Jonah’s hands balled into fists at his sides. He headed straight for Hailey and Ewan’s table.

“She’s not eating that!” he shouted.

Hailey looked up, momentarily stunned by the familiar voice. “Jonah? What are you doing here?”

Without further delay, Jonah grabbed her slender arm and pulled her to her feet.

“You’re coming with me,” he demanded.

He wasn’t leaving without her.

Ewan sneered. “Mr. Pilsner, are you seriously just going to take Hailey and walk out? She’s having dinner with me tonight.”

Jonah turned to him, his gaze cold as ice. “Hailey is my girlfriend. Consider this your warning—if you try to see her behind my back again, you’ll deal with the consequences!”

Without another word, he took Hailey’s hand and led her away.

Behind them, Ewan slammed his knife and fork onto the table, the sharp clang echoing through the restaurant.

Despite all his efforts to provoke Jonah over the phone, Jonah still showed up and took Hailey away. It was clear that his attempt to cause trouble had completely failed.

How frustrating.

Just then, someone approached.

“Hello, Mr. Ewan.”

Ewan turned to find Joanne standing before him.

He recognized her immediately-he had already looked into her background. She

was the woman who had been frequently seen around Jonah, supposedly working as a doctor.

“Ms. Lilton, how do you know who I am? I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Joanne smiled. “Mr. Ewan, haven’t you heard the saying, ‘The enemy of my

enemy is my friend?’ I guess that makes us allies now.”

“Did Jonah dump you or something?”

“Isn’t it the same for you? Hailey left you too.”

A flash of irritation crossed Ewan’s face. “So, what are you suggesting? Do you want us to team up?”

Joanne nodded knowingly. “Exactly,

Mr. Ewan. You’re focused on Ms Hailey and I’ve got my sights on Jonah Together, we could be unstoppable-each of us getting exactly what we want.” s

Ewan regarded her carefully. She wasn’t someone to be underestimated—her ability to find him here was proof enough of her resourcefulness.

He gave a curt nod. “Fine. We have a deal.”

Joanne certainly would never give up on Jonah-not after all the years she’d spent loving him. She wouldn’t let Hailey waltz in and take everything she had fought for.

With Justin no longer in the picture, she needed a new ally, and Ewan was the perfect candidate.

A sly smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

…

Jonah shoved Hailey into his luxury car and quickly buckled her seatbelt. Without a moment’s hesitation h slammed his foot on the gas heading straight for the office. s

Hailey glanced at him. He hadn’t said a word the entire drive. Though his face was hidden behind his mask, the tightness in his jaw made it clear he was seething.

She carefully asked, “Jonah, are you mad?”

Jonah’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Mad? No. I’m in an excellent mood.”

Hailey fell silent.

“Come on, isn’t it obvious I’m angry? Stop playing innocent!”

Hailey flinched at the sharp edge in his voice. “Why are you so upset? Is it because I was with Ewan-“

But Jonah cut her off, “Hailey, what exactly are we?”

“Boyfriend and girlfriend,” she replied.

“That’s right. You’re my girlfriend. So why the hell did you sneak off to see Ewan? He was even trying to feed

you. What is that supposed to

mean? Am just some kind of backup to you?” s

Hailey scrambled to explain, “Jonah, please, you’ve got it all wrong! It’s not what

you think!”