Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 106

Emmy didn’t say a word. She just listened.

“I want to go overseas and find Claudia. She won’t answer my calls, and I need to ask her face to face—why did your father treat her daughter better than his own? And what about all that money wired abroad…” Her mom’s voice choked up, the rest of her words lost.

Emmy felt something cool and wet on her arm.

Her mom was crying.

Her heart clenched. She sat up straight. “Mom, don’t go by yourself. Hire a private investigator. James has a friend who owns an agency—he’s reliable. Maybe he can help us figure out what really happened.”

Teresa paused for a moment, then nodded and wiped her tears away.

“Alright, I’ll do what you say.” She looked at Emmy, her eyes shining with pride and worry. “But you stay out of this, okay? Focus on your company, prepare for your grad school exams. Once I find out anything, I’ll tell you first.”

*

The next morning, Emmy got Steve’s contact info from James and sent it to her mom.

For the next few days, she threw herself into rebuilding Forward Technology.

Somehow, she found time to visit Dominic.

The old guy glared at her, puffing out his cheeks. “So you remember your old mentor now? I figured once you cracked the Dome, you’d toss this old man aside!”

Emmy laughed, handing over a box of premium tea leaves. After a bit of sweet-talking, she finally coaxed the grumpy old man into a good mood.

They buried themselves in his study, pouring over blueprints for search-and-rescue drones equipped with the Dome tech.

By the weekend, Emmy needed to head downtown to buy some equipment for the research team.

She’d planned to meet Abriella.

But when she got to their meeting spot, she spotted a tall, lean figure waiting for her.

He wasn’t wearing his usual T-shirt and work pants. Today, he had on a fitted light gray tee—the one she’d bought him just a few days ago.

The shirt hugged his chest and arms, showing off his strong, athletic build. He wore matching gray cargo shorts that revealed his toned calves, and a pair of black sneakers that made him look both rugged and a little wild.

Emmy stared, completely caught off guard.

She didn’t snap out of it until he walked over, his broad shoulders blocking the sunlight.

Her face grew hot. She quickly looked away, mumbling, “Mr. Nelson.”

“Order whatever you want,” she said.

James picked up the menu, flipping through it with his long, steady fingers.

He didn’t seem in any rush to choose. The minutes ticked by.

Emmy’s nerves started to prickle. Even the cheapest seafood soup here cost a small fortune. She remembered how modest his salary was. Maybe he’d never been to a place this expensive.

A bit of guilt squeezed her heart. “I’m a member here, so we get a discount. Really, order anything you like. My treat.”

Before she could say more, the doors opened and a waiter welcomed new guests with a polished smile.

Most people who came here were either rich or well-connected. Emmy glanced over without thinking.

With just one look, her smile disappeared. She cursed silently.

Dean walked in, Evelina hanging on his arm.

What made her want to disappear on the spot was that Dean was wearing the exact same light gray T-shirt and cargo shorts as James.