Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 547

**Chapter 547: You’ve Got Nothing on Me**

In the dimly lit first-floor lobby, Zacharias lay sprawled out, his body twisted in agony as he clutched his stomach. The pain coursed through him, curling him into a tight ball, yet his eyes blazed with an intensity that could pierce through steel as he directed his furious glare at Anneliese.

Anneliese felt a wave of unease wash over her, her skin paling slightly at the sight of him. Just as she was about to take a step back, a figure emerged from the shadows, stepping in front of her and effectively blocking Zacharias’ furious gaze.

At first, she assumed this casually dressed man was merely a bystander, perhaps someone who had wandered into the lobby unaware of the tension unfolding. She was about to express her gratitude when he turned to her, his voice steady yet laced with an unmistakable concern. “Mrs. Fullbuster, are you alright?”

As she looked at him more closely, Anneliese sensed the tension etched into his features. There was a sharpness in his demeanor, a calculated precision in his movements that told her he was no ordinary stranger. A flicker of realization dawned upon her: this had to be her bodyguard. Jonathan had failed to mention anything about this arrangement, much like the time he had Zaxton shadow her without a word of warning.

A shiver of unease skittered down her spine, even though she understood that Jonathan’s intentions were likely rooted in a desire to keep her safe.

“I’m fine. So, you’ve been following me these past few days?” Anneliese asked, her voice steady but edged with curiosity. She paused, gauging his reaction before continuing, “Is that right?”

The man scrutinized her intently, weighing her words against the pale look on her face. “Mrs. Fullbuster, I’m Zaxton. Mr. Fullbuster was concerned that if he wasn’t around, someone with malicious intent might try to harm you, so he assigned me to protect you.”

Anneliese nodded slightly, absorbing his words without further comment. She instinctively reached for Jessica’s hand, ready to make her way out of the lobby, but the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Meanwhile, Zacharias had managed to push himself off the floor, each movement sending fresh waves of pain rippling through him. Despite his discomfort, he limped toward Anneliese, a fierce determination etched across his features.

“Anne, I didn’t mean it! You’re pregnant, and Jonathan isn’t even here with you! He won’t take you home for the holidays, and he isn’t sincere with you at all. How could you be so foolish as to have a baby for someone like him, you—”

His sentence hung in the air, unfinished, as Zaxton stepped forward, his grip firm as he seized Zacharias by the collar, interrupting the venomous tirade.

“Let go! How dare you lay a hand on me, you dog of Jonathan’s?” Zacharias spat, his eyes flashing with hostility as he glared at Zaxton.

Zaxton remained unflinching, his expression a mask of calm. “You’ve got nothing on me. You’re the CEO of a public company, yet here you are, making a fool of yourself over someone else’s wife in front of everyone. Honestly, you’re living more like a stray than the rest of us, scraping by as if that’s all you can do.”

Zacharias clearly hadn’t anticipated that a mere bodyguard would dare to speak back to him. His mouth twisted into a sneer, echoing the arrogance of his obnoxious master, Jonathan.

With a sudden, reckless motion, he threw a punch at Zaxton. But Zaxton was a professional; there was no way Zacharias would land a hit. With a swift, practiced motion, Zaxton caught the fist, twisted it, and effortlessly flipped Zacharias over. The man stumbled back, and by the time he regained his footing, Anneliese had already vanished from the hall.

Before she even reached Maple Bay, her phone buzzed with Jonathan’s call.

Anneliese held the device in her hand, staring at the screen for what felt like an eternity before finally answering.

As she glanced out the window, she held the phone to her ear, silence stretching between them.

For reasons she couldn’t quite grasp, the man on the other end remained quiet as well. Just as she began to think she had accidentally hung up and moved to check the screen, his familiar, low voice broke through the stillness, calm and unhurried.

“Honey, are you mad at me?”

Her heart constricted, and she instinctively denied it. “No.”

Yet, she was unaware that her tone carried a stiffness that belied her words.