The Chase Disrupted?
Dan sat on his sofa in a daze. He had paced about his entire house all night long; he had forgotten that David would be coming over to discuss the villa project at Blue Serene, and he had forgotten he had planned a Facebook live to promote the resort project as a whole.
All he could think about was a baby on the way, his responsibilities to that baby, and how he could not punish a child for his own stupidity.
He ran his hands through his messy hair for the umpteenth time and sighed. He didn't hear the doorbell or the knock, so when David cleared his throat, he actually jumped from his seat and looked at his friend wide-eyed. David frowned in confusion and concern.
"Are you okay?" He looked appraisingly at his friend, then to the sofa he had been sitting on. "Have you slept?"
Dan slowly regained his calm and nervously ran his hand through his hair again.
"No, not really."
"Well, we have a lot scheduled today, so maybe you should shower so we can talk."
"Scheduled?" Dan looked at his friend in confusion for a moment, then his eyes grew wide.
David frowned and cocked his head. "Have you changed your mind…"
He pursed his lips in judgment. "…about Amber?"
"No." The word came out in a sigh of resignation as Dan fell back on the sofa, his hand once again moving through his hair. "I screwed up, David. I really screwed up."
David sat across from his friend, the bag of breakfast foods placed beside him on the heavy oak coffee table. He leaned in and tried to relax all the judging tension in his face.
"How did you screw up? What happened?"
Dan squeezed his cell phone—he was almost paralyzed with fear and regret—his voice failing him.
"Jessica is pregnant. She is saying it's mine."
David looked at him for a long moment. Tension was thick between them, and dread was building within Dan's chest. Then David let out a derisive scoff.
"And?! Firstly, you cannot believe a word out of that woman's mouth. Secondly, that is a consequence from a previous mistake—a mistake you are currently atoning for. And lastly, don't keep making mistakes, bro. Learn to trust your wife. If you want her back, you have to take accountability. Amber Ann loves you. She just needs to know that you genuinely love her."
David stood up, deep in thought. "Jessica is always going to be a problem." He shrugged. "That's just the nature of the beast and a consequence of your mistake. But, if you truly want Amber Ann, you can't let her stop you from doing what you set out to do."
He sat down and began rummaging through the bag of food. Dan had listened in silence. His friend was right. He had seemingly made a mistake with Amber Ann by jumping into marriage with her due to her pregnancy. When she had lost the baby, it was devastating, but it also filled him with regret. He sighed as he realized he had been blaming Amber Ann for his choices all this time.
When she became pregnant, she just informed him. She even refused his first two marriage proposals, saying she didn't want to marry just because of a happenstance.
He should have recognized how special she was then. His heart suddenly ached for her. She had always been a rock, always honest about her intentions, and true to her word.
Unlike her vile sister.
"You're right, bro. Let's get started on the first thing on our agenda."
"Good, because this is probably the most exciting business venture we have been involved in for some time.
"I put out feelers, and I already have potential investors and people wanting to book a visit."
"Really, that's great! I think our proposal is strong. We should send it over to Julia and make the offer."
"Agreed. Putting in using your YouTube following to advertise should be a big selling point and make us a bit more desirable. But let's change the blueprint a bit. I like option 3 and 6, but combined like this."
David brought out a vast property layout that had combined key points of the two options. Dan looked at it closely and understood why this man was his business partner in his property development business.
David looked up to his friend, a coy smile on his face.
"I forgot to tell you. Cristina says Amber has changed her look. Don't be surprised when you see her today."
Dan's head snapped up in surprise. "Changed her look?! For who?! Why?! How?!"
Each question became more and more demanding. David smiled knowingly and took a bite out of a ham and cheese croissant.
Dan tried to focus. He was not going to allow Jessica to control things, and he was not going to allow Amber Ann to be stolen away.
He narrowed his eyes. He was going to buy the rights to this project, complete it, and show Amber Ann that he both supports her and believes in her.
Nothing, and no one, was going to stop him from getting her back.