Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1473

Emmy stood stunned for a moment before the realization crashed over her. After her conversation with Steve at the hospital today, he must have immediately gone behind her back and tipped off James! A wave of guilt washed over her, followed quickly by an unspeakable sense of helplessness. Meeting James’s wounded, stubborn gaze, she fired back a question of her own. "If I told you the truth, would you even believe me?"

"I would!" James answered without a single heartbeat of hesitation. He stared dead into her eyes, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "If you say it, I will believe it!"

Seeing the raw, undisguised devotion in his eyes, Emmy’s hands subconsciously curled into tight fists at her sides. "Then... what if I told you that I actually died once? Would you believe that?"

James’s pupils contracted violently. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. "When?"

It was glaringly obvious that he believed her. He had never once doubted a single word she had spoken. Emmy stared at him in a daze. She looked at him for a long, heavy moment and opened her mouth to speak, but her phone suddenly erupted into a shrill ring.

For some inexplicable reason, Emmy felt a profound wave of relief wash over her. Flustered, she gently pushed his arms away. "I need to take this."

James watched her evasive eyes, a flicker of deep disappointment crossing his own. But he slowly released his grip, allowing her to pull out her phone and hit the answer button.

Krystina’s cheerful voice immediately filled the air. "Emmy, when are you finally coming down?"

Nina shuddered violently at the freezing tone. She knew she had made a catastrophic mistake. Initially, her curiosity had only been about whether her boss and his wife were doing something inappropriate for children. But as she listened, she realized she had stumbled upon a massive, classified secret. Knowing she had severely violated a bodyguard’s most sacred rule, Nina instantly dropped her usual cheeky demeanor. She lowered her head and stood at strict attention. "Yes, sir!" Without a single complaint, she spun around and prepared to sprint out the door.

Emmy's eyes widened in horror. This luxury estate was sprawling. A single lap around the landscaping and the artificial lake was at least two miles! Ten laps would take hours of agonizing exertion. "Nina, wait!" Emmy shouted, stopping the girl in her tracks. She spun around, glaring angrily at the grim faced James. "That punishment is way too harsh! She is just a child!"

James’s expression remained entirely impassive, his tone radiating an unyielding, ironclad discipline. "She is not a child. Kids her age in the White family have already seen combat and drawn blood! She went through rigorous training, yet she still dared to press her ear to a door and eavesdrop on her employers!" His voice rose with the steely authority of a military commander. "If she cannot follow the most basic rules of engagement, she deserves a severe penalty!"

Emmy’s heart ached for Nina, and she felt certain James was just using the girl as an outlet for his own frustration. "That is the past! We live in a peaceful society now. Following me around, there is absolutely no need for her to endure the White family's twisted, brutal training regimen! To me, she is just a kid!" Emmy paused, locking eyes with James. "Are you really doing this to enforce discipline... or are you just taking your anger at me out on her?"