Betrayed By The Billionaire

91

Xavier tossed his phone onto the mattress with a flick of his wrist, his movements sharp and impatient as if her voice were a buzzing insect he was tired of swatting.

Chloe fumbled with the sleek, cold device. The lock screen stared back at her, demanding a code. "Password?"

Xavier closed his eyes, his voice flat. "My birthday."

Chloe paused, her thumb hovering over the keypad. She searched her memory, but it came up blank. "Um... when is your birthday?"

Xavier’s eyes snapped open, a flash of irritation sparking in the dark pupils. "You didn't look at the marriage certificate?"

The marriage certificate... Truthfully, she had been so numb during the signing that the details had blurred into a haze of legal ink. "I'll go check right now!"

She scrambled out of bed, her bare feet pattering softly against the plush carpet as she dashed out of the room. Two minutes later, she hurried back in, her voice light and surprisingly melodic in the quiet suite.

"Xavier, your birthday is January 1st! Is that the lunar or solar calendar?"

"Lunar," he answered curtly.

"So, the first day of the New Year," Chloe noted, a small, genuine smile forming. "You certainly picked a grand day to be born. No wonder you’re so successful—you started earlier than everyone else, so you were destined to outrun them all."

Xavier spared her a cold, sidelong glance. "Flatterer."

Chloe didn't take offense; instead, she let out a playful, mischievous little hum that was unexpectedly charming. Xavier shifted his gaze away from her glowing face and closed his eyes again, fighting back a strange, unfamiliar ripple of emotion in his chest.

With the code—0101—the phone clicked open. Chloe immediately dialed her own number. It rang once, twice, three times... silence. She tried again. And again.

Did I drop it in the garage? she wondered, her anxiety rising.

Just as she was about to give up, the call connected. But the voice that drifted through the speaker made her blood turn to ice.

"Chloe? Is that you, Chloe?"

It was Liam Martin. His voice was a ragged, hollow rasp. "Talk to me. I know it's you."

Chloe’s brow furrowed into a tight knot of distress. Without a word, she ended the call. But within seconds, the phone in her hand began to vibrate violently—Liam was calling back.

The piercing ringtone shattered the silence of the bedroom. Xavier’s eyes flew open, his gaze as sharp and predatory as a snake emerging from its coil. The atmosphere in the room turned bone-chillingly cold.

Caught in a panic, Chloe reflexively tried to silence the phone, but Xavier was faster. His large hand shot out, snatching the device from her grasp.

"Xavier, don't!" Chloe gasped, reaching out to stop him.

"Why?" Xavier’s grip on her wrist was iron-tight, his fingers digging into her skin with a painful intensity. "Afraid he won't be able to handle the truth?"

As she looked into his dark, searching eyes, the realization hit her like a physical blow. This wasn't just anger—it was a test. Xavier knew everything about her six-year history with Liam. He was gauging her reaction, probing to see if Liam Martin still held a sacred, untouchable space in her heart.

Chloe felt her rigid muscles slowly begin to relax. She had told him tonight that she wanted him to try and understand her—to not shut her out. Now, he was forcing the door open.

Xavier released her wrist. With a slow, deliberate movement, he swiped the screen to accept the call and tapped the speakerphone icon.

Liam's breathing was heavy over the speaker, unaware that the "Demon CEO" was listening to every word. "Chloe, please... I know everything now. I know why you married him. It’s my fault. I’m coming to get you—"

Chloe looked at Xavier, whose expression was a mask of stone. Should she speak up and end Liam's delusions right now, or will Xavier take control of the conversation to deal the final blow himself?