MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE novel Chapter 81

(JARED'S POV)

I instantly stepped on the brake pedal, reversing the car, and speeding off in the direction of the restaurant. On arrival, true to the reporter's words, the restaurant had been in a fire accident.

My heart continued to thud as I approached the crowd of people compromising the fire department, customers, and staff. I used my eyes to search for Arielle.

With each passing moment that I didn't set eyes on her, my heart clenched in my chest, as I tried not to think of the worst. When I couldn't find her in the crowd, I decided to approach any of the staff. Who knows, maybe she was absent from work today.

With that feeble consolation, I approached Rebecca, whom I had spotted.

"Hey, Rebecca, are you alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned and not because I wanted information from her only.

She looked at me, surprised but nodded. "Y–yes, I'm fine, thanks."

"I'm so sorry about what happened," I said, and then glancing around, asked, "Where's Arielle?"

She looked at me like one who had asked the most incredulous question. "You're not aware?"

"Aware of what?' I asked, the dreadful feeling in my stomach returning. Oh Lord, it shouldn't be bad news.

Rebecca hesitated before speaking. "Arielle left the country a week ago."

I was taken aback. "What? Where? How?" I threw all the questions at her once.

"I'm sorry, I can't give out much information...she left on a culinary scholarship."

I paused, assimilating the information. Arielle had left the country? "How did she get the scholarship? From whom?"

Rebecca's eyes darted around nervously. "I'm sorry, but I really can't say more."

"Rebecca, please," I urged, but she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice resolute but polite. With that, she turned and quickly walked away.

I stood there, confused, trying to process the news. Arielle was gone.

Slowly, I dragged my feet back to my car and settled in. Arielle was gone. The thought kept ringing in my head relentlessly like a bell.

Usually, I shouldn't care if she left or not; we're no longer an item, after all. But still, the thought of never seeing her again, ever, didn't sit well with me.

Quickly, I reached for my phone and dialed Ashley's number.

"Hey," she answered. "What's up?'

"I'm good," I mumbled, going straight to the point. "So I stopped at Arielle's workplace; I heard in the news that they were involved in a fire accident, so I decided to stop by and ensure she was okay. But surprisingly, I was told she left the country a week ago."

"Okay, is there a problem?" Ashley asked.