Ryan’s POV

After a long flight back to the city, all that Ryan wanted to do was get some rest and then later on meet up with Vivian. But that was proving impossible.

Not only did it not seem likely that he would be getting any sleep. The chances of him being able to take some time to see Vivian were dwindling by the second. Were him not being able to fulfill his two very modest wishes, a result of there being too much work to do. Or an emergency having popped up, one that only Ryan could deal with.

He would have understood.

The billionaire would have been grumbling the whole time. But at the end of it all, he would have known exactly why things were the way that they were. But the thing keeping him from what he wanted to do was his ex. And Ryan was neither happy nor understanding.

Gwendolyn just would not take a hint.

While he had been away, he had been getting messages from his people informing him that she kept showing up at his businesses and making a nuisance of herself.

It was grating, so much so that Ryan wanted to track her down, march right up to her face and tell her to go back to whatever whole she had crawled out of.

But he knew that if he did that, he would be playing right into her hands.

Gwendolyn Stuart the fourth wanted to meet face to face.

Ryan was not in the mood to cater to her whims, so no matter what she did, he would not be seeing her in person.

***

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ryan considered the matter. Just because he would not be meeting up with her, it did not mean that he would be leaving the situation as it was. Gwendolyn needed to be dealt with, otherwise she would fester like an infected wound and become something even more awful. He could not allow that to happen.

The only thing he could think of that would put a leash over her would be for him to threaten to cut all ties with her family. It would be a great loss. Despite everything that his daughter had done, her father was a good man and an even better businessman. But if dissolving his contracts with the Stuarts was what it took to show Gwendolyn that he was serious about not wanting to speak with her, then he would do it.

Out of respect for the older man though, Ryan would give him a warning first.

’Handle your daughter, or stand to lose billions’. Feeling the low level headache that he had been nursing for hours, dissipate now that he had a plan in mind. Ryan finally left his study and went to his bedroom.

He would take a quick nap, shower, get something to eat, then he would reach out to Vivian. If there was one thing about her, it was the way she always managed to make him feel at ease. And that was exactly what he needed. He slipped into a light doze, imagining that Vivian was in bed with him, cuddled close like Ryan had never left.

***

As much as Ryan would have loved to just show up at Vivian’s place. Or to call her and tell her to come over, he felt that that was too casual. Casual was the main thing that described the terms of their arrangement, no strings, but it just did not sit right with him. He had been gone for a few days. He did not want the first thing that he sent to her to be, ’Hey Vivian. Come over here and let’s have some sex’, though that was exactly what he was craving.

Such an approach was far too crude. Which was why Ryan had taken it upon himself to approach her with a gift in hand. Instead of sending one of his many people out to pick something that Vivian might like, Ryan was fulfilling the errand himself. Moving from display case to display case, he took in all of the jewelry before him. They were all exquisite pieces, well made, and their gems were high quality.

But none of them stood out to Ryan, and he found that he wanted something that would suit Vivian. Something that he would be able to look at her wearing and feel a sense of pride... of satisfaction.

If Vivian were to allow it, Ryan would be showering her with money. But since she was firmly against that, even after all the time that they had been hooking up. He knew that to get her to accept whatever piece of jewelry he ended up buying would be difficult. It would take a lot of convincing on his part, but he was certain that if he put his mind to it, he would be able to get her to accept his gift. Just as he thought that, Ryan’s eyes finally landed on a piece of jewelry that instantly made him want to see Vivian wearing it.

"This one," He said in the shop assistant instantly moved to package it for him. Once in the safety of his car, Ryan unboxed the necklace and stared at it. It was a simple silver chain holding a giant ruby shaped like a tear drop. To make it easier for Vivian to accept the gift, it would have been better for him to buy something with a smaller stone.

But looking at the red ruby, Ryan just could not stop imagining Vivian wearing it with the gem nestled in her cleavage. Going perfectly with whatever outfit she had chosen, in fact now that he thought about it. Vivian in just the necklace would be an arresting sight. Willing away the boner that he immediately sprung at the thought of an naked Vivian wearing his gift. Ryan started up the car and headed home. It was time for him to let Vivian know that he was back.