Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1516

Fully expecting a message about James, Emmy was bitterly disappointed to see a text from her assistant, Joshua. [Ms. Lincoln, there's a venture capitalist insisting on meeting with you to discuss a partnership.]

The anticipation vanished from Emmy's eyes, and she tossed the phone back onto her pillow. Ever since her identity as the Sovereign of Star Jewel was exposed a few months ago, countless people had been clamoring to discuss partnerships with her. All sorts of big shot investors and multinational CEOs had tried every trick in the book to rub shoulders with her. However, the only official partner she had publicly announced was Martha from the Nelson family. To prevent Martha from becoming too arrogant or monopolizing everything, Emmy knew she needed to secure another partner soon to keep things balanced.

But lately, every candidate Joshua had filtered and passed along fell completely short of her expectations. Clearly, he had found another seemingly promising target today. Yet, at this moment, Emmy had absolutely zero interest in discussing business empires with anyone. Her mind was entirely consumed by James, whose fate remained unknown. Too exhausted to even type a reply, she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.

The next morning, Emmy woke up early. She changed into a plain, elegant outfit, preparing to head to that supposedly miraculous church with Nina. But the moment she stepped out into the yard, she came face to face with someone she thought she would never cross paths with again. Mercedes. Even more frown inducing was the fact that her assistant, Joshua, was standing right beside Mercedes.

Upon seeing Emmy, Joshua immediately stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "Ms. Lincoln, Ms. Mercedes insisted on seeing you. She says she has a business proposition that directly concerns your vital interests."

Emmy halted, her eyes narrowing coldly. She never expected to run into Mercedes here. After the woman's arrogant grandstanding last time, Emmy had assumed she would finally give up. Moreover, Mercedes had previously colluded with Dean, leading to Penny's death. James had already forwarded the ironclad evidence to the Fijian Military. According to Emmy's intel, Mercedes had been placed under direct military custody in Fiji, awaiting legal prosecution. And indeed, for the past few months, Mercedes had completely vanished from the entertainment industry. She had no gigs, no appearances, and rumors even circulated online that she was facing a permanent blacklist that would force her into retirement. If she was supposed to be sitting in a prison cell, why was she standing perfectly intact in Boston? And loitering blatantly at her front door, no less?

Meeting Emmy's icy glare, Mercedes merely smirked, utterly unbothered. Wearing a black trench coat over a deep blue gown, she strolled right up to Emmy. "Ms. Lincoln, aren't you going to invite me in for a chat?"

With that, Mercedes brushed past Emmy and headed straight toward the villa. As she walked, she looked around the European style courtyard, clicking her tongue in admiration. "You really do live in a nice place. It's a million times better than that godforsaken island I was stuck on in Fiji. If I hadn't offered to come find you, I probably wouldn't even be allowed out the door."

Emmy turned around, her gaze drifting down Mercedes's retreating figure. A breeze caught the hem of Mercedes's dress, and Emmy's eyes abruptly narrowed. Clamped tightly around Mercedes's slender right ankle was a black electronic monitoring shackle, its tiny red light blinking faintly. At the same time, Emmy noticed two sharp eyed, plainclothes foreign men standing next to the black SUV Mercedes had arrived in. Judging from their rigid posture and the intense aura they exuded, they were undoubtedly military personnel dispatched by Fiji to monitor her. It seemed Mercedes hadn't lied. She really was under strict surveillance, forced to earn her freedom.

Emmy started walking, catching up to her side with a mocking tone. "Since you're practically a prisoner without even basic freedom, why don't you explain to me how you magically transformed into a venture capitalist?"