Jeb had been captivated since they met in high school, and Jake's cautions were insufficient to deter him.
Jake had previously warned him, but he couldn't care less; he met Emily first, and even if they're now in a relationship, they may still divorce, and he was prepared to wait.
When he believed she had died five years ago, a part of him died as well, which is one of the reasons he had been single all along.
The netizens called him a playboy since he had never committed to a single female; if only they knew it was due to Emily and nothing else.
Finding Emily alone with Aiden in the Swiss Alps was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He would do it slowly this time and win over Aiden first, then Emily.
At the resort's café, Jeb approached Emily, his eyes bursting with surprise and joy at her sight. "Emily! I didn't expect to see you here," he said with his typical smile.
"What a small world."
Emily, astounded, greeted him heartily. "Jeb! I had no idea you were here. Are you shooting a movie?"
"Yes, I was surprised to see you here. Are you alone or with my older brother?" He asked, knowing Jake was in Las Vegas.
"No, Jake's not with us, only Aiden, Aunty Ofelia, and Uncle Earl."
"May I?" He asked while pointing to the empty chair across from Emily.
Once seated, he described his most recent endeavor with a nod, a winter thriller with thrilling action sequences on the slopes.
"But enough about work," he said in closing. "Where is Aiden? How come he's not here with you?"
Emily said, "No," smiling a little. "This time, it's just myself. I'm here to unwind and take a brief break. He should be joining me in a while."
"Mommy!" Aiden came running with the sweetest smile on his cute, chubby face.
Jeb looked at Aiden, who was chatting excitedly about taking ski lessons, and his eyes glistened.
"Although I'm not an expert, I do have some knowledge of skiing. What if I taught Aiden a lesson?"
Emily took a while to consider Jeb's offer, but it looked sincere. In addition, Aiden looked forward to seeing his uncle, even if he didn't wholly comprehend Jake and Jeb's complex relationship.
At last, Emily said, smiling at Aiden's happiness, "Sure,"
***
Over the next three days, Jeb spent time on the slopes with Emily and Aiden.
Being Aiden's uncle, Jeb took it upon himself to teach the little kid how to ski, and Aiden warmed up to him immediately.
Every lesson strengthened the bond between Jeb and Aiden, and Emily began to have greater faith in Jeb—even if she didn't know of his true intentions.
Jeb appeared earnest in his attempts to extend friendship, and Emily thought that perhaps, just possibly, their relationship as friends should be okay with Jake since he's now her brother-in-law.
However, as Jeb's time with Emily became longer, his actual emotions began to surface.
Because of his attractiveness and closeness to Aiden, he seemed like the perfect friend, and he began to push the boundaries of their bond gently.
Tension was created despite his lack of overt approaches, such as how he looked at Emily, the unintentional compliments he gave her during talks, and his constant availability.
Emily didn't entirely see how Jeb's goals were changing, maybe because she was still too preoccupied with Aiden and their time in Switzerland.
Aiden loved Jeb very much. The little child viewed him as the entertaining uncle who turned skiing into an adventure and brightened their days every day.
Their relationship grew so much that Aiden constantly talked about Jeb and even asked if they could hang out again when they got back home.
However, after Jake found out, it became a significant issue.
Jake's men, whom he'd discreetly assigned to observe Aiden and Emily, reported that Jeb Lewis had been spending a lot of strange time with them.
This was the first indication that anything was awry.
Jake wasn't too concerned about it at first since Jeb was Aiden's uncle, so it wasn't totally out of the ordinary that they would meet.
But when the stories got more specific, and he discovered that Jeb had been teaching Aiden to ski, spending days at the mountain with them, and sharing meals, Jake's resentment and jealousy erupted again.
Jake became extremely upset at the thought of Jeb, who had already shown his emotions for Emily, spending time with his wife and kid behind his back.
His mind was always racing with worst-case possibilities, making it difficult to focus on his task.
Was Jeb attempting to use deception to gain Emily's favor? Was Emily succumbing to his charm, like many others had?
All kinds of thoughts were running through his mind. Thus, when he couldn't take it anymore, he told his pilot to prepare his private jet and get ready to fly to Switzerland without waiting for additional details.
Throughout the flight, his rage was simmering beneath the surface, and by the time he reached the ski resort, he was prepared for a fight.
He quickly located them—Aiden and Emily, having fun with Jeb next to the ski lodge.
Jake's anger was heightened by the sight of them together, seemingly carefree.
With a stiff and grim gaze, he walked towards them. He then hollered, "Emily," sounding harsher than he meant to.
Emily was taken aback to see Jake standing there, and her eyes widened.
"Jake? What are you doing here?" She questioned, surprised by his unexpected visit.
"I came to see what's going on," turning his attention from Emily to Jeb, who stood there composed and unfazed.
"And to let my brother know that you are my wife and Aiden is our son, just in case he forgot." In other words, he needs to refrain from bothering you both."
Even though there seems to be conflict between the two brothers, Jeb—always a smooth talker—has maintained his composure.
He was aware that what he was doing was correct.
What could be wrong with spending time with his sister-in-law Emily and nephew Aiden as a family?~~