MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE
Homeless.

(ARIELLE'S POV)

Maverick's curiosity was boundless, and Jared answered each of his questions with a patience that somehow irritated and intrigued me. But then Maverick dropped a bombshell. "Dad, will you stay the night?" Maverick asked, his eyes gleaming expectantly.

Heat shot up my face, and when I glanced at Jared, he looked just as caught off guard, his brows arching in surprise.

"Maverick, that's enough questions for now," I said firmly, after regaining composure.

But he persisted. "Please Daddy."

Jared's eyes met mine, and I could see the uncertainty in them. "Maverick, listen to your Mommy," he said gently, supporting me for once.

"Why not, Daddy? I just want to spend more time with you. Please, Mom?" Maverick's pleading tone was starting to break my resolve.

At this point, I knew I had to put a stop to his questions else we might get to an awkward position. "Maverick, we're still eating. Let's talk about this later, okay?"

Jared quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, man, let's focus on dinner for now."

Maverick looked down, his shoulders slumping in disappointment, but he nodded.

And the rest of the dinner was in silence, save for a little conversation here and there. The tension in the room was thick, and I could feel Jared's eyes on me.

Dinner soon ended, and I cleared the table, trying to break the silence. Maverick and Jared stayed back, talking in hushed tones.

That's when Milo, our energetic Doberman puppy, bounded into the room and latched onto Jared's trouser leg with a playful tug. Jared startled, then laughed softly as Milo growled in mock ferocity. "He's adorable," Jared remarked, crouching to pat the puppy's head.

Maverick grinned proudly. "I got him from my best uncle!"

"Oh really? Who's this 'best uncle'?"

Maverick opened his mouth to answer, but I stepped in immediately, my tone clipped. "Alright, Maverick, time to get ready for bed, sweetie."

Jared glanced up at me, his brow furrowing slightly.

Maverick pouted. "Aww, Mommy, do I have to?" Then he turned to Jared, his last hope. "Dad, will you visit again?"

"I sure will, man." he said and I frowned.

Maverick's face lit up at this. "Really? When?"

Jared glanced my way looking conflicted. "We'll discuss that with your Mommy, Okay?"

That seemed to satisfy Maverick. He scooped Milo into his arms and padded off to get ready for bed with his Nana, leaving Jared and me alone in the charged silence of the dining room. Jared cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Thank you for having me tonight—"

"Why," I interrupted sharply, turning to face him. "Why would you promise him that you'd come back?"

He looked taken aback, his calm slipping for a moment before he responded. "I thought we agreed, Arielle. He knows I'm his father now, and it's clear he enjoys spending time with me. You can't deny that."

I let out a cold laugh, crossing my arms. "Jared, things were clear between us. The more my son gets wrapped up in your life, the more likely he is to get hurt. You can keep hiding the truth for now, but what happens later? How do you plan to tell him everything about us, about why we'll never be a real family?"

Pain flashed across his face, but I refused to soften.

"If you had any shred of conscience, you'd stop this. Leave us alone. Maybe he can see you when he's older, but right now? You're not welcome in our lives."

Jared inhaled sharply, his jaw clenching. "That's not parenting, Arielle. That's running. You're overprotective, and it's not fair to him or to me."

"He's less than four years old, Jared! Four! Do I need to remind you that he didn't even know you were his father a week ago? And what happened right after? He was kidnapped. Kidnapped! How am I supposed to trust you after that?"

He flinched at my words, visibly struggling to respond.

I pressed on, my anger mounting. "Forget it. He's still young. I can find someone else to be his father, someone he'll get used to easily enough—"

Jared was on me in an instant, his hand catching my wrist and pulling me closer. His breath was warm and unsettlingly close against my skin. "Don't," he said slowly, his voice rough with warning. "Don't even think about it, Ari." It's so close. Too close.

It was dizzying, his intensity sharp enough to cut through my anger. My ears burned as I tried to push him away.

"What is your problem?" I muttered, hating the unsteadiness in my voice. "You need to leave."

His grip loosened, but his eyes searched mine, dark and unreadable. "Arielle," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. "All I'm asking for is a chance. Let me prove it to you. To him."

I shook my head, my chest tight. "You need to go, Jared. Now."

He stared at me for a long moment, then finally stepped back. "Thanks for letting me come," he said, his voice softer now, almost resigned.

I turned away, refusing to meet his gaze again as I opened the door for him.

Jared hesitated, as if wanting to say more. But instead, he turned and walked off.

I watched him get into his car, before shutting the door. Now, back to reality.

Of course, reality wasn't going to give me even a moment to breathe.

"Not a good idea, if you ask me," came my mom's disapproving voice from behind me.

Startled, I spun around. "Mom! Can we not?"

She crossed her arms, her expression unimpressed. "Don't 'can we not' me, Arielle. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I groaned. "I do, but you're jumping to conclusions."

Her brow arched with the precision of a seasoned skeptic. "Am I?"

"Jared came for dinner. That's all. For Maverick's sake."

"Mm-hmm." She tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. "I hate that man, but you could treat him better."

I blinked. "That's not fair, Mom."

"Life's not fair, dear," she quipped, patting my shoulder. "Just think about it."

And with that parting shot, she walked off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I knew I was right. And I knew my mom also didn't want me to get hurt for the second time. She's just a bit moved by how he acted tonight.

Jared knew exactly how to push

people's buttons, mine especially.

But I'd seen behind his charming

Just

facade before, and I wasn't about to to be pulled into his mess again. too tired to play this with him. When could he grow up and make some real actions?

Before bed, I checked my phone. Dwayne hadn't been messaging much lately-something about a midterm check keeping him busy. The last thing he'd sent was a voice note. "Wait for me, Ostrich."

I replayed it, smiling despite myself. Dwayne had a way of cutting through the noise. The noise that my ex-husband made.

I sighed and let the weight of the day

Ret

pull me into sleep. I'd expected it to be restless, but to my surprise, it was the best night's sleep I'd had since Maverick's incident. In my dreams, there was the faint scent of cedar and oud, and a shadowy silhouette of a man I couldn't quite place.

However, a good night's sleep was clearly not enough to prepare me for what came next, the next morning. "What. The. Hell."

Still in pajamas, toothbrush dangling from my mouth, I stared at the scene on my doorstep.

Jared Smith. In a crisp white leisure suit that screamed money, holding two suitcases. His personal assistant Oliver stood behind him, looking disturbingly unbothered. And in Jared's arms was-wait, was that a golden retriever puppy?!

"Daddy!" Maverick squealed, charging past me like a miniature tornado. He practically tackled Jared in a hug before snatching the puppy away. "No way! Daddy, is this for me? I love you! Now Milo has a friend!" Jared, looking absurdly pleased with himself, ruffled Maverick's hair. "Of course it's for you, buddy."

I felt my blood pressure spike as Maverick ran off with the puppy, leaving me alone with the chaos in front of me. I leveled Jared with my deadliest glare.

"Explain. Now."

He had the nerve to grin, all boyish charm and faux innocence. "Well, Ari, it's exactly what it looks like. I'm moving in."

My jaw dropped. "You're what?!"

"I sold my shares last week, remember?" he said, looking far too casual for someone delivering earth-shattering news. "Turns out, I'm kind of... homeless now. So, here I am."

My eyes darted to Oliver, silently begging for confirmation that this was some elaborate joke.

Oliver, ever professional, gave a calm, polite nod. "Mr. Smith is indeed without a primary residence at the moment."

Ok now my life was officially a disaster.