Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Aaron’s POV

I pushed open the heavy glass door to my office, and the familiar scent of polished wood and fresh coffee greeted me.

The air-conditioning was set to a crisp, biting cold that usually helped clear my head.

David was right behind me, clutching his tablet and reciting my schedule like he was reading from a teleprompter.

He didn’t even look up to see where he was going; he just kept talking, trying to cram an entire afternoon’s worth of meetings into the ten-second walk to my office.

“The NBA exhibition is only four months out, Ron. The league is already talking. We’ve got Vegas locked in for camp, but come Monday, we’re done coasting. I need that intensity up.”

I barely heard him. I reached my desk and sank into my chair, letting out a breath as the cushions gave way.

My muscles ached, the morning workout had wrung me dry, leaving my joints sore and heavy.

I didn’t even glance at the schedule he was holding.

To be honest, I couldn’t bring myself to care about an exhibition game right now, I had far bigger problems bearing down

on me.

“-and we still need to-”

“Where’s Mira?” I asked, scanning the empty desk where my personal assistant usually sat.

The silence that followed was immediate. I looked up to see David’s expression go from professional to arctic in a heartbeat.

He stopped scrolling, his thumbs hovering over the screen.

“I caught her sneaking around in here after hours,” David said, his voice flat and devoid of its usual warmth. “She was going through your private files. I fired her on the spot.”

That snapped me out of it. I turned away from the window, my spine straightening as the news hit me.

“Where is she now?”

“Jail. I pressed charges for attempted corporate espionage. We’ll find out who she was talking to by the end of the week.”

I felt a quick hit of relief, but it didn’t last. That sick feeling in my gut was already back.

Mira had been with me for a year. She was the quiet one, the one who actually got things done without being asked.

I’d had her vetted myself so where did this come from?

If she was suddenly bold enough to go digging through my desk, it wasn’t an accident. She was either desperate for money or someone had put a price on my head.

In this world, you don’t get “curious” employees; you get leaks. I couldn’t afford a loose end, not with the vultures already circling.

“Good job,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “But we need to figure out avhy. Interrogate her if we have to.”

David nodded, his jaw still tight with annoyance.

Chapter 65

“I’m already on it. I’ve opened up the listing for a new PA, and this time I’m doing the deep dive myself: references, backgrounds, everything. I’ll leave no stone unturned.”

“And yes,” he paused, a calculating glint in his eyes. “I added a specific criterion this time.”

I leaned back, my brow raising slightly.

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’m looking for someone with a background in journalism or the arts,” David explained.

“The blogs and media are out of control these days-spreading false stories left and right. We don’t just need an assistant; we need someone who can craft press releases, manage social media narratives, and counter the bullshit with sharp, factual responses. Keep our image clean without hiring a whole PR firm.”

I nodded slowly, loosening my tie and letting it hang like a noose around my neck.

“Smart. Let’s make sure they’re discreet, too. No more loopholes.”

A beat of silence fell over the room.

I glanced at David, really looked at him-my cousin, my right-hand man. He stood there in his crisp suit, hair neatly combed, but there was a weariness in his posture that hadn’t always been there.

I was damn glad to have him on my side.

When I got signed to my first pro team straight out of Arcadia college from being a coach, David was the one who dropped everything to manage the chaos.

He handled contracts, schedules, even the media frenzy when I went public about ditching the family legacy. Through every win, every injury, every scandal, he’d been my support.

He was the one solid person I had in this weird, gilded cage of a family. Him, my mother, and my sister.

My mom had tried her fair share of convincing me to follow the “Hockey Legacy,” but she only did it to fulfill a sense of duty to my grandfather.

And then there was my little sister. She was supposed to be a model-the traditional “Tyrone Female” career-but my own defiance had given her the courage to chase her own dreams.

She was a singer now, and a damn good one.

I felt a swell of pride. My one act of defiance had paved the way for her.

I stood up to Grandpa, that iron-fisted patriarch who ruled our lives like a king.

Basketball over hockey? It was blasphemy. But I dug in-stubborn, fearless, determined-and it cracked the

facade. Suddenly, doors opened for everyone.

My sister pursued singing, dropping her debut album last year to rave reviews. My cousins scattered to their passions: one in tech startups, another in environmental law.

And David? He finally went all-in on cybersecurity and ethical hacking, turning his geeky hobby into a powerhouse skill set that now protected my empire from digital threats.

Our rebellion didn’t just leak; it exploded. For three years, we couldn’t turn on a TV without seeing some “Tyrone Family Feud” segment.

My grandfather was beyond livid. I lost count of how many family dinners ended with him screaming, his face turning that

13:20 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 65

dangerous shade of purple as he threatened to cut us off.

59

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He almost did it, too. He came so close to pulling the trigger, but he knew he’d be left with nothing but an empty house and a dying name.

Eventually, he just… stopped fighting. He had to live with it, just like everyone else.

We were still Tyrones, but we lived our lives on our terms now.

“Have you found anything about her?” I asked, shattering the quiet.

I didn’t need to specify who she was. There was only one “her” that mattered.

My eyes were locked on David. I saw it-that tiny, nervous bob in his throat that happened every single time I brought her

For years, I had tried to ignore it. I told myself he just felt guilty for failing to find her, but in this moment, the mask slipped. He looked guilty of something else.

“Dave,” I called, my voice dropping an octave, my gaze narrowing. “Is there something I should know?”

He shook his head quickly, forcing a smile that didn’t even come close to his eyes.

He seemed to forget that we were brothers born of separate wombs. I knew his tells. I knew his shadows.

“There’s nothing you should know, Ron. As for Jess… the Private Investigators are still working. It’s a dead end in Florida, New Orleans, New York and Vegas, but we’ll find her.”

He said it without looking into my eyes. He was staring at the bookshelf behind me

“Even if it takes ten years,” I growled, “I want her found. I don’t care about the cost.”

David nodded stiffly. “Understood.” He cleared his throat, clearly desperate to change the subject.

“Grandma wants to take both of us to her beach house in Ohio on Wednesday. She’s been complaining-says she sees

but

make time?” us. Can you everyone

I didn’t answer. I just leaned back and stared at him, letting the weight of my suspicion hang in the air like thick smoke.

David had changed so much over the last six years. He’d grown from that loud, goofball kid who could make you laugh until you started wheezing into this quiet, strict, disciplined man.

He still had hints of that “fluffy” personality, but it was buried deep under layers of cold professionalism.

He felt the weight of my stare and shifted his feet.

“I’ll take my leave now. I have a meeting with the tech team.”

He turned and left, the click of the door echoing in the cold silence.

I sat there alone, the hum of the city outside muffled by the thick glass. Something was wrong.

David was a genius at cybersecurity; if anyone could find a girl who didn’t want to be found, it was him. And yet, for six years, he’d given me nothing but “dead ends.”

Could her disappearance be the reason for his change? Or was he the reason she was still a ghost? I didn’t want to believe my own blood could be that cruel-but then again, I’d already been stabbed in the back by a cousin over a woman once before.

I looked at the empty chair where David had just been sitting. I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to think David would

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Chapter 65

ever betray me, but the thought wouldn’t leave me alone.

I could feel that David knew exactly where Jessica was. And he was terrified of what would happen if I ever found out.

I stood up and paced over to the glass.

Below me, the city was just a blur of headlights and gridlock, millions of people living lives I didn’t know anything about.

Somewhere in that mess, she was breathing. I could feel it in my chest-she was out there, and I was just looking at the wrong street.

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13:21 Mon, Jan 12 J