They Want Me Back When It's Too Late (Jessica and Brian) novel Chapter 92

Chapter 92

“Got it, Brian’s forehead creased,

When Jacob called last night, he’d been on his way to buy Jessica lasagne. Worried that his son would insist on aging along, he’d let the calls go to voicemail

Before, when he tailed Jessica alone, her repulsion towards him wasn’t that obvious. But ever since bringing Jacob along, he could tell the bottled up her feelings even tighter.

He wondered, ‘Does she really resent Jake and me?‘

Brian recalled Janice’s words–pregnant women were emotional powder kegs

He ended the call and turned to find Jessica’s eyes on him. Shit–she must’ve heard Madeline’s voice.

As he

opened his mouth to explain, she looked away, poker–laced. No more accusations, no more jealousy,

He couldn’t make sense of himself. Her old jealous outbursts used to drive him crazy, now her indifference set his nerves on edge.

Jessica took a bite of the lasagne, expertly cooked as always. Suddenly, it tasted like cardboard, whether from fullness or something else.

“Jessi, Madeline and I…” he started. He was sick of defending his friendship with Madeline, but with a pregnant woman on his hands, he forced himself to

stay calm.

She

just wiped her mouth, grabbed her phone without a word, and slammed the door behind her.

Brian stood there, rubbing his temples, then followed her out.

“See you, Maddie.” At Hartdale International Bilingual School, Jacob waved and headed into school Madeline watched him go, wearing a soft smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of parents–classmates‘ moms–whispering and pointing her way.

One said, “Jacob’s mom hasn’t been around lately. You think she and his dad really split? Heard his dad’s the big boss of some company.”

Another said, “CEO of Atkinson Group. The Atkinsons? They’re basically royalty here in Hylan.”

Yet another chimed in, “Lucky break for her… Hilary, should we go say hi? Could be a good connection.”

Still another joined in, “Jacob seems crazy about his stepmom, anyway.”

The women chatting were decked out in designer labels, clearly well–off.

Madeline stood a little straighter, her eyes glinting with determination. Putting on a show of deep affection for Jacob, she waved at him again and called out, “Jake, pick you up after school”

Jacob turned at the sound but missed her words. Madeline snapped a quick photo of him.

Once he disappeared inside, she got in her car and opened Instagram. Her new post was set to “visible to one person“-Jessica.

Jake’s growing up so fast! Even when Dad’s not around, he stays strong. Like he says–with Maddie around, there’s nothing to

to fear.

The photo showed Jacob waving goodbye at the school gate.

With a sneer, Madeline scrolled through her old posts, the ones only visible to Jessica and rigged to make her jealous. Weeks had passed, surely Jessica had seen them all by now. She deleted a few for good measure

1/3

Chapter 92

“Jessica, pregnancy won’t save you. I’ll make sure that ring comes off your finger. You brought this on yourself.” Her gasa turned

She thought, “No one will stand between Brian and me.”

When Jessica got back to Grant Group, her phone pinged with an Instagram notification. She saw that Madeline had a new update but couldn’t be bothered to click. These days, her mind was all on work.

“Morning, Ms. Grant.”

“Good morning. Ms. Grant.”

The staff in the executive office greeted her as they passed. Even Carrie, the cleaner, squeezed through to say hello

If anyone paid attention, they’d notice Carrie hovering protectively, making sure no one jostled Jessica or bumped into her pregnant belly. The fam rush hour meant the corridors teemed with employees.

One said, “I just saw another batch of imported fruits heading up in the elevator. Thanks to Ms. Grant, I’m swimming in fancy fruit these days.”

Another said, “Not just fruits–there’re Michelin–grade cakes and imported snacks too.”

Someone chimed in, “I’m wondering who’s sending all this? Can’t be Ms. Grant buying it for herself.”

run in her circles.”

Still another joined in, “Whoever it is has deep pockets. They must run in

Jessica caught snatches of the gossip behind her. Those same–day–airfreighted fruits cost a fortune, and the daily shipping fees alone were insane. It was seriously over–the–top.

Jessica wouldn’t splash that much cash daily, but if Brian wanted to spoil her… Well, she wasn’t complaining

“Erica, you two–come help me haul some fruit from my office. Let’s share it out among the departments,” Jessica said.

Since she needed to ask someone anyway, Jessica called out to the nearest staff. But when she turned, she jumped a little to find Carrie right on her heels.

“Hey there, Ms. Grant,” Carrie grinned.

Carrie nearly jumped out of her skin, but she couldn’t let on that someone was paying her extra to keep Jessica sale. Instead, she flashed a sheepish grin at Jessica

Jessica figured Carrie was craving some of those imported fruits but too polite to ask. With a knowing smile, she motioned for Carrie to follow her to the office, promising to share some fruits and cakes.

Carrie chirped her thanks, thinking that even without the extra paycheck, she’d never let anything happen to Jessica at the office.

At Atkinson Group, Brian had just settled into work when Jackson popped in to run through his schedule.

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