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

Love, Loss, and Longing.

(ARIELLE'S POV.)

I could feel the heat of both Stephen's and Rebecca's gazes on me.

"Is any of that really necessary?" I asked, a frown pulling at my lips. Mixing business with personal life was a line I didn't like to cross. Especially not with Jared, who clearly had an agenda.

Jared straightened his tie, not missing a beat. "What's more relatable than real life?" he replied smoothly, eyes flicking to me for just a second too long. "Of course, the examples I gave are purely hypothetical," he added, the subtle emphasis making it clear he knew exactly what he was insinuating.

Sometimes it's just that hard to resist the urge to snap. Everyone here knew what he was indicating when he talked about marriage!

"Let's break it down." he continued, ignoring my killing glare, "In any successful marriage, there's a constant ebb and flow of communication-much like any thriving business. If one partner isn't speaking up about their needs, or worse, if they're not listening, the entire foundation begins to crack."

He let the silence linger, but I could feel his gaze landing on me just a second too long.

"Now, conflict resolution-another pillar," Jared said, leaning forward, his hands resting on the desk. "In both marriage and business, if you don't resolve conflicts, you destroy trust. You can't let things just fester. You've got to face the issue, talk it out, and find a compromise. And compromise is key, whether you're working out a business deal or deciding how to spend your weekend."

There it was again, that subtle jab. He didn't have to say it, but I knew exactly what he meant. Jared, the king of compromise, always the diplomat. Just check his track record with everything between me and Sofia!

"Loyalty," he continued, "is the unspoken contract, whether it's between a husband and wife, or a CEO and their team. Loyalty builds respect. It's not about blind obedience, but trust. Trust that when things get tough, you'll both fight for the common goal, whether that's the success of your business or the longevity of your relationship."

Now he's talking about loyalty?

I felt my blood pressure rise. Was he really this clueless, or was he doing this on purpose? I could practically feel Rebecca and Stephen holding their breath.

"It's a creed I've always lived by. But of course, none of this applies to anyone personally," he added with a sly smirk. "I'm just here to teach the concepts. No need to overthink it."

I couldn't tell if I was more frustrated by his audacity or by how smoothly he deflected. But I wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"So," I said, forcing a smile, "to clarify, you believe that running a business and maintaining a marriage are essentially the same thing? Just with different goals?"

Jared's smile never faltered, but there was a flicker of something behind his eyes. He could tell I wasn't buying what he was selling.

"Well, if the marriage is built on communication, loyalty, and conflict resolution, I'd say it's a pretty good analogy," he replied, casually. "The challenges might be different, but the strategies... they're universal."

I couldn't help it. My eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He was getting way too comfortable, like he was trying to rewrite our history into something picture-perfect. Did he really think this was his way back in?

forward, voice cool. "So, if we take your analogy a little further... What happens when

smile tightened, but his eyes remained steady. He opened his mouth to speak, but

case..." He paused, "You start by addressing the

hurt, and the other has no idea-still keeping secrets? Wouldn't you say that's just like business, where one side

nothing to say, just staring at me for a beat. The air was thick with tension, and I could practically feel Rebecca

a bit off-topic, don't you think?" he said, his voice quieter now, but still

one, a pretty practical one. If in a partnership, one side starts trusting a third party and keeps information from the other? That's

thoughtfully. "That's

look at him. He rolled his eyes, irritation flashing across his face. "Oh, just shut up, Stephen," he snapped. "We're

in frustration and stormed out of

exchanged glances before turning back

to speak. "Ma'am, did we

head. "No, it's not you. You guys didn't do anything. I just got a little... emotional. I'll apologize to him in

frowned, clearly still puzzled. "But you didn't say anything wrong. Isn't this

gave him a light tap on the head. "You big idiot,

Enough with the

to settle in, the

to knock?" I told my eyes at him. I looked away and pulled out my laptop from my bag. I had to

apologize for earlier," he started, still standing. "You know, I've never

to sit down across from me, and I folded my arms, eyeing him. "I thought you were all busy with your 'expensive time' and all

he muttered,

the

he called after me,

turned back, eyebrow raised. "What is it now, Jared? Why are you

other two meddling?" he asked with

usual lines? I told you already-only course-related stuff. Is that all? Because I

won't you

at the digital clock on my

left before the kitchen would need me for any serious

heart, courtesy of Maverick's words on the way to his school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with whatever explanation he had to give. I could already imagine myself walking out of the office. But here

chose to believe

me something I don't

something like relief. He hesitated, like