Chasing His Rejected Wife
Chapter 65 -

AIDEN

I bit back a sigh, struggling to hold back my frustration as I walked out of the clinic and back to the waiting car, torn by a myriad of emotions. Chief among these was frustration, laced with anger.

Shit. According to the doctor, I had just missed Jessica by no more than ten minutes. Ten fucking minutes of being stuck in traffic caused my two cars to collide. And if only I had figured to come here sooner, rather than waste time making calls to the cab company that yielded no results.

I got back into the car, which had been provided by the hotel along with a driver. Much as I didn't like being driven around by just anyone, I wasn't in the mood to drive myself in the state I was in.

"Where to, sir?" The driver asked politely.

I gave the question some thought. Dr. Bernard had helpfully told me about how Jess had claimed her flight had been moved up, prompting an earlier appointment with him. And she left for the airport right after.

I bit back the urge to curse out loud. What the fuck had happened in the time I was away from that suite to make her run?

I had considered and discarded the idea of what had transpired in bed this morning as being the cause, and I had to admit that I was currently at a loss.

"The airport," I responded and pulled out my phone to try her number again, even though it was clear she still wasn't going to answer at this point. And sure enough, both tries ended up going straight to voicemail.

I cursed under my breath and tossed the phone on the seat beside me. I stared out the window, deeply worried now and wondering if it was time to resort to planning n

My head was killing me at this point, every little move, sent searing pain through my temples. I hadn't taken my pills and didn't have them with me, so I could only suffer and pray that I could replace Jess before she flew to fuck knew where. My muscles ached after spending half the night on the hard floor before Jess invited me to share the bed.

I tried her number and yet again, got sent to voicemail. With a muffled curse, I tossed the phone aside, and shut my eyes, as my eyes had become too sensitive to the light, an advanced symptom of migraine.

Then, my eyes flew open and I jerked upright as my phone lit up. I retrieved my discarded phone, hope coursing through me and sure enough, Jess had finally sent a message.

Wife: I'm sorry to leave like this. I'm okay, don't worry. I'll contact you soon.

I stared at the words, my frustration growing. She had offered no explanations for leaving, only just tried to assure me that she was okay. How the fuck was I supposed to just relax and not worry while she pulled off this disappearing act? Okay, fuck this.

I dialed Fletcher's number, hit by a flash of guilt. The poor man had an already heavy workload and I was just about to add on even more. Still, I needed answers and I didn't want to end up traipsing all over the place in search of my missing wife.

"Sir?" Fletcher answered promptly, as usual.

"Listen, I know you already have a lot on your plate," I began apologetically. "But I need something else done ASAP."

"Of course, sir." He responded, unruffled. "What is it?"

"I need someone's phone tracked," I instructed. "I'll send you the phone number, and I need results in the next few minutes. It's possible the person recently purchased a flight ticket, so be sure to track that as well."

To his credit, he didn't ask any further questions, even though I'm sure he had plenty. "Noted, Sir. I'll have the info you need in fifteen minutes, tops."

I ended the call and sent him Jessica's number. True to his words, by the time the car pulled up at the airport's main entrance, I had Jessica's current location in hand. And he had something more to impact.

"I found out who Mr. Craig has been in contact with," He informed me and went into detail and my brows rose higher the more he talked. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

********

It didn't take long to revise the flight plan with my pilot, get clearance from the airport authorities and I was soon on my way to Los Angeles.

I distracted myself with work, unwilling to get myself too strung up that I would end up doing or saying the wrong thing to Jessica to spook her or become defensive before she even offered up an explanation for her actions.

Fletcher's news about my brother had given me an inkling of what had spooked Jessica. And it had nothing to do with this morning. I scoffed as I imagined how satisfied and smug that little twerp was feeling right about now, thinking that he had gained the upper hand. He must have been behind the media fiasco as well, and when he thought that hadn't worked out to his satisfaction, he'd gone one step further.

But it hadn't been necessary, had it? The first attempt had worked well; Jess and I had divorced. Now, it boiled down to either he was just doing this to derive some sort of sadistic pleasure from making Jess miserable, or he truly didn't know about the divorce and hoped this would push Jess over the edge.

Either way, it hardly mattered. He had troubled my wife and put our babies at risk. And for that, my silly little brother was going to replace out the hard way not to mess with me or mine. I allowed myself a grim smile and indulged in a mental image of all the ways I would bring down my wrath on Craig's head.

Soon, I was in LA and driving to Jessica's last known location in a rental car. It had come as a surprise that she had gone to see Margaret since I know how much she dreaded being in the same space as the woman who had birthed her. Still, if I was right in my suspicions, Jessica had somehow found out about the blackmail and had come here to confront Margaret. With any luck, she would still be there when I arrived.

At the gates of the mansion where Margaret lived with her Hollywood guy, I called her. It took several tries, but eventually, she picked up.

"What the fuck do you want now?" She snapped, anger and impatience clear in her tone.

I raised an eyebrow in surprised amusement. "I've come for my wife."

There was a beat of silence, then she laughed in derision. "Misplaced her, have you? Why am I not surprised? You two must have had a lover's quarrel for her to come running back to mummy. Or did your dirty little secret get out somehow?" I wasn't in the mood for her antics. "I'm at the gate. Open it."

She made a sound of surprise, "What?"

I repeated my words slowly, rapidly reaching the end of my patience. "Open. Your. Gate."

"And why should I? I don't recall inviting you over, and I don't like unexpected guests. Go away, Aiden, your wife isn't here."

I ground my teeth together, now thoroughly pissed. She liked to play games, right? Well, I could play dirty too. "In that case, you wouldn't mind if I called Max to request a personal meeting? There's a lot I'm sure we could catch up on."

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I heard a sharp intake of breath. "Fuck you." She spat and I grinned in satisfaction.

A minute later, the gates slowly rolled open. I chuckled to myself and drove up the extensive driveway that led up to the huge, sprawling mansion. Of course, Margaret would not want her current lover to know what she was truly capable of, the Hollywood dude would drop her in a heartbeat and she'd lose out on fat prey.

I didn't bother with proper parking. I pulled up to the portico and got out, grimacing as the oppressive heat wrapped around me like a shroud. There was no heat quite like Los Angeles' and it was one reason I disliked coming here. In quick strides, I crossed to the front door, which had already been opened by a guard.

"Where is she?" I demanded of him perfunctorily.

The sound of heels striking marble grew louder, signaling her approach and I relaxed and waited. Good, that meant I didn't have to replace her.

Moments later, Margaret walked into view, dressed like she was on her way out and wearing a sour expression. Her eyes, lined with heavy makeup and stretched with plastic surgery, narrowed as soon as she caught sight of me.

"You really think you're funny, don't you?" She hissed at me in evident dislike. "You asked me to stay the fuck away and I did, but now, you've invaded my home and threatened me."

I stared down at her with an indifferent expression. "Where is Jessica?"

She folded her arms and glared at me bitterly. "You don't get to order me around in my own house. Besides, she doesn't want to see you." she chortled in derision. "So, after all the bullshit you pulled with me, she still found out? You're even more useless than your father was at keeping women happy."

I let her insults slide off my back. I would not let myself be derailed from what I came here to do. "Take me to my wife, Margaret. I don't have the time to talk shop with you, unfortunately."

"Are you deaf?” Her voice rose shrilly. "I just said she doesn't want to see the man who has been lying to her since she married him."

"As opposed to a mother who used her for her own selfish ends?" I asked, my voice cold and harsh.

"Well, at least I did what I did for her own good," Margaret retorted, "and at the end of the day, I'm the one she came running to when she found out about your lies." "Mom, please stop."