MasukRykerTwenty minutes later, I stepped out of Chase's office, adjusting my clothes. Turning around, I placed a peck on his cheek. “I'll see you at home, babe,” I said.“Don't be late.” Turning around, I exited his office and headed to my workplace to give Will a piece of my mind. Barging through the front door, I stopped Layla, a colleague. “Where is Will?” “He's in the boardroom with the boss, but no one is allowed to—”I walked out on her, storming into the boardroom amidst the ongoing conversation. “Mr. Jenkins, is there a problem?” Mr. Carter, my boss, asked. “First, you showed up late to work, and second, you barged in without knocking. I hope there's a good explanation for this.” “Yes, sir, there is. I had to save my marriage, which was on the verge of collapsing because of Mr. Will.” Carter folded his arms. “The matter is already being discussed.” My eyes widened. “Already? H-How did you get to know about it?” “Will confessed.” Will looked up. “I'm sorry, Ryker. I didn
Chase“You could be overthinking things, Chase,” Scarlett said over the phone. “Ryker would never do something like that to you.”I leaned back against the chair, rubbing my temple. “I want to believe that, but—”“I know it's hard not to believe the things you saw, but you know Ryker,” she cut in. “Give him the benefit of the doubt.”I heard a knock against my door. “Thanks for the advice. I have to go now. It looks like my next client has arrived.”Hanging up, I answered, “Come in.”The door was thrown open as Evelyn strolled in, pulling a person with a black sack bag over his head along with her.I blinked. “Evelyn, what are you doing here?”“I'm trying to fix your marriage, which should be none of my business, but for some reason, it turned out to be,” she said, lowering the person down onto the chair across from me and taking off the bag from his head.Patting his face, she jolted him awake. “Wake up, Oliver. I didn't drag you away to sleep your ass off.”Opening his eyes, Oliver
Ryker“Oliver, open up! I know you're there!” I called out, banging against the door. The door was pulled back as a sturdy, unkept-looking blonde man with a big belly appeared.Evelyn's face twisted into a deep scowl. “Is he the person trying to ruin your marriage? Hell, Ryker, you can do much better than this.”“What the—No, it's not like that,” I said, then turned to the man. “Doesn't Oliver live here?”He picked his nose. “He does. But who is asking? You? Or the pretty lady?”“Me. I'm a colleague of his from work.”“Oh. I'm Oliver's father, Darrel,” Darrel introduced, stretching out the same hand he had used to pick his nose earlier. “Wanna shake hands?”I shook my head. “Thanks, but we'll pass. Can you let me know if your son, Oliver, is around?”Darrel moved aside. “Upstairs. Second door to your right.”“Thank you.”Brushing past Darrel, Evelyn and I stormed upstairs to the specified location. Standing by the entrance door, Evelyn turned the doorknob and pushed it open.A naked O
RykerI stood to my feet. “Are you serious right now, Chase?“A humorless scoff slipped from his lips. “Do I look like I'm joking?“He didn't, and that's the problem.“You're going to divorce me without even listening to what I have to say?“ I asked. “Is that how fickle your love is?“His jaw tightened. “Fickle? You're the one I found in bed with another man! In our marital home!““And I told you, I don't remember how that happened!“ I yelled back. “One minute we were at the company diner, and the next thing I know, we woke up in bed. But I've told you countless times that nothing happened.““For God's sake, Ryker, you were naked!“ Chase shouted, bursting into tears. “You both were...“Crossing the bedroom, I pulled Chase into my arms. “I know you're having a hard time believing what you saw, but I would never cheat on you.“Leaning back, Chase broke out of my grasp, tilting my neck to the side. “What is this?“My brows knitted together. “Is there anything there?“I watched his expres
ChaseFIVE YEARS LATER“Oh my God,” I panicked, breathing heavily, staring at my reflection clothed in a white suit in the mirror.Scarlett burst through the front door. “I heard you panicking in here. Are you thinking of escaping your own wedding?”“Is that an option?” I asked, actually meaning it.She threw a jab at my shoulders. “No. Think about Ryker.”A low groan escaped my throat. “I know, I know. He made a whole lot of preparation for this day, and so did I. I don't know why I'm so nervous.”“That's because you're excited. Don't overthink things and walk down the aisle towards the one man who loves you more than anyone in the world.”A small smile tugged at my lips. “You're right.”The door was thrown open as Adrian, Ryker's best man, strolled in, dressed in a suit.“What's taking so long, Chase?” he asked.“Don't be hard on him, Adrian. He's just having the wedding jitters,” Scarlett said.“Jitters, my ass. Ryker is starting to think his bride bailed on him.”“I'm coming, okay
Scarlett After I got discharged from the hospital, I took three weeks of maternity leave from the company to look after my babies. While I rested, Chase assisted in running the company in my stead, overseeing the LHG project.“There are my pretty angels,” Nana squealed, bursting through the front door. Settling down onto the couch beside me, she received one of the twins from my hands.“Thanks for coming over, Nana.”“It's not a problem. I'm happy I get to see my great-grandchildren this way.” Her smile faltered. “Sometimes, I think about my son, Victor. If he were still alive, would his relationship with Adrian have gotten better? Would he also be excited to see his grandchildren?”“These thoughts have been wandering in my head ever since it was revealed what George and Marianne did with my Victor's treatment money.” She continued, her voice cracking. “I keep thinking about where I went wrong with George. Just how did he hate his own brother to want him gone? Why couldn't I see that
ScarlettAfter finalizing the inheritance, I stepped out of the villa with Mr. Hale walking beside me.“We'll arrange the blind date as soon as possible,” he said. “Does tomorrow evening work for you?”“Perfectly.”“The location will be sent to you shortly.”As Mr. Hale’s car pulled away, I turned
ScarlettWe immediately headed out. Durian stood in the middle of the room, his board game overturned at his feet, pieces scattered everywhere. The TV remote lay broken on the floor nearby. Aurelia stood beside him.“What happened here?” I asked, my voice calm, which seemed to agitate them more.Au
Scarlett“Mrs. Scarlett, I've reviewed the documents,” Lawyer Leonard said over the phone. “If you're certain you want to proceed with the inheritance agreement, we can finalize everything today.”“I’m certain,” I replied, staring at my reflection in the vanity mirror. I looked younger, healthier,
Scarlett“You're not your husband's legal wife, Mrs. Scarlett,” the doctor informs me. “So we cannot authorize the use of Mr. Ethan’s medical insurance for your treatment.”My heart plummeted. What?“Doctor, there seems to be a mis–” I broke off, coughing into the blood-stained handkerchief clutche







