Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 216

(JARED'S POV)

As much as I hated Dwayne's guts, I knew thanking him was the right thing to do. But his lips curled into a cold smile that never got to his eyes. "What, are you thanking me as her ex-husband? Or as the guy trying to win her back?" He said the words with a note of mockery that couldn't be missed.

My jaw clenched, and I felt my face heat up with anger. What was funny about what I just said? "You're something else, you know that?" I muttered under my breath, trying so hard not to lose my cool. But it was hard to ignore Dwayne, not when he was deliberately being annoying.

But he didn't seem to want to back down anytime soon. He let out a mirthless laugh, one that triggered me further. "And you're an idiot, little brother. You're so focused on juggling the mess with all those women around you that you miss what's right in front of you."

I felt a surge of anger at his words, but I still forced myself to stay calm. I can't keep letting him get under my skin. Seeing that I was unfazed by his words, his expression hardened.

"I'm not like you," he said, condescending. "Among all the things and people I care about in this world, Arielle tops the list. I never for once second-guessed the depth of my feelings for her."

Against my wish, those particular words got to me. They felt like arrows targeted at my gut, but I fought hard to brush them off. I didn't want to give Dwayne the slightest inkling that he had struck a chord.

Realizing that I had no intention to indulge him, he glared at me once more, before turning around and leaving. In his absence, I was left to wallow in my thoughts. I stood rooted to the spot, the gravity of his words sinking in.

I know I should write them off as merely provocative words, but something in my head refused to let them go and they lingered. Fighting to regain control of my emotions and spiraling thoughts, I looked around the room, the silence of being alone, as there was no single soul around now, pressing on me.

But then, something struck me–Mrs Meyers. All through the incident, she was not present. Knowing how the three women–Arielle, Ashley, and Mrs Meyers stuck together, it was unusual not to see her during the commotion. Not especially when she was always looking out for Arielle like a mother hen.

Something seemed off, where was Mrs Meyers? Searching my memory now, I realized that I hadn't seen her leave the dining hall earlier. Something was certainly not adding up. I thought about asking Arielle, but she was probably still upset about the whole drama with Sofia, and I didn't want to add to her stress.

Ashley, on the other hand, was another story altogether; she was unlikely to tell me anything, given her loyalty to Arielle and her distrust of me. That left me with one option; Dwayne.

I scrunched up my face in distaste; the last thing I wanted to do was ask him for help or about anything at all. He'd been a thorn in my side since the moment I have known him, like all he lived for was to see me provoked always. But I knew if I wanted to get answers, then I had to push my animosity aside and ask for help. So I did just that, pulling out my phone and typing out a quick message.