Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 174

James didn’t even glance her way.

The second the elevator doors slid open, he strode out without hesitation.

“Don’t you want to know what really happened between Emmy and Dean?” Evelina called after him, voice silky and sly. “I used to be her best friend. Trust me, no one knows her secrets better than I do.”

That stopped James in his tracks.

Evelina’s lips curled into a smirk as she twirled her car keys around her finger. “Get in the car.”

The underground bar was dark and pulsing with loud music, every beat rattling the walls. James followed Evelina to the counter, his expression unreadable. They sat down together.

“Whiskey, on the rocks,” Evelina told the bartender, sounding like a regular. “And one for him too.”

While she ordered, her eyes met the bartender’s for just a split second. It was quick, but James caught it.

The bartender slid two glasses their way.

Evelina nudged one toward James. “Drink up and I’ll spill everything.”

He picked up the glass and sniffed it. He knew the scent—something strong and dangerous, meant to mess with your head.

He hesitated for only a heartbeat before tossing it back in one gulp.

“So,” he said, voice steady, “what exactly do you know?”

Evelina’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. She leaned in, her fingers brushing his shoulder, her touch light and suggestive.

“Emmy’s so old-fashioned. Rigid. She doesn’t know how to have fun. Being with her is honestly a drag.”

She leaned even closer, her breath warm against his ear. “You’re young and wild. Don’t you ever want to try something a little more exciting?”

James’s eyes went cold. In one swift move, he grabbed Evelina’s wrist and twisted it back hard.

She screamed, the sound slicing through the music as she crashed to the floor.

James stared down at her, his eyes icy. “You really think you can seduce me?”

His voice was quiet but cutting. “If you ever talk trash about my wife again, losing your hand will be the least of your worries.”

Meanwhile, James slipped out into the alley just as a black SUV pulled up.

He jumped in without hesitation.

Steve sat behind the wheel, raising an eyebrow. “James, seriously? You called in half the precinct just for this little show? Gotta say, you know how to make an entrance.”

James was breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead. His voice was rough. “Just drive. I’ve been drugged.”

Steve stared at him, shocked. “No way. You? How did you get caught off guard?”

He turned to get a better look, the streetlights catching the flush on James’s face.

Steve’s jaw dropped. “Wait, did you do this on purpose? You want me to drive you straight to your wife right now?”

James closed his eyes, fighting the burning heat inside. “Stop talking and drive.”

Steve just whistled, shooting him a thumbs up. “Man, you’re something else. Using their tricks to get what you want? That’s next level.”