Betrayed By The Billionaire

154

The photo Lyra sent was a digital dagger. In the image, Chloe Bishop was crouched on the curb outside the massive iron gates of the Grayson estate, a lone suitcase standing like a tombstone beside her. The gates behind her were barred shut, cold and final.

Someone from the neighborhood must have snapped it. Now, it was spreading through the city’s elite group chats like a wildfire. In High Society, grace is a currency, and Chloe’s account was currently overdrawn.

"Chloe, what did you do?" Lyra’s message blinked on the screen. "Xavier actually threw you out? Every woman in the city is sharpening their claws right now. Your family’s lifeblood is in his hands—don't be impulsive like you used to be."

Lyra knew the old Chloe—the girl who refused to let herself be wronged. But she didn't know how much Chloe had changed. In front of Xavier, she had been nothing but humble. She had only followed his lead: if he thought she had a "hidden agenda," then separate rooms seemed like the logical solution he’d want.

How could she have known it would trigger such a sub-zero explosion? He was volatile, brilliant, and utterly heartless.

"Don't worry," Chloe typed back, her fingers steady despite the throbbing in her forehead. "I know the stakes. I know how to make him back down."

As she tucked her phone away, the hallway air seemed to sour. Feifei and Serena were walking toward her.

Feifei’s face lit up with a look of theatrical concern. "Oh, Chloe! Why are you standing out here? And your forehead... good heavens, who hit you?"

The vultures have arrived, Chloe thought.

She reached up, elegantly tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and flashed a chilling, radiant smile. "It seems every disgusting person in the city decided to gather in one hallway tonight."

Feifei’s fake sympathy curdled instantly. "What did you say?"

Chloe didn't bother looking at her. Her gaze shifted to Serena. "Grandson. I believe you owe your Grandpa a greeting."

According to their race bet, Serena was supposed to call Chloe "Grandpa" and walk the long way around whenever they met. Serena’s smug expression twisted into a mask of pure venom. "Chloe Bishop, you’ve been kicked out on the street and you’re still this arrogant?"

Chloe laughed, the sound clear and melodic. "Even on the street, I’m still your superior. Whether I have the right to be arrogant is something you felt personally on the racetrack, didn't you?"

Serena bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, remembering the total humiliation of that race. "Let’s see how long that mouth of yours stays bold," she hissed, storming into her private suite.

Feifei lingered, her eyes fixed on the small bandage on Chloe’s forehead. She smirked. "Such a pretty face, Chloe. A shame it’s ruined. Did Xavier do that to you? Did the 'Demon' finally lose his temper?"

Chloe’s eyes met Feifei’s with terrifying stillness. "Was the tea at the police station good, cousin? You're out already? Do you miss it so much you want me to send you back?"

Before Feifei could retort, the heavy double doors of the VIP suite finally swung open.

Xavier Grayson stepped out. He moved with the effortless, crushing gravity of a king. Every word Chloe had just snapped at Feifei had reached his ears.

Chloe expected him to walk past her again, and she was prepared to chase him. But a bodyguard stepped forward, bowing. "Sir, Master Felix (Xavier's younger cousin) is in the adjacent suite. He’s asking if you’d join him for a moment."

Master Felix was the son of Xavier’s youngest uncle, and one of the few family members Xavier actually tolerated. Without acknowledging Chloe's presence, Xavier turned and walked toward the next door.

The guard opened it, and a wave of music and laughter spilled out. The room was packed with the city’s wealthy youth, but as Xavier stepped inside, the music died. The laughter stopped. Every person in the room froze, their eyes fixed on the man who controlled their parents' fortunes.

"Xavier! You actually came!" Felix shouted, leaping up from a velvet sofa with genuine excitement.

Felix had sent the invite through the socialite Bella, never expecting the "Great Demon" to actually grace a den of vice like this with his presence.

Xavier stood in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room like a predator deciding which prey to strike first. Then, he looked back at Chloe, who was still standing in the hallway.

"Are you going to stand there all night," he said, his voice a low, dangerous velvet, "or are you going to come in and fulfill your 'agenda'?"

Xavier has given Chloe an opening—but it's in a room full of people who just saw her luggage on the curb. Will she walk into the lions' den to reclaim her spot by his side, or will she realize that Xavier’s "invitation" is just another way to humiliate her in front of her peers?