Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 222

As Howard finished speaking, Tessa started to panic.

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If it turned out Xylia really was the designer behind the dress, Tessa would have just gone and smeared Xylia’s name in front of everyone–live on national TV, no less.

The thought of embarrassing herself on a broadcast watched by the whole country made her stomach drop.

It hit her late, but now regret was gnawing at her, realizing what she’d done.

With the investigation underway, the awards ceremony came to a halt and the live stream was shut down.

The broadcast was shut down.

Xavi couldn’t hold back his anger any longer and shot Tessa a hard look.

“Ms. Schultz, you better remember this–if the investigation proves you wrongly dragged Ms. Sadler into this, then you’ll be responsible for every bit of damage this competition has suffered,” he said, his tone icy.

Joshua got up and walked onto the stage, offering his hand to Xylia as she stepped down.

He spoke in a deceptively casual tone, but his words cut sharp.

“And about the crap you just said about my girlfriend–I’m not one to let that slide. If the investigation shows everything you claimed was fake, I’m coming after you for defamation. Rest assured, Garcia Group’s lawyers are the best in the business,” he said.

Joshua’s voice stayed light, but there was a cold edge to it that chilled Tessa to the bone.

She felt a cold shiver run down her back.

But she quickly snapped back to reality.

‘They’re just trying to intimidate me,’ she thought.

She’d seen Xylia’s dress designs in the lounge earlier–absolutely none of them looked like the one that model was wearing.

Xylia’s only been a designer for a few months. There’s no way she pulled off something as incredible as entry number six on her own.

No way she did this by herself–someone must’ve helped her cheat.

Even if the investigators went through every inch of Xylia’s office, they wouldn’t find a damn thing.

With that thought, Tessa started to relax, her confidence coming back.

She shot Xylia a contemptuous look. “I stand by everything I said and did. But if my dear sister’s the one who slipped up, Mr. Garcia–and all you organizers–don’t let her off the hook just because she’s got Mr. Garcia in

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her corner.”

Even with everything that had happened, Tessa was still hell–bent on blaming Xylia for all of it.

Connor was starting to think she was beyond saving.

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The audience still hadn’t left, and just as Connor was about to speak, an event official strode in and walked straight up to him.

“Connor, our investigation shows you weren’t originally on the judges‘ panel–you were brought in out of nowhere. Word is, you got in by cozying up to Secretary Li. On behalf of the organizers, I’m here to officially strip you of your judge status,” the official announced.

As soon as the official finished speaking, a wave of whispers swept through the crowd.

“Turns out the real backdoor deal was someone else!”

“All that talk about Ms. Sadler cheating, but Mr. Ford’s tight with Ms. Schultz. If she really cheated, no way Mr. Ford votes for her. Are those two even working together? Do they have any clue what the other’s doing?”

“Wait, isn’t Ms. Schultz kind of familiar? Is she a celebrity or something?”

“Oh, right! She was a top dancer back in the day–crazy famous in the dance world. Didn’t she quit a while ago?”

“Oh come on! I heard she’s about to land a TV role. Do these celebs even care about their public image anymore? Why would she get herself tangled up in all this drama?”

As soon as Tessa realized someone had recognized her, she instantly ducked her head to avoid attention.

‘Why do they have to spot me at the worst possible moment?‘ Tessa thought.

Connor, dragged into this mess thanks to Tessa, his face had turned completely ashen.

And of course, Joshua just had to twist the knife, showing zero mercy as he piped up to Connor. “Ms. Schultz has been gunning for my girlfriend from the start, always talking about cheating–who would’ve thought your ‘husband‘ is the one who really pulled strings to sneak in?”

“We’re not married!” Tessa snapped back, her voice sharp.

Tessa shot back without missing a beat.

Now that people in the audience had spotted her, she couldn’t risk them finding out about her wedding plans.

Getting hitched would be a total buzzkill for her showbiz career.

Connor looked like he’d swallowed a lemon, his face going even paler.

Xylia looked from Tessa to Connor, trying to read their faces.

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Chapter 222

She thought, ‘Guess they’re not as picture–perfect as they pretend to be after all.

Joshua noticed Xylia’s gaze and, a little possessive, tilted her chin up, making her meet his eyes.

“Hey, what are you looking at?” he asked, sounding a bit moody.

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Xylia, sensing the jealousy rolling off him, blinked playfully. “Just admiring my boyfriend–he’s seriously handsome!” she teased.

Joshua couldn’t help but grin.

He took Xylia’s hand and led her out of the competition venue.

“Take all the time you need for the investigation, but I expect my girlfriend’s name to be cleared when it’s done,” Joshua said, his tone unwavering.

The design competition hosted by Quezada & Co. was now in shambles, all thanks to Tessa’s sabotage–its reputation completely shot.

The whole thing reeked of unfairness now.

The venue was forced to clear out in a hurry.

The awards ceremony would have to wait until the investigation was done.

Josie followed the event officials back to the studio.

Meanwhile, Joshua took Xylia to a private lounge set up by the organizers–for the sake of appearances, of

course.

Now it was just Joshua and Xylia in the lounge.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Joshua pulled Xylia into a tight embrace, lowering his head to gently squeeze her cheek–as if settling some scores.

“You checked Connor out three times just now,” he grumbled, obvious jealousy in his tone.

Xylia felt his playful grip on her face, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“Are you really this petty? Actually counting how many times I glanced at him?” she shot back, half amused, half exasperated.

‘Is he for real? Who even does that–keeping tabs like some jealous boyfriend?‘ she thought.

“I’m not petty. I just don’t like you looking at him,” he said, his voice low and serious.

Xylia swatted his hand away and looked up at him, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

“What about Xavi? Can I look at him?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope. I don’t like you looking at any guy but me,” he said, his tone firm.

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Chapter 222

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There was a sulky undertone in his words–even though it sounded like he was pouting, Joshua’s face was all

serious.

Seeing that, Xylia started to wonder if he actually meant it.

She shot Joshua a cautious look.

“Wait, are you one of those crazy possessive boyfriends from web novels? Is it illegal for me to even talk to other guys now? What’s next, are you gonna lock me in some golden cage?” Xylia joked, side–eyeing him, half teasing and half testing how far he’d

1. go.

Joshua seemed to actually stop and weigh her words, like he was genuinely considering whether her ‘suggestion‘ was doable.

“Honestly, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Joshua replied, sounding way too serious for comfort.

Xylia, fed up, gave him a playful punch. “You’re too much!”

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