MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

Both Ashley and her mom looked up at me simultaneously, their eyes wide with surprise.

Mrs Thompson's expression was that of relief, her face relaxing as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Ashley, on the other hand, was more of confusion than surprise, her brows furrowed together.

"I promise, I'll see what I can do," I added, trying not to give them false hope. I didn't want to disappoint them, not after agreeing to help.

Mrs Thompson nodded, her warm smile returning to her face. "I'm so grateful, thank you, Arielle," she said, her voice filled with emotions. She was on the brink of tears.

And before I knew it, Mrs Thompson was pulling me into a hug. I reciprocated, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close, while trying to avoid meeting Ashley's eyes, which had a questioning look in them.

After disengaging from the hug, I declared my intention to leave. "I should get going," I said, glancing at my phone. "Maverick will be worried by now, he's alone with his temporary nanny."

"I'll see you off," Ashley quickly said, and before I could refute, rose to her feet. This action spoke volumes; she wanted to speak to me, and didn't want her Mom to follow.

Mrs Thompson nodded in understanding, and stayed back, watching as Ashley and I walked out of the house. "Thank you again, kid," she called out after us.

I turned to wave goodbye again, before following Ashley out to the porch. As soon as we were out of earshot, Ashley turned to me. "What did you do that for?"

I totally anticipated this, so I wasn't surprised.

"Look Ashley, I have to help. Your mom's in a tough spot."

But she frowned disapprovingly. "You didn't have to put yourself in a tight corner. How are you going to talk to Jared, considering how things are between you two now? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do anything. It's not really your responsibility. I mean, yeah, worst case, I get kicked out of the Thompson family, but honestly, I've already given up on being a Thompson in name only. They can't offer me anything in terms of career, and half of them are busy plotting against each other. There's no point in sticking around a family like that." Her voice had turned to that of concern.

I sighed, "Ashley, don't try to comfort me. You can say that, but what about your mother? Her situation is already very difficult. She can't divorce even if she wants to. Without any support, she'd just get crushed. And as much as you might think the Thompsons don't matter, your dad has a lot of enemies, and they're all watching every move you make. If we don't help, she's going to be alone in this mess."

Ashley went quiet, like she was processing my words. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off gently. "Okay, no more. Go back inside. You need to be there for your mom right now. I'm sure you've got a lot to sort out."

She nodded reluctantly, and then she pulled me into a hug. "Thank you. Seriously. Thank you so much," she murmured to me.

I hugged her back, holding her close for a few minutes. We stayed that way for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth of the hug.

When I finally pulled away, I smiled. "Alright, time to go."

Ashley nodded and stepped back. I pulled out my phone and booked a ride. A few minutes later, the car pulled up. I gave her a final wave before sliding into the backseat.

As the car started to pull away, I caught Ashley mouthing, "Thanks again, Arielle."

********

In the days that followed, I focused on expanding my business, hoping to earn more money to help Ashley's Mom.

After getting home and giving the situation a careful thought, I decided that currently I couldn't bring myself to face Jared. Not now.

At least I'd try by myself first.novelbin

I spent long hours at the restaurant, experimenting with new recipes and marketing strategies. I also made sure to be active on all my social media accounts, engaging with customers and promoting my brand.

However, despite my efforts, the

progress wasn't as easy as I hoped and expected. The competition in the culinary business world was fierce and it seemed like every other day, a new restaurant was opening up in town.

Meanwhile, Ashley had somehow grown a bit distant and mysterious these days, her behavior hard to read. She had stopped responding to my calls and messages, and I was starting to get worried. I picked up my phone and stared at the numerous unreturned calls and messages. I sighed and decided to try my luck again.

"Hey, Ash, I've been trying to reach you. Can you please get back to me? I'm worried about you," I left in a voicemail.

The message went through, and I set the phone down with a sigh. If I didn't hear back today, I was going to visit Ashley's workplace or anywhere I knew she'd be. I had to make sure she was okay.

That decided, got back to work, trying to see I could make more sales and generate more money for my rescue mission. I spent the rest of the day prepping for more sales and setting up ads for all of the restaurant's business pages:

Later that evening, as I was hunched over my laptop, back aching from hours of work, my phone rang. Seeing Dwayne's name pop up surprised me. We hadn't really spoken lately, both of us buried in our own stuff. "Arielle," he said when I answered, his voice low and serious. "I'm at a private club meeting with some clients."

I frowned.

"And I just spotted Ashley here."

My frown deepened, "what? What's she doing there?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "But given the nature of my meeting, I only brought one security person with me, and I'm not sure if she's safe here. A lot of bad men frequent here, and they could easily prey on her."

My heart dropped as everything clicked into place. Ashley must have taken a part-time job there to make some extra cash. The idea of her working in such a risky environment made my stomach tighten.

"Are you sure it's Ashley?" Dwayne's

voice cut through my thoughts." only saw her once, but I thought you should know what she's been up to lately. If it is her, I'll send backup, just in case. Don't worry."

"80 percent sure. Don't worry Dwayne. I've got this," I said quickly. "Just send me the address. I'll be there soon."

The tone of my voice left no room for argument. He sighed but agreed. "Alright. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will. And thank you. Keep an eye on her until I get there."

After the call ended, I shut down my laptop and grabbed my things on the table, stuffing them into my handbag before grabbing my key fob and hurrying out...