MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S POV)

The bathroom door creaked open, and out stepped Dwayne. His hair was damp from a shower, droplets sliding down his broad, muscled chest. For a split second, we both just stared at each other, equally startled.

"Arielle?" His deep voice broke the silence, his brows knitting together in concern.

My mind foggy, I blinked repeatedly to ensure it was indeed him not my hallucination.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked, trying to sound strong. I looked around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. The bed, the dresser, and everything in it-everything looked like it belonged to me, but something felt off. "This is my room." His frown deepened as he stepped further in. "I've been staying here since we boarded the ship."

I shook my head, a feeling of panic enveloping me. "No, no, this is my room," I insisted. "I remember vividly. I was just... just in the..." I paused and tried to recall my earlier actions, but my memories were hazy.

Frustration welled up inside me. "You get the wrong one," I said, louder now, my fingers curling into fists. "I'm sure of it. This is my room." I looked around again, trying to find some piece of evidence to back up my claim. But everything seemed in its place.

Then, my eyes locked on something-a small key card on the bedside table, Dwayne's name printed on it. My heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat as I realized the truth.

"Sofia," I muttered as both a wave of discovery and anger hit me simultaneously. "She must have switched our room numbers."

Dwayne's eyes narrowed as he quickly processed the situation. Then, as the truth settled in, they darkened with disgust. "What's in her damn head?" He shook his head, his eyes never leaving mine. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"

I didn't respond but tried to brush it off, but it seemed my body had other plans. I felt my head spinning as I still tried to process what was Sofia's whole plan. And then, suddenly, another wave of intense heat hit me. My skin prickled, hot and sensitive, as though every nerve had been set alight.

"She... she did something," I managed to gasp. My head was spinning, the room blurring around me. "Sofia. The drink..."

My body started to feel like it had been set on fire, and I stumbled in my frantic attempt to get relief.

But Dwayne was swift, and he quickly caught me. His face darkened, and he swore under his breath. Stepping closer, he reached out but hesitated, his hand hovering near my arm. "Arielle, look at me!" He held me upright, his arms draping around me.

I tried to speak, but my words were slurred and raspy. I tried to stay sober, but the burning was overwhelming.

The heat is driving me crazy, and Dwayne's mesmerizing emerald eyes make him like Adam in the Garden of Eden, no, the poisonous snake that tempted others to eat the apple.

My hands moved to my blouse, clawing at the fabric as if peeling it away would cool the fire beneath my skin.

"Shit," Dwayne's hand shot out, gripping my wrists firmly. "No." His voice was low, steady, and laced with something I couldn't quite name. "Don't do that."

"It's killing me..." I whispered hoarsely. "Dwayne... it's killing me!" Tears welled in my eyes, and I fought feebly against his hand.

His gaze darkened, flickering with something primal before he quickly reined it in. "Arielle, Ostrich, I think I know what's wrong with you," he said, his voice dropping an octave, rough and intimate. "You don't understand what you're asking of me. If I do anything right now, we'll both regret it. Stay with me, okay? Focus."

I literally couldn't hear what he said at all. The fire inside me was relentless. I nodded weakly before my vision swimming.

The next second, my knees buckled, and Dwayne caught me before I could hit the ground. He swore again, then scooped me up effortlessly, his arms cradling me against his solid chest. "Come on. You need cold water. Now."

I barely registered what happened next the blur of movement, Dwayne's body still radiating heat as he carried me into the bathroom. The sharp scent of his aftershave mingled with the steamy air, and I felt my pulse quicken coursing through me. He set me down gently, his touch lingering just a fraction longer than necessary, before turning on the cold water in the tub.

The icy water hit me like a slap when he helped me lower myself in, his strong hands steadying me. My body jerked in protest, my skin pebbling from the cold, but it was exactly what I needed. Gradually, the fire began to subside, little by little.

Dwayne stayed by my side, his hands never leaving me as I leaned against the cool porcelain. His shirt was damp from the splashes, clinging to his chest in a way that made it impossible to ignore the chiseled lines of his torso.

His breathing wasn't steady.

Minutes felt like hours, but eventually, the haze lifted. My limbs felt heavy, my energy drained, but at least the unbearable heat was gone. I looked up at Dwayne, who was crouched beside the tub, his face etched with worry and... something else. Something that made my stomach flip. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but it only made the weight of what had just happened press down harder. It felt humiliating, and I resented myself for losing control like that. The memories of how I'd felt burned like a brand in my mind. "Sorry..." My voice was weak. I should apologize to Dwayne, for the mess of emotions and sensations.

But then I winced when Dwayne reached for my face, his fingers brushing softly over my skin to wipe away the tears I hadn't even realized had fallen.

"You're okay," he murmured, his voice softer now, almost tender. "Just breathe."

"...Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse.noveldrama

Before he could respond, a voice outside the room made both of us freeze.

"Sir, are you in there? Can you hear me?" a woman's voice called, each word punctuated with urgency.

Dwayne's eyes snapped towards the door, and I followed his gaze. My heart immediately sank when I realized who the voice belonged to. Sofia.

I hissed. Damn woman, you came just in time.

Then I heard the voice of another person seeping through the door, hesitant. "Ma'am, are you absolutely sure this is the room? There are a lot of guests aboard the yacht, and if this is a mistake"

"I'm positive," Sofia cut him off, her tone dripping with conviction. "I lost my diamond watch earlier this evening, and I saw this man behaving suspiciously near the lounge. I have every reason to believe he took it and stashed it in here." The hell? A diamond watch? Dwayne?

"She's bluffing," I whispered, gripping Dwayne's arm. "She's trying to set you up. But... for what?"

Why did she suddenly target Dwayne?

Another voice joined the mix, "We'll need to search the room if there's an allegation of theft, but we must proceed carefully. Sir, if you're in there, could you open the door to clear this up?"

"This is a delicate matter, and I hate

to make accusations, but my watch is incredibly valuable. I simply can't let it go unaddressed," she said, her tone shifting to one of faux

vulnerability. "I'm sure he won't mind clearing up this misunderstanding."

Dwayne and I froze, exchanging alarmed looks.

My brain quickly got to work, as I tried to piece everything together.

The drink Sofia gave me, the aphrodisiac-it made sense now. She swapped the name tags on our doors before I realized, so that I would walk into Dwayne's room while I was delirious due to the drug effect. It was easy to imagine what would happen next, and there was no way she would miss the show. That's why she insisted on gathering this group of people to Dwayne's door with unfounded reasons.

She must have thought the drug was already in full effect, so she'd walk in the perfect time and catch us tangled together on the bed, naked, exposed.

I turned to Dwayne, and the look on his face mirrored my thoughts. His jaw was tight, but he gave nothing away. I could feel my hands tremble as anger twisted in my gut.

Was she out of her mind? How could she use such despicable and illegal means to harm others? With so many people around, how could she stoop this low, risking not just my reputation but Dwayne's too? Was she really that desperate to ruin me? To what end? Outside, Sofia's patience was wearing thin. "If he has nothing to hide, he won't mind letting us in," she said sweetly. "Otherwise, I have no choice but to escalate this further."

"Ridiculous." Dwayne cursed in mockery. "She's planning something more."

I frowned in confusion. Before I could even respond, another voice cut through the chaos, familiar, unmistakable:

"What the hell are you doing here, Sofia?"

Jared.

"And what the hell are you doing here Jared?" I couldn't help but snapped in a low voice, feeling my blood pressure fly high again.

"No kidding," Dwayne's expression sharpened, his voice a low growl. "That's her whole point."

His tone turned sarcastic as he raised an eyebrow. "She's believing her little plan would make Jared give up on you, if he could see you with me on the bed together."

I felt like my trigeminal nerve was about to jump out of my head. I bit my lower lip again and again, clenched and unclenched my fists, and finally uttered one word through my teeth: "Idiot!"

How far was she willing to go just for a man?!

I forced myself to breathe, to think clearly. We were in a delicate situation. If I lost my cool now, everything would fall apart.

Dwayne stood, a half-smile on his face. If his men were here, they would recognize this as the boss' most dangerous look-calm, controlled, but ready to explode. "Stay here," he said, his tone deadly calm. "I'll handle this."

I shook my head, panic rising in my

chest. Sofia had brought an army with her, and she wasn't going to back down easily. She wouldn't stop until the entire place was turned upside down. The room was small, nowhere to hide. If Dwayne refused to let them search the room, it would only make him look more

suspicious. And then Jared would be dragged in too. He and Dwyane have already always been at odds, and if things escalated-

I couldn't let that happen.

I couldn't risk the scandal, not now. Not when my own business was just on the rise and Dwayne was also at a delicate juncture. And I could even not care about my own reputation, but what would happen to my family, to my son's future?

The roar of the ship, the crashing of waves against the hull. It all blurred in my mind. Dwayne and I locked eyes. We have nowhere to go. Are we going to be trapped in this sea today and get ruined?

"What do we do?" I whispered to Dwayne, my eyes fixed on the bathroom door that was left ajar in a way that if the front door was thrown open, the intruder could see us.

Dwayne's expression hardened. "I don't know, but let's find out." He extended a hand and pulled me out of the tub.

As if on cue, there were movements outside the door, more people were approaching. I felt my heart sink, and I knew that we were in trouble.

Big trouble.