That did it—I was so pissed I just grabbed his arm and sank my teeth into him.

Jared winced, but didn’t shove me off. Instead, his gaze grew more intense, almost smoldering.

Then, leaning in close, he murmured in my ear, “Victoria, hit me, bite me, whatever you want. But could you not breathe like that? I’m seriously losing control here.”

I was about to bite him even harder, but his wicked, low voice made me freeze.

The next moment, my arm trembled and I slumped against him, totally spent.

Jared gently ran his fingers through my hair, whispering, “Victoria, if Ryan’s just some clueless punk who doesn’t know how to treat you right, maybe you should just find someone else. Why act like his mom all the time?”

Hearing that, I quietly climbed off him, only to see Jared giving me an exaggerated salute.

Fuming, I smacked him right where it counts, and this time he actually winced in pain.

He lost all his composure, turning sideways and clutching the sore spot, glaring at me, annoyed. “Victoria, could you maybe not hit so hard next time?”

“Serves you right,” I shot back, but then felt a little bad and added more seriously, “Jared, thanks for coming all the way to take care of me. I’m feeling much better now, so you can go home.”

Jared was lounging on the couch and said casually, “I didn’t come here specifically for you. I’m here on business.”

“So where’s your assistant and driver?” I asked.

Jared leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. “I let Amy go and hired a male assistant.”

I stared at him in surprise. “What, did you suddenly switch teams or something?”

Jared smirked. “With Tracy and Amy, having a guy and a girl on the team made work easier, but for some reason, my staff always end up falling for me at the worst possible time. Switching to a male assistant fixed that.”

I let out a little laugh. “Wow, so you actually know how much of a flirt you are?”

Jared slowly got up from the couch, walked over, and opened the food for me. “Enough with the jokes. Come eat something—you still need to take your medicine.”

I went over to the table and quietly finished my gruel, feeling a bit empty inside.

Jared sat beside me, watching. “Not tasty? I’ll take you out for something better tonight.”

“Thanks, but I really can’t eat anything right now,” I said, shaking my head.

“If Ryan gets jealous, just tell him I’m only here as your boss, looking out for you, so you don’t have to feel awkward about it,” Jared said, clearly thinking I was turning him down because of Ryan.

I smiled. “If every boss cared about their employees like you do, the world would be a much better place.”

Jared pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, then said, “If you want Ryan to pay more attention to you, it’s actually good to have some guys interested in you. With me around, he’ll probably get jealous and want you even more.”

“You’re really okay with being the backup guy?” I was honestly surprised—Jared’s mindset in this life was on a whole new level.

Jared raised an eyebrow at me. “We’ve both been through life and death. Living is all about experiencing different things, different stories. So what if I’m just the backup this time? I’ve never tried it before.”

“Jared…” I felt a tug at my heart. “You really don’t have to go out of your way for me.”

Jared just gave me a knowing, almost enigmatic smile. “It’s not that I want to be nice—I just can’t help it. My desire is still wrapped up in you. People are driven by what they want, and wherever that desire is, that’s where all their time and energy goes.”

His words made my cheeks burn. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to suffer, then.”

Jared arched an eyebrow. “The more I hold it in, the stronger it gets. You really have no idea.”

I switched gears. “So, when are you planning to kick off the project in Sandanyo?”

Jared paused, surprised. “What, thinking about heading back to Sandanyo already?”

I nodded. “If there’s a chance, I’d actually like to try working over there. You can just have a pro team take over things here in Braylin.”

Jared bit his lip. “That’s pretty much what I had in mind. The hotel’s already made a name for itself, and I need a general manager to run the whole show. Honestly, I was even thinking about sending you back to Hachester.”

“General manager?” My brows shot up. “Wait, are you actually thinking of promoting me?”

Jared looked me straight in the eye and nodded seriously. “Yeah, I want to spin off the hotel business into its own company. Down the line, we could branch out into restaurants and other related businesses. But for all that to happen, we need someone to lead the way—and you’re the one I trust most for this.”

I was totally taken aback. “But I don’t have enough experience…”

Jared looked at me, his eyes deep and thoughtful. “Anything you don’t know, I can find someone to teach you. You could even go abroad for more training. As long as you want to learn, I’ll support you all the way.”

“Jared…” I was shaken. “Why are you giving me such a huge opportunity?”

Jared reached out and took my hand. “This isn’t for you. It’s for my wife from my previous life.”

Those words hit me hard, stirring up all kinds of feelings inside.

“But your wife from your previous life is dead,” I said, tears pricking at my eyes.

“I’m not her, and I don’t want to be.”

Jared squeezed my fingers even tighter, then suddenly pulled me into his arms, holding me close like he never wanted to let go. “No, you are her, and she is you. There’s no separating us.”

Just as Jared pulled me into his arms, we suddenly heard the front door open.

We both looked over in shock—and there was Ryan, standing right in the doorway.

And what he saw was me, caught in Jared’s embrace.