Livestreaming My Cheating Billionaire Husband

6

Jasmine

I rubbed the palm of my hand, tracing the tense muscles of my forearms over and over. It was a nervous habit I hadn’t been able to shake since I was a child—a desperate attempt to soothe the tremors raking through my whole frame.

On the outside, I had smiled perfectly for the cameras during the announcements, but my heart was racing in my chest. The walls were closing in, and I needed air. I needed a second to breathe, which was exactly why I had slipped away into the quiet, dimly lit VIP lounge near the back terrace.

Then the door slammed.

Jason stepped into the room, his chest heaving, his face twisted in pure, undiluted rage. He was shouting at me, his voice raspy and every word he uttered laced with venom, demanding to know how I had kept a trillion-dollar empire a secret for three years.

I had waited for this confrontation with bated breath, terrified that I would break down. Shockingly, I didn’t flinch. I braced myself, staring at his disheveled reflection in the mirror as I calmly adjusted the strap of my gown. I turned around slowly, crossing my arms over my chest.

As he began to yell, I felt completely empty inside. The deep, agonizing pain of his betrayal from a few weeks ago had receded, leaving behind a cold, numbing void. I watched his eyes track downward, lingering on the exposed swell of my cleavage where my arms pressed against my gown. It made my stomach turn with disgust.

When I tried to brush past him, he completely lost control. His fingers dug bruisingly into my upper arm, shaking me violently as he barked about his falling stock prices, demanding that I undo the damage and reinstate his contracts.

“Let go of her.”

The deep, commanding baritone cut through the room.

Jason froze. A towering figure stepped out from the shadows of the terrace doorway, and my breath caught in my throat.

I didn’t know who this man was. He was massive, his broad shoulders clad in a flawless midnight-black tuxedo, completely eclipsing the light in the room. He walked forward with a slow, steady gait, like a predator, his dark eyes locked onto Jason’s hand on my skin.

Before I could process his presence, the stranger reached down and effortlessly twisted Jason’s hand off my arm. Jason let out a sharp gasp of pain, stumbling backward, but I barely noticed.

The stranger immediately stepped forward, positioning himself directly between the two of us, his massive frame completely shielding me from my ex-husband. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. A rich, engulfing scent of expensive cedar and ocean breeze swirled around me, completely distracting my senses.

He looked Jason dead in the eyes. His expression was completely unreadable, though I didn’t miss the faint, dangerous glint of mischief in those midnight-dark eyes.

“Thank you for discarding your diamond, Mr. Sterling,” he began, his voice dropping into a chilling, soft whisper that sent a shiver straight down my spine. “I’ve been waiting three years to claim her.”

My body went entirely rigid against him. What did that even mean? I didn’t even know who he was. I looked up at him, my eyelashes fluttering rapidly, entirely overwhelmed by the sheer weight of his presence.

Jason’s eyes widened in realization. “Are you f*****g him?”

I was too stunned to speak.

My silence seemed to enrage him even more because he charged toward me, stopping just two steps short of my face. “You were cheating on me with him?”

“I didn’t—what are you even—”

The stranger’s hand around my waist tightened, causing me to shudder involuntarily.

I swallowed and looked up at him. He had been staring right at me the whole time, his gaze sending my heart into overdrive. Before I could say a word, he pulled me flush against his hard chest, forcing me to lock eyes with him. His hands anchored firmly around my waist, pulling me closer.

The reaction to him was instant. I felt a jolt of pleasure that traveled straight to my core. I bit down on my lip in embarrassment. Why was I acting like a woman in heat around this man?

From the corner of my eye, I could see Jason shooting daggers at us. I leaned into the stranger’s chest, looking past his shoulder to meet my ex-husband’s furious gaze.

“Yes, Jason, we’ve been fucking.”

My cheeks reddened at my choice of words, but there was no backing down now.

The stranger’s large hand pressed firmly against my lower back, holding the lie together. My cheeks flushed, my breath hitched, and I quickly lowered my gaze, whispering frantically against his tuxedo jacket so only he could hear, “We’ve known each other for—”

The double doors burst open, cutting me off, and Laura popped her head into the lounge, stopping dead in her tracks.

The spell broke. I tried to pull away from the stranger’s grip, but his arm remained locked around my waist, holding me firmly in place. I cleared my throat sharply, breaking Laura out of her trance.

“Laura.”

“Uh—Miss Vance,” Laura stammered. “They... they need you out there. Right now.”

Taking advantage of the distraction, I exerted more force, successfully breaking free from his hold. I didn’t look back at either of them as I smoothed down my gown and walked out of the lounge, my heart pounding against my ribs.

I stood near the edge of the ballroom, still trying to steady my uneven breathing, as Eleanor Sterling sauntered up to the podium. She looked every bit the venomous, high-society matriarch, her posture rigid and her chin held high as she adjusted her glasses to present the evening’s highest honor. The heavy crystal award for Distinguished Philanthropist of the Year sat sparkling on the pedestal beside her.

But the moment Eleanor looked down at the prompt card, her expression changed. A tight frown marred her face as she gripped the edges of the podium, leaning directly into the microphone.

“I must say, looking at this evening’s program, it appears awards don’t mean anything anymore,” Eleanor began, her voice carrying a sharp, icy disdain that instantly quieted the murmuring crowd. “They hand them out as they please these days, without any regard for true legacy or status.”

She cast a glaring, public look directly across the room toward me. All eyes turned in my direction. There was no mistaking exactly who those sharp words were directed at.