Mr Billionaire's Regret Chasing His Irresistible Wife (Jared and Arielle) novel Chapter 177

(ARIELLE'S POV)

Sofia even gave me a slightly apologetic glance as she passed by, holding onto Jared’s arm.

I must’ve looked like a fool, standing there like that.

Ashley, already rolling up her sleeve and shaking her fist, muttered, "I'll go ask him what he means by this."

"Don't pull me!" I heard her protest as Roman grabbed her arm.

Margaux, sighing, interjected, "Why don't we listen to what Arielle has to say first?"

Ashley spun around to face me, her expression fierce. "Ari, don't worry about it. I'll find out exactly what's going on."

I shook my head. "Don’t ask him. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Ashley’s face shifted through several emotions before she finally spoke. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I paused, gathering my thoughts, "we had a fight a few days ago, and I told him that we’re done. We have nothing left between us."

Silence hung in the air for a long moment. Ashley just stood there, calming down as she processed my words.

Roman, seemingly uninterested in the drama unfolding, turned to Margaux. "Apologies, Miss Harrison. I think it's time for you to head home. Please let your grandparents know I send my regards."

Then he turned to Ashley. "Ashley, I’ve made my point. You can take the rest of the night off. I'm sure you’ll want to spend time with your friend."

Ashley was a bit surprised.

Then his voice grew firm again, the kind of tone that brooked no argument. "Don’t forget, we have a meeting tomorrow. I expect you there early."

"Of course," she muttered.

Roman nodded at me politely before walking away, his strides long and confident—almost arrogantly so. For a brief moment, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching Jared walk away all over again.

"Get it together," I muttered under my breath, trying to snap myself out of the daze.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ashley turned to me, her eyes blazing. "Did you see that? He made it seem like he was doing me a favor by giving me the night off! What kind of bastard capitalist would take their employees everywhere after working hours?"

She sighed, clearly frustrated, but then her tone softened to me. "You know, this might not be all that bad. You and him…"

I smiled weakly. "I guess you're right."

But I didn’t have the energy to say anything else. My mind kept drifting back to Jared. My thoughts were a tangled mess of emotions, and I couldn't untangle them.

At that moment, Margaux joined the conversation, and I felt slightly bad for having forgotten that she was still there with us.

"So he really gave up on you this time?" She asked, her blue probing eyes observing me.

I blinked, caught off guard by the question. "How would you know what our relationship is?" I asked, trying to sound surprised, but in the real sense, my voice bore a note of defense.

She just shrugged, like the topic wasn't one of great importance. "It's not that hard to guess. You might not have been popular when you were still married to him, but you did, the moment you two were divorced and when you returned to the country, at least in the upper society circle. Plus, I'm a big fan of ‘The Evil Wolf Husband Doesn’t Deserve a Good Ex-Wife’," she added with a wink, a knowing smile spreading across her face.

…What evil-wolf-husband?

I blinked, confused for a second, then it hit me. Rebecca’s book.

Gosh she really has terrible taste in book titles.

A laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. It was surprising that Margaux knew about Rebecca’s book, but it also lightened the mood a little. "You know about the book? And you immediately figured it out based on that?"

"Well, she did use pseudonyms for the characters," Margaux said with a sly grin. "But some of us can still put two and two together."

She turned serious again, her gaze probing. "So, he really gave up on you?"

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I looked across the room at Jared and Sofia, now walking away together, side by side. When had he returned? Had he intentionally taken a different route to avoid me? The thought stung, but I pushed it aside, refusing to let it show.

"I think so. It seems that way," I said quietly, turning back to Margaux.

She paused, considering my words carefully. "In the book, you were always harsh with him, unforgiving. But recently, you’ve shown signs of softening. At least, that’s what it looked like to me. Why would he suddenly give up now?"

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. "Soft towards him? We just had a fight where I almost wanted to hit him over the head with that vase, if I had that choice," I said, nodding toward the marble vase on the dinner table.

"I have to say, I'm impressed," Margaux suddenly said, turning to me. "I didn't expect you to be so... down–to–earth."

I chuckled, feeling flattered and amused. “I think that's the first time anyone's described me that way."

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, Arielle's not exactly known for being that," and then she hit me playfully. "Of course you're down to earth, silly!"

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Hey, I resent that."

Margaux chuckled. "I think we're going to get along just fine. I like you two already."

"Awwwn," Ashley cooed, making a funny blushing gesture.

"Silly girl!" I said, hitting her lightly.

As the driver took a turn, Ashley’s face softened and she turned to Margaux. "Hey, how’s your night been going so far, aside from the disastrous date?" She said the last word with teasing humor, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Margaux laughed, a throaty sound, the type that you'd want to listen to all day. "It was actually kind of nice to meet you guys. You're not as boring as I thought you'd be."

Ashley grinned, her face lighting up. "Hey, watch it. We're not that boring."

I chuckled, feeling drawn and a sense of camaraderie with these two women. It's elating how we've been able to strike a mutual relationship in just a few hours of meeting. "I think we're a little boring, but we're working on it."

As we neared my house, Ashley turned to me, her tone softening. "Look, Ari. I know today’s been a lot. Promise me you’ll get some good sleep tonight. And about the little guy... please don’t feel like you have to explain everything to him tonight. Give both of you some time."

I paused, letting her words sink in, and nodded.

She sighed, as if something had just occurred to her. "Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner with me? My mom’s been wanting us to catch up, and it’d be nice to hang out. Since we both ate nothing tonight due to those stupid men."

"That'd be awesome. Thanks for inviting me," I said, meaning every word.

Margaux yawned again, her eyes already closing.

Ashley and I exchanged looks, and smiled, as a laugh would awaken her.

"We better get her home first," Ashley whispered.