Betrayed By The Billionaire

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Hearing Bella’s tearful accusation, Felix’s expression darkened.

He finally understood why his cousin had thrown her out. To think the "First Socialite" of the city was actually this malicious and unhinged—it made him wonder how his grandmother could have praised her so highly.

Giselle Zhao also looked at Chloe with visible disapproval, her delicate features pinched. "Miss Bishop, why would you stoop to this?"

The room collectively bristled with indignation. Yet Chloe sat there, seemingly unfazed. She offered a light, careless smile and let out a statement that was pure, unfiltered arrogance: "They practically begged for a lesson. Who am I to deny them?"

In other words: They were asking for it, and they deserved it.

Giselle’s eyes snapped with a cold light. "Miss Bishop, please watch your words."

Before Chloe could strike back, Bella let out a sob of tragic resignation. "Forget it, Giselle. I just want to go home. Please, take me home."

"Apologize."

Felix finally spoke, his voice trembling with protective rage. He glared at Chloe with a intensity that matched the room's hostility. "I want you to apologize to Bella right now."

"Yes, apologize!" someone shouted from the back.

"Apologize to Bella and Serena, Chloe!" a chorus of voices joined in.

Chloe let out a laugh—a sound full of dry mockery. She looked cold, radiant, and dangerously enchanting, like a fox spirit playing with her prey. Ignoring the mounting pressure from the crowd, she pointed a slender finger toward Bella and Serena, then turned her gaze to the man sitting beside her.

She spoke with a terrifying, calm clarity: "They just called you a 'cold ass' (***)."

Feifei: "..."

The Crowd: "..."

Xavier’s stroking hand stopped. He slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes fixating on the woman beside him who looked like a beautiful demon. "Who said that?" he asked, his voice a low, lethal vibration.

"Her. No, wait... it was her. Actually, it was definitely her."

Chloe’s finger shifted rapidly. She pointed first at Feifei, then directly at Bella.

Xavier’s blade-like gaze landed on Bella’s face, instantly draining the color from her skin. "No! I didn't say it! It was Feifei! Feifei said it!"

In a heartbeat, Bella had sold Feifei out to save herself.

You stupid girl, Feifei thought, her face turning a ghastly shade of grey. She forced herself to swallow her fear and looked at Xavier, trying to sound composed. "Master Grayson, I would never say a single disrespectful word about you. If there’s been a misunderstanding..."

"You said it," Chloe interrupted flatly.

"I did not!" Feifei hissed.

Chloe tilted her head, her voice unhurried. "Then please, explain to the room: whose 'cold ass' was I 'pressing my warm face' against?"

Chloe didn't care anymore. She had been mocked and looked down upon so many times that losing a little more face didn't matter. But Feifei? Could Feifei truly survive the incinerating heat of Xavier’s wrath?

"..."

Feifei bit her lip so hard she tasted copper. She looked at Chloe with a gaze that wanted to tear her limb from limb. Realizing that Xavier already held her in low regard and that the lie was collapsing, she decided to double down on the offense.

She gritted her teeth and snapped, "Fine! I said it. But it was a sisterly warning to Chloe! Chloe, what is the point of clinging to Master Grayson like this? You’re being absolutely shameless."

Shameless. The word hung in the air, fitting Chloe’s behavior tonight perfectly. She had followed him, sat by him, and drunk for him—all while he publicly disowned her.

Feifei thinks she's won by highlighting Chloe's desperation, but she forgot one thing: Xavier Grayson considers his "belongings"—even the ones he’s throwing away—to be off-limits to others' tongues. As the room waits for the "Demon" to speak, will he crush the woman who insulted him, or the "shameless" wife who used his name to start a fight?