Betrayed By The Billionaire

268

The air in the dining hall felt like it was thickening, turning into a suffocating fog of secondary embarrassment. Aunt Sarah’s blatant solicitation wasn't just a breach of etiquette; it was a tactical strike against Chloe Bishop’s standing in the Grayson family. How was Chloe ever supposed to hold her head up in front of her in-laws after this?

Yet, Aunt Sarah remained stubbornly oblivious, or perhaps she simply didn't care. "Why shouldn't we be in a hurry?" she retorted, her voice sharp with a defensive greed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a prime storefront these days? The monthly rent alone is astronomical! We’ve just returned and haven't found our footing. If family won't help us, how are we supposed to start?"

She turned her gaze back to Xavier Grayson, her eyes gleaming. "Our nephew-in-law has assets and connections all over Haicheng. A small matter like this is just a sentence for him. He already said he’d help. We’re all one family, why act like strangers?"

Chloe felt the blood drain from her face. If she and Xavier were a united front, a couple who shared everything, these words might have been tolerable. But this marriage was a debt Chloe had begged to pay; it was a union built on cold necessity, devoid of affection. Every word out of Aunt Sarah’s mouth felt like a physical slap across Chloe’s face.

Master Marcus Sr. and his wife were flushed with silent fury. The rest of the guests sat in an agonizing, frozen silence. To them, Aunt Sarah was a rare specimen of social catastrophe—the kind of relative that made even the most prestigious family look like a collection of grifters.

The Matriarch’s Mercy

It was Old Mrs. Grayson’s hearty laughter that finally shattered the glass-brittle tension. "Haha! Is that all? Just a storefront? I have plenty under my own name!"

She looked at Aunt Sarah with a gracious, if slightly pitying, smile. "Chloe’s aunt is right. We are all family now. Starting a business is difficult, and since you’ve just returned to the country, we should certainly help where we can."

Aunt Sarah beamed, her face lighting up with triumphant joy. "Thank you, Grandmother Grayson! I always said our Chloe was lucky. Having in-laws like you is truly her greatest blessing."

She shot a smug look at Uncle James, her expression clearly saying: See? Who needs 'face' when I just secured a prime piece of real estate for free?

Chloe watched her aunt with a sense of profound irony. She glanced at the man beside her. Xavier remained silent, his expression an unreadable mask. He must be laughing at us, she thought. From the moment she had approached him, he had looked down on her. To him, she wasn't a partner or even a person; she was a piece of cargo he had picked up, something to be managed or discarded at his whim.

The Silent Bleeding

As the conversation continued around her, Chloe heard nothing. Her eyes were fixed on the rhythmic drip... drip... drip of blood hitting the floor beneath the table.

Xavier watched her from the corner of his eye. Her face was so pale it was almost translucent, her once-vivid lips faded to a soft, fragile pink. She looked like a crystal doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.

But Xavier felt no pity. Only a dark, simmering rage. I am bleeding, and she hasn't even thought about helping me?

From the moment he stepped through the door, Xavier had been waiting. Waiting for her to notice he was hurt. Waiting for the flicker of concern that a wife should feel for her husband. But her mind was clearly elsewhere. Even sitting inches away from him, she hadn't sensed his distress until the blood physically touched her.

He had tried to nudge her, to remind her of his presence. She had seen the wound, yet she said nothing. She treated it as if it were invisible.

If it were Liam Martin, or Donovan Tang, or Julian Vance... would she be this indifferent? he wondered bitterly.

He thought back to his day—spent staring at a phone, waiting for her to call. It was the most foolish thing he had ever done. Why was he protecting her family’s dignity? Why was he standing up for her? This woman sat beside him, but her heart was miles away.

The servants began to set the table for the formal dinner. Jane Bishop busied herself directing the staff to clear the tea sets and prepare the main course, trying desperately to steer the evening back toward some semblance of normalcy. But the scent of iron was already beginning to fill the room, and the "Demon CEO" was reaching the end of his patience.

The feast is served, but the "Iron Commander" Donovan Tang has been unusually quiet. Does he know Xavier is injured? And as the guests move to the dining table, will Xavier’s blood leave a trail that even Jane Bishop can't ignore?