"I want you"

Back in New York, Vanessa was worried sick about Jake so she summoned up the courage to give him a call.

"Hey!" She said as soon as Jake took her call. He was going through some documents while sipping his wine in his hotel room.

"Hey!" He replied absent mindedly.

"How have you been?" She asked

"I saw you on the news, you looked exhausted" she said

"Why have you neglected your health Jake?" She asked again, but Jake replied less concerned.

"I might look exhausted like you said, but it's Treasure you should be more worried about" he said

"It's her company that is going bankrupt not mine, but you haven't for once made any effort to reach out to her, why is that Nessa?" he spoke with resentment in his tone

"I see, you're quite busy with work right now" Vanessa spoke trying to avoid Jake's question

"Yes I am." Jake replied. Vanessa seized her opportunity.

"Sorry for my outburst the last time we met" She apologized.

"I care so much about you, but you don't seem to notice any of that" She said. Jake looked away from his papers in sudden realization. It only just occured to him that he had just gotten himself entwined in a love triangle.

"I'm sorry nessa" he said trying to stop her from saying the words he dreaded the most

"I'm sorry if I've confused you in anyway" he said,

"But I have to leave now, I've got loads of work to do" he said

"Let's spend more time together once you're back here" she spoke again, leaving Jake dumbstruck

"Bye for now Jake, I miss you" she blurted out before hanging up the call.

"H...how? How did this happen?" He asked himself in utter disbelief

"No...n...no maybe I'm just imagining things, Vanessa can't possibly be in love with me right?" He asked no one in particular

"This is driving me insane" he said as he dropped the documents in his hands on the table.

At work, he stared blankly into space still pondering on Vanessa's words.

"Is everything alright?" Treasure asked jerking Jake to reality.

"You look upset, are you ok?" She asked

"Yes, I'm fine" he replied

"I'm just getting myself prepared for the shareholders' meeting soon" he said. He observed Treasure's countenance and noticed at once that she was sad

"You don't look good" he said

"Mr Donald has been on my neck the entire weekend. He keeps telling me to spare Rodney, but I didn't give him listening ears" she said, as she heaved a sigh

"You can choose to let him go for Mr Donald's sake, but do you think the other employees will respect you after that?" Jake asked. He stood up to meet Treasure, and holding her hands in his, he said

"You can't just let him off the hook like that." He said

"Use this as an opportunity to establish yourself as a competent CEO" he said

"Thanks Jake" she replied as she embraced him.

      Treasure dressed gorgeously for the shareholders'meeting. She was a bit nervous, but with Jake by her side, she seemed fearless.

"You can do this" Jake whispered into her ear, and Treasure managed a smile in return. The new shareholders were already arriving, and the first one to enter the company from a swarm of reporters outside, left Jake in surprise.

"Aunt Kara?!" Jake muttered to himself immediately Kara Montez entered the company.

"That's Vanessa's aunt!" He whispered to Treasure

"Her name sounded so familiar, I should have known" he said

"Could you stop spying at them, you're getting me all nervous" Treasure complained.

          Five minutes later, an attractive, smart, and good looking guy, walked into the company as well. He had an awesome gait like Jake, and an amazing aura too. His face was nicely cut, exposing the perfect depression on his chin. His eyes were sea blue, and his brown hair was neatly groomed. He had a study body, and a very attractive smile too. But from his behaviour, anyone could tell he was pompous.

"Treasure you should leave for the conference room now" Jake said

"We have just five minutes left before the commencement of the meeting"

"Alright" Treasure replied as she stared at her image in the mirror for the last time.

Treasure sat trying not to get drowned in the aura that surrounded her from the creditors. It was obvious they were all people of affluence, but she was determined not to get intimidated by this.

Lord Kramer and Mr peter Jackson both walked in seconds later and immediately the meeting started.

"I'm happy to have each and everyone of you here today." Treasure said.

"The reason for this meeting is a very embarrassing one, but it was the only way to settle the debt that JGM owes" Treasure took a deep breadth and continued.

"I have decided to convert the money my company owes to  shares for you, and since you have given your consent, I would like you to go through these document." Treasure said as Jake passed the documents to them.

"In there is the amount of money  JGM owes you and the equivalent percentage of shares. If there's a mistake or anything you don't agree with, this is your chance to speak before we proceed." She said

They were all quietly going through the papers, when, the handsome guy's hand shot up.

"Yes?" Treasure replied, and he spoke up

"I'm here on my father's behalf, Sir Achille Edouard." At the mention of the name, Treasure took a closer look at him. Like he could read the expression on her face, he voiced out.

"I'm his son, Ancel Edouard." Treasure was dumbstruck. Now she remembered exactly where she had seen this face. It was in Clifton High School, Bristol.

"Oh my goodness, Ancel!" She muttered to herself.

"I was told..." He continued.

"...it was not twenty, but twenty five million pounds that your company owes him, and I've got proof of that Miss Marcus. So instead of the initial 20% shares, 25% shares should be recorded." He said with a coy smile.

"My apologies" Treasure said

"That correction will be made." She looked at the others, and asked.

"Anyone else?" No one else spoke and Treasure heaved a sigh of relief. She proceeded with the meeting, and almost at the close of it, Mrs Daisy, her mother, bought 5% of shares, Kara Montez was given 10%, Lord Kramer, 10%, Peter Jackson, Jake's uncle, was given 20%, Achille Edouard was given 25%, and Treasure owned the remaining 30% of the company's shares. With this, the meeting came to an end, and Treasure rose to her feet.

Mrs Daisy took Treasure's arm and helped her out of the room to her office

"I'm fine mom" Treasure said forcing a smile. Mrs Daisy kissed her on her cheeks.

"You did well today" she said before excusing herself. Treasure took off her shoes and walked to one of the shelves in her office. She had begun to search for some important documents when someone hugged her from behind. Startled, she threw the documents she was holding in her hands on the floor, but turned just in time to see Ancel smiling slyly at her.

"Ancel?" She called out still scared out of her wits.

"Hi Treasure," he replied still holding her.

"Its been a while, didn't mean to startle you." He said. Treasure forced a smile trying to wriggle out of his grip, but he wouldn't let go.

"You've grown so tall, and I bet you'd be much more weighty now." He said

"I doubt I'd be able to toss you around during balle performances like good old days." He said, but Treasure was getting really uncomfortable with his grip around her.

"Ancel, let go off me" she said trying to wriggle out, but Ancel wouldn't give in.

"Let's try then." He said trying to lift her off the floor, but Jake walked in on them.

"Who the hell are you?!" Jake yelled as he drew Treasure out of Ancel's grip.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked

"You shouldn't be in here" he said again, this time lurching towards Ancel, but Treasure stopped him.

"Hey! Your face looks a little familiar, I can swear I've seen you before." Ancel spoke with a smile on his face, but Jake stared back sternly.

"No you haven't." He said. Ancel laughed.

"Treasure You should introduce me to this fella, he's really good looking!" He joked.

"Jake," she called looking at him.

"This is Ancel Edouard, my senior at Clifton High School, Bristol." Turning to Ancel, she said.

"Ancel this is Jake Jackson, my childhood friend." They shook each other's hand, even though Jake was reluctant at first.

"Nice to meet you." Ancel said with a cold stare, but Jake said nothing in reply

"What a tough guy" Ancel teased

"Treasure did forget one thing though." He spoke again. Jake and Treasure exchanged surprised looks, but Ancel spoke.

"I was not just her senior, I was also her dance partner, we won so many awards together, and were addressed as the king and Queen of ballet dancing." Ancel held Treasure's hand to his chest, and Jake frowned even more.

"I graduated before she did." He said.

"But fate has a way of bringing people back together." He said, but Treasure withdrew her hand immediately.

"Behave yourself Ancel or I will call the security on you" she said sternly

"This is my office, and you have no right whatsoever to barge in here without my permission, so please leave" she said

"Relax Treasure " he said

"Remember I'm also a shareholder here, you cannot treat me this badly" he joked

"Please leave" Jake said again

"I will leave of course, but I want to see you again before I make my voyage back to Paris." He said to Treasure.

"I want you to meet someone too." He said. Treasure stared at him lost in thoughts

"Who is it you want me to meet?" She asked, but Ancel smiled. He picked Treasure's cellphone from her desk and dialed his number

"Let's talk about this later" he said as he winked at Treasure

"See you around friend" he said to Jake before leaving.

"Treasure are you alright?" Jake asked as he held Treasure's hand

"I'm fine" she replied

"Don't mind Ancel, he has always been a jerk" she said

"You should be mindful of him" Jake said

"I can't have him lay his filthy hands on you again, no one is allowed to touch you that way" Jake spoke without realizing he had crossed the line

"I...um....w...what I meant was..." He tried to explain himself, but Treasure kept staring at him, surprised at his words. Jakes face burned red in embarrassment, and quickly he excused himself.

       Everything was finally back to normal. JGM was now being supported by the new shareholders, and little by little, the company was dragged out of it's state of insolvency.  Treasure suspended Rodney not minding Mr Donald's plea. She focused all of her attention on improving the company, making sure her employees were paid at the right time as well. She had become so busy that she forgot it was only a day left for Jake to return to New York. Jake was reluctant to tell Treasure, but she still found out anyway.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you, I just didn't know how best to let tell you" Jake said

"No Jake" Treasure replied

"I should be the one saying the sorry" she said

"I have been so busy with my work that I forgot about you." She said

"I'm thankful to you, I..."

"Miss Marcus, you have a meeting now" Treasure's secretary spoke interrupting her

"I will be right there" she replied and looked to Jake

"Can we talk about this later?" She asked, and Jake nodded in agreement.

         Treasure sneaked out of the house without her bodyguards to visit Jake at his hotel. For some reason, she couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to let Jake go

"Maybe it's because he's been of great help to me, it can't be something else can it?" She thought to herself as she drove

"I'm just indebted to him, it's only natural to thank him, but why's my heart racing so much?" She asked herself. She got to Jakes room in no time, and gently, she tapped on his door.

"Why now of all times?" Jake asked himself as he emerged from the bathroom with his towel around his waist. He thought it was Britney, his room attendant that had come for his room service, the third time that night, but when he opened the door, he stood dumbstruck before Treasure.

Treasure's gaze fell on his sturdy body, and his excellent biceps. He had a small tattoo of a griffin on the left side of his chest, and the words "flawless" written on his right arm. He looked exceptionally attractive that night, as water dripped from his hair trailing down his abs, but Treasure kept her wits.

"I'm sorry!" She said.

"Is this a bad time?" She asked as she struggled to focus her gaze elsewhere.

"N...n...no!" Jake replied.

"Please come in." He said stepping away from the door. Treasure walked into the room and sat on one of the couches. The fragrance of Jake's deodorant filled her nose, but she pretended not to notice.

"Umm...what should I order?" Jake asked feeling both excited and shy.

"No let it be." Treasure replied trying not to look at his breathtaking looks.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked nervously, but Treasure nodded with a reassuring smile. She picked up one of his magazines to distract herself. The atmosphere had gotten so awkward and suffocating. She went through it quickly, then stared up at Jake. He was still standing with his towel around his waist.

"Sit Jake, come on, I'm not a stranger." She said with a smile.

"Yeah...umm...I better get dressed" he said as he hurried to the bathroom.

Jake sat before Treasure, feeling very nervous.

"Where can I find a PA as awesome as you?" Treasure asked trying to ease the tension between them

"I don't think you can find one" Jake replied

"It's best you let me retain my position Miss Marcus" he replied

"I see, that's not a big request." Treasure replied, and feeling a bit awkward, she got up to leave, but Jake held her hand.

"Is that all you've got to say to me?" He asked, but Treasure couldn't find the right to reply to his question. He stared back at her unsure of how to breech the silence.

"I have spent only a month with you here, but it seems I'm going to miss you so much..." He said

"So much...like I have spent more than half of my life with you" he voiced out. Treasure was taken aback.

"W...what are you trying to say?" She asked, but Jake kept mute.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked himself as he kept staring at Treasure's lips.

"I came to see you because I will miss as well." Treasure said.

"You've done so much for me already, but I have become a little selfish now. I'm a bit scared that if you leave, I might not be able to run the company on my own." She paused, holding back a tear

"But I shouldn't be like this. You need to leave, I can't thank you enough, but I will do anything you ask of me, just name your price." She said

"I did it for the sake of our friendship." Jake replied, but Treasure said.

"I know, but I don't like to be indebted to anyone." Jake held her hand, and staring into her eyes, he said.

"Will you honestly give me what I ask for?" Treasure stared back a bit confused, but determined to keep to her words, she replied.

"Yes, I will" she said.

"i want you" he thought to himself as he drew her into his arms, and without thinking of how shocking this might be for Treasure, and how it could affect their friendship, he kissed her.

Treasure was too shocked to make a move. She could only feel the movement of Jake's arms around her, and the sensation of his lips on hers. Jake was however in cloud nine. He pinned her against the wall, lost in her bosom. As he smooched, he held nothing back, all he thought about was his endless feelings for Treasure but Treasure on the other hand was overwhelmed, everything happened so quickly, she was  not sure how to react to this either. She pushed Jake from herself trying to catch her breadth.

"I'm sorry Treasure" Jake said, but she stormed out.

"Treasure...treasure... He called after her but she was gone before he could get to the elevator door.

"oh no! What have I done?" Jake asked himself in panic.

"I should give her a call." He said rushing back to his room. Treasure was already on her way home. As she drove, she wasn't even concentrating. Her mind kept wandering back to Jake's hotel room, and then his kiss. Soon, everything else disappeared, the road, the traffic lights, and everyone else. As her phone rang out the lyrics of Calum Scott's "you're the reason", a loud crash broke through it, and Treasure was thrown head first into her steering wheel. Everything went blank, as she closed her eyes collapsing right there on her seat. Blood oozed from her head, trickling down her neck and soaking the white woolly sweater she was wearing. A black Toyota Tundra had collided with Treasure's mercedes and had wrecked it.

"An accident! An accident!" Someone yelled arriving at the scene.

"Someone call an ambulance quickly!." Another spoke

"Get her out! Quickly!"

"Call 911!" Someone yelled from behind. Soon, the sound of sirens drowned their voices. Afar off, a huge guy in a hooded sweater and jeans stared satisfied at the scene of the accident.

"Yes sir, its done. You will get wind of it soon." He said to someone over the phone then walked away.

Treasure was rushed to the hospital. One of the nurses in charge immediately pit a call through to Mrs Daisy, but when she was told of Treasure's accident, she collapsed on the spot.

"Get some water please." Mrs Benedicta yelled out to the other maids.

She tried to revive Mrs Daisy while Lockhart hurried to take the numerous calls that were flooding into the mansion's telephone.

"Mr Jackson, Miss Marcus met with an accident twenty minutes ago! Mr Lockhart said.

"She...she what?!" Jake shivered as he hurried out of the hotel to get a taxi cab.

Meanwhile, Mrs Benedicta had revived Mrs Daisy, but she was still struggling to keep her calm.

"No! No! Not my Treasure!" She kept muttering to herself and weeping helplessly.

"Leave me, let me go! I want to go to her!" She yelled trying to get out of Mr Lockhart's grip.

"We will take you there madam, but you need to calm down first." He said consoling her.

Jake got to the hospital, but was asked to wait outside the ward. Ten minutes later, Mrs Daisy and Lockhart arrived.

"Jake..." She called as she fell into his arms

"M...my daughter" she said as tears flowed from her eyes.

"She will be fine" Jake said in consolation."

"Please relax ma'am" he said as he swallowed hard. Deep inside of him, he feared that Treasure might have gotten into this accident because of him.

After what felt like forever, doctor Hugh emerged from the operation room.

"It was a successful operation" he said

"How's my Treasure?" Mrs Daisy asked

"When can I see her?" She asked again

"Relax Mrs Marcus" he said

"Let's hope she wakes up" Treasure was moved to a private ward in the Intensive Care Unit. From the door, they peeped at her unconscious form lying on the bed. Her head was bandaged tight and her leg hung from a support. Her face was bruised and she looked very pale. Jake stared at her in guilt

"Why...why did I do that?" He asked himself as a tear escaped his eyes.

Mr Lockhart walked in with detective Harry

"Mrs Daisy, how is Miss Marcus doing?" detective Harry asked, but Mrs Daisy said nothing

"We found the car that collided with Miss Marcus' car, but we found no one in it" he said

"What?!" Mrs Daisy yelled

"How can you say that?" She asked

"Find out who it was...find the culprit, please do..." She said as she sat on the floor in tears.

"Are you saying this wasn't an accident?" Jake asked

"No..." Detective Harry replied

"It was carefully planned out" he said.