Chapter 11

Wren heard about it ten days before the wedding.She was at a pub, drinking till three in the morning. Zane was with her, and he drank so much his tongue turned numb. He collapsed on the sofa and mumbled under his breath, “Wren, John and Gemma are getting married within days of knowing each other. What exactly does he want? Her beauty? Her identity as an illegitimate daughter of the Shackelfords? I think he just wants those shares…”“Shut up,” Wren said as she slammed her wine glass hard on the table.Instead of shutting up, Zane flipped to his side and went on. “But I heard… Gemma used to have a boyfriend overseas, and they were very close. He later got into an accident, and they failed to resuscitate him. Someone said that John resembles that man very much. “Tell me, how could a cold-blooded woman like Gemma suddenly take a fancy to John? Betting 30 million dollars on him and holding his hand in public, agreeing to a marriage alliance after three meetings. Only idiots will b

Chapter 12

When I pushed the door open to the lobby of my office building, the fragrance of a bouquet of champagne roses drifted from the reception desk.I glanced at it before walking into the corridor and into my office, shutting the door behind me.Sunlight filtered through the window and shone on the glass pane on my office desk, right next to the bouquet of flowers. I switched my computer on and retrieved a due diligence report on a merger and acquisition deal from my email and clicked it open.The download bar appeared and I stared at the screen, unable to absorb a single word of the document.Wren’s voice resounded in my mind.Meeting her only thrice.A total of just three meetings from strangers to fiance and fiancee.When I was overseas discussing merger and acquisition deals, I would inspect the target company for three months, conducting due diligence, auditing accounts, and analyzing management structure. I’d even go in person to check whether their washrooms were clean or not.

Chapter 13

When I turned around, my back hit the car window.Gemma stood right before me, her cinched blazer accentuating her slender waist and the top two buttons of her shirt left undone.The lights in the underground garage shone down on us. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot and her chest was heaving with suppressed emotion.She took a step forward and reached out to hug me at the waist. She plastered her cheek on my chest and I could feel her hot breath against me.Before I could react, she hooked her arms around my neck and pulled my head down. She buried her face into the side of my neck and tightened her hold over me. Her lips rested on my collarbone as she sighed and said with a tinge of indignation, “I haven’t seen you for a week. What are you doing?”My fingers touched her shoulders. Her skin felt hot under the fabric of her shirt.I shut my eyes and remembered that I was a replacement for another man. I opened my eyes once more and pushed her away stiffly.“Ms. Shackelford,” I

Chapter 14

Wren leaned against the peeling wallpaper and lit another cigarette.The smoke dispersed under the moonlight, shrouding her beautiful features in the night.“You shouldn’t have chosen her. That’s like telling me that I don’t even have the chance to make up for what I did in the past.”I leaned against the wall. My wound was no longer bleeding, but my legs still felt weak after long periods of standing.I didn’t want to provoke her to anger or respond to her.Silence hung in the empty villa, stretching out with every second.She took huge strides toward me, reaching out and bracing both hands right next to my ears. She lowered her head and leaned in close to me.I could smell nicotine mixed with alcohol on her, along with the smell of the leather seats of the SUV.“You didn’t use to be like this,” she said, her voice turning hoarse. “You used to be so anxious when I fell sick, you’d want to fly back home to be with me. You’d listen to my voice messages dozens of times and tatt

All Chapters of Never Let Go: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14