Betrayed By The Billionaire

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The sight of Arthur Vance in his pajamas was the final, undeniable proof. He had spent the night with Yvonne Blue. In the high-stakes game of infidelity, if a man stays past midnight, a woman like Yvonne would never let such an opportunity slip through her fingers.

On the other end of the line, Sarah Vance’s voice was hollow, stripped of its usual vibrant fire. "No," she said, answering the unasked question. "Arthur didn't come home. Chloe... it’s over. He and I are completely finished."

Before Chloe could offer a single word of comfort, the line went dead.

Chloe stood paralyzed under the magnolia tree. She knew Sarah—knew the razor-sharp pride that defined her. Sarah knew everything now. And while Chloe didn't know exactly what Sarah’s next move would be, she knew that for Arthur and Yvonne, the days of peaceful "domestic bliss" in the West Side were officially over.

A sharp, panicked scream cut through the morning air. The investigator had been spotted.

Chloe whipped her head around. She saw a man vault over the villa’s perimeter wall, sprinting toward the woman with the camera. He shoved the memory card into her hand, and the two of them split up, vanishing into the maze of the luxury complex.

Seconds later, a figure appeared atop the wall. It was Arthur. He was still in his silk pajamas, his shirt unbuttoned in his haste, his face contorted with a mix of fury and fear. He was athletic and fast, hitting the ground with a practiced roll, ready to give chase.

Without a second thought, Chloe stepped out from behind the tree, blocking his path.

The Confrontation at the Gate

"Chloe Bishop?" Arthur skidded to a halt, his face turning a sickly shade of grey. Guilt is a heavy weight, and seeing his wife’s best friend standing there was like staring at his own executioner. "What are you doing here? Did you send those damn paparazzi?"

Chloe stared at him, her expression as cold and flat as a tombstone. "If I said no, would a man like you even believe me?"

Arthur glanced frantically at the receding figures of the investigators. His patience snapped. "I don't care why you're here. Move. Now!"

He knew those cameras held the one thing that could destroy his reputation: photos of him in bed with Yvonne. If those pictures went public, there would be no way to "manage" the fallout.

Chloe didn't move an inch. In fact, she stepped directly into his stride, forcing him to stop. "Arthur, what’s the point in chasing them? Look at yourself. Do you really want to run out of the complex gates and face the swarm of reporters waiting there looking like that?"

Arthur froze. He looked down at his half-open pajamas and bare feet. He cursed under his breath, instinctively reaching for his pockets, only to realize he had left his phone in the bedroom during the scramble.

Chloe pulled out her own phone, twirling it between her fingers with a mocking glint in her eyes. "Forgot your phone? I could lend you mine. Or perhaps I should just call Sarah for you? I'm sure she’d love to bring you a change of clothes so you can finish your 'business' in style."

The Death of Respect

Arthur’s face was a mask of frost, his eyes narrowing into lethal slits. "Chloe, I strongly advise you to stop meddling in things that don't concern you."

Chloe’s lips curled into a sharp, bitter smile. Her gaze was steadier and far more piercing than his. "You haven't been home in three days. Did you honestly think Sarah didn't know you were here with Yvonne?"

"Arthur, did it ever cross your mind while you were 'busy' here that your wife was at home, probably crying in the dark? That your daughter was asking where her daddy was?"

Enraged and humiliated, Arthur stepped closer, his voice a low hiss. "My family matters are none of your business. Stay out of it!"

Chloe pulled back, the cold smile vanishing. She looked at him with a profound, soul-deep indifference. "Arthur... that is the last time I will ever call you that."

"I used to envy you and Sarah. I thought you were the most perfect, most in-sync couple I had ever known. You had a beautiful, brilliant daughter and a home so warm it made everyone else jealous." She paused, her voice dripping with disdain. "After all these years, I finally realize: you never deserved her. Not for a single second."

At that moment, Yvonne Blue came running out of the villa, breathless and frantic. To Chloe’s absolute disgust, Yvonne was wearing one of Sarah’s silk nightgowns—a gift Chloe had helped Sarah pick out.

It felt like swallowing a fly. The nausea was overwhelming.

"Truly," Chloe said, looking at the two of them with pure loathing. "A traitor deserves a tramp. I wish you both a very long, very miserable life together."

Without waiting for a response, Chloe turned her back on them. She didn't care how red their faces turned or what insults they hurled at her retreating form. Looking at them for even one more second made her feel like she needed to be scrubbed clean.

Chloe has delivered her verdict, but the battle is just beginning. As she returns to her mother and grandparents, how will she hide the trembling of her hands? And when the Bishops finally arrive at the Grayson Estate for the "cleansing," will the dark secrets in Xavier’s basement prove to be even more nauseating than the betrayal she just witnessed?