ANMELDENChapter ElevenJacqueline’s POVMy eyes snapped open.Alex was standing at the living room entrance, in his leather jacket with his helmet in his hand. His eyes moved from me to Jayden slowly, then back to me. His expression didn’t change. Just that flat unreadable look that somehow felt worse than any reaction he could have given.I stepped back from Jayden without thinking about it.“Alex,” I said. I didn’t know why I said his name. I had nothing to follow it with.“I didn’t realise you were expecting company,” he said. His voice was completely even.Jayden straightened beside me. I could feel him doing it — that thing he does when he wants to appear unbothered. He put on an easy smile and extended his hand towards Alex.“Jayden. Jackie’s boyfriend.”Alex looked at the hand for a moment before he shook it.“I know who you are,” Alex said.The smile on Jayden’s face didn’t drop but I could see that he clenched his jaw while smiling. That wasn’t a good sign. It had gotten uncomfortabl
Alexander’s POVBoardrooms have always bored me. It has never been a place I enjoy being in. I always look for reasons to avoid coming here, but Janelle had to question my position and now here I am.I took my seat without greeting anyone. I am the CEO after all and that wouldn’t change by the end of this meeting. I was sure of that before I even walked through the door.There are twelve board members. I had known everything about all twelve from the moment I accepted this position. I know the ones who are loyal to Janelle and the neutral ones, or as I like to call them, the smart ones.Janelle sat three seats to my left. She was wearing a dark green suit, hair pulled into a tight bun, hands folded on the table in front of her. She was trying to look composed.But I knew she wasn’t.Kara wasn’t here. Smart move on Janelle’s part. Kara would have ruined the whole thing just by opening her mouth.I waited until the room was completely quiet before I spoke.“I’ll make this simple,” I sai
Jacqueline’s POVFor a second neither of us moved. Hannah’s eyes were wide, her face drained of every drop of colour. My phone was still in her hand and her other phone was angled towards it.“What are you doing?” That was the only question I could blurt out. I had so many questions but this would do for now.She opened her mouth. It looked like she was trying to come up with an explanation but nothing came out. I’d had enough of her. I’d suspected her from the first day and she just proved my suspicion right.“Put it down.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Put my phone down right now.”She put my phone on the bed slowly. Her hands were shaking. It was dawning on her that she had been caught and there was no way out for her.I picked it up and looked at the screen. My messages were open. Jayden’s chat. She had been taking a picture of my private conversation.The anger hit me instantly. Why would she do this?“Come with me,” I said.“Please—” she started.“Now, Hannah.”I walk
Jacqueline’s POVThe ticks were still blue. I turned my phone face down on my thigh and told myself to stop looking at it. I lasted for a few seconds more before I picked it up again, but still nothing.Jayden had seen my message. That much was clear. He had seen it and had refused to reply.He’s probably where he is, handling his family emergency, and that could be one of his relatives. That’s the only logical explanation. I shouldn’t rush into conclusions until I hear from him.Alex was across the room, one leg crossed over the other, typing on his phone. He hadn’t said anything since I’d gone quiet. He didn’t ask what was wrong. He didn’t look up from his phone, not even once.I appreciated that more than I wanted to admit. He is helping me out even if it’s not really from the goodness of his heart. He is going to have 20% of the shares at the end. But I wouldn’t want him knowing what’s going on in my relationship.I turned my phone over again. Opened our chat. I stared once again
Jacqueline’s POVI walked in slowly. The man in the black suit was already moving towards the door that leads out of the house. Seeing him fully made me notice the briefcase he was holding in his hand. I wonder how many more envelopes are in there.He didn’t look at me. He looked at Alex, who gave him a quick nod, and then he left without a word. The door clicked shut behind him.Alex stood there with the brown envelope in his hand, completely unbothered by the fact that I had been standing in that hallway. He set it down on the glass table like it was nothing and slid his hands into his pockets.“Sit down,” he said.“I don’t want to sit down.” I walked further into the living room, stopping a few feet from him.“I want to know what was in that envelope. I saw my name on it. I saw ROD Industries.” I folded my arms across my chest. I’m not going to keep doing as he says when he keeps giving me reasons to question him.He looked at me for a moment.“Sit down, Jackie. You signed the cont
Jacqueline's POVI did not sleep well.The photo was still on my mind when I opened my eyes. That girl walking through the entrance with her face hidden. Alex beside her, tattoos and silver hair clear as day for every blogger and gossip page on the internet to see.That girl was me.I dragged myself out of bed and down the stairs. Alex was already up — dressed, phone in hand, jaw tight. He looked like a man who had been awake for hours managing something he was not going to tell me about.“You’ve seen it,” I said. It was not a question. Alex knows everything that goes on and I was sure he had seen the picture.He did not look up from his phone. “It’s been taken down.”“How?”“It’s handled.”I stared at him. “That’s not the point, Alex. Someone was outside the house. Someone photographed us arriving and nobody noticed. Nobody stopped it.”He put his phone down and looked at me then.Alex scanned my face. He gave me a look that meant he was deciding how much to say.“Pack your things,”







