billion book
Chapter 46
As the last trace of her grin fixed in place, she said, “Jason, our relationship doesn’t give you the right to snoop through my phone.”
Jason’s eyes darkened, with a dangerous glint within them. He resembled a tiger, coiled with pent-up energy, ready to pounce at any moment.
After Estrella made her point, she breezed past him, but Jason’s arm shot out, gripping her. tightly.
A sharp pain shot through Estrella’s arm as she turned to face Jason, whose normally suave features now bore no trace of warmth, only a chilling aloofness.
Estrella remained nonchalant. “Jealous, are we?” In a swift move, Estrella spun around, casually tossing her phone into the toilet as if it were no big deal.
“Estrella!” Jason’s voice was edged with steel.
Unperturbed, she replied, “Well, now neither of us can check it, can we?”
Jason let go of her arm and grabbed his own phone to call Drew. “Drew, check-”
Before he could finish, Estrella snatched his phone and cut him off. “If Drew finds -something, will you have any dignity left? I’ll admit it. I do have someone on the side.”
Estrella’s indifference didn’t sit well with Jason He suppressed his anger and asked, “Was it Korey?”
“Yeah.” Estrella taunted. “You wouldn’t take the bait, so why shouldn’t I throw myself at someone else? At least I might get something out of it.”
Swallowing hard, Jason’s voice dropped to a low growl. “How far has it gone?”
Estrella egged him on. “So curious? Why don’t you check for yourself?”
Jason didn’t push her away, nor did he move any closer; he just clenched his jaw and warned, “Estrella, you’re playing with fire.”
With a touch of amusement, she retorted, “We had an agreement, right? You do your thing, I do mine, and we don’t interfere with each other.”
Suppressing the rage in his chest, Jason lifted his hand and removed Estrella’s fingers from around his neck, one by one, finally holding her chin in a warning grip. “Estrella, you better be lying. Otherwise, say goodbye to the Digital Springs Project, and Dorvold Group can forget about ever getting involved in doing business.”
After his ultimatum, Jason strode to the closet to change into a fresh suit and left the house without another word. Even so, he managed to keep his temper in check, not once mentioning the word “divorce.”
12:48
The door slammed shut behind him, and Estrela let out a chuckle before retrieving her phone from the tollet. She had nothing to hide from Jason. She just couldn’t stand. Jason’s high-and-mighty, double standard attitude. And after his attitude the previous night, her interest in him had waned. She had only wanted to rile him up for her own amusement.
Drying off the phone, she removed the SIM card and had Marie bring her a new phone.
No sooner had she inserted the card than dozens of messages from Bryce appeared-pleas for her attention and missed calls.
Scowling at the barrage, she got Bryce’s call just then. She answered the call with a tirade. “Bryce, have you lost your mind? Keep pestering me, and you’re out on your ear tomorrow.”
From the other end came Bryce’s pitiful defense. “Estrella, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t throw me under the bus in front of Jason.”
Estrella ended the call with a snap. If only those two brothers could balance each other
out.
Jason had just left Sandalwood Oasis in his car for a short while when Drew’s call came in. “Sir,” Drew reported, “Korey has been away on a business trip and hasn’t been in touch with Ms. Estrella. Her whereabouts are normal. She indeed spent last night at Waterfall Acres.”
Jason responded with a detached grunt and hung up, his frustration simmering. Estrella’s every word seemed a manipulation.
But realizing she had bluffed, Jason felt a slight relief. At least she was cautious, which meant she still cared about their marriage.
Back in the bedroom, after ending Bryce’s call, Estrella dialed Cole to discuss her decision. to maintain the project’s price while improving its quality.
Cole considered her strategy and then suggested earnestly, “Estrella, why don’t you come back and help me at the firm?”
Estrella brushed off the proposal. “Dad, you’re still young. We’ll talk about this later.”
Cole persisted, highlighting the challenges of her legal career, especially since she was handling divorce cases that wouldn’t lead to a prominent position. He urged her to reconsider.
Laughing, Estrella ended the call, assuring him she knew what she was doing.
Just as she was about to rest, the bedroom door swung open again. Estrella looked up to see Jason returning, a mix of annoyance and humor crossing her face.
12:48
Tossing her phone aside, she quipped, “All this back and forth late at night-aren’t you tired?”
Jason took off his jacket and tossed it onto the nearby cabinet. Thinking about Estrella’s nonsense and intentional provocation just now, he raised his hand and unbuttoned another button on his shirt.
Before coming upstairs, Marie had cornered him for a chat, going on about how Estrella was such a stand-up woman. Aside from visiting her folks and the occasional business trip, she hardly ever came home late. Marie had said that any other woman would have taken the chance to gallivant around town by now, and that if Estrella was ever sharp-tongued, it was only because she was upset and taking it out on him.
Marie’s words had a way of melting Jason’s resolve
Jason remained silent, which prompted Estrella to tease, “Haven’t seen my phone, and your can’t swallow that pride?”
Her nonchalance only made Jason give her a cold look.
The two stood very close. Seeing that he was ignoring her, Estrella was yawning and about to go to bed, only to feel Jason’s long arm reach out and pull her into his arms with a bit of force.
Caught off guard, Estrella barely had time to react before Jason leaned in and captured her lips with his.