Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 256

Emmy snapped back to reality, coughing awkwardly and quickly looking away.

"Uh... no, I just remembered I still have some textbooks for my major to catch up on. I’ll go look for them," she said, her voice a little too casual.

Teresa had been quietly watching her daughter from the hospital bed, taking everything in. She saw Emmy spacing out, staring at her hands, and couldn’t help but remember how her daughter and James hadn’t come back to the ward all night. A knowing, satisfied smile spread across her face—one only a mother who’s seen it all would have.

She picked up a book from her bedside table and started flipping through it, pretending to read.

A couple of days later, Abriella showed up again, carrying a fruit basket. After chatting with Teresa for a while, she just couldn’t hold it in any longer. She scooted closer, eyes full of gossip.

"Have you heard? The Cambridge family really crashed and burned this time!"

Emmy was peeling an orange for her mom, but her hands paused mid-peel.

Teresa raised her eyebrows. "The Cambridge family? You mean Shawn’s family?"

"Exactly! Word is, Shawn got reported for assaulting and harassing a bunch of unsuspecting girls. There’s tons of evidence—they caught him red-handed. The Cambridge family tried everything to bail him out, but they nearly lost their shirts. The company went bankrupt overnight, and Shawn still got slapped with ten years in prison."

Teresa let out a cold snort. "Shawn’s always been nothing but a pretty face living off his family’s money. He’s pulled this kind of thing plenty of times, but money always cleaned up his mess. Looks like this time he messed with the wrong people."

Abriella nodded hard. "Right? Guys like that deserve to rot in jail!"

Emmy handed her mom an orange slice, but her mind was racing.

Could it really be that her offhand comment that day actually came true?

Mr. Nelson always seemed so gentle—there’s no way he’d do something so ruthless.

The only person who could pull this off... had to be Mr. Nelson.

Once again, he’d stepped in and handled things, making sure she wouldn’t have to worry about revenge from the Cambridge family.

Emmy sighed to herself.

Emmy gave him a long, considering look before blurting out, "How about getting a buzz cut?"

James was letting the stylist fuss over him, but the moment he heard her suggestion, his brows furrowed.

He ran a hand through his short hair, his voice low. "My hair’s really coarse. If I get a buzz cut, it’ll look terrible."

What he didn’t say was that back in the army, he’d always had a buzz cut. His hair was so stubborn that it stuck straight up, like a porcupine. That’s how he ended up with the nickname "Black Hedgehog"—a name that haunted his entire military career, way more than his actual call sign.

After leaving the army, he’d sworn never to go back to that style.

Emmy looked frustrated. "But you really do look too much like Mr. Nelson. If you put on a suit, everyone’s going to mix you up."

Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"I’ve got it!"