MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(JARED'S POV.)

I walked up the steps, my eyes fixed on Mr. Langley just so I didn't have to speak with anyone else. I couldn't trust my mother in situations like this. She had a way of roping me into unexpected conversations. "Mr. Langley," I called out as I stepped up to the yacht's deck.

He was deep in conversation with a fellow I surmised to be the sailor.

"Ahh. Jared. Come up here, son," he gestured with his hand. He quickly dismissed the sailor.

"Son?" I scoffed inwardly. Not when he's top on the list of the people I suspect to be sabotaging my company.

"Hi, " I nodded with a forced smile. "Quite a remarkable yacht you've got here," I chipped in with a smile.

"Oh it's a rental. Cost a decent sum alongside the apartment. And to think we're only renting for a couple of days! Crazy, I tell you," he shook his head. "Sorry we had to drag you all the way out here.. away from your company. I know it must have cost you a lot to honor the invitation," he said, clasping my hand in both of his.noveldrama

Tell me something I don't know, I rolled my eyes internally. But I kept the smile on, revealing nothing of my internal thoughts.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mr. Langley. Family comes first," I smiled.

"And that fills my heart with so much joy. You'll make a great son-in-law. I'm certain about that," he beamed. "Did you see the ladies?"

"Yeah. Bumped into them on the way here," I said.

"We better go join them. Julie will grow a fit if she realizes I've been gone long. The woman takes things like this a little too personal," he rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation. Well, that was one part I seemed to agree with him on, and I fell in step beside him.

****

The rest of the morning was spent in the beach house. The Langleys had hired a celebrity chef to cater for the event for the two days. We were having a proper English breakfast- eggs, bacon, and toast. The air felt awkward around me, with sitting at the same table with Sofia and Tiana. Try as hard as I did, I couldn't bring myself to get comfortable.

"So, Jared, dear, I was just telling Tiana how it would be sweet if you both shared a room," Julie said.

I almost choked on my toast and had to down my tea in one large gulp. That proved to be a silly move and only worsened the coughing fit.

"Oh, honey, are you all right?" my mother asked.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Julie, leave the man to decide where he'll sleep. It's a large house," Mr. Langley said.

"I was only suggesting," Julie rolled her eyes at her husband.

"So?" Tiana asked.

I squinted my eyes slightly at her. She knew the intricacies of our agreement so why was she setting me up this way? "There's room enough for everyone to stay by themselves, right?" I asked. "Well, yes. But.." Julie was still saying.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother to anyone then. After all what's a getaway vacation if we don't get away from each other," I joked and laughed to cushion the effect of my sarcastic humor.

"That's a shame then. I'll ask the housekeeper to set up a room for you," Julie said. She had an awful lot of words to say to the poor lady who politely protested that she'd been asked to prepare only four rooms initially. "That's what you're paid for, silly!" she snapped.

As breakfast carried on, I excused myself to go put our luggage in the rooms. I found the housekeeper busy laying the bed in my room, and she was murmuring her grievances with Mrs. Langley.

"What you're paid for, silly," she mimicked. "My employers would never talk to me like that."

She jumped in fright once she realized I'd been standing at the door the whole time.

"I'm sorry... I umm... I was," she stuttered in embarrassment.

"It's fine. They could be a handful sometimes," I smiled reassuringly as I walked into the room. I walked into the closet and set my luggage down. I didn't really pack much, just enough to last two days. She was just rounding up when I walked back into the room.

"You work for the Langleys?" I asked.

"No," she said with a little scoff and caught herself. "I work for the Harrison family. They own the building and the yachts. They're on the resort as well... in the next building actually. And they're certainly nicer," she said. "The Harrisons, huh," I mused aloud.

"Yes, sir. I'll be on my way now. Wouldn't want Mrs. Langley to complain again," she rolled her eyes sarcastically. I shook my head, an amused smile playing on my face as I watched her leave.

Time flew by in a blur and it was soon time for brunch.

"Oh can we eat on the yacht.. out in the ocean?" Sofia's mum cried like a teenage girl.

"Mum the party isn't until tomorrow," Sofia rolled her eyes. She'd not said much the entire time.

"That shouldn't matter, should it?" Mr. Langley shrugged with a conniving smile.

And so we filed unto the yacht. It was a fairly large yacht with three storeys and a sleek design. It was aptly named 'Eleganza'.

In a matter of time, we were out in

the ocean. The chef made an assortment of dishes to everyone's delight. Iħad to put on a good show of interest for the sake of the plan and of course, to preserve my sanity from my mother's nagging tendencies.

"Jared, do us a favor, son. Uncork the wine," Mr. Langley gestured. I nodded and picked up the bottle.

"Careful so you don't spill it on yourself," my mother said. I gave her a sarcastic side eye and walked over to the railing to uncork the wine.

A second yacht had come up to join

us at sea but while we were

anchored, they appeared to be venturing further than we'd come. It was a bigger yacht, and I soon recognized it as the one that had docked beside ours earlier. Their sailor hit the horns to salute Our yacht, and everyone on either vessel waved. I spotted two very familiar figures aboard the other yacht and had to do a doubletake to be sure my eyes weren't messing with me.

But I couldn't have imagined it. Arielle and Dwayne together, with the latter's arm around her waist as they waved. If she recognized me as well, she didn't show it and I knew better than to give off the impression that we were still on talking terms before my soon-to-be inlaws. But it didn't stop the anger that burned up inside my soul at the sight of Dwayne and Arielle

together.. on one boat...