Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 205

Emmy snapped her head up, catching the seriousness in his eyes. For a split second, her own eyes lit up with anticipation.

She’d been itching to do this forever.

Almost before she knew it, Emmy spun around and marched straight up to Pattie. Pattie’s eyes went wide with panic just as Emmy grabbed her by the collar and landed a slap across her cheek. Then another. And another.

The smacks echoed through the café, sharp and unmistakable.

Pattie shrieked, voice cracking with rage. “Emmy, you bitch! Just wait, I’m gonna have Cooper take you out, you hear me? He’ll kill you!”

She tried to fight back, but her side ached so badly from that earlier kick she could barely move. All she could do was scream, her voice ragged and desperate. “Help! Somebody help me!”

But the café manager just shot a glance in James’s direction, then quickly blocked any staff from getting close.

A few customers tried to sneak out their phones to record, but the staff stepped in and quietly shut that down.

Emmy only stopped when her hand went numb. She shook out her wrist, feeling the sting in her fingers, but honestly, it felt amazing. Totally worth it.

She glanced at her best friend, who looked stunned and completely speechless, and was about to haul her up for another round when that calm, cool voice cut through the chaos.

“That’s enough. You can go now.”

Emmy froze for half a second, then didn’t waste any time. She grabbed her laptop, hugged it to her chest, and bolted without looking back.

As soon as she left, Pattie sat there on the floor, bruised and gasping, still glaring at James and spitting out half-formed curses.

The manager hurried over, bowing deeply to James. “James, she’s not showing any remorse. Should I help you teach her another lesson?”

James?

Pattie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She stared at the man with the gold-rimmed glasses.

Evening came before she knew it, and James finally showed up. He wasn’t alone—Steve was with him.

Steve strolled in, looking as casual as ever, carrying a stack of supplements. He greeted Aunt Teresa with a big smile and some small talk, then took the seat next to Emmy and let his expression turn serious.

“Abriella told me what’s going on,” he said after a beat. “Honestly? This isn’t going to be easy. You don’t have any direct evidence. Getting Evelina to give back the rights to your system? Pretty much impossible, unless she admits it herself.”

Emmy frowned. Evelina was the type to steal in broad daylight—there was no way she’d ever confess.

“But there’s another angle,” Steve added, sneaking a glance at James and clearing his throat. “Dean. If Dean was the one who gave your stuff to Evelina, and if he’s willing to testify, you could get everything back.”

What Steve didn’t say out loud was obvious—Dean had betrayed her, yeah, but anyone with eyes could see he hadn’t really moved on. Not with the way he’d been acting lately.

If Emmy was willing to ask—willing to swallow her pride—Dean was way more likely to help her than Evelina was to ever come clean.

Almost on instinct, Emmy looked over at James.