Chapter 12
Third Person POV
Jace couldn’t take his eyes off Aria,
She was standing just a few feet away, chatting with the head of the Marketing Department Gary. That guy was a total snob–always looked down on him, even after he married Delilah. But now? Gary was all smiles with Aria, practically falling over himself to be nice.
Jace’s fists clenched, his nails digging into his palm. Rage boiled in his chest, so hot it nearly wiped out all reason.
How the hell was Aria back at this company?
He’d made sure her career was over. That million–dollar deal? The one that vanished? He sabotaged it. He spread rumors, got people, talking, made her colleagues doubt her. He crushed her–not just to get her out of the way, but to punish her for daring to walk away from him. For not begging to come back.
And yet here she was.
Not just surviving. Thriving, Glowing.
HOW???
He watched as Aria wrapped up her conversation and headed for the front doors. Hastily, Jace ducked behind a potted plant to avoid being seen. Once she was outside, he slipped out too, trailing her from a distance.
On the busy street, he stared at her back as she strolled toward the intersection. Something twisted in his p
gul
Her outfit–he knew that white blazer. It was a limited edition piece, retailing for at least five thousand yuan. And the pearl earrings? Those babes were real. No doubt about it.
Aria Collins could barely afford a basement apartment a few months ago. Where the hell was she getting this kind of money now?
And then, right as she stepped off the curb, all his questions were answered.
A silver Rolls–Ro
-Royce pulled up beside her. The driver jumped out, bowed slightly, and opened the door for her like she was a princess.
Jace stood frozen, half–hidden behind a billboard, jaw practically on the ground.
That car–he recognized it immediately. There was only one Rolls–Royce like that in the entire Frostpine Pack.
And she got in. She got in that damn car.
Aria Collins just got into Grayson Hart’s cart
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
His brain short–circuited. How the hell was this happening!
That broke–ass bitch..How did she know Grayson Hart, the most eligible bachelor on the planet?
He dumped her when she needed him the most on purpose. She was supposed to crawl back to him, beg him for mercy, let him watch her squirm.
Yet
t instead, she traded up.
“That bitch,” he growled, punching the wall hard enough to make his knuckles bleed. “Fucking gold–digging slut.
This won’t over.
He’d make damn sure she paid for betraying him.
Anu’s POV
9:47 AM
Chapter 12
The past few days had been amazing.
Thanks to Grayson, I was back in the marketing department. But this time, I wasn’t reporting to Jace. My new supervisor was a guy named Gary
At first, I was worried he’d resent me being parachuted in out of nowhere. But turns out I couldn’t have been
more
wrong.
“Don’t stress it,” Gary said with a snort. “Everybody here hates that shortcut–taking leech Jace. When he fired you, I knew something was fishy. You were one of our top performers last quarter–there’s no way you lost that million dollar deal by accident. I smelled a setup a mile away. I’m just glad you’re back now. You can finally clear your name.
“Thank you, Gary,” I said, genuinely moved.
He patted my shoulder hard enough to knock the wind out of me. “Now go crush him. We’re direct competitors with Jace’s team. In marketing, it ain’t about whose wife has more money. We speak in numbers,”
His words lit a fire under me
So for the past few days, I’d been grinding nonstop. I wanted to land a huge contract before the month ended. I wanted results, I wanted everyone to see I earned my way back fair and square.
But lately..there’s something weird.
I kept getting this feeling.
Like someone was watching and stalking me
It wasn’t constant, but it happened often enough to make me uneasy. Especially on my commute to and from work. I’d glance over my shoulder, feel eyes on me. but when I looked, there was no one there.
Grayson told me to tell him if anything happened. And he already had a driver picking me up and dropping me off every day, so my safety wasn’t really an issue. I just didn’t want to bother anyone over a bad gut feeling.
Maybe I’d mention it the next time I saw him? Although, I hadn’t seen him since that breakfast. According to Mrs. Jones, he’d flown to the other side of the world for business. No one knew when he’d be back. I told myself I wasn’t allowed to miss him.
Luckily, work kept my mind off him–Most of the time:
A week passed like that. Then May called me out of the blue, asking to grab a coffee.
“Where are you? I’m already at the café,” she said..
I tucked the phone between my shoulder and ear while quickly straightening my desk. “Sorry a meeting ran late. I’ll be there in five.”
“Take your time, Apex’s golden girl,” she teased. “Did you bring an umbrella? It’s pouring our
“Nope. But it’s only a few blocks. I’ll make a dash for it.”
“I’m coming to get you. No way am I letting you catch a cold before I hear all the juicy gossip tonight” She hung up before I could
argue.
I chuckled to myself. May really did spoil me sometimes–saying no to her was impossible.
I rode the elevator down with a few coworkers, chatting about random things, then said goodbye as I stepped into the lobby. Sure enough, rain was coming down hard outside.
I held my briefcase over my head like a shield, and jogged out into the storm. I figured if I met May halfway, she wouldn’t have to walk too far in the rain.
The sidewalk was slick. I kept my head down, carefully dodging puddles. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else.
That’s why I didn’t see it coming.
A hand yanked my shoulder and dragged me into a side alley.
“Ah-
2/3
19:47 AM
Chapter 12
I screamed, but a hand clamped hard over my mouth and shoved me against the wall.
“Shut up,” a cold voice hissed near my ear.
My eyes widened in horror. He was wearing a black raincoat, hood pulled low over his face–but I’d know him anywhere.
Jace
What the hell was he doing?!
“You slut,” he sneered. “I had some respect for you, you know? You might be a boring prude but at least you held on to your own belief But the second I wasn’t looking, you threw yourself into another man’s arms.”
“W–What..?
“How do you like sucking Grayson Hart’s dick?” he snarled.
AD
