Betrayed By The Billionaire

287

Old Mrs. Bishop remained deeply troubled. "You’re right," she whispered, her voice tight with the weight of the family’s future. "For now, we say nothing. We wait for the certainty of the diagnostic results before we make a move."

Master Marcus Sr. nodded, his eyes reflecting a lifetime of weathered wisdom. His wife brewed him a cup of potent medicinal tea, the herbal steam swirling between them like a protective veil. After finishing the bitter brew, the patriarch stood up. "Come. Let’s check on Chloe."

They entered the bedroom to find Chloe Bishop sitting up. Though her face was still the color of bleached linen, the frantic terror in her eyes had been replaced by a sharp, clinical lucidity. She looked at her grandparents, her voice small but steady. "Grandfather. Grandmother."

Marcus sat on the edge of the bed, placing a calloused hand against her forehead. Her temperature was stable. "How do you feel, Chloe? Is there any lingering pain or discomfort?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. I’m fine."

"Chloe," the old man asked with a gentle smile, "are you afraid?"

The silence stretched long. The image of the elevator—the shredded, crimson face lunging from the chrome interior—was burned into her retinas. But this time, the memory was different. It wasn't just a blur of horror.

"I saw it clearly this time," Chloe whispered. "Clearer than in the dungeon. It... it had a shadow. There was a shadow on the floor."

A ghost doesn't cast a shadow.

Chloe’s hand instinctively drifted to the nape of her neck. The dull ache was still there, localized and throbbing. "Was I hit?" she asked, her eyes widening as the realization dawned. "Was I knocked unconscious?"

Master Marcus Sr. didn't lie to her. "You were struck by a professional."

"Struck?" Chloe replayed the scene. She had been at the back of the group, flanked by two of the estate’s trusted security guards. One of them had been directly behind her. "One of the guards... it had to be one of the guards."

"Your grandmother and I have a lead," Marcus explained, his voice dropping to a cautious murmur. "We can't be certain yet; we only have suspicions. To uncover the full truth, we need Xavier Grayson’s cooperation."

Chloe gripped his hand, her fingers trembling. "Grandfather, tell me the truth. Is there anything in this world that defies reason? Are there... are there truly ghosts?"

Marcus shook his head, his gaze unwavering. "No. There are no ghosts."

Chloe turned to her grandmother, who offered the same firm, reassuring nod. In that moment, the suffocating tension that had gripped Chloe’s heart since the dungeon incident finally snapped. "Then it’s a person," she breathed. "Someone is playing God with my mind. But why? What could they possibly want?"

The Panic at Grayson Estate

While the Bishops found clarity, the Grayson Estate was descending into chaos.

Vince had spent the morning in a state of high-functioning panic. The yellow silk talisman Old Mrs. Bishop had slapped onto the basement door was a glaring neon sign of "uncleanliness" to every servant who passed by. By noon, the rumor that the basement was haunted had spread like a virus through the staff. Maids refused to walk the lower corridors; even the hardened security detail looked over their shoulders.

Vince tried to call Xavier multiple times, but the "Demon CEO" was locked in a high-stakes board meeting and hadn't picked up.

Meanwhile, Xavier was finishing his final session of the day. He hadn't forgotten his promise to Chloe; he intended to be back at the manor for lunch with her family. He didn't bother returning Vince’s missed calls, assuming it was more domestic bickering or menu updates.

As his Rolls-Royce glided through the city traffic, Xavier’s phone buzzed. It was Dr. Julian Vance (Tang Yi), calling from a specialized clinic in South Korea. His voice was heavy with professional exhaustion.

"The situation here is... complicated," Julian said.

Xavier leaned back, his long fingers tracing his lips—a subconscious habit he’d developed since the night in the bathroom, as if he were still savoring a lingering taste he couldn't forget. "I thought you were an expert in this specific pathology, Julian. Surely this isn't beyond you?"

"Old Mr. Han doesn't just have one disease," Julian explained, his voice dropping. "It’s a systemic collapse I can't explain over an unencrypted line. I’m flying back to Haicheng in two days. When I get there, I need to take you somewhere. There’s something you need to see with your own eyes."

Xavier is heading home to a "family lunch," unaware that his wife has fled the estate in a state of emergency. When he arrives to find the yellow talisman on his basement door and his wife gone, will the "Demon CEO" turn his fury on the staff, or will he finally realize that the predator in his house is much closer than he thought?