A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 169

wunty two

Nationalities.

Dual citizenships.

Family connections.

Protected identities.

My jaw tightened.

“They are direct relatives of three different allied countries,” John said.

That changed everything.

This was no longer a domestic crisis.

It was international.

Diplomatic. 1

Potentially destabilizing.

He was still not finished.

“Two of the missing teenagers are the President’s grandchildren.”

Silence.

Even Jason’s expression hardened further.

So that was the pressure beneath all of this.

Not only lives.

National stakes.

International stakes.

Political stakes.

Time-sensitive stakes.

“It is a race against the clock,” John said.

“We already have the best minds in the country working the case.”

He let that settle before adding the part meant for me.

“But you could very well be the missing piece.’

I did not react outwardly.

Inside, my mind was already moving.

Patterns.

Structures.

Entry points.

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Motives.

Weaknesses.

John leaned back slightly.

“And of course,” he added, voice turning almost casual, “the military would publicly respond to Mr. Vinny.”

I looked up.

“Oh?”

He smiled faintly.

“We would thank him for recognizing the prowess of one of our military contacts.”

The implication was elegant.

Immediate.

Public.

Martin Vinny would try to claim me.

The military would claim me first.

And do it with gratitude.

I glanced at Jason.

He was watching me carefully.

Not pushing.

Not speaking.

Letting me choose.

I placed one hand over the file.

“When do we start?”

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John Stait nodded once, already shifting into action.

Then he paused.

His gaze moved past me.

“We?”

I did not need to turn to know Jason’s expression had changed.

I heard it in the small sound he made first.

A short, disbelieving scoff.

“Do you honestly think,” Jason said, “that I’m going to let my gorgeous wife walk alone into a room full of angry men?”

He leaned back slightly.

“The majority of whom will probably already resent her.”

A beat.

“Of course I’m going.”

John arched both brows.

Slowly.

Amused.

“Jason, son…”

He folded his hands.

“I did not take you for the controlling, jealous type.”

I turned then.

Jason met his gaze without blinking.

Completely unbothered.

“It’s mostly for the men’s protection,” he said evenly.

Silence.

John stared at him.

Scott would have laughed if he had been in the room.

Jason continued as though he had said something perfectly reasonable.

“I cannot guarantee Amber won’t break them if they insult her.”

I looked at him.

He was serious.

1/5

Or at least serious enough to be dangerous.

John’s mouth twitched.

“And of course,” Jason added, finally glancing at me, “I also want to help.”

That softened something in the room.

Not the tension.

Something warmer.

I tilted my head.

“You think I need supervision?”

“No,” Jason said immediately.

“I think you deserve backup.”

That was a better answer.

Much better.

John leaned back in his chair and laughed under his breath.

“Well,” he said, “this operation just became more interesting.”

He looked between us once.

Assessing.

Recalculating.

Then he nodded.

“Fine. We move both of you in.”

I closed the file.

Good.

Because whatever waited next-

We would face it together.

John Stait’s amusement faded as quickly as it had appeared.

When he spoke again, his tone was official.

Measured.

“There is one condition.”

Jason’s expression did not change, but I felt his attention sharpen beside me.

John folded his hands on the desk.

“For your own protection-and Amber’s as well-you will go in under your real name.”

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A pause.

Not under your Cronos credentials.” 1

The room stilled.

Even I understood the weight of that immediately.

Cronos opened doors.

Created fear.

Triggered reactions.

Jason’s reputation could compromise the operation before it began.

Or paint a target on both of us.

Jason said nothing for a moment.

Then he nodded once.

“Understood.”

John seemed satisfied.

He reached for the file again, ready to continue.

Then the office door opened.

Not dramatically.

Just enough for a small figure to squeeze through.

Alex stepped inside carrying a laptop almost as big as his torso.

He held it carefully with both hands, face serious with the importance of his mission.

Every adult in the room turned.

Alex ignored all of them.

He walked straight to me.

Then he leaned close and whispered in my ear with complete secrecy.

“Can you help me with something?”

The contrast was so sharp I nearly laughed.

International crisis.

Missing geniuses.

Military operations.

And now-

Whatever Alex needed.

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3/5

I looked down at him.

Men at the laptop.

Then back at John Stait.

“Give me one moment,” I said calmly.

Because no matter how serious the world became-

Children never waited for perfect timing.

I pulled a chair closer and helped Alex climb into it beside me. 1

He set the laptop on the desk with intense concentration, then looked up at me with complete trust.

“How can I help?” I asked softly.

He leaned in immediately, lowering his voice as if this were classified information.

“One of my online friends hasn’t answered me in three days.”

The seriousness in his face erased any temptation to smile.

This mattered to him.

So it mattered.

“I’m worried about her,” he continued.

I nodded once.

“Okay.”

He opened the laptop and turned the screen toward me.

Maps.

Windows.

Search tabs.

Logs.

“I tracked her last location.”

That made John Stait straighten.

Jason went still beside me.

Alex pointed at the screen.

“She was at a ferry not far from here.”

He zoomed in with practiced fingers.

A route.

Time stamps.

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