Chapter 12: Turn Back Time.
*Aaron*
When I walked to the table, I paid special attention to Xander.
But out of the corner of my eye, I still couldn’t help noticing
Jane’s shirt. I’ve never wanted to look at those unbuttoned
buttons. It’s really tormenting. Aaron, focus. Don’t look there.
“Xander…” I cleared my throat as an idea began to form in my
head. “What do you say I come over to Blackwood? Get a real
feel of how things are done over there.”
Xander beamed. “Of course. That’s amazing. Why didn’t I think
of that?”
I decided to humor him and burst into à booming laughter, even
though I was fully focused on Jane. “You’re full of the better
ideas anyway.”
My gaze drifted to Jane, but she was staring straight ahead. Her
lips were pressed into a thin line, and she was stubbornly
avoiding my gaze.
“Would you like to join us, darling?”
Jane turned to Xander. Her lips struggled for a second, but
Chapter 12 Turn Back Time
finally lifted into a strained smile. “I can’t.”
Xander whipped his head around in shock. “What? Why not? It‘
s not like you have any other thing to do.”
My wolf growled, struck with the intense urge to defend Jane.
He was only saying that because the fake boyfriend… me, had
not appeared. Still, she didn’t deserve that.
Her jaw tightened, and I watched as she swallowed in a bid to
control herself. “You know what? You’re right. My guest
canceled, so I actually have nothing better to do.” She fixed the
fakest smile I’d ever seen on her face. “I’d love to accompany
you.”
“Good.” Xander pulled out some bills from his wallet and
slapped them on the table. “Shall we?”
Jane still didn’t look at me as she rose from her seat. She raised
her head high, headed straight for the exit and hopped into her
car without sparing me a glance or a single word.
I climbed into my car, following closely behind Xander. I
wanted to talk to her, to find a way to solve this problem to
prevent things from getting out of hand.
But I couldn’t speak to her right now. Xander had no idea I
knew his wife before today. Judging by how he acted towards
Chapter 12. Turn Back Time.
her today, I was certain he wouldn’t react with as much
excitement if he ever saw me speaking to his wife privately.
Soon enough, we arrived at Blackwood Group. Her entire
demeanor changed the moment we walked into the company.
She was all smiles and professional handshakes. Jane kept the
smile on her face even as Xander led me through office after
office. No one would guess she’d yelled at me over the phone
only an hour ago.
As Xander led us through the production offices, he wrapped a
hand around Jane’s shoulder. I watched silently as she stiffened
almost imperceptibly. It seemed like she would have wrenched
herself out of his arms if not for the public setting.
But Xander was none the wiser. In fact, he was already there,
almost jumping around, excitedly showing off his kingdom.
He led us further into the office where a lot of employees were
working on one project or the other.
“This…” Xander gestured at the corner of the room, pointing at a collection of pearl white jewelry. “Blackwood’s been family- owned for generations,” Ryan says, his voice dripping with pride. “It’s one of the reasons we’re so successful. We keep things close–knit, just like a family business should be.”
I slipped a hand into my pocket and assessed the designs.
Chapter 12: Turn Back Time
“Impressive.” I had to give him that. The man knew what he was
doing when it came to business. My gaze drifted to Jane, who
was standing a few feet away, staring at the diamond, clearly
lost in thought. Her shoulders were stiff and her lips were
tightly pursed into a line.
Before I could speak, a woman’s voice pierced the sky.
“Xander!”
I turned to see a blonde woman, wearing a skirt that was way
too short for work. She made a beeline for Xander and placed a
hand on his arm.
This must be Mia.
I immediately shifted my attention to Jane just in time to catch.
her expression falling. She fixed it up quickly, acting like
nothing happened. At that moment, I realized. This wasn’t
really about me. It was about Jane, and how it wasn’t a game to
her.
Xander didn’t even have the decency to pull away from her. Instead, he leaned in even further. “I had business to attend to.” He cleared his throat and looked up at me. “This is Mia, my Beta, also my personal assistant. Mia, Aaron Lorenz of Lorenz LZ
Group.”
Chapter 12: Turn Back Time.
Her eyes widened for a second before smiling up at me. “It’s
very nice to meet you. I hope we get to work together.”
My wolf wanted to hit something, or someone… maybe Xander.
She didn’t even bother greeting Jane, her Luna! I looked at Jane
for a second. She still had that professional look on her face. But
I could see the crack on her face. I could see how much she has
paid for this.
Mia’s eyes drifted back to Xander’s and they shared a secretive
smile. She moved her hands further down his arm, and I could‘
ve sworn I heard him grunt.
“Xander,” she breathed. “There are some new designs that need
your approval.”
“That sounds important. Let’s head to your office and uhm… sort
that out.” He cleared his throat. “Aaron, excuse me. Jane can
take over from here. She knows the company inside out. You’ll
be in good hands”
Jane’s eyes widen for the briefest second, and I can feel her
silent scream from across the room.
I watched in fascination as Xander followed after his mistress
leaving me standing there with Jane in awkward silence.
“Shall we continue the tour?” She asked, even as she was already
Chapter 12: Turn Back Time.
moving. We moved through the design department in silence.
She still wasn’t speaking to me.
It was obvious she didn’t want to be around me, judging by the
way she was currently wringing her fingers. But now that
Xander was gone, it was the perfect opportunity for me to talk
to her.
I spotted a supply closet to my right, and before I could think it
through, I grabbed her arm and pulled her in. There was barely
any space there. Jane’s body was pressed tightly against mine.
Fuck. I could feel my wolf yearning for her.
But when I looked down at her, she was practically fuming.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
