Page 48 of Falling for the Wife

Tonight, when I decided to dress as a naughty cop, I also thought it’d be a fun idea to tease Wyatt by embodying Lexi Anne once again since he had liked this look on me that one time. However, I realized my mistake after witnessing the horrified look on Jared’s stony face.

He savagely flashed his eyes, sharpened daggers piercing through me, straight into my soul. I suffered his revulsion. It penetrated me, puncturing my frayed confidence, dissolving what little happiness I had left in me.

Without some sort of acknowledgment, Jared callously began to say, “I’m here to inform you that your presence is needed in six weeks’ time. We’re renewing contracts to our Japanese contractors, and since you and I have the majority of shares, they need reassurances directly from you, assuring them you have no intentions of voting me off as the company’s CEO.”

His eerie attitude made me nervous. But more importantly, the concern of the company’s present affairs troubled me deeply. “Of course, I’ll do what needs to be done. Where will it be?”

“It’ll be in Tokyo. We’ll leave on a Thursday and fly back Monday. Is a month and a half enough time to figure out your school by then?”

“I’m sure I can figure something out,” I conceded. Questions lingered, but I was too preoccupied with Jared’s standoffish presence to voice anything. Why was one of the company’s main suppliers needing verbal assurances? Most of our principal circuit components came from Japanese manufacturers. Had it gotten so bad that they were losing confidence in Jared’s vision? Even after father’s death, the company stocks and shares remained steady. The sales never declined. They’d been progressively climbing as expected. So, this revelation was quite a shock for me.

“Is everything okay? Is David Berg causing all of this?” I couldn’t find another reason for it. He was the only man who openly undermined my father. I was sure his opposition had transferred to the man in charge.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Shoving both hands in his pockets, he threw me one last frosty look before stating, “I’ll have Audrey get in touch with you with the details. Have a great birthday, Gisele.”

No, my mind reeled. Staggered by his abruptness, I couldn’t simply let him leave like this.

Without dithering, I urgently bolted towards the door, bravely blocking his exit. The cold man wasn’t amused.

Penetrating me with emotionless icy blue eyes, Jared’s unyielding demeanor didn’t thaw an ounce. “Save your childish mind games for your other men. Move out of my way, Gisele.”

“I can’t let you leave like this. Let me explain.” I was taking a step, reaching out to him, when he hastily took a step back, revolted at the thought of my touch. I immediately withdrew my hand, clutching it against my chest as if it burned from his blatant rejection. No matter how I painted it, none of them portrayed me in a good light. I doubted he’d ever forgive me for tricking him. Bracing myself from his fiery razor-like eyes cutting deep into me, I mustered enough courage to speak. “I didn’t see the harm in it. I want you to know I did it with good intentions.”

“Good to know,” he bitingly remarked. “Will you move out of my way now?”

“You’re still angry…”

His nostrils flared, temper rising. He was beyond livid. I swore I could almost detect steam coming out of his ears. Angry as he was, I still wasn’t going to budge until he and I sorted this out. Somehow, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he thought ill of me…It was rather stupid really, but I simply couldn’t let him pass.

“Move!” His eyes sparked fire, prepared to throttle me out of the way.

“No.” I defiantly shook my head, unwilling to yield to his infuriated command. “Talk to me. Then you can pass.”

He took a step until his nose almost touched mine. Tumultuous eyes held me captive. They pinned me on the spot.“Talk about what, Gisele?”he bellowed in my face, unbridled rage roaring through him. “How you mocked and laughed behind my back?Was I some passing entertainment for you and your friends?You conniving bitch!All this bloody time, you’ve played me for a fool! You speak of honesty when you’ve lied to me this entire time! How fucking dare you! I’m not going to forgive you for this. You’ve gone above and beyond to humiliate me.You bloody disgust me!”

I didn’t realize I was crying until a drop fell onto my cleavage. Each insult struck me in the gut. Oh, I had thought he’d lash out, but not to this extent…not to the point where he’d actually declare his disgust for me.

“I’m sorry. I truly am.” It was pathetic to apologize, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t want your bloody sorry! Spare me the tears. We both know you’re a bloody good actress,” he condescendingly stated, glaring at me. “I hope it was worth it, Gisele. It sure as fuck wasn’t for me.” He hadn’t moved from my face. However, he wasn’t screaming anymore.

Still, his words effectively cut through me. It stung all the same. “I didn’t do it to mock or laugh at you. I would never treat you like that…never,” I shakily whispered before dejectedly dropping my gaze, feeling beyond ashamed of my past actions.

“Why the fuck did you do it, then, huh?”

“I was a virgin, and I didn’t want to lose it with just any man. I wanted it to be you…” My eyes never lifted as I spoke. Maybe I was too ashamed to look him in the eye while repugnance stared back at me. Whatever it was, I felt safer looking away from him. “I needed it to be you. Judge me all you like, but I did because I’ve been crazy about you for so long…I did it because I loved you.”

“Loved me?”He barked out a dark laugh.

His mocking laughter was unexpected. I had just bared my heart to him. It had taken every ounce of me to profess the truth, and his response was to laugh? Was it really that unbelievable, or was it truly that hilarious even he couldn’t muster any other response but to deem it as an awful joke?

Raising my eyes to meet his, I couldn’t believe he actually found it amusing.

But amusement was the last thing etched in his darkened orbs. “Oh, Gisele, don’t you dare insult my intelligence!”

My throat ached. The need to run and bolt out the door was more tempting by the second. I had thought the worst thing was confessing my feelings to him. No, it was the mocking laughter that killed me inside. “I’m sorry. I hope someday you can forgive me, Jared.” Heaving shakily, I stepped away from the door, ready to hide from him, but he yanked my arm and roughly shoved me against the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he grated, irked at my brusqueness.