Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 271

Chapter 271

After saying that, Joshua let go of Xylia and crawled onto the bed, making himself comfortable.

Xylia was speechless.

‘Seriously? He still thinks he’s sober?‘ Xylia thought to herself.

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She had no choice but to wet a towel and wipe Joshua’s face. She took off his clothes and put on a set of pajamas she’d borrowed from Leon’s room.

Drunk Joshua was surprisingly well–behaved. Even with his eyes closed, he just did whatever Xylia told him to do.

He sat up the moment she told him to, and lifted his arms just like she asked–totally following orders without a fuss.

Once he was changed, he sprawled face–down on the bed and drifted right off, dead to the world.

Xylia shook her head, chuckling to herself. “Look at that–he’s actually kinda sweet when he’s drunk.”

Just then, Joshua’s phone started ringing. Xylia glanced at him–he was already out cold–so she picked up his phone and checked the screen.

It was Eliza calling.

As soon as Xylia picked up, Eliza jumped right in, not even giving her a chance to say hello.

“Joshua, you need to come home. Noelle’s back,” Eliza said, her voice urgent.

Eliza sounded really anxious.

Xylia took a moment before answering, “Aunt Eliza, Joshua’s had a bit too much to drink tonight and he’s already out cold. Maybe he can come home tomorrow instead?”

On the other end, Eliza clearly hadn’t expected Xylia to pick up.

As soon as she realized, Eliza hurried to say, “Oh, it’s you, Xylia, Joshua told me he was having dinner at your place tonight, so I thought he’d be done by now. No worries, let him sleep if he’s drunk.”

“Alright, Aunt Eliza, I’ll let him know to head home tomorrow,” Xylia replied.

There was a brief pause, then Eliza simply said goodbye and hung up.

Xylia set Joshua’s phone on the nightstand.

After getting cleaned up, she flopped onto her bed and was out in no time.

The next morning, Xylia filled Joshua in on Eliza’s call from the night before.

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Chapter 271

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Joshua was still feeling a bit groggy from the night before, and when he heard what Xylia said, he paused for a

moment.

Then he let out a cold laugh. “Got it.”

‘So she actually went back to the Garcia family?‘ Joshua thought.

‘Trying to cozy up to soft–hearted Eliza for protection, huh?‘ Joshua mused.

Xylia kept her distance when it came to anything related to Noelle–she wasn’t about to get involved.

That morning, after the family sent Leon and Mia on their way, Xylia went to the office and Joshua returned to the Garcia family home.

The quiet sound of sobbing drifted from the living room, mixed with the soft, comforting tone of Eliza’s voice.

“It’s okay, it’s all behind you now. Just stay here at home and don’t worry about anything else. I’ll make sure Joshua doesn’t send you abroad again,” Eliza reassured her.

Hearing Eliza’s voice, Joshua made his way slowly into the room.

In the sunken living room, two women sat together on the couch.

Eliza, dressed in relaxed homewear, sat close by, worry etched on her face as she tried to soothe the girl next to her.

Noelle had only been out of the country for a few weeks, but she’d really lost weight and looked totally drained.

She was still wearing the same white dress from before she left, but it was hanging loose and baggy now- guess things hadn’t been easy for her out there.

As Joshua walked in, Eliza spotted him first.

“Joshua, you’re back. I need to talk to you. Have a seat,” Eliza said.

Joshua sat down on a nearby single sofa, silent and blank–faced, not showing any reaction at all.

Noelle barely glanced at Joshua before quickly dropping her gaze.

She kept her gaze lowered, trying to hide the mix of fear and hope in her eyes.

She was shaking so pitifully it made Eliza’s heart ache.

Eliza reached out and squeezed Noelle’s hand, trying to comfort her, before turning to Joshua.

“Joshua, Noelle knows she was wrong. Let her apologize to Xylia and just let this go, okay? She’s not safe on her own out there–this time, she got tricked into going to Daltonia. If she hadn’t been clever enough to fool those gang members, she probably wouldn’t have made it back,” Eliza pleaded.

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Chapter 271

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Just imagining Noelle having to face all that dangerous stuff alone left Eliza deeply unsettled.

Her voice grew serious and determined. “Anyway, this time, I’m not letting Noelle leave the Garcia family again.”

Joshua stayed quiet.

The lowered shadows from his lashes concealed the chill lurking in his eyes.

Eliza’s concern for Noelle came straight from the heart–she truly saw her as one of their own.

But Noelle was fabricating the whole thing, pretending to be a victim just to win sympathy, and it instantly softened Eliza’s heart.

After a brief silence, Joshua slowly shifted his gaze toward Noelle.

“Tell me how exactly did Richard lure you to Daltonia, and how did you manage to escape him?” Joshua asked, his tone cool and direct.

When she was with Eliza, Noelle could put on her frail facade and spin her tale effortlessly, talking about her made–up ordeal without missing a beat.

But facing Joshua, all her complaints were caught in her throat–she simply couldn’t speak.

Deep down, she knew that no matter if her story was made up or heartbreakingly real, even if she poured her soul out to Joshua, he wouldn’t bat an eye.

The Joshua who’d do anything for her was long gone.

Now that he had a girlfriend, he wouldn’t even spare her a second glance.

Xylia had stolen every bit of Joshua’s attention.

Thinking about all that, Noelle clenched her fists on her knees, barely holding back the wave of anger boiling up inside.

“I… a few days ago, I got this random call. Some guy said he had dirt on you–he wanted me to go to Daltonia, or he’d use it to mess with you,” Noelle finally forced out, hands clenched tight as she spoke.

“What dirt?” Joshua interrupted coldly, not letting her finish.

Joshua cut her off without giving her a chance to explain.

Noelle muttered, “Your soft spot–Xylia.”

Her voice barely carried, and when she said Xylia’s name there was this subtle edge of resentment—almost hidden, but it was there.

Joshua’s smirk grew even colder, the sarcasm clear on his lips.

“Oh really? Why not just come to me with it–what, did you have to jet off to Daltonia for that?” Joshua shot

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Chapter 271

back, his voice sharp.

“I… I was scared to call you,” Noelle mumbled, her voice shaky.

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“Scared to call me, huh? What, you couldn’t have called my mom either?” Joshua pressed, narrow–eyed.

Noelle’s complexion turned ghostly white. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t get anything out–too flustered even to speak.

Seeing Noelle so upset, Eliza stepped in to defend her. “Joshua, she’s only worried about you–why are you grilling her like this? Can you talk to her nicely?”

Since Eliza had spoken, Joshua let it drop and just said, “Go on.”

Noelle quietly exhaled, feeling a bit of relief, then continued, “I went to Daltonia and met Richard. That’s when I realized he only wanted to use me to threaten you. He knew my brother had saved your life, so he thought you’d never let me die no matter what.”

“I saw corpses… and watched them rip out people’s tongues. I was terrified, so I lied and said you’d already repaid my brother’s favor–and that the only person you care about now is Xylia,” Noelle added, her voice faltering.

Noelle burst into tears as she spoke, unable to hold it in any longer.

She lifted her gaze to Joshua, her eyes hollow with despair.

“I’m sorry, Joshua… I was just so terrified that I told Richard everything about you and Xylia. After I escaped, Richard followed me to Norhill–he’s definitely going to make trouble for Xylia. That’s why I rushed back to tell you right away. I’m so, so sorry,” Noelle stammered, her voice quivering.

She was sobbing uncontrollably now, like she was falling apart inside.

Seeing her like this, Eliza couldn’t bear it–she passed her one tissue after another, murmuring soft words of

comfort.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. The important thing is that you’re home safe now,” Eliza kept reassuring her.

Joshua just watched it all with a cold, distant look–he was totally unaffected, his eyes growing even chillier.