The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Ella POV:

Alright, let’s take a break from the drama that is my current disaster of a marriage.

I know, I haven’t exactly been nice to Jason—but come on, you guys were with me throughout school when he treated me like I was invisible, or worse, a nuisance. A little payback isn’t a crime.

And speaking of payback...

I have officially secured my position as the new CEO of Kingsley Enterprises.

The old geezers? Oh, they tried. I could see their wrinkled faces twitching, aching to say something about how a woman couldn’t run the company. But guess what?

They couldn’t say shit.

Why?

Because news spread like wildfire that I was also the largest partner in Black Enterprise. Winning that deal didn’t just boost my reputation—it cemented it. Suddenly, they weren’t so eager to give me their outdated lectures.

Oh, they weren’t pleased. I could tell. But do I care? Not even a little.

Now, since I still have an ongoing project with Black Enterprise, I have to divide my hours between the two companies. Juggling two major corporations? Light work.

Currently, I’m on my way to Black Enterprise HQ after spending three-quarters of my day at Kingsley Enterprises. I made sure to wrap up my work early, which meant I skipped lunch.

Bad idea.

Because now, as I sit in the car en route to the Black Enterprise headquarters, I can feel the hunger gnawing at me. I swear, my stomach just growled loud enough to be classified as a small earthquake.

And the worst part? I still have an urgent project meeting ahead of me.

Yeah... this day is far from over.

Jake POV:

She was coming over.

And this time?

No annoying husband to save her.

I smirked, leaning back in my chair as I swirled the expensive whiskey in my glass. Ella Kingsley, the so-called business prodigy, thought she had outsmarted me. She thought she could just waltz into my company, take over, and walk away unscathed?

Not a chance.

I had been waiting for the perfect opportunity, and now it was right in front of me.

She would come here after a long day of work, already tired, hungry, and distracted.

Perfect.

I just needed to wait until her meeting ended, then—like the perfect gentleman I pretended to be—I would swoop in as her "savior."

I’d offer to take her out to dinner, somewhere nice, somewhere she couldn’t resist.

Then?

A spiked drink.

A hotel room.

A few pictures of her in compromising positions.

And just like that—checkmate.

She would have no choice but to give me her shares back. I could finally get my company out of her little hands.

And as a bonus?

Well... I wouldn’t mind getting a piece of her sexy body either.

I chuckled to myself, pleased with my own brilliant plan.

Tonight, Ella Kingsley would fall right into my trap.

Ella POV:

Okay, I’ll admit it.

I misjudged Jake.

For the longest time, I thought he was just another sleazy businessman in an expensive suit. The type who only cared about money, power, and stepping on anyone who got in his way.

But tonight?

Tonight, I saw a different side of him.

It all started after the meeting when he approached me, all smiles and easy charm. I was exhausted, starving, and barely functioning, so when he struck up a conversation, I didn’t have the energy to give him my usual cold responses.

"Long day?" he asked, noticing how I rubbed my temples.

"You have no idea," I sighed.

He chuckled. "You look like you need a break. How about dinner? My treat."

My stomach chose that exact moment to betray me with a very loud growl.

Jake raised an eyebrow, amused. "I’ll take that as a yes?"

I hesitated. I was used to being careful around people, especially in business, but honestly?

The idea of going home and eating instant noodles alone in my office didn’t sound appealing.

So, against my usual judgment, I agreed.

Jake took me to this ridiculously fancy restaurant.

The kind where the waiters wore white gloves, and the menus didn’t have prices (which, by the way, is always a bad sign).

"Go ahead, order whatever you want," he encouraged as he leaned back in his chair.

I smirked. "Dangerous thing to say to a hungry woman."

He laughed. "I’ll take my chances."

So I did.

I ordered way too much food without even pretending to be modest. Steak, seafood, pasta, dessert—you name it. And to my surprise, Jake didn’t even blink.

Instead, he seemed genuinely entertained.

"You eat like someone who’s always busy and forgets to have proper meals," he observed.

"That’s because I am," I admitted. "I barely had time for lunch today."

Jake shook his head. "That’s unacceptable. You run a company, Ella, not a prison. You need to take care of yourself."

I blinked, caught off guard.

I was so used to people criticizing me for being too ambitious, too cutthroat, too ruthless.

But Jake? He sounded like he actually cared.

The conversation flowed effortlessly after that.

I learned things about him I never expected.

Like how he used to be a rebellious teenager who almost got kicked out of business school. How he adores his little sister and even helped her start a fashion line. And how, despite his tough businessman image, he actually loves old-school jazz music and secretly plays the piano.

I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, I found myself laughing.

Genuinely laughing.

Not the polite, corporate smile I used in business meetings.

Not the sarcastic smirk I used with Jason.

But an actual laugh.

Jake was witty, charming, and surprisingly fun.

Maybe... just maybe, I was wrong about him.

Maybe Jake wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

I just wanted one peaceful dinner.

One.

But no, of course, my stupid husband had to show up and ruin it.

It all started off perfectly fine. I had excused myself to the washroom, freshened up, and when I came back, I noticed Jake had ordered wine. Expensive, rich, and smooth. I wasn’t much of a wine enthusiast, but I could appreciate the quality.

Dinner was going well, the conversation was surprisingly pleasant, and my glass was already half full when—

Boom.

In walks my annoying husband.

Jason.

Looking as smug as ever.

He strode towards our table with the confidence of a man who owned the entire place, dressed in a sleek black suit that somehow made him look even more infuriatingly attractive.

Great. Just great.

"Ooh, honey," Jason’s voice was sickeningly sweet, the kind of tone that made me immediately suspicious.

What is this idiot up to now?

"I was also here for a business dinner when I spotted you," he continued, slipping an arm around my waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Excuse me? Personal space, sir??

"But I’m done now," he added smoothly. "And I think you are too, aren’t you, sweetheart? Let me take you home. I really missed you."

And then—he kissed my head.

KISSED. MY. HEAD.

Right in front of Jake.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

I barely held back my instinct to elbow him in the ribs, but considering that we were being watched, I played along.

Because, let’s face it—a public argument was not worth it.

I forced a tight smile, though internally, I was plotting ten different ways to make Jason suffer.

"Of course," I said sweetly, setting my napkin down. "I was just about to leave anyway."

Jake’s expression darkened.

Yeah, I bet it wasn’t fun to have a couple flaunting their affection in front of you.

"Thank you for dinner," I told Jake, offering him an apologetic smile.

Jason, being the overgrown child that he is, turned to Jake with the most infuriating grin and said, "Oh, and excellent choice on the wine, man. Really top-notch."

Then—the bastard chugged the rest of my wine.

MY. WINE.

Jake looked like he wanted to stab Jason with his butter knife.

I wouldn’t have stopped him.

But no, Jason just laughed, took my arm like he was some knight in shining armor, and dragged me out of the restaurant.

As soon as we were outside and away from prying eyes, I turned to him, murder in my eyes.

"Are you insane?!" I hissed.

Jason smirked. "Probably. But did you really want to finish that wine?

Jason took my stunned silence as a victory, his grin widening.

"Come on, wife," he said, tugging me towards the car. "Let’s go home."

I narrowed my eyes.

This wasn’t over.