MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE novel Chapter 139

(JARED'S POV)

I had just wrapped up a virtual meeting and was about to dive back into work when Arielle’s call flashed across my screen.

The unexpected sight of her name made my heart skip a beat. There was a flicker of hope. Stupid, maybe, considering how firmly she’d shut me out before, but I couldn’t help it. Perhaps this was it. Maybe she had a change of heart. Maybe she was calling to let me meet my son.

I know, it sounded foolish. But a man was allowed to dream.

"Hello," I answered the call, trying to sound casual but I knew it betrayed how my heart was leaping with anticipation.

But no amount of preparation could’ve braced me for what I heard next. Her voice—sharp, frantic, panicked—broke through the phone, jagged and hysterical. "Maverick’s missing! Someone took him from school... I thought it was you..."

Her words hit me like a gut punch, stealing my breath.

I hated hearing her so terrified, so out of control. I immediately tried to calm her, assure her that I hadn’t taken Maverick and that I would never do something like that. But as I pressed for more details, the line went dead.

I stared at the screen in disbelief. She hung up.

Frustration boiled inside me, and I immediately redialed, but the call wouldn’t go through.

What happened? Was Maverick okay? I felt my stomach twist in knots.

"Oliver," I snapped, voice sharper than I intended. "Call off the meeting. We’re done for now."

My personal assistant blinked, clearly taken aback. “But, sir, this project is critical for the next queue—”

"Then postpone it. Until I get back." I was already turning away, heading for the door. My voice was low, but the tension in it was undeniable. "Take me to Valley View School."

The drive to the school was a blur of thoughts and questions, each one darker than the last. Nothing about this made sense. Arielle was meticulous about security, about keeping her family safe.

Valley View had one of the best security systems in the city. How could someone just snatch a child in broad daylight?

I jumped out of the car the second we arrived, my feet barely hitting the ground before I stormed into the principal’s office.

Arielle was there, her face drained of color, eyes wide with terror. She held her phone in her shaking hands, barely holding it together.

When she saw me, a brief flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes, before it quickly dimmed again. “Jared, Maverick…” Her voice broke on the last word. She stepped forward, her fragile body trembling.

I reached out instinctively, my hands grasping her shoulders to steady her. Her body stiffened for a moment, and I could feel the tension between us, a gulf of unspoken words, but I didn’t pull away.

“You’re going to be okay,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.

She didn’t respond, just gave a small nod, though her lips trembled.

I turned to the principal, my tone ice-cold. “Mr Robert. I’m Jared Smith. You know who I am. Now, tell me what the hell is going on.”

The principal, a man of middle age with thinning hair, was sweating under the pressure. “We’ve done everything we can, Mr. Smith, but there are few clues. The teacher who saw the man said he had a J&S Capital license, and... she assumed it was one of your employees.”

“A license? A worker’s license? What the hell kind of identification is that?” My temper flared, but I managed to keep my voice low. “Are you all that careless? Get your damn teachers together. Find out everything about this man. What did he look like? Who saw him? From the custodians to the students—everyone who was here during that time. I want names, alibis, descriptions. Everything.”

No one, no one, was supposed to know that Maverick was my son. Hell, I had only learned about it myself recently. Arielle had kept that part of our lives tightly under wraps. So, how could this man possibly know? And even if this was somehow connected to me, I should have heard something by now—someone should have reached out, given me some kind of warning…

Arielle answered a call from her mother, her voice carefully neutral, but her exhaustion was impossible to hide. I could see through her forced calmness, the way her shoulders drooped as she spoke. These days too many things have happened. She was barely holding it together.

I walked over to her as she hung up. “Come here,” I said softly, taking her by the arm. “You need to rest Ari. Let’s go. My car’s just outside. I promise I’ll wake you up as soon as we get any leads.”

She shook her head, not looking up at me. Her eyes were hollow, drained. She wasn’t crying—she wasn’t even trying to fight it anymore.

“I’ll wait,” she said quietly, her voice distant.

My chest tightened at the sight of her like this. I wanted to pull her out of there, but I knew she wouldn’t go. I stepped back, my heart heavy, and went outside to take a breath.

I pulled out my phone, dialing Vincenzo and Mark. I had informed them earlier, hoping against hope that it wasn’t an abduction, that Maverick wasn’t in any kind of danger. But none of them had responded yet. I was about to dial again when—

My phone rang.

I glanced down at the number, unfamiliar, private. A cold shiver ran down my spine.

“Hello?” I answered, voice tight.

“Jared Smith.”

I froze. I knew that voice. And the chill that crept up my spine confirmed it—this wasn’t good.