Betrayed By The Billionaire

119

After leaving the racetrack behind, Lyra was in high spirits, insisting that Chloe Bishop treat her to a massive celebratory feast. Chloe glanced down at Liam Jr., who was watching her with those large, clear eyes, his face looking incredibly adorable and expectant. It was impossible to say no to that face.

As they drove toward the city, the adrenaline from the race began to fade, replaced by the weight of reality. Chloe turned to Lyra, her voice tinged with a hint of worry. "We really made a scene today. If I end up losing the National Qualifiers after all that talk, neither of us will be able to show our faces in public ever again."

Lyra blinked her phoenix-shaped eyes, looking at Chloe with unwavering intensity. "Are you going to lose?"

Chloe fell silent for a few seconds, mentally calculating her current skill level against the data she had seen from recent professional circuits. "Based on the race results from the last two years, I’d say a top-five finish is a conservative estimate—assuming nothing unexpected happens."

"Well, there you go!" Lyra said with her usual carefree shrug. "As long as we beat Feifei, our reputation is safe. Even if some freak accident happens and you don't cross the finish line, we’ll be eliminated in the most glorious, dramatic way possible. Who would dare to laugh at that?"

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's logic. "You seem even more confident in me than I am in myself."

"Of course," Lyra replied with a cheeky grin. "If I don't believe in you, who will? Besides, where is this restaurant? I’m starving!"

A few minutes later, the trio arrived at a high-end Cantonese restaurant. The fragrant aroma of the food soon filled the air as the dishes were served. Looking at the steaming plates, Chloe suddenly thought of Xavier Grayson. She knew that both father and son had a terrible habit of skipping meals or eating at irregular hours. It was a lifestyle that needed to change for the sake of their health.

After a moment of hesitation, Chloe decided to call Xavier. The phone rang several times before his deep, baritone voice came through the line, carrying its usual cold indifference. "What is it?"

Chloe’s grip on her phone tightened slightly at the sound of his voice. "Have you eaten yet?"

There was a pause on the other end—a few seconds of heavy silence—before he answered curtly, "No."

"Liam Jr. and I are out at a Cantonese place," Chloe said quickly, her voice carrying the soft, gentle warmth of a Southern woman—sweet like spring water but never cloying. "The ingredients here are very fresh and the flavors are excellent. Should I bring some back for you?"

Xavier listened to that voice, his gaze shifting away from his computer screen. He spun his leather executive chair around and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window of his office. "Suit yourself," he replied casually. Without waiting for her response, he hung up the phone.

He stared out at the sprawling, bustling city below for a moment before returning to his desk. He pulled open a private drawer and took out a photo album. Inside was a Bishop family portrait from a few years ago. Liam Martin was in the photo as well.

In the picture, Chloe was leaning intimately against Liam Martin’s arm, her smile tender and sweet. Her eyes sparkled like brilliant gemstones, looking every bit the happy woman deeply in love. Her parents, Charles Bishop and his wife, looked equally blissful and kind. If that woman Lana hadn't appeared, they might have been a happy family by now.

Xavier’s dark, unfathomable gaze moved from Liam Martin to Charles Bishop’s face, finally settling back on Chloe. He picked up his phone again and dialed his assistant. "Vince," he said coldly. "Who did the young mistress see today?"

Vince’s voice came through clearly. "Sir, the young mistress went to the Nicholas residence today to see him and Nora. She also ran into Liam Martin outside their gates. He was there to return her phone."

Xavier’s tone dropped several degrees, becoming noticeably icier. "What did they say?"

"Liam Martin asked her to come back to him," Vince reported faithfully. "But she refused him flatly."

The moment Vince finished speaking, a cold, mirthless laugh echoed through the phone before the line went dead.

Xavier now knows about the secret meeting with Liam Martin. Even though Chloe rejected her ex-fiancé, the Demon CEO’s possessiveness is legendary. Will he confront Chloe about the meeting when she brings him dinner, or will he find a more subtle way to punish her for letting another man near her?