Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Gavin’s words cut through the air like a blade.

The carefully maintained peace in the private room shattered instantly, replaced by a tension so thick you could taste it. A collective chill ran through the guests, none more so than the two gossipy girls who now desperately wished they could vanish.

Amelia’s smile tightened. What was that supposed to mean? If Elara was Zane’s wife, then what did that make her? The sidepiece? But she knew better than to voice that thought–Gavin’s remark wasn’t for her. A man of his stature didn’t waste time targeting women. This was aimed squarely at Zane.

Zane remained outwardly composed. “Elara had prior commitments. She left early.”

“Oh, so she was here?” Gavin’s tone was deliberately casual, almost bored.

Charles stepped in smoothly, gesturing to the velvet box on the table. “She stopped by to drop off a gift. You know how dedicated she is to her work.”

Gavin’s gaze drifted to the jewelry box, something unreadable flickering in his eyes before it vanished.

The rest of the evening passed without major incident, though the air never fully cleared. By the time the last rounds of drinks were poured, most guests were comfortably numb.

As the final group staggered out, Charles returned to the private room to find Gavin waiting, his expression cool.

“Care to explain what happened today?” Gavin’s voice was low, edged with frost.

Charles dropped onto the couch beside him, head fuzzy from drink. “Gavin, come on. It was just some catty drama between women.” He rubbed his temples. “But if you still care about Elara–if you still see her as family–convince her to end this farce of a marriage. It’s not doing anyone any good.”

Catty drama.

Gavin let out a derisive laugh. “She’s the one who threw herself at Zane. You think anyone can stop her once she’s set her mind to something?”

Through his drunken haze, a moment of clarity struck Charles. “Have you ever considered… maybe she didn’t have a choice?”

Elara’s position in the Windsor family had always been precarious. Outsiders might not see it, but those in their circle knew she was never truly one of them. Take that online scandal, for instance- the Windsors had always boasted about how much they cherished her, yet when the rumors flew, they stayed silent. Not a single public word of support. If she’d been Margaret’s real granddaughter, the Windsors would’ve torn the Graysons apart. But they did nothing

And how had Gavin responded?

When Charles woke the next morning, head throbbing, he could barely piece together the memory. Gavin had seemed calm on the surface, though Charles vaguely recalled wine sloshing from his glass at one point. His voice, though, never changed–cool and edged with mockery.

“It’s not like she wasn’t given choices.”

“She just doesn’t know her own worth.”

Charles frowned. There was something deeper going on between Gavin and Elara–something beyond a simple falling out. Something unresolved.

But what?

He shook his head. Some things were beyond his pay grade.

He shuffled downstairs in his slippers and began unwrapping the mountain of birthday gifts from the night before. The custom fountain pen from Elara–the one he’d been waitlisted over a year for–was nowhere to be found.

10-20

Betrayed 2 1 Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother

25.6%

Chapter 55

He turned to a servant. “The blue velvet box from yesterday–where is it?”

The servant looked puzzled. “I havent seen one, sir.”

“That’s impossible *

Grabbing his keys, Charles was headed for the Cloud Peak Club when his driver hurried in. “Sir, you were pretty out of it last night. Mr. Windsor took

that bax”

“He took it?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify