Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Forty-Nine

Things change? People change?

Why the fuck did he say that? What the hell was he thinking?

Ronin scrunched up his face, kind of annoyed with himself, feeling his own damn chest tighten with something that he couldn't fucking explain. Why did it matter what she thought of him? He never let her opinion bug him as much as it bothered him now. Why was he being so weird?

He let out a sigh, trying to figure out why it was so darn tough to stop thinking about her. It didn't make sense, honestly. Especially since he was dead set on moving on. Especially when he had already moved on.

But Ronin also had to admit that the circumstances surrounding their marriage were pretty inconvenient for both of them. Of course, he was beyond angry when Jenna was a no-show at the wedding and disappeared without a single trace. And yeah, he resented her for making him and his family look like a joke, like she couldn't care less about their reputation. Ronin never intended to push Jenna into marrying him – he honestly believed she wanted it too.

Sure, he was eager to kickstart a family – he was in his thirties and the clock was ticking – but not if it meant sacrificing her happiness. He genuinely loved her, like really loved her, and he always went out of his way to ensure her happiness was a top priority. Even after finding out she cheated on him, he naively believed they could work through it. He thought he could sway her into believing their love was strong enough to overcome this little hiccup.

But oh boy, was he ever so wrong?

Jenna and him, they might have been childhood friends, but he was seriously clueless not to notice how much she had transformed over the years. She used to be this possessive girlfriend, all about his attention, ready to break all sorts of rules for him – she was the one who made him feel utterly lovable. Yet, as they grew up, some things started fading into the background, himself included.

Ronin could still vividly recall that evening when she turned up at his workplace, all teary-eyed, trying to win him back. He almost wanted to burst out laughing, felt like tossing her out the moment those obviously fake tears rolled down her cheeks. That's what he truly wished for. If she believed for a second that he was naive enough to take her back after what she did, she couldn't have been more wrong. Ronin was no fool. Yeah, he might have been oblivious before, but not anymore. His eyes were wide open now; he could see right through her act, could spot all the fakeness and the lack of honesty she had towards him.

That's when he hit the brakes on his thoughts and let his mind kick into gear. His trust in her might have crumbled, but there was still a burning curiosity to figure out how on earth she pulled off that disappearing act during the wedding – like seriously, how? He still hungered for the 'why' behind it all. Plus, there was the added layer of those attacks targeting him. And let's not forget, his detective wasn't buying into the idea that her return was as straightforward as she wanted it to seem. There was something else going on behind the big picture, something that she could have been a part of.

Or maybe not.

But he needed to find out either way.

So, he let her believe that he was still so damn crazy about her, that she still had him wrapped around her tiny little finger, that she could still play him for a fool. It wasn't lost on him that this could also be a perfect opportunity to break things off with Carmen. Not because he wanted to, but because she deserved better, and because she was safer that way. Or at least that's what he hoped. Not to forget it also gave him the chance to make up with Eric. Since his marriage to Carmen, his brother had shown his disapproval at every chance he got. Ronin felt utterly guilty for coming in between him and Carmen—if the two of them were meant to be together, that is.