Betrayed By The Billionaire

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Listening to Sarah’s weary voice, Chloe hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen. "Maybe... I should send him a quick text back?"

Lyra’s eyes lit up with mischief. "Send him a blowing-kiss emoji! Let’s see if the 'Demon' actually knows how to blush."

Even Sarah managed a faint, brittle smile. "I think that’s a brilliant idea. Stir the pot a little."

With a sudden, nervous flutter in her chest, Chloe let her finger slip. A single blowing-kiss emoji ($😘$) winged its way across the digital void to Xavier Grayson.

Silence followed. One minute. Five. Ten.

Chloe let out a self-deprecating chuckle, leaning back against the leather seat. "See? I told you. He’s probably staring at his phone like it’s a biohazard—"

Ding.

The notification sound made her breath catch. She scrambled to open the message.

Xavier: You certainly have a knack for causing trouble. Vince has already handled the situation for you. If there’s a next time, deal with it yourself.

Chloe’s shoulders slumped slightly. "...Oh."

The brief flicker of warmth vanished. Of course, the "Demon" wouldn't be truly thoughtful. It was Vince—her reliable partner-in-chaos—who had done the heavy lifting. Xavier was just the middleman delivering a reprimand. For some reason, the realization left a dull, heavy ache in the pit of her stomach.

"So," Sarah asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "What’s the move?"

Chloe’s mind shifted gears, her eyes sharpening as she processed the data Xavier (or Vince) had sent. "We let them talk. It's a wildfire right now—everyone is high on moral superiority and 'eat the rich' energy. If we post the truth now, it'll get drowned out or called a fake. We let them vent, let them exhaust their rage. Then, when the dust settles, we drop Julian Lang’s entire history of predatory behavior and the full security footage. We’ll hit them so hard their teeth will rattle. For now? We drive."

Sarah’s grip on the wheel tightened, a spark of her old fire returning. "To the Swallow racing track?"

"To the track. We need to burn off this poison."

As the Ferrari roared toward the outskirts of the city, Chloe’s phone buzzed twice more. Two different people had sent her files systematically dismantling Julian Lang’s "Golden Boy" facade.

The first was from Donovan Tang. The second was from Sarah White, who noted that the information had actually been compiled and passed along by Liam Martin.

Chloe felt no joy at Liam’s attempt to play the hero. When a heart has been broken and truly set aside, even the most grand gestures of a former flame feel like static—meaningless and cold.

However, Donovan’s message was different. It felt like a warm hand on her shoulder from the big brother who used to take her punishments for her. “Thank you, Donovan,” she typed back.

Donovan: You owe me another dinner for this.

"Who are you smiling at?" Lyra teased.

"Donovan. Remember him, Sarah?"

Sarah chuckled. "How could I forget? The guy vanished into the military ten years ago like he was being recruited for a secret moon base. I thought he’d turned into a ghost."

"He’s back, and he’s... different," Chloe mused. "We should all get together for a meal. We need to reconnect with the people who actually have our backs."

"Agreed," Sarah said, her voice dropping an octave. "Did Xavier’s file mention who uploaded that edited video?"

The domestic tension returned to the car like a physical weight. Chloe hesitated, then spoke the truth. "It was likely Yvonne Blue. I saw her at the hospital, Sarah. She’s not just a 'friend' looking for help anymore. She’s playing for keeps. She’s aiming for Arthur, and she’s aiming to replace you."

The Ferrari suddenly lurched to a halt on the shoulder of the road. Sarah turned her head, her face a mask of rigid, suppressed emotion. "Did she say something to you?"

Chloe looked her friend in the eye, her heart aching. "Sarah, if you want to save your marriage, you need to get Arthur home. Stop the cold war. Every night he spends away from you is a night Yvonne spends whispering in his ear. Don't let her win by default because you're too proud to call him back."

She didn't dare tell Sarah the rest—that Yvonne claimed Arthur had been at her apartment at 3:00 AM. That would be a killing blow, and Sarah was already bleeding.

Sarah gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles looked like white stones. A dark, oppressive cloud seemed to envelop her. She was a soldier, a woman of honor and direct action, and being forced into a war of petty manipulation and bedroom politics felt like a special kind of hell.

The three friends are united in their public defense, but their private lives are diverging into different kinds of chaos. Chloe is beginning to see Xavier’s coldness as a shield, while Sarah sees Arthur’s absence as a final betrayal. At the Swallow racing track, the speed will offer them a temporary escape, but the reality of the "Mistress War" is waiting for them at the finish line.

Will Sarah take Chloe's advice and call Arthur, or will her pride force her to let the marriage crumble into dust? And will Chloe finally confront Xavier about the photo of his car at Yvonne's apartment?

How do you think Lyra will try to cheer up Sarah and Chloe once they get to the racing track?