Chapter 494

I hesitated, staying silent. Jared kept at it, “Let me guess again–is this guy in his twenties or thirties?” My heart pounded in my chest, and I just stared at Jared, totally caught off guard. Seeing my reaction, Jared got up so fast that his chair rocked from side to side. He took slow, deliberate steps toward me, staring me down. “Do you want me to spell it out for you?” My mind was a mess. ‘Crap, what else does Jared know now?’

“If you want to talk, just talk. It’s not like I taped your mouth shut,” I said, acting all calm as I flopped onto the couch nearby. I was totally wiped out after the last couple of hours and just wanted to sprawl on the couch like a lazy bum. Jared’s expression turned frosty, his voice slow and cutting. “So you’re juggling two guys from the Jennings family at the same time, Victoria? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” I was just about to flop onto the couch when his words stopped me cold. I stiffened, snapping my head up to glare at him. “Cut it out.” Jared was searching my face for the truth, and from the look in his eyes, he found exactly what he was looking for. The panic in my eyes said it all–I was totally busted. Jared’s expression turned even stormier as he leaned in and seized my wrist. “Victoria, stop playing games,” he said. Jared’s grip was warm against my skin, and I felt my breath hitch. ‘Why does his touch always mess with my head?’ I thought, trying to yank my wrist free, but he wouldn’t budge. He had a death grip on me. Jared lowered his head, his voice tinged with unease and a hint of pleading. “If you keep playing like this, I really can’t have your back anymore.” My mind was a mess, but I understood what he meant. I quickly calmed myself and replied coolly, “Jared, who said I need you to look after me? You’re not responsible for me.” “I do…” Jared suddenly went down on one knee in front of me, pain etched across his face. “Victoria, I have a responsibility to you.”

I stared at him in disbelief, then took the chance to pull my hand free and strode straight to my desk. That was when I noticed something on my desk–a poem written in graceful ink brush calligraphy. The words were clear: “Once I’ve seen the vast ocean, no other water can compare; once I’ve seen the clouds over Mount Wu, no other clouds can match.” The familiar handwriting sent a chill straight to my bones, and I snapped my head around to stare at Jared. Jared didn’t even notice how stunned I was. He just stayed half-kneeling on the floor, back to me, staring at the ground as he spoke in a low, distant voice. “Victoria, you’re the mother of my kid, the wife I was crazy about. I owe you, I really do. And more than anything, I just want to take care of you right now.” He kept going, “I know you’re super driven, always trying every way to get ahead, to have money, to be free…” His voice softened, full of regret. “I know you hate me–hate me for having an affair, for breaking the promises we made when we got married…” As Jared kept talking, my fingers went rigid, clutching that sheet of rice paper with the calligraphy poem on it. When I didn’t say anything, Jared slowly got to his feet. He was all dressed up in a sharp business suit, exuding that boss energy, but the heartbreak written all over his face just looked totally out of place. Even his usually handsome features were shadowed by a heavy mix of regret and sorrow as he walked toward me. My breath caught, and I felt like ice water was running through my veins as I watched him come closer. His eyes moved from my pale face to the calligraphy sheet I was clutching, his brows drawing together in concern. “I wrote that for you. Do you like it?” Jared said, a refined, gentle smile appearing on his face. “Who are you?” Victoria thought, her mind finally snapping back to reality as she asked, her tone frosty.