Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 143

I cast a panicked glance toward the couch. Thank goodness—it appeared I had twisted Gavin’s jacket beneath me during my restless sleep, sparing the couch from any damage. Relief washed over me in a quiet wave.

I shifted uncomfortably, attempting to glimpse the back of my dress, but the angle made it impossible.

“Turn around,” Gavin’s voice came low and steady. “I’ll check.”

My cheeks flamed instantly, heat rushing up in embarrassment. “I-I can manage in the bathroom,” I stammered, wishing to disappear.

“Wait.” His hand shot out, gripping my wrist firmly. He pulled me close, then, with practiced ease, wrapped the sleeves of his jacket around my waist, fashioning a perfect cover.

“T-Thank you,” I murmured, grateful for the practical solution, especially with the others likely to return any moment. My entire face felt aflame with shame.

But instead of heading toward the bathroom, I veered off toward my car. I always kept a spare set of clothes there—a habit that was proving invaluable today. My menstrual cycle had been irregular lately due to stress and sleepless nights, but I’d anticipated this moment and come prepared.

After freshening up and changing in the bathroom, I stepped out, clutching the jacket with the stubborn stain. Meeting Gavin’s intense, unreadable gaze felt unbearably awkward.

“I’ll have this cleaned and—” I began hesitantly.

“That one cost more than the last,” he interrupted, his tone mercilessly blunt.

The thought of another expensive dry-cleaning bill, layered on top of this humiliating moment, made me want to sink through the floor. I could see my savings slipping away in an instant.

I rubbed my aching stomach, about to protest, when the jacket was suddenly snatched from my hands.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gavin said, a subtle, unreadable shift in his eyes as he took the jacket back. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You? Yourself?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. In the nine years I’d lived with him, I’d never once seen him so much as glance at a washing machine. And suits like this definitely weren’t meant for home laundering.

His grip on the jacket tightened almost imperceptibly. His eyes flicked to the stain, and he cleared his throat, a faint trace of awkwardness breaking through his usual composed demeanor. “I’ll bring it back to the cleaners. Have someone there handle it.”

“Okay,” I nodded, just as the Professor and Elias entered from the back.

Colton set down a fishing rod, grinning as he showed off their catch to Gavin. “I’m going to make you a fish stew so delicious, it’ll ruin all other fish for you. A fitting thank you for that hundred-year ginseng root you brought.”

Gavin smoothly shifted the jacket over his arm, hiding it from view. “I’m looking forward to it,” he replied with effortless charm.

My eyes widened in surprise. “A hundred-year ginseng?”

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