Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

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When Xylia woke up again, the sight of the familiar–yet–unfamiliar room left her disoriented, struggling to tell dream from reality. A dull ache still throbbed in her ankle.

“Mrs. Ford,” a doctor’s voice reached her, “you really need to take care of that injury from now on. On damp, painful days, soak your feet. Try not to walk too much, or it might not heal right.”

Pushing herself up, Xylia realized she was in her bedroom at Ford Mansion.

She’d just thanked the doctor and hadn’t even had a moment to collect her thoughts when Connor pushed the door open and strode in.

His expression was icy, and he seemed to carry a chill into the room with him. His gaze landed on Xylia, and a flicker of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

Connor stalked to the edge of her bed. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. A cold laugh escaped him. “Xylia, nice move.”

Xylia frowned, wrenching her arm free. “What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Connor scoffed, his eyes dark and stormy, teetering on the edge of fury. “You showed up without even knocking, stood out in the rain on purpose and made yourself sick–all just to play the victim in front of Grandpa? Hoping he’ll yell at Tessa for you? Xylia, how can you be so vicious?”

Xylia was still deathly pale from her illness. When she heard Connor’s words, the realization hit her that he was just standing up for Tessa. The thought felt bitterly ironic.

Sonny jumped in right after his dad, glaring at Xylia like she was the enemy, not his mom. “You’re so mean.” he shouted, his eyes full of hate, “Why do you always pick on Tessa? You deserve to be locked up for another three months.”

Xylia’s fingers curled slightly. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, but her voice was ice cold when she spoke to the two of them. “I knocked. Didn’t you hear?”

Sonny froze at her words. He shot a quick glance at Connor, checking for a reaction. Seeing none, a flicker of relief crossed his face.

The truth was that Sonny had heard the knock. He’d ignored it on purpose. He was determined to teach Xylia a lesson for his dad.

Just then, Tessa burst in. Her eyes were red and watery as she looked at Xylia.

“Look, Xylia,” she started, her voice soft and weak, “I know you’re not happy seeing me stay at

Chapter 23

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Ford Mansion. I’m just really worried about Grandpa, you know? Connor and I have always been just friends. His grandpa feels like my grandpa too. That’s the only reason I’m here.

“Well, if you’re mad at me, just say so. I’m not like you young girls who play all those mind games. I’m straightforward. If you’d just say you hate me, I’d stay out of your way for sure. You didn’t need to scheme to turn Grandpa against me.” Tessa’s voice trembled with tears by the end.

Sonny, hearing this, glared at Xylia, his little face puffing with anger. “You tried to make Great- grandpa hate Tessa? That’s so mean and sneaky. You’re not my mom anymore.”

Connor’s face darkened as he looked at Xylia too, colder than before.

“Xylia.” he said, his voice sharp, “Playing these dirty games only makes me dislike you more. If you want to keep being Mrs. Ford, learn the Ford family rules. And leave those nasty prison habits behind.”

Xylia listened to their accusations, a strange numbness settling over her.

A bitter smile touched her lips. “You lot are phony.” she said flatly, “Don’t drag me into it. Grandpa is critically ill, and yet here you are, first thing in the morning, dancing and having a blast in the living room.

“Your music was so loud it drowned out my knocking. You didn’t hear me. You didn’t open the door. And now you blame me? That’s rich.”

Connor hadn’t expected Xylia to fight back. Her words stung him with a flicker of guilt. Grandpa had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness yesterday, and them dancing this morning, which was dead wrong.

But what Xylia did–deliberately passing out at the door to win Grandpa’s pity and make him yell at Tessa–that was crossing the line.

Connor’s face turned icy. “Xylia,” he snapped, “don’t turn it on us. Apologize to Tessa.”

Xylia’s head throbbed, dizziness washing over her. She had no energy for this fight. “Believe whatever you want. I won’t apologize. Now get out.”

Connor’s expression darkened instantly. He moved forward, ready to lay into her, but Tessa grabbed his arm.

“Oh, Connor, stop!” Tessa said, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “Xylia is just misunderstanding our friendship. She’s jealous. That’s all. Really, it’s nothing for me to get hurt a little. Don’t fight over me. You shouldn’t let this come between husband and wife.”

She paused, pulling out her phone. “My mom just texted me to come home. I’ve got to go.”

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Chapter 23

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Connor shot Xylia one last furious glare before turning to Tessa. His expression softened instantly, like flipping a switch.

“You’re the kind one.” he said gently. “Just ignore her. She’s not thinking straight lately. I’ll walk you down.”

“Okay.” Tessa replied.

The two left, Connor leading the way.

Sonny hung back. He stared at Xylia, his little chest puffed up like an angry balloon.

Xylia’s cool, detached gaze swept over him without a word. She simply lay back down, turning

away.

Seeing her ignore him completely only made Sonny more frustrated. He let out a loud, angry huff, spun on his heel, and stomped off after Tessa and Connor.

Lying in bed, Xylia let out a heavy sigh. The biggest regret of her life was buying into Connor’s sweet talk about love, marrying him, and having his child.

But then she thought of Orion. That brought a tiny bit of comfort. At least she still had three months, well, just over two months left now. She’d spend that time right by his side. And when her time was up, she’d be free to leave.

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