MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE
Checking his phone; yes or no?

(ARIELLE'S POV)

I was roused from sleep by a gentle tap. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Jared peering down at me.

"Dinner is served, Mrs. Smith," he said, his voice warm and teasing as he pressed a light kiss to my forehead.

"Dinner? I was startled and sat up. "What time is it?" I inquired, looking at the window, and I realized outside looked dark, but the room was illuminated by the bedside lamp. Jared chuckled. "You have been sleeping for four hours. Come to think of it, you never slept this much. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I quickly replied and got off the bed. I was sure my recent weakness and proclivity for sleep was because of the pregnancy, but I was not about to admit that to Jared. "Alright," Jared said with a nod. "Shall we?"

I nodded back, and we both walked out of the bedroom. As we strolled to the dining room, I asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

"Roasted potatoes, broccoli, and chicken," Jared replied with a smile.

I stopped to stare at him in surprise. "How come? You can barely boil water, let alone cook a complex meal like that."

Jared paused, then gave me a smile. "Sofia helped," he said, his tone a bit too casual.

A sharp pang of jealousy stabbed through me, quick and unexpected. I imagined Jared and Sofia in the kitchen, laughing together, working as a team. It was a foolish thought, I knew. They were both adults-exes, even-and I trusted him. But that didn't make the jealousy any easier to swallow.

I shook my head, pushing the thought aside as we entered the dining room. The table was set, and Sofia was seated, waiting. I took my seat, and Jared followed suit.

Jared cleared his throat and spoke, "Sofia has something to tell you, Arielle."

Sofia turned to him sharply, a questioning look in her eyes, but Jared nudged her slightly.

"Go on," he encouraged.

Sofia gave him a death glare before turning to me with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Arielle, I wanted to apologize for my slightly irrational behavior lately," she began. "I've been having mood swings, and in case you don't know, since you've never been pregnant before, mood swings are a part of every pregnant woman's pregnancy journey."

I stopped myself from scoffing at her words. Was this an apology or a subtle shade? At the same time, I wanted to laugh at her words about my never being pregnant before. If only she knew, but then, some things were better left unsaid.

"Additionally, I want to thank you for letting me stay under your roof," Sofia continued. "Jared informed me that you gave your consent. I promise to be quiet and stay out of your way. You won't even know I exist."

I nodded. "It's fine, Sofia. Thank you for apologizing, and you're welcome."

"Alright!" Sofia exclaimed. "Now that the queen is here and I've tendered my apology to her, can we eat?"

I smiled, the underlying sarcasm in her tone unmistakable. It might be to Jared, but not to me. Indeed Sofia was unrepentant, and I will have to deal with it.

"Sure," I said, and we began eating.

A few minutes into dinner, Sofia was back to her usual annoying self, dominating every conversation and subtly flirting with Jared. She rambled about their past-how they used to have breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner at each other's place, making me question her table etiquette.

"Remember that day I invited you over for lunch because I made pancakes?" Sofia asked Jared, in her usual hyperactive voice.

Jared raised an eyebrow. "You mean that day you spilled flour all over your dress?"

Sofia playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up! At least I was not the one who almost burned down our house, while trying to make scrambled eggs."

I forced a smile, feeling like an outsider as usual. At some point, I tried to chip in a few words to indicate that I was still present at the table, but Sofia wouldn't let me get past a word.

If she wasn't reliving some

memories from twenty years ago,

she was dabbing at the corners of Jared's mouth, trying to take out invisible food crumbs. "You have a little something there, Jared," she would say, her hand brushing

against his face.

Jared didn't seem to mind the attention. But I saw the frown when she touched him. His eyes met mine in those fleeting moments, and for the briefest second, I guessed he wasn't entirely at ease with the way Sofia was behaving.

I felt anger gnaw at my chest like worms would do to our intestines whenever we are starving, but I recalled Jared's words about Sofia's predicament. I took a deep breath and let it go.

Finally, dinner came to an end, and Jared offered to clear the table. Sofia offered to help, and I was more than grateful to be rid of her for a moment.

"Thanks for dinner, guys," I said, trying to sound sincere. "I'm exhausted. I think I'll head to bed now."

Sofia looked unusually excited at my last words, and she smiled sweetly. "Goodnight, Arielle. Sweet dreams."

I gave a curt nod, and turned away. I returned to the bedroom, relieved to be alone. I took a long, hot bath, and I felt better afterward.

Returning to the room, I slipped into my sleeping gown. I got into bed afterwards, trying to sleep, but my mind kept wandering. I couldn't believe Sofia's audacity, flirting shamelessly with my husband right in front of me.

As I drifted off to sleep, I was roused by the shuffling sounds of someone moving. My eyes went open and I saw it was Jared. He was undressing, presumably in preparation to bathe.

I used that moment to admire him. His upper body was bare to his torso. His biceps protruded on well-formed arms, and his back was toned, with a narrow waist. Jared was an attractive man, no doubt.

It seemed he sensed my eyes on him because he suddenly swirled around to face me.

I felt a flutter in my belly when I was caught staring. "Hey, you're awake," he said with an amused smile.

I kept a straight face, trying to play it cool. "Yes. Want to shower?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I feel sticky from all of the day's activity."

"Alright," I said, trying to sound nonchalant despite the butterflies in my belly.

Jared nodded and turned back around, slipping out of his pants with ease. His briefs followed suit, revealing his well toned ass.

I gasped, and my breath caught in my throat for a moment. I swallowed hard, trying to get a grip of myself. Three years of marriage, and I still hadn't gotten used to Jared undressing in front of me.

Jared, oblivious to the effect he had on me, gracefully walked into the bathroom, whistling a tune from Celine Dion's "A new day has come."

After he disappeared from sight, I placed a hand on my chest, trying to steady my breath. I collapsed on the pillows, dazed. I tried to shake off the image of Jared's ass, but it seemed stamped in my mind. Get a grip on yourself, Arielle. He's your husband, and this is not your first time seeing his ass.

Just then my thought was

interrupted, by a chiming sound

coming from the couch. I looked up

to see where the sound was coming from and realized it was from Jared's phone. I made to lay back, knowing I had no business with his phone. I was a huge fan of

respecting a spouse's privacy, and I wasn't about to go back on that principle.

But the phone chimed again, and again, and again. Unable to control my curiosity, I got out of bed and walked over to the couch. I picked up the phone and glanced at the screen. There were tons of messages, and the sender was

Sofia.

I frowned. What could Sofia be saying to Jared that required so many messages? I hesitated for a moment, my finger hovering over the phone screen. Should I read them? No, I shouldn't. But curiosity was killing me...