Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 123

Chapter 123

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Early the following morning, Connor awoke with a groggy, thick–headed feeling, his body heavy with a strange weakness.

He tried to sit up, but a weight restrained him.

His hand brushed against something–someone–soft and smooth beside him.

A familiar perfume lingered in the air.

His eyes

flew open.

Tessa was lying in his arms, both of them unclothed beneath the rumpled sheets.

He jolted upright in a panic.

The movement woke Tessa.

She blinked sleepily, then her eyes widened in feigned shock.

“Ah! Connor!” she gasped, clutching the blanket to her chest and scrambling away from him. “I thought you were my friend! How could you… how could you take advantage of me like this?”

Her

eyes welled with tears, which began to fall in soft, pathetic patters onto the sheets.

The sight of her crying, as always, twisted something in him. Flustered and filled with a growing sense of dread, he stumbled over his words.

“Tessa, I’m sorry… I… I don’t remember…”

The previous night was a blur.

He remembered talking, confessing his frustration over being unable to find Xylia.

They had shared a few drinks.

After that, nothing–just a blank void until this horrifying awakening.

His gaze fell on the bluish–purple marks scattered over Tessa’s exposed skin, and a wave of despair washed over him.

He had always cared for Tessa, but to have lost control like this, especially now, filled him with self–loathing.

Tessa’s quiet sobs filled the room, each one amplifying his guilt until it solidified into a heavy,

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Chapter 123

agitated weight on his chest.

:.

He reached out, taking her hand in his, his expression earnest.

“Tessa, I will take responsibility for this.”

Her sobs hiccupped to a stop. She looked up at him, her vision blurred by tears.

“R–Really?”

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“At this point, how could I possibly deceive you?” he said, the words feeling both right and terribly wrong. “I’ve… I’ve always had feelings for you but never felt I could act on them. Now that I’m divorced, there’s nothing standing between us. Tessa, will you marry me?”

The proposal was blunt, a solution born of panic and duty rather than joy.

After a moment of calculated silence, Tessa gave a reluctant, barely perceptible nod. “I… I am willing,” she whispered.

Connor pulled her into an embrace, holding the woman he thought he had always wanted.

But strangely, a profound emptiness echoed where happiness should have been.

Nestled against his shoulder, hidden from his view, Tessa’s expression shifted completely. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by a cold, triumphant smile.

*****

After settling his affairs in Jupiton, Joshua set out for Norhill.

Eliza had teased him more than once that he was more lovesick than the most desperate romantic, that he clearly wished he could tie a string to Xylia to ensure she could never wander far without him.

Joshua had always been indifferent to such jokes. In fact, he welcomed any jest that linked his name to Xylia’s.

His future wife would bear that name, after all.

In the airport’s VIP lounge, Joshua was seated on a plush sofa, attending to last–minute work on his phone.

His head was bowed, his silver hair catching the light with a cool sheen that mirrored the serious, focused set of his brows.

A man approached and sat down opposite him, leaning back with his hands in his pockets.

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Chapter 123

“Mr. Garcia. We meet again.”

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Joshua’s hand stilled on his phone. He looked up, and the chill in his gaze deepened.

“I thought you intended to keep hiding,” he said coolly, recovering his composure instantly.

A slight, cold smile touched his lips.

The man, Burke, was dressed in an impeccably tailored deep blue suit that spoke of maturity and sharp intellect. His features were composed, his expression one of unshakable confidence.

Upon hearing Joshua’s remark, Burke’s own smile didn’t falter.

“Of course not. We’re… acquaintances, Mr. Garcia. It seemed only right to look I’m in your territory.”

you up while

Joshua’s sharp gaze swept over Burke’s face, searching for a crack in the calm facade and finding none.

“Was our meeting here a coincidence?” he asked, his voice low.

Burke’s smile was easy. “We’re already well acquainted. No need for the formality of a restaurant. Since we’re headed the same way, this seemed a perfectly suitable place to… catch up.”

Headed the same way?

Joshua’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What business could you possibly have in Norhill?”

“Pursuing opportunities,” Burke said with a casual shrug. “Nothing surprising.”

Just then, the boarding announcement for their flight echoed through the lounge.

Burke was the first to stand.

“The plane is about to take off, Mr. Garcia. Shall we?”

He walked toward the gate with an infuriatingly relaxed air.

Joshua watched him go, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He couldn’t help but wonder what on earth this predator was hunting now.

*****

Two hours later, Joshua exited the customs gate and immediately spotted Xylia in the arrivals

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Chapter 123

hall.

A genuine smile broke through his usual reserve as he walked toward her.

She handed him a cold bottle of lemonade.

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“I still don’t get your obsession with this stuff,” she said with a playful shake of her head.

Smiling, Joshua accepted the bottle and took a sip.

It was perfectly chilled, the flavor a balance of tart and sweet he found nowhere else.

During his years abroad, Xylia had often made it for him, and he’d come to crave that specific

taste.

“You’re mistaken,” he corrected gently. “It’s not lemonade I enjoy. It’s the lemonade you prepare. It’s the only one that suits my taste.”

Xylia smiled, falling into step beside him as they walked out.

“I really didn’t expect you to come to Norhill,” she admitted. “No wonder you told me to wait for you. You knew you were being transferred here with a promotion, didn’t you? Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Are you surprised?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Surprised,” she said, “and a little scared.”

“Good,” he chuckled. “That was my intention.”

Xylia couldn’t suppress her own smile.

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