All Chapters of Burning Desire: A Tale of Love and Betrayal : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Derek’s POVI hardened my grip on the phone, pressing it down so hard that the plastic creaked beneath my fingers. The anger inside me boiled over, threatening to spill.“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as the fifth dial tone died out with no answer.Fuck. Fuck!I hit redial for the sixth time, but this time there wasn’t even a ring, only the cold, robotic voice: “The number you are trying to reach is not available.”I slammed the phone down and punched the steering wheel, the sharp pain in my knuckles grounding me, if only for a moment.In the middle of my spiraling rage, my phone buzzed again. A flicker of hope sparked, only to be snuffed out as soon as I saw the sender’s ID.A call came through almost immediately after. Rachael.I answered, bringing the phone to my ear with a shaky breath.“I’ve sent you the address,” she said, her voice strained and shaky. “See you soon.”I didn’t bother replying. I just hung up.When I arrived at the hospital, Rachael was sitting in the reception ar

Jacqueline’s POV“You need to rest,” Allison urged.I didn’t spare her a glance. My entire focus was locked on the system in front of me, eyes scanning line after line in the financial template and database, desperately searching for what might have gone wrong.I had combed through the numbers over and over again, but everything appeared spotless, almost too perfect.“Where could the issue come from?!” I muttered to myself, a dozen questions swirling unanswered in my mind. If sleepless nights and restless days were the price I had to pay to find even the smallest piece of evidence that could clear Derek and save the company, then so be it. I had already made up my mind.“Please, can you get me a glass of tea?” I asked softly, my eyes still fixed on the screen.I picked up my phone and dialed Calvin’s number for what felt like the tenth time in an hour.“Have you found anything?!” I asked, clinging to a thin thread of hope.“Nothing yet, Jac,” he replied, his voice heavy with disappoin

Jacqueline’s POVThe week went by, leaving me burnt out and stressed, and still without answers. I had buried myself in paperwork, combed through contracts, chased whispers of legal loopholes that could help us fight the lawsuit, but the five working days slipped past like smoke through my fingers.It was like running on a treadmill, fast, exhausting, yet going nowhere.I sighed as I reached for the door handle, about to step out of the car after another long, resultless evening at the office. These days, if it wasn’t a breakthrough that brought us closer to clearing the company’s name, it didn’t feel like an achievement. Everything else faded into the background, even basic wins.“Huh…” I groaned, reaching blindly into my tote bag, fingers brushing against pens, receipts, my wallet, and finally the source of the buzzing.“Allison,” I mumbled, catching a glimpse of her name on the screen.But the ringing stopped before I could answer. I frowned, annoyed at the missed call, until somet

Jacqueline’s POVThe room fell quiet, first like a pause, then a vacuum.It was Derek.In bed.Naked.With someone else.His head was thrown back, his mouth parted in pleasure. A woman’s red-painted nails gripped his chest, and his hands cupped the curve of her hips.Every inch of my body froze.The air thickened.“Jacqueline…?” someone whispered.My hands trembled as I looked at the second photo behind the first. Another angle. Another woman.I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.Allison stood stunned beside me, her expression unreadable now.Whispers rippled through the crowd. The music seemed to continue somewhere far away, but in my head, it was dead silence.I felt my chest tighten, not in sadness, but fury. White-hot, bone-deep fury.Suddenly, the music kicked back in, louder, angrier. The DJ, unaware of the drama unfolding in the VIP booth, had shifted to a new track. Something fast. Pulsing. Violent.I couldn’t even feel my legs moving, but I was standing. The envelope and its

Allison’s POVThere are two types of women in this world, those who cry when a man cheats, and those who set his suits on fire.Me? I’m the third type.I flirt my way into his damn office and help my best friend burn his empire to the ground.“Five minutes,” I whispered in Jeron’s ear, watching his Adam’s apple bob like he’d swallowed a golf ball. “Just five… and I’ll owe you one.”Jeron blinked, cheeks flushed like a schoolboy caught staring. “I really shouldn’t…”“But you will,” I cut in smoothly, dragging a finger down the lapel of his blazer. “Because you’re kind, Jeron. Because you know what love looks like… and what betrayal feels like.”The way his jaw clenched told me I’d hit the right nerve. Men like Jeron were soft on the inside. You just had to know where to press.He handed over the key with trembling fingers.Behind me, Jacqueline pushed the door open without a word. I didn’t miss the way her shoulders were set like she was going into war. Calvin followed, silent but shar