Mr billionaire's regret chasing his irresistible wife by Gabby Emmanuel

The call

(JARED'S POV)

I had just wrapped up a virtual meeting and was about to dive back into work when Arielle's call flashed across my screen.

The unexpected sight of her name made my heart skip a beat. There was a flicker of hope. Stupid, maybe, considering how firmly she'd shut me out before, but I couldn't help it. Perhaps this was it. Maybe she had a change of heart. Maybe she was calling to let me meet my son.

I know, it sounded foolish. But a man was allowed to dream.

"Hello," I answered the call, trying to sound casual but I knew it betrayed how my heart was leaping with anticipation.

But no amount of preparation could've braced me for what I heard next. Her voice-sharp, frantic, panicked-broke through the phone, jagged and hysterical. "Maverick's missing! Someone took him from school... I thought it was you..." Her words hit me like a gut punch, stealing my breath.

I hated hearing her so terrified, so out of control. I immediately tried to calm her, assure her that I hadn't taken Maverick and that I would never do something like that. But as I pressed for more details, the line went dead.

I stared at the screen in disbelief. She hung up.

Frustration boiled inside me, and I immediately redialed, but the call wouldn't go through.

What happened? Was Maverick okay? I felt my stomach twist in knots.

"Oliver," I snapped, voice sharper than I intended. "Call off the meeting. We're done for now."

My personal assistant blinked, clearly taken aback. "But, sir, this project is critical for the next queue_"

"Then postpone it. Until I get back." I was already turning away, heading for the door. My voice was low, but the tension in it was undeniable. "Take me to Valley View School."

The drive to the school was a blur of thoughts and questions, each one darker than the last. Nothing about this made sense. Arielle was meticulous about security, about keeping her family safe.

security systems in the city. How could someone just snatch a child in broad

out of the car the second we arrived, my feet barely hitting the ground before I stormed into

was there, her face drained of color, eyes wide with terror. She held her phone in her shaking hands,

of recognition flashed in her eyes, before it quickly dimmed

Her body stiffened for a moment, and I could feel the tension between

respond, just gave a small nod, though her

Jared Smith. You know who I

there are few clues. The teacher

you all that careless? Get your damn teachers together. Find out everything about this man. What did he look like? Who saw him? From

barely contained. Arielle and Oliver were both standing there, stunned into silence. But I couldn't help myself. My thoughts were racing, spinning

snapped at the principal, before turning back to Arielle. She was pale, and her hands

calm her, but the words didn't come out as I'd

but it was a lie she was telling herself. I could see it

her hand, looking into her tear-streaked face. "He'll be fine," I repeated, my voice more firm than I felt. "Maverick

eyes. "He will be fine, right? Jared... please... tell

gaze. "Look at me, Arielle. Look at

hollow. She wasn't listening, not really. Seconds

My mind was a storm of doubts and questions,

hadn't he fought back? Most likely he's not a stranger to Maverick. But Arielle couldn't think of anyone who

Arielle had returned, her

her restaurant. She'd been so absorbed in rebuilding her career, leaving little time to interact with anyone outside of

no sense-was Sofia. But she'd been in bed for two days, lying low, recovering from whatever had been plaguing her. According to

man who claimed to be Maverick's "uncle" had shown a J&S Capital worker's license.

kept that part of our lives tightly under wraps. So, how could this man possibly know? And even

a call from her mother, her voice carefully neutral, but her exhaustion was impossible