MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

JARED'S

POV)

I arrived at the office, intent on doing a little work before returning to the hospital. But concentration never felt like a Herculean task like it felt for me today. The more I tried to focus on work, the more my mind remained restless. My thoughts kept drifting back to Arielle, wondering if she was okay. And the other times, it wandered to Oliver, and if he has been able to get the drug from Sofia.

Two hours later, as I sat behind my laptop, fiddling with the keys, Oliver returned. "I got the drug," he said, his face in a smile as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

I sat up in my chair, my eyes conveying my curiosity. "That easy?" I asked, my tone skeptical.noveldrama

He sighed, taking a seat in front of my desk. "Miss Sofia refused at first-wouldn't even open the door," he explained. "But then Miss Tiana intervened, spoke to her privately for a while and that did the trick because the next minute, she walked out smiling, the drug in her hand."

I frowned, my eyes dilating. Something about that felt off, but there was no time to dwell on it. I rose from my chair, grabbed my key fob, and threw it at Oliver, who caught it swiftly.

"You're driving," I told him, already heading for the door. With the way my head was running berserk, I didn't trust myself to drive. We walked out to the parking lot, the scorch of the noon sun beating down at us. I squinted, shielding my eyes with my hand as we approached the car. Oliver unlocked it, and we got in, the cool air conditioning enveloping us.

As we drove, my mind wandered a little. Why had Sofia given up the drug so easily? And what did Tiana say to her to make her change her mind? I tried to rewind my conversation with Sofia earlier, trying to recall if she had let anything slip. But nothing rang a bell. So I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. I had to get to the bottom of everything, and it had to be real quick.

We soon arrived at the hospital, and I jumped out of the car, Oliver trailing closely behind. I strode into the hospital, my eyes scanning the hallway for Doctor Ramirez.

As I scanned the hallway, my eyes landed on a familiar figure, Dwayne. He was just stepping in and momentarily paused, his eyes meeting mine. And then he resumed walking, now in my direction.

"Hey, what brings you back here?" He asked, his eyes weary as he glanced at the drug sachet in my hand.

I raised the sachet, holding it up for him to see. "I got the drug from Sofia," I said, with a tinge of pride.

His gaze wavered briefly with an unreadable expression appearing-surprise, perhaps, or curiosity. He said nothing, the expression quickly dissolving. But I could tell that he was surprised that I had managed to get the drug from Sofia.

But I didn't care-I wasn't interested in anyone's opinions right now. My focus was solely on Arielle and making sure she was safe. I was determined to get to the root of all of these, to find out if the drug Sofia gave Oliver was truly the wanted one, and responsible for Arielle's condition.

Just then, Doctor Ramirez appeared, a warm smile on his face."Ah, Jared, Dwayne, good to see you two again," he said, extending a hand.

I shook it, my grip firm. "Good to see you, too. Doctor, I need your help," I said, holding up the drug sachet again. "I want you to check what kind of drug this is, and if it could be responsible for Arielle's condition."

The doctor's expression turned serious, and he nodded. "Of course, let's take a look in my office."

I nodded, turning to Dwayne to silently inquire if he was coming along. He shrugged and I took that as a yes. So we followed Doctor Ramirez as he left us to his office.

As we walked, so many thoughts crossed my mind. What if Sofia had tried to play smart and given the wrong drug? What if she didn't, and the drug was Indeed responsible for Arielle's condition? The thought of the latter brought so much fury licking down my system. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white, and it took a questioning glance from Dwayne to realize what I was doing.

I exhaled and freed my palms just as we got to the Doctor's office. As we entered the doctor's office, he gestured for us to take a seat. I sat down, still clutching the drug, while Dwayne took the chair beside me. Doctor Ramirez settled into his chair, his eyes trailing to the drug sachet.

"Please, let me take a look," he requested, his voice now professional.

I handed him the sachet, watching as he carefully opened it and examined the contents. His expression turned thoughtful, and he nodded to himself.

"Yes, this is indeed a very powerful aphrodisiac," he said finally, looking up at us. "And I'm afraid it's part of the cause of Arielle's condition."

A blinding rage overtook me at his words, and I gripped the chair tightly. How dare Sofia? But in all, I tried to force myself to calm down. Some situations require clear thinking and not anger.

"What can be done?" I inquired, looking at the doctor expectantly.

He nodded sympathetically. "Fortunately, there is a corresponding effective relief medicine that can counteract the effects of this aphrodisiac. It's a specialized medication and we have it in stock here in the hospital."

I exhaled in relief and Dwayne and I inadvertently exchanged hopeful glances.

"Please, administer it to her," we said simultaneously and exchanged yet another glance before turning to the doctor.

He nodded and picked up his intercom, dialing a number. "Yes, Nurse, please fetch the relief medicine for aphrodisiac overdose. Take it to room 004, I'll meet you there."

He hung up afterward and turned to us. "Let's head to Arielle's room. The nurse will bring the medicine there."

Dwayne and I instantly shot to our

feet and followed the doctor out. We arrived at Arielle's room, and she was still lying in bed, with her mother sitting beside her. Maverick was huddled on the couch across from the bed, his eyes looking worried. He lunged out of the bed the instant he saw me and threw himself at my legs.

"Will Mommy be all right?" He asked, looking up at me with concerned eyes.

"Yes, she will. That's why we're here," I said, ruffling his hair.

Mrs Meyers looked at us with questioning eyes and Dwayne made a gesture that all was fine.

The nurse who had arrived almost at the same time with us, bearing a small tray that contained a syringe and a vial of medicine, handed it to Doctor Ramirez. He took the syringe, extracted the medicine, and then approached Arielle on the bed. He carefully administered the medicine to her, and we all stood watching. I, in particular, had my heart in my stomach as I prayed it worked.

"It will take a while to work. I'll be in my office, call me if my attention is needed," Doctor Ramirez said.

We nodded, and he excused himself, leaving the room with the nurse. A few hours later, as we watched silently, Arielle's fever began to subside, her breathing normalizing as sweat broke out on her body.

Sounds of relief tore from everyone's lips. Mrs Meyers took off some layers of her clothing to allow ventilation. I reached to take her hand, while Dwayne stretched his hand to touch her forehead. "Thank God you're better now," he whispered.

It was not just his words, but everyone's because it represented how we all felt. At this point, everyone kept their animosities aside as we were all concerned about Arielle, and relieved that she was back to us. "Mommy, would you like some food?" Maverick asked.

"Yes, baby," Arielle responded, smiling. Her voice was clearer now, and color had returned to her pale skin. "But I need water first..."

Dwayne and I were instantly reaching for the fridge at the same time. I paused and let him get it. And while he got the water, I got the food we bought earlier just in case she was finally able to eat.

After Dwayne held up the water for her to drink, banded the food to her mother to feed her. With the way my hands were shaking and my heart racing,+didn't trust myself to feed her. had been so scared of something happening to her, and I

didn't know what I would done

if that had been the case.

It was late now, and as the night wore on, I was reluctant to leave. I just sat on my chair, watching Arielle who had fallen asleep the instant she finished eating. As for Dwayne, he didn't show any sign of leaving and I was tempted to ask him why.

Maverick, who had been quietly observing from his seat, yawned and stood up, padding over to his mother's bedside.

He looked up at Dwayne and me, his eyes curious. "How long are you two going to stay?" He inquired, his voice drowsy.

"Until your grandmother kicks us out," I replied, stealing a glance at Mrs Meyers.

Maverick nodded, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "I'll wait for that then," he said, snuggling close to his mother. "I doubt that it would take long." My brows shot up in surprise at his words. Ouch, that hurts.