Betrayed By The Billionaire

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The thought of her with another man sent a surge of possessive fury through Xavier Grayson. If she ever dared to betray their marriage vows, he wouldn't just punish her—he would ensure the entire Bishop legacy crumbled into dust.

Yet, her voice, thick with disappointment and sorrow, continued to haunt the quiet corners of his mind:

"How much longer do you think this body of mine can survive your outbursts?"

Xavier’s jaw tightened. He had only locked her away for a single day. He hadn't starved her; he hadn't struck her. How was he to know she would break so easily, or that she would return looking like a shattered porcelain doll? In his world, she was the one in the wrong—how did she have the audacity to speak with such righteous indignation?

With a dark scowl, he snatched the photos from the nightstand and tore them in half, letting the fragments flutter into the trash. This matter ends here, he told himself.

But as the torn pieces settled, the handsome profile of Donovan Tang mocked him from the bin. Xavier’s temper flared again; he lashed out with a long stride, kicking the trash can across the room.

The Midnight Visitor

The door creaked open, and Liam Jr. stood there, clutching his writing tablet. Xavier’s eyes snapped toward him, his voice sharp with lingering irritation. "I told you to go to sleep. Why are you still up?"

The boy padded forward and held up his board:

"I can't sleep. Can I stay with you tonight?"

Xavier exhaled a slow, heavy breath. "Get in."

Liam Jr. scrambled onto the massive bed, lying beside his father with wide, expectant eyes. He wanted to hear her voice. He wanted to know she was okay. But Xavier simply reached over and killed the lights. "Sleep."

Darkness offered no reprieve. Xavier tossed and turned, the silence of the room amplifying the noise in his head. Finally, with a low curse, he clicked on the bedside lamp, intending to head to the balcony for a cigarette.

As he sat up, he found Liam Jr. staring at him, his dark eyes bright and fully awake.

"Sleep," Xavier commanded again, though his voice lacked conviction. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and his phone, heading out to the balcony.

Liam Jr. wasn't far behind. He tugged at Xavier's pajama pants, holding up a new message:

"Are you missing Chloe too? Is that why you can't sleep?"

Xavier let out a cold snort. "This is adult business. Stop asking questions."

But the boy was undeterred. He scribbled frantically:

"Daddy, let's call her."

Before the boy could even finish turning the board around, Xavier had already placed his phone on the table between them.

The Nine Rings of Rejection

Liam Jr.’s face lit up with pure joy. He quickly dialed Chloe’s number and hit the speakerphone.

Father and son stood in the moonlight, their gazes fixed on the black screen of the phone as it pulsed with the outgoing call.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

The tension on the balcony was palpable. By the seventh ring, Xavier’s heart was drumming against his ribs. By the ninth ring... the line went dead.

She had hung up.

Liam Jr. looked up at Xavier, whose face was beginning to cloud over. Undeterred, the boy hit redial. This time, it only rang three times before the "Call Ended" notification appeared.

Xavier’s face was now a mask of thunderous rage. He snatched the phone back, his eyes flashing dangerously at his son. "Go back to bed. Now!"

Liam Jr. stood his ground, his small hands flying across the tablet as he wrote with angry, jagged strokes:

"It’s all your fault! She doesn't even want to answer your calls anymore!"

Xavier stared at the words, his grip on the phone tightening until his knuckles turned white.

"You only know how to bully her! If she never comes back, who is going to take care of us?"

The "Demon CEO" had no answer. He stood alone on the balcony as his son retreated into the room, the silence of the night feeling heavier than ever. Chloe hadn't just left the house; she was systematically cutting the threads that bound her to him.

Tomorrow is the celebration, and for the first time in his life, Xavier Grayson is realizing that power and money can't force a phone to pick up. He has won every corporate war he ever started, but in the battle for his own home, he is currently losing everything.

Will Xavier try to call her one more time from a different number, or will he wait until the morning to confront her at the Bishop Manor?