All Chapters of RISING FROM THE ASHES: The CEO’s Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Jessica’s POVThe sterile, suffocating smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol burned the back of my throat, clinging to the air like a grim omen. Under the harsh, flickering fluorescent lights of the intensive care unit, the world felt entirely devoid of color. The only sound slicing through the dead silence was the rapid, chaotic beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor. It didn't sound like a medical device; it sounded like a countdown to my own destruction.I sat on the edge of a hard plastic chair, my hands trembling so violently that the silver clip-board in my lap rattled. I looked down at the crisp white paper clamped tightly beneath the metal bar. Less than a quarter of an inch away from the blunt tip of my ballpoint pen was a surgical consent form.Donor Consent for Emergency Nephrectomy."Jessica... please..."The weak, raspy wheeze cut through the monitoring equipment, drawing my eyes upward. My heart shattered into a million jagged pieces at the sight before me. Davis lay in the c

Jessica’s POVThe steady, rhythmic purr of a luxury engine was the first thing that drifted into my consciousness. I opened my eyes grozily, blinking against the soft, warm ambient lighting of a spacious vehicle. I wasn't on the cold marble floor anymore. I was reclined back against plush, hand-stitched leather seats, wrapped tightly in a heavy, velvet jacket that smelled of expensive cologne, cedarwood, and rain."Don't try to move just yet. We're almost at my private estate."A deep, velvety voice oozed through the darkness of the car's interior. I snapped my head to the side, wincing as a sharp, throbbing pain flared in my temple. Sitting next to me was Marcus. His sharp, unapologetic features were cast in shadow, his long fingers gripping a glass of amber liquid. He looked incredibly dangerous, yet the way he kept his distance showed a level of respect I hadn't felt in five years."W-Who are you?" I whispered, my throat dry and raspy. "Why did you save me?"Marcus turned his hea

Davis’s POV"She's gone. What do you mean she’s gone?!"I slammed my fist down onto the mahogany desk in my pristine executive office, the glass decor rattling violently. My chest was burning from the inside, a strange, phantom ache flaring right in my right flank where my transplanted kidney rested. I was struggling to breathe.Ever since the grand opening last night, my mind had been spinning off the rails.Jessica. It had been her. No matter how much I tried to convince myself or the investors that she was just a delusional stranger, I couldn't forget the look of raw, shattered devotion in her eyes. I had spent five years overseas convincing myself she had moved on, that she had forgotten about me when she stopped calling. But seeing her in that filthy waitress uniform, bleeding on my floor...I reached into my pocket, dialing her old number like a maniac for the fiftieth time today.The number you have dialed is no longer in service."Damn it!" I roared, throwing the phone against