bChapter /bb664 /b

    Jared looked a little dumbfounded. “There are four bedrooms in this suite. Isn’t that enough for you?”

    “It’s just… you know, it’s not really proper for us to stay together,” I said.

    Jared chuckled, clearly finding my concern funny. “What exactly are you worried about?”

    I’m really not worried about anything,‘ I said, thinking to myself that with Yvonne here, Jared wouldn’t even get the chance to try anything funny.

    “Fine, I’ll just go stay somewhere else. You and Yvonne can have the suite,” Jared replied, his tone a mix of irritation and wounded pride.

    I realized maybe I was making too much of a fuss, especially when I saw Jared actually start packing up his suitcase to

    leave.

    “Okay, okay, I didn’t really mean it. There are four bedrooms, so it’s not a big deal if you stay,” I conceded, deciding not to be so particr.

    Only then did Jared finally calm down.

    Yvonne blinked her sleepy eyes and said, “Mom, I’m feeling tired. I’m scared to shower alone. Can you help me?”

    I nodded.

    After I helped Yvonne with her shower, she curled up under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

    I hadn’t brought any clothes with me, so I decided not to bother changing tonight. After freshening up a bit, I sat on the edge of the bed and started scrolling through my phone.

    Suddenly, a message popped up: “Are you going to sleep with your ex–husband tonight?”

    I froze. ‘How does Edward even know Jared’s here?‘ I wondered.

    ‘Is he actually keeping tabs on me?‘ I thought.

    Annoyed, I fired back a message: “Mr. Jennings, you really love monitoring people, don’t you? Your need to control is suffocating.”

    Edward replied almost instantly: “I parked my car downstairs from your apartment, nning to wait for you after work. That’s when I saw your ex–husband and his daughter show up.”

    He seemed worried I wouldn’t believe him, so he added, “I just happened to see them. I wasn’t spying on you.”

    I decided to take his word for it. I trusted him enough to know he wouldn’t do something so petty.

    “This is my own private matter, so iyou /ireally don’t need to get involved, Mr. Jennings,” I shot back.

    After that, there was ino /iresponse for a long time.

    b15:40 /bbThu/b, 18 Sept

    I knew Edward knew when to back off. After what I said, I was sure he wouldn’t text me again.

    2428%

    Jared stepped out of the bathroom, his gray bathrobe thrown on carelessly, the belt hanging loose at his waist, showing off his chiseled chest for anyone to see.

    He walked in, still radiating that fresh–out–of–the–shower vibe.

    Droplets clung to his short hair, his hairline messy and wild, the whole look giving off a deep, masculine energy that was impossible to ignore.

    “Is Yvonne asleep?” he asked, his voice husky and a little rough.

    I nodded. “Yeah, she was exhausted. She knocked out right after her shower.”

    Jared walked over, leaned down, and kissed Yvonne gently on the forehead.

    Then he looked at me, his eyes a little misty and shadowed with emotion. “Are you going to sleep too?”

    I nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty tired too.”

    Jared let out a slow breath, then suddenly circled around the end of the bed and came over to me.

    My chest tightened with nerves as I watched him approach.

    He stood over me, looking down, and suddenly reached out, his fingers brushing a strand of hair by my ear with a mix of hurt and longing. “Victoria, when you harden your heart like this, I really don’t know what to do.”

    I grabbed his hand right away. “Quit it.”

    Jared suddenly lost control, and in a sh, he leaned over and pressed me firmly against the headboard. “You’ve been away for so long, never once reaching out. I’ll admit it–I’ve missed you, more than I can say…”

    “Jared, don’t be crazy. Yvonne’s right here,” I blurted out, my heart pounding. ‘If she wakes up and sees us like this, what

    would she think?‘ I worried.

    Jared was being shameless–he knew I wouldn’t dare struggle, so he kept me pinned, sounding calm and almost smug. “I’m not going to do anything… I just want to…‘

    His lips inched closerb, /bslow and deliberate.

    Just then, my phone rang.

    Jared, visibly annoyed, snatched up my phone and snapped, “Whoever you are, calling thiste is just in rude.”

    He was speaking in the motherngugaei, /iand I was stunned for a moment, hoping the caller didn’t understand.

    When there was no reply, Jared held the phone away to check the screen, then asked me, “Who’s the Fox?”

    b2/3 /b