Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1537

Mercedes pressed her red lips into a tight line. In the past, she would have wished for nothing more than Emmy's violent end. However, after enduring the absolute horror of James mercilessly extracting memories directly from her mind like a cold-blooded interrogator, she had snapped completely awake. She knew with terrifying clarity exactly how much weight Emmy held in James's heart. If Emmy truly died in the Delta tomorrow, James would completely lose his mind.

"If Emmy actually dies, how exactly do you plan to explain it to James?" Mercedes didn't answer his question, tossing one back instead.

Calony's brow furrowed deeply as he considered this. "It definitely won't be an easy conversation. My men will dedicate everything they have to protecting her at the banquet tomorrow. But on a battlefield, bullets fly blind. If she really gets unlucky and catches a stray round, I'll just have to carve out a portion of the resources to offer James as an apology." He snorted coldly, his voice thick with calculation. "Compared to a single Star Jewel, the munitions and mineral wealth in this Delta are worth infinitely more. Handing over a piece of it will definitely sting, though."

Calony turned his gaze back to the pitch-black sea outside the window, a flash of viciousness passing through his eyes. "But if I can't use her as bait to catch Dean tomorrow, and I fail to give The States an acceptable answer, then my days as a Major General are likely numbered."

This was the exact dilemma giving Calony a splitting headache. To crush Dean completely, he absolutely needed Emmy to show her face at the wedding. But if she met an untimely end, he would have to sacrifice pieces of the empire he had bled to conquer just to appease her husband. So, rather than seeing her die a tragic death, he genuinely hoped she would survive the day entirely unscathed. As long as he could successfully apprehend Dean, any price would be worth it. Yet, in the chaos of war, who could ever guarantee absolute safety?

Growing irritated, Calony scooped Mercedes into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom. "Enough, stop overthinking it. I'm already mentally prepared to bleed out some resources if I have to."

The moment they hit the mattress, Calony buried his face in her neck, panting heavily. "Don't worry. No matter what happens tomorrow, I will make sure you are thoroughly taken care of."

Calony froze completely, his brows pulling into a tight knot. "So you're telling me that no matter what the outcome is tomorrow, I've already managed to piss off James Nelson?"

Watching his delayed, foolish realization, Mercedes closed her eyes in utter exasperation. "If I had known you were hiding an android identical to Emmy, I would have never, ever convinced her to risk her life in the first place. You should have honestly followed James's plan from the very beginning. You had absolutely no right to take matters into your own hands."

It was only after Calony's men had brought her to this massive yacht and she saw the charging android with her own eyes that she had finally pieced together the entire strategy. James valued Emmy's life infinitely more than his own. How could he possibly throw his pregnant wife into a den of wolves? The android was the real bait all along. Calony, desperate for absolute certainty that Dean would be lured out, had arrogantly decided to hijack and rewrite James's flawless plan.