Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Zane paused at the doorway, his eyes narrowing at me. “Why didn’t you tell me this was a clinic dinner?”

“Since Elias and I have nothing between us,” I replied, completely unshaken, “of course it’s a group thing.”

I’d warned him.

One of the slower on the uptake girls finally piped up, “Elara, you know Mia’s boyfriend?”

“No.”

I didn’t miss the fury flashing in Amelia’s eyes. My voice stayed steady. “He’s my-”

“Of course they know each other,” Amelia cut in suddenly, all smiles as she stood and linked her arm with Zane’s. “Elara is like a little sister to Zane. Right, Zane?”

Zane’s body went stiff. Before he could even respond, he’d already put physical space between us.

The rest of the table let out a collective aha, as if everything suddenly made sense.

Elias, seated at the head of the table, waved me over. “Elara, I saved you a seat right here.”

“Okay.”

I took the spot. Only once seated did I notice the half–moon marks my nails had dug into my own palm.

Someone asked, curious, “Elara, how come none of us have ever met your ex?”

I pulled my thoughts together, voice breezy. “He cheated.”

Ignoring the sharp gaze that instantly landed on me, I added clearly, “A long time ago.”

Emotional infidelity totally counts as cheating, by the way.

Most of the senior docs at the clinic never came to these casual dinners, so it was always just the younger crowd.

And people our age? We despise cheaters. Loyalty is everything.

Especially the few nurses who were usually jealous of Amelia–they immediately got fired up, cursing out my so–called ex and the homewrecker who ruined my marriage. No filter, no mercy,

The insults kept coming, sharp and relentless.

Amelia looked like she was about to explode, barely containing her anger. “Elara, you’re being really one–sided. Who even knows why your husband stepped out..”

Before I could speak, someone cut her off, furious. “How can you defend people like that? Scumbags and homewreckers–none of them are any good! If you ask me, they all deserve what’s coming to them.”

Dinner was…. deeply satisfying. Truly,

Zane, on the other hand, looked like a thundercloud the whole time.

10:21

Betraved? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother

31.8%

Chapter 68

As the heir to the Grayson Group, the man who’d taken over the family empire so young–when had he ever been cursed out to his face like this?

And yet, he couldn’t say a word in his own defense.

I’d told him he’d be uncomfortable.

He just hadn’t listened.

Near the end, I got up to use the restroom.

“Tlara’s so amazing–I can’t believe her marriage fell apart.”

“It’s fine, she’ll definitely find someone better.”

“Better than Mia’s boyfriend? He’s the CEO of Grayson Group!”

“You clearly don’t read the financial news. The one from the Windsor family–he’s the real deal.”

“Yeah, but no matter how impressive, could someone like that ever end up with a regular person…”

I waited until the voices faded before finally stepping out of the stall.

The one from the Windsor family.

Pretty much everyone in New York knew who that meant.

What I hadn’t expected was to run into that very person the second I walked out of the restroom.

There he was, leaning against the women’s restroom doorframe as if he owned the entire damn restaurant.

A cigarette burned lazily between his fingers, its thin plume of smoke mingling with the scent that was uniquely him–a cool, elegant blend of cedarwood and lemongrass, both grounding and aloof.

He wore a impeccably tailored black satin shirt that caught the light with a subtle sheen, the epitome of that understated yet uncompromisingly expensive old–money style.

A pair of refined gold–rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and behind them, his deep–set eyes held a sharp, penetrating intensity.

They added a layer of icy restraint to the innate, commanding nobility he carried with such ease. Tall, broad–shouldered, and impossibly handsome, he had a presence that was more than just good looks–it was a quiet, visceral dominance that made the air around him feel still.

Then he lifted his gaze, those piercing eyes locking directly onto me with an unnerving intensity that Zane had never, and would never, possess.

“Elara,” he said, his voice a low drawl. “Been training as a ninja behind my back all these years?”

Nothing good ever came out of his mouth.

I knew that,

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