Chapter 143: Love, Jealousy, and New Beginnings

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Love, Jealousy, and New Beginnings

~Third- POV~

The heavy doors closed with a soft thud, sealing them into cool silence, and the two-car convoy glided through the iron gates toward the private aviation terminal.

Reynold leaned against Frederick’s shoulder for the drive, watching the city thin out into the quieter outskirts. Frederick kept an arm around his waist, his thumb tracing slow circles through Reynold’s hoodie. Neither of them spoke, and the miles slipped by until the road opened onto the airfield.

At the terminal, the cars pulled straight onto the tarmac, where Frederick’s sleek private jet sat idling. Ground staff and flight attendants stood at attention beside the airstairs.

"Welcome back, Mr. Corvin, Mr. Blake," the chief flight attendant said as they climbed the steps.

"Thank you," Frederick said, guiding Reynold inside.

The cabin was all cream leather, dark mahogany, and soft ambient light. A platter of fresh fruit, pastries, and chilled drinks waited on the dining table.

Reynold went straight for a window seat and sank into the wide chair with a satisfied sigh. "Now this feels good."

Frederick chuckled and took the seat opposite, handing him a glass of juice across the aisle. He picked up a second glass and clinked it against Reynold’s. "Get comfortable, baby. It’ll be a smooth flight home."

As the crew secured the doors and prepared for takeoff, Reynold took a sip of juice and reached across the aisle to squeeze Frederick’s hand. "Thank you, Daddy," he murmured, settling back into his seat, completely relaxed.

Then he unlocked his phone to catch up on the notifications he’d ignored the night before. He opened his messaging app and scrolled through his chats until he reached the spot where Spencer’s thread should have been.

But it wasn’t there.

His eyebrows drew together. He scrolled up, then down, checking again. The entire conversation was gone.

He opened his contacts and searched for Spencer’s name.

Nothing.

The contact had been deleted too.

How is that possible?

Then it hit him: last night, Frederick had insisted on plugging in the phone himself. Reynold huffed out a quiet laugh. Of course. It was him.

Slowly, he lifted his head. Across from him, Frederick was unfolding a business newspaper, the picture of innocence.

"Daddy?" Reynold called, a small, knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

"Hm?" Frederick answered without looking up from his newspaper.

Reynold turned toward Frederick. "Did you happen to go through my phone last night?"

Frederick’s hands stilled on the edge of the paper. He lowered it just enough to reveal his sharp jaw and unreadable eyes, and cleared his throat. "Your phone? Why would I go through your phone, baby? I respect your privacy."

Reynold leaned forward and propped his chin on his palm, eyes bright with amusement. "Is that so? Because funnily enough, someone’s contact and every message from him vanished overnight."

Frederick shifted in his seat and adjusted his watch cuff, a faint touch of embarrassment creeping into his face. "Well... you see," he began smoothly, building a defense on the spot. "Last night, when I plugged in your phone, the charging icon kept flickering. There was an alert that the memory was nearly full and affecting performance. So as your fiancé, I cleared out some junk messages to free up space."

Reynold burst out laughing. "Daddy, this phone has a full terabyte. I haven’t used a quarter of it."

Frederick said nothing. He stared at Reynold for a long moment, his tech excuse in ruins. A faint flush crept above his neck, making him look surprisingly human.

He dropped the newspaper on the side table, exhaled in defeat, and leaned back. "Fine," he said, his voice dropping, heavy with possession. "Yes, I deleted him. But can you blame me? Who was that man, and why hadn’t you blocked him already, after everything he said about me?"

He leaned across the aisle and took Reynold’s chin between his fingers, his gaze intense. "If someone is throwing disrespectful messages at your fiancé and trying to undermine our relationship, you don’t keep them around, sweetheart. You protect us, the way I protect you."

Reynold’s heart melted at the sight of his man being so openly jealous of him. He reached up and covered Frederick’s hand with his own.

"I understand, Daddy. You’re right, and I’m sorry I didn’t block him sooner," he murmured, looking into Frederick’s eyes. "I already made it clear to him that I don’t want anything to do with him. He’s the same guy who dropped me off that night, the night we had our first real argument. Do you remember?"

Frederick’s jaw tightened as the memory registered, his eyes narrowing. "Sweetheart, I remember. Just don’t let something like that happen again, Reynold. I chose not to say anything last night because I refused to let anyone ruin our trip."

"I’m really sorry, Daddy." Reynold squeezed his hand.

Frederick’s possessiveness surfaced without apology. "From now on, you don’t keep another man’s number or stay in contact with any man who isn’t me. You don’t need anyone but me. Do I have to remind you of that?"

Reynold smiled and squeezed Frederick’s hand. "Daddy, I’m your fiancé. Where else would I want to be? You already have my heart, and I’m not interested in anyone else. I’m really sorry, okay?"

"And another thing." Frederick leaned closer, his tone half-serious and fully domineering. "Smiling at another man or greeting him when you’re out? That’s wrong, baby. To me, that’s cheating."

Reynold chuckled at the sheer extremity of it. "Alright, Daddy. From today, I’ll walk straight ahead with my eyes down. No looking sideways, no greeting any man."

"And when we get home, try not to dress in anything revealing when I’m not with you."

Reynold kept smiling and nodded. "Understood."

"I’m serious," Frederick said, his gaze intense. "You dress revealingly, or go naked, only in front of me. Got it?"

"Okay, Daddy."

Reynold looked at the man who usually controlled entire industries, yet became so possessive and easily jealous whenever another man showed him attention. He lifted Frederick’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"You love me so much that you always try to suppress your anger and hide your jealousy, don’t you?"

Frederick let out a low sigh and turned his head slightly, preserving a shred of stern dignity. "A man in my position shouldn’t make these things so obvious. But with you, I can’t help it sometimes."

"It’s more than okay with me," Reynold said, leaning closer until their breaths mingled. "I want my man obsessed with me. I want you jealous. I want you possessive. You’re supposed to look scary when you’re jealous, but honestly? You just look cute. And you’re so attractive I can’t help wanting to see that expression again and again."

Frederick’s lips twitched, a rare flush warming his neck. "Don’t flatter me, baby."

"Oh my god," Reynold teased, eyes sparkling as he watched the mighty Frederick Corvin come undone. "My man is so head-over-heels in love with me."

Frederick smiled shyly and looked toward the window to hide the grin breaking across his face.

Just then, the engines roared to life, a low vibration running through the cabin floor. The jet accelerated down the runway and lifted off, climbing into the bright Parisian sky.

Reynold leaned across the space between their seats and pressed a kiss to Frederick’s jaw as Paris shrank into tiny dots beneath the clouds. "I love how much you care about me, my jealous CEO."

Frederick leaned back in his seat, his eyes lingering affectionately on Reynold’s face. "I only care about what’s mine, and I don’t joke when it comes to you, baby."

Reynold broke into a wide smile. "I love you, Daddy. I love you so much. I could tell you a million times, and it still wouldn’t be enough."

Frederick smiled warmly. "I love you too, sweetheart. More than you’ll ever know."

They settled into their seats, hands joined, as the jet cut smoothly through the clouds toward home.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom of her mansion, Eva stood in a lace bra and matching panties before the full-length gilded mirror, taking a long, critical look at her reflection.

She ran her hands down her waist, tracing the lines that had graced hundreds of magazine covers and runways. She turned to study her silhouette, the sharp arch of her back, the effortless grace of her figure.

"Having a daughter doesn’t mean I’ll never find someone who loves me," she whispered to her reflection, a bitter smirk touching her lips. "If anything, it’s Frederick’s loss."

So what if I have a daughter? So what if I made mistakes when I was young?

Running and hiding in the dark wasn’t the answer. The answer was picking herself up and making things right on her own terms.

"I am Eva Hartley," she said aloud, her voice gathering strength as her eyes locked on her own. "Top global model. Beautiful. And yes, a mother of one. I am not losing again. I won’t lose any more ground than I already have."

She walked into her enormous closet with new confidence, bypassed the subdued outfits, and reached straight for a tailored designer gown that hugged every curve and radiated power.

She held it against her body and met her own eyes in the vanity mirror, a sharp, fearless smile forming. She wasn’t going to cower before the media, and she wasn’t going to let Frederick’s interview crush her. Whatever questions the world threw at her, she would take back control of her own story.