Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1724

Sylvia instantly clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms. Embarrassment, shame, and panic tangled together, threatening to swallow her whole. Biting her lower lip, she met his gaze with absolute resolve, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. "I already told you, pretend it never happened. It is not like you suffered any loss either!"

They stared at each other in an unyielding deadlock for several long seconds until Steve finally broke eye contact. He took a large step back, breaking the suffocating proximity between them, and his tone flattened out entirely. "Fine. You are really something, Sylvia."

For the rest of their time there, neither of them spoke another word. Sylvia sat in silence on the sofa while Steve stood by the window, smoking one cigarette after another. Neither looked in the other's direction until a knock on the door shattered the dead quiet. Steve put out his cigarette and walked over to open it. It was a local courier delivering their dry clothes and two portions of breakfast. Sylvia took her bag and went into the bathroom. When she emerged in her own clothes, she had tied her messy long hair into a low ponytail. Steve was leaning against the doorframe, holding a sandwich out to her. "Want something to eat?"

Sylvia ignored the offer, walking right past him toward the entrance. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Steve's deep voice sounded from behind her. "Do not go to a place like that alone next time, and do not drink by yourself either."

Her fingers paused on the handle, but she did not turn around. "That is none of your business." With a click, she pulled the door open and shut it firmly behind her.

Steve stared at the closed door for a long time before tossing the sandwich casually onto the table. He looked down, his gaze settling on his right hand. Last night, that was the hand that had been helping her all along. But she had been completely unsatisfied, acting like an insatiable temptress as she cried and tangled herself up in his arms. In the end, he had completely given himself over to the moment too. And now, she had the nerve to act like she did not know him the second it was over. Leaning back, he tilted his head until it rested against the wall. He closed his eyes and let out a self deprecating scoff. What a piece of work. That woman truly had a heart of stone.

Inside the elevator, the moment the doors slid shut, Sylvia's rigidly straight posture immediately collapsed. She leaned against the metal wall and slowly slid down into a crouch, her thin shoulders trembling uncontrollably. It was not out of grievance, but sheer inner turmoil. Her body still remembered that unfamiliar, aching soreness, along with the words he had spoken and the way he had looked at her. She had clearly wanted to draw a firm line between them, fully aware that they walked different paths and should never cross. So why had things escalated to this point? Why did every encounter with him spin wildly out of control, leaving behind a mess she could not untangle?

After leaving the hotel, Sylvia did not return to the Capital. Instead, she checked into a nearby five star hotel to regroup. She took a shower, forced herself to eat a meal, and took some time to rest. Only then did she sit down at the suite's desk and turn on her phone. Her very first action was to block every single classmate who had been present the night before. Following that, she contacted a well known local law firm, fully intending to sue every person involved in the gathering. She was not going to let a single one of those so called classmates off the hook, whether they had participated in drugging her, stood by and watched, or tried to take advantage of the situation. She was determined to make them pay the most agonizing price possible for their stupidity and malice.

However, as Sylvia was busy negotiating with her lawyer, Steve was moving much faster. On New Year's Day, a time usually reserved for visiting family and friends, those male classmates who had harbored dirty thoughts in the lounge all received expedited lawsuits from the court. The only exception was the class president, who had maintained some semblance of a conscience.