Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 817

Ben’s face went pale, then flushed, then drained of all color. The memory hit him hard. He remembered how, back when he insisted on marrying Claudia, Dean had tried to stop him, his voice cold as ice. “She’s poison. You really want to marry a woman like that?”

At the time, Ben had snapped back, defending Claudia against his own son. Now, thinking about it, it felt like the slap he’d just given Claudia had landed on himself instead.

His gaze dropped to the gun. He scowled. “Why do you even have this?”

Dean took his time, reclaiming the gun and sliding it back into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “For protection.”

He spoke quietly, then looked Ben straight in the eyes. “So, what are you going to do with her?”

“I’ll hand her over to the police.” Ben’s voice was rough, almost breaking.

Dean let out a soft, annoyed click with his tongue, clearly disappointed. “How dull.” He turned away, like he couldn’t be bothered to stay a second longer.

He had already taken a couple steps when he stopped, as if something had just come to mind. He glanced back. “Why did Claudia say Emmy and Mr. Nelson are investigating her? Since when are Emmy and Mr. Nelson working together?”

Ben was too overwhelmed to care about any of that right now. “I have no idea.”

Dean’s eyes turned even darker, but he didn’t press. He pulled open the car door, slid in, and in moments the sleek black Maybach disappeared into the night.

…

In the weeks that followed, Emmy poured herself into perfecting the AI prosthetic limb and finished her research paper. She named her invention “Lingxi,” inspired by the line, “Our hearts are linked as one, though we have no wings to fly together.” It captured her hope that AI and the human brain could truly connect, responding seamlessly to every thought of the person wearing it.

Not long after she submitted her project report, she won the top prize in the national tech innovation awards—the Golden Tower Award.

By the time the awards ceremony rolled around, Emmy’s baby bump was unmistakable. She moved awkwardly, but refused to let anyone else accept the award for her. She walked up on stage herself, glowing under the spotlights. In an instant, she went from being a “goddess of domestic tech” to the new superstar of the AI world. Everyone wanted to meet her, work with her, be her.

Down in the audience, Isabel was dressed in an expensive gown and perfectly styled hair and makeup, but her face was clouded over with jealousy. She glared at Emmy, who looked radiant on stage—even with her big belly, she was stunning, shining brighter than anyone else in the room. There was no hiding the icy anger in Isabel’s eyes.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify