Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 286

hapter 286

Nothing.” Zane snagged a fresh glass, dropped in ice, poured more whiskey, and clinked it carelessly against Charles’s. “Drink.”

eing he wouldn’t elaborate, Charles didn’t push. Knowing Zane was in a dark place, he simply kept him company, drink for drink.

y the time Amelia arrived, Zane was nearly unconscious.

arles, clinging to his last shred of coherence, squinted at her. “What’re you doing here?”

melia glanced at the drunken mess that was Zane. “He texted me to come get him.”

Zane had done that countless times before. Charles didn’t doubt it. He just shrugged. “He’s all yours.”

nelia moved in, trying to haul Zane up, but he was dead weight. She looked helplessly at Charles. “Charles, can you give me a hand?”

isten to yourself,” Charles mumbled, sprawled on the couch, not moving a muscle. “I’m three sheets to the wind. How am I supposed to help?”

nelia knew Charles was the one among Zane’s friends who liked her the least. She was also acutely aware of her own purpose for being here. Swallowing her

itation, she left the booth and found a server to help her get Zane to his feet.

ice in her car, Amelia glanced at the unnaturally quiet figure slumped in the backseat. Instead of heading to his place, she drove straight to a nearby luxury

tel.

e next day, around noon, Zane awoke to a skull–splitting headache. He went to lift his hand to massage his temples and found his arm pinned under a weight.

harles, get the hell off me…” he began, his voice thick with sleep and annoyance. Halfway through the sentence, he turned his head and saw who was lying

side him.

nelia.

id they were both very, very undressed.

nelia’s eyes fluttered open, filled with a practiced, soft affection. “Zane…”

:shoved her away so violently she nearly tumbled off the bed, scrambling to put distance between them. He was on his feet in an instant, snatching his scarded dress shirt and pants from the floor. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, yanking his clothes on, fury tightening every movement.

nelia caught herself, looking genuinely disheveled. “I–I went to pick you up from the bar last night. I was going to take you home, but you got sick in the car. tad to find a hotel nearby.”

ne’s temple throbbed. “You picked me up? Who asked you to?”

“Amelia’s eyes grew shiny with unshed tears, her story a blend of truth and lie. “A friend saw you at the bar. Said you were really drunk, and they were orried. They called me to check on you.”

ine let out a cold, disbelieving laugh. “And that explains this? You were ‘checking on me, so you ended up in my bed?”

lo!” She looked both embarrassed and wounded. “You you kept calling me Elara last night.

was the excuse she’d prepared. The one that made the most sense.

vein pulsed at Zane’s temple. “So,” he said, his words slow and deliberate. I slept with you

melia looked down at the sheets. “.

“…Yes.”

..Fine.” Zane nodded, the motion sharp. He fastened his belt, and when he spoke again, his usually gentle tone was gone, replaced by something larutally etached. “Then remember to take the morning after pill. I’m not claiming any surprises you might cook up.”

melia felt like she’d been struck. She hadn’t expected him to see right through her and shatter the plan so directly

09:53

Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother

90.3

hapter 286

ears spilled over instantly. She reached for his arm. “If I were pregnant, it would be yours! Why wouldn’t you-”

Don’t play naive,” he cut her off with another icy laugh. “How many men have you been with? You really need me to spell it out?”

he implication–that any child might not be his–was brutally insulting. Even Amelia cracked. “How can you say that? All these years, I’ve only ever-”

save the innocent act. I’m not buying it.” Zane finished adjusting his watch with deliberate calm. “Here’s the deal: Drop whatever scheme you’re plotting. If you y to pass off some bastard child as mine, I’ll personally drive you to the clinic and watch the procedure myself.”

eing her stunned expression, he leaned down, cupped her pale cheek in a mockery of a caress, and smiled. “Oh, and just to be clear? Even if it was mine, I still ouldn’t want it. You could sneak it out into the world, and I’d make it disappear.”

ith that, he turned and strode out. Amelia lunged forward, trying to grab him, but he shook her off without a glance. Her legs, already weak from fear and his reats, gave out, and she collapsed to the floor with a thud.

e hotel door slammed shut with a final, thunderous crash, making her whole body flinch.

hat now?

is child…….

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