Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 231

Chapter 231

The elevator doors slid open. I ignored the unreadable storm churning in Zane’s eyes and stepped inside first, jabbing the button for my floor. He followed effortlessly, his long legs covering the distance in a single stride. Of course.

Him for the 22nd. Me for the 21st.

Every second the elevator climbed felt like an eternity.

I pressed my back against the cold metal wall, putting as much distance between us as the tiny box allowed. I could feel his gaze on me, heavy with regret. He was probably kicking himself now for how he’d always treated Amelia, for all the times he’d chosen her and let me down. But what good was his belated devotion?Too little, too late. I was so over it.

The elevator dinged, arriving at my floor way too soon and not soon enough.

Zane looked at me, at the girl who couldn’t even spare him a word. He swallowed hard, something painful flashing in his eyes, but his voice was gentle.

“About your parents‘ case… don’t worry. I’ll tell you the moment I hear anything.”

“And not letting you find Gavin… I had my own reasons, but I was also thinking of you.”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Thinking of me?”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “Once I have solid proof, I won’t hide anything from you.”

He knew me. He knew that with the history between Gavin and me, I wouldn’t believe a word without evidence. He’d just scare Gavin off.

With that, he stepped out. As the doors began to close, he turned back. “I’m right downstairs now. If you need anything… anytime…. just come find me.”

Anytime.

Right. The guy who couldn’t even manage that before. The words went in one ear and out the other.

I watched the floor number above the door change one more time. Letting out a silent breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, I finally relaxed. Time to get home and crash. But when I turned, Gavin was there, leaning against the wall outside my apartment.

I noticed he seemed less obsessed with suits lately.

Tonight, he wore a black turtleneck and casual trousers, a pair of gold–rimmed glasses perched on his nose. One hand was tucked in his pocket. the picture of lazy elegance. So casual, yet so damn handsome,

Seeing my exhausted state, he quirked an eyebrow. “Things didn’t go smoothly?” He was obviously asking about the lab data mess.

I walked past him toward my door, throwing him a glance. “You should already know, shouldn’t you?”

Windsor Group was his turf now. No way he was out of the loop.

From behind me, he had the audacity to sound reasonable. “Can’t you tell me about it anyway?”

I remembered he hated pointless chatter.

When we were kids, I was a chatterbox, always pestering him with nonsense. He’d always looked so annoyed. Even now, I could see Neil and the others kept their reports to him brief and to the point.

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Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother

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Chapter 231

I opened the door and went to change my shoes. “I thought you hated people wasting your time with useless details.”

“I want to hear it now.”

He followed me in effortlessly. His hands found my waist and, with a slight lift, he hoisted me onto the entranceway cabinet. He braced one hand next to my leg, his dark eyes pinning me. “Tell me.”

His scent–soap, mixed with faint cedar and vetiver–filled the space between us. My ears felt warm. Defeated, I started recounting the story he’d undoubtedly already heard. “It was just a monitor I had Neil install. Came in handy.”

“That’s it?” He seemed almost amused, like he couldn’t believe I was now more concise than his professional assistants. A far cry from the girl who could chatter for hours about nothing.

“That’s it.” I nodded, yawning widely. “I’m exhausted.”

I hadn’t slept in a day and a night, and my brain was fried from the lab. Sleep was a necessity, not a luxury.

Gavin looked down at me, saw the tired glaze over my eyes, and patted my head. “Wait here.”

“What for?”

Before I finished asking, he’d already strode across to his apartment, those long legs covering the distance in seconds.

The moment the dog, Scout, saw me, he lost his mind with excitement and immediately tried to bolt toward me. But Gavin was quicker, catching him in a swift headlock.

“Your mom’s tired today,” he told Scout, completely deadpan. “Be good. You can bother her tomorrow.”

Scout, smart as a whip, whined as if he half–understood, then trotted over to his bed and settled down. Meanwhile, Gavin picked up an insulated food container from the dining table and walked over to me.