugged with an air of mischief. I rolled my eyes in exasperation, my fingers digging into my palm to ground myself.

The door swung open and this time it wasn’t my mind playing games with me. My heart sank down my stomach instantly as I heard footsteps.

“Where the bloody hell are they? Jared!” Sofia’s irritated voice pierced through the air.