Betrayed By The Billionaire

54

It was clear that Nora was at her breaking point, feeling utterly helpless. Chloe tried to anchor her: "Don't panic yet. The most important thing is to get the facts straight. This might not be what it looks like."

"The video was sent directly to my phone," Nora’s text flashed back, cold and sharp. "How much more real can it get?"

Chloe clicked on the file. The footage was grainy but clear enough: Nicholas was indeed walking into a hotel suite with a woman. As Chloe watched the woman’s retreating figure, a sense of dread pooled in her stomach. That silhouette was hauntingly familiar.

"Does that back look familiar to anyone else?" Lyra (another close friend in the group) chimed in. "Is that... Cindy?"

"It’s her," Nora confirmed.

The realization hit Chloe and Lyra simultaneously. In a display of perfect best-friend synergy, their messages popped up at the exact same second:

Lyra: "Crush her."

Chloe: "Crush her."

"I’ll handle that woman," Nora replied.

This wasn't the first time Cindy had tried to sink her claws into Nicholas. Years ago, when Nora first caught her flirting, she had publicly humiliated Cindy so thoroughly that the woman hadn't dared to show her face in high society for months. For Nicholas to be caught with her now—in a private hotel room, no less—was a slap in the face to their seven-year marriage.

Chloe felt a wave of nausea. Nicholas and Cindy? The thought alone was revolting.

"Nora, have you talked to Nicholas about this?" Lyra asked tentatively.

"No," Nora replied. "It doesn't matter what his excuse is. He knows what she is. He should have stayed a hundred miles away from that disgusting woman, but instead, he walked into a room alone with her and shut the door. If there’s nothing going on, who would believe it?"

Both Chloe and Lyra fell silent. There was no defending Nicholas on this one. Even if it was a business meeting, a man with a "Model Husband" reputation should know better than to create such a compromising scene with a known homewrecker.

A moment later, Lyra sent Chloe a private message—a photo taken at a high-end venue. It was a candid shot of Xavier Grayson. He was dressed in the exact formal suit Chloe had seen him wearing just an hour ago.

"Xavier is at the Grand Charity Gala," Lyra messaged, sounding outraged. "And he didn't take you?"

"Maybe he just finds traveling with women a hassle," Chloe replied, trying to sound indifferent. She was surprised; she had assumed he was off to a cold corporate negotiation, not a glitzy public event.

"This is your first public appearance as a married couple!" Lyra fumed. "By going alone, he’s basically telling the entire world he doesn't acknowledge you as his wife. This is beyond insulting."

"I know exactly where I stand, Lyra," Chloe typed back with a bittersweet smile. "There's no need to take it to heart. If I'm not upset, why are you?"

"Because you're legally on his documents! You're his wife! He needs to show you respect. People are going to mock you for this. It’s bullying, plain and simple."

Chloe closed the chat with a sigh. She didn't care about the red carpets or the social recognition. Her desires were much smaller, much humbler: she just wanted the freedom to leave the house and a basic level of respect from the man she shared a home with.

But even those simple requests seemed too much for the "Demon CEO."

That night, Chloe tossed and turned. Nora and Nicholas had been her blueprint for a happy life—the gold standard of love and family. If even they were crumbling under the weight of betrayal, what hope was there for a contract marriage like hers?

She prayed it was all a misunderstanding. She wanted Nicholas to be innocent. She wanted them to grow old together, if only to prove that true love wasn't just a fairy tale that ended at the hotel door.