Betrayed By The Billionaire

240

The air in the Bishop Manor hallway was thick with an invisible, crushing weight. As Vince stepped inside, he came face-to-face with Donovan Tang.

Vince inclined his head respectfully. "Commander Tang."

Donovan’s gaze pinned him to the spot. For a heartbeat, Vince felt as though a massive stone had been placed upon his chest, making every breath a laborious effort. It was the raw, suffocating pressure of a man who had spent a decade making life-and-death decisions on the battlefield.

Vince, ever the pragmatist, knew he was no match for the "Iron Commander." He wasn't Xavier Grayson; he was a subordinate. He lowered his eyes, offering a polite, practiced smile. Donovan spared him one last chilling glance before turning on his heel and departing. The phantom weight lifted instantly, leaving Vince exhaling a breath of relief.

The Jealous Husband’s Envoy

Vince found Madam Bishop in the sitting room and delivered his message. Madam Bishop looked at him with a mixture of confusion and fatigue. "Why didn't Xavier come himself?"

Vince maintained his professional mask. "Madam, to be honest, the President is currently in quite a temper."

"What happened?" she asked, her concern deepening.

"He's upset that the Young Madam went out for drinks without informing him first," Vince explained smoothly, injecting a hint of domestic drama. "The security detail lost track of her, and it took a great deal of effort to discover she had been picked up by Commander Tang. He’s... well, he’s still brooding over it."

To Madam Bishop, this didn't sound like a corporate dispute; it sounded like a husband's jealousy. In the world of high-society marriages, anger often meant attachment. She let out a small sigh of relief. If Xavier was angry, it meant he cared.

After being gently coaxed awake by her mother, Chloe Bishop was led downstairs, stumbling and half-conscious. She was bundled into the back of the Grayson sedan, where she promptly fell back into a deep, alcohol-induced slumber.

The Return to the Golden Cage

By the time they reached the Grayson Estate, Chloe was still dead to the world. Vince had two of the stronger household maids help her out of the car. The cool night air hit her, and she blinked her eyes open, looking at the towering white marble of the villa with a look of pure disdain.

"Why am I here again?" she muttered, her voice thick and slurred. "I hate this place. It’s a prison."

Vince’s heart skipped a beat. He leaned in, whispering urgently, "Young Madam, please... don't ever say things like that here."

If the President heard her calling his home a prison, the punishment would be unimaginable.

Inside the master suite, Xavier sat in the exact same spot he had occupied since the sun went down. His expression was a frozen mask of obsidian, his aura so dark it seemed to swallow the light from the chandeliers.

Vince entered and knelt on the floor, accepting his failure for the day. Xavier didn't look at him. His sharp, lethal gaze was fixed entirely on his wife.

The Drunken Rebellion

Chloe stood at the doorway, swaying slightly as she surveyed the man on the sofa. Suddenly, a wide, mischievous smile broke across her face. She shoved the maids aside and lunged forward, throwing herself directly onto Xavier.

Xavier was caught off guard. He felt the soft, warm weight of her body pinning him against the cushions. His face turned even colder, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as he stared at the woman currently sprawled on top of him.

Chloe, completely immune to the mortal danger she was in, reached up and cupped Xavier’s face in her hands. She leaned in, her eyes wide as she examined him with the intensity of a scientist. "Wow," she breathed, a tiny bit of drool threatening to escape the corner of her mouth. "You are... so handsome. Has anyone told you that you’re a real feast for the eyes?"

Vince and the maids froze, their hearts hammering against their ribs. "Young Madam..." Vince started, his voice trembling.

Chloe ignored them. She was currently a high-society delinquent, her usual poise replaced by a reckless, drunken bravado. She leaned down and planted a loud, messy kiss squarely on Xavier’s cheek.

"Listen to me, man," she said, tapping his face with her palm like she was talking to a disobedient pet. "From now on... you’re mine. You got that? You have to be a good boy. If I tell you to go east, you don't go west. Understood?"

She punctuated the sentence with a loud, unceremonious hiccup.

When Xavier didn't respond—his body rigid with a fury that was beginning to mutate into something else—Chloe patted his cheek again, harder this time. "Not answering? I’m warning you... if you aren't a good boy, I’ll kick you out of the Grayson house! You hear me? Get out!"

The silence in the room was deafening. Chloe had successfully confused herself for the master of the house and Xavier for an interloper.

Vince didn't dare look at Xavier’s face. He knew the explosion was coming. He cleared his throat, his voice barely a whisper. "Sir... perhaps I should take the Young Madam to get some sobering tea?"

Chloe has just committed the ultimate taboo: she has treated the "Demon CEO" like a plaything and threatened to evict him from his own empire. As the alcohol clouds her judgment, Xavier’s patience has finally snapped. The door to the master suite is about to close, and the reckoning for the night’s defiance is finally here.

Should Vince and the maids make a run for it before Xavier turns his attention to them, or will the "Drunken Queen" manage to charm the Demon into submission?