Billionaire And His Son Betrayed Me: Brothers Back Me Up novel Chapter 274

Chapter 274

Joshua’s gaze grew heavy, and for a moment, a flash of panic darted across his eyes.

He tossed his phone aside, turned on his heel and pulled Xylia’s hand, looking her over anxiously from head

to toe.

“Are you hurt?” Joshua asked, voice tight with concern.

Xylia was momentarily stunned by his sudden intensity. Noticing the genuine panic in his eyes, she placed her hand gently over his, replying, “I’m really fine, Joshua. What’s got you so worried?”

Seeing her calm and unharmed, Joshua finally let out a slow breath, the knot of anxiety inside him beginning to loosen.

But the image of that photo, with its up–close, intimate vibe, kept haunting Joshua, growing stronger the longer he thought about it.

Even though the picture was shot from a sneaky angle, Joshua immediately recognized the place—it was the cafeteria right below their office building. He trusted Xylia without a doubt, but it was obvious someone had deliberately sent him that photo, trying to drive a wedge between them.

If someone had schemed against her in such a public spot, it meant Xylia was definitely being watched.

Joshua’s enemies in Norhill were really just a handful of usual suspects.

Time to check them all out, one at a time.

But deep down, Joshua suspected the real troublemaker was that mutt who’d shown up from Country D.

He kept the photo from the email to himself, opting instead to ask Xylia about everything that had happened today.

Xylia picked up on Joshua’s unusually calm exterior and found herself a little confused.

‘Why’s he acting so jumpy all of a sudden?‘ Xylia wondered to herself.

She didn’t think much of it, and with a shrug, she told Joshua everything that happened at lunch, leaving out nothing.

Listening to her story, Joshua’s brow knit tightly once again.

He reached over, as if ready to check her for burns himself. “Are you sure you really didn’t get hurt?”

Xylia grabbed his hand and sighed, “I’m fine, seriously. If it wasn’t for Richard from the company upstairs, my face would’ve been totally ruined.”

She tried to crack a joke to ease things up, but Joshua’s face only grew darker,

“I’m really okay,” Xylia insisted.

Chapter 274

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Joshua didn’t rush to start the car. Instead, he gently scooped up Xylia’s small hand in his palm, holding it

close.

“You said his name was Richard?” Joshua pressed.

Xylia nodded, matching Joshua’s suddenly serious expression. “Is… is there a problem?”

‘Of course there’s a problem.‘ Joshua’s thoughts flashed coldly.

‘Hell yes, there’s a problem!‘ Joshua’s possessive side flared up–no way he’d let this slide.

Richard… Richard… Joshua chewed over the name in his mind, icy suspicion flickering in his eyes.

The guy in the photo was too blurry to make out, but Joshua figured he’d have to confirm it himself–face to face.

His dark expression slowly melted away, replaced by a faint smile. His eyes softened, as if the stormy look from a moment ago had been nothing but a trick of the light.

“No problem, just asking,” Joshua replied smoothly. “Looks like I’ll need to thank this life–saver in person tomorrow.” His voice was easygoing, but there was something unreadable behind it.

Xylia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something dangerous lurking beneath his words.

But when she saw Joshua acting so calm–except for a trace of lingering worry in his eyes–Xylia finally dismissed her uneasy feeling.

“Yeah, we really owe him a proper thank you,” Xylia said with a smile.

Joshua finally started up the car.

The streets were quiet at night, and as Joshua guided them down the familiar road, his foot instinctively eased up on the accelerator.

The car slowed down.

He’d driven this road to the Sadler family’s place more times than he could count.

Joshua drummed his fingers absent–mindedly on the steering wheel, clearly weighing something up in his mind.

“It’s getting pretty late,” Joshua said in a soft, even tone, as if it wasn’t anything important.

Xylia glanced at the clock–it was almost ten o’clock.

“Yeah, it is getting late,” Xylia agreed, stifling a yawn. “I’m pretty beat. I’ll just crash as soon as I get home.”

Joshua shot a glance at her and went on, “Your family’s place is way out there. It’ll take a whole hour to get there. By the time you finally get home, it’ll be close to eleven. Then you still have to wash up and get to bed, and tomorrow you’ve got to get up so early again. That’s really exhausting, you know?”

8:38 Thu, Sep 25

Chapter 274

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Xylia propped her arm against the window, her face turned toward the city lights and the busy crowds

outside.

When she heard Joshua’s words, the corners of her mouth curled into a soft smile.

Her apartment was close by–a quick ten to fifteen minute drive from here.

Joshua was pretty much wearing his intentions on his sleeve.

Xylia pretended not to get it. “Who isn’t tired from work? Just gotta push through a few more days–come the weekend, I’ll catch up on sleep.”

The traffic light flipped red.

The car rolled to a stop at the intersection.

The next right was her turn–off back to the apartment.

Joshua kept a calm exterior, but inside he was quietly scheming.

When Xylia mentioned staying at her family’s place for a few days, Joshua had agreed without hesitation.

But now, as he drove her home, he realized he couldn’t bear to see her go.

Just thinking about not being able to hold her tonight, not having her familiar softness and scent next to him, Joshua knew he’d be tossing and turning all night.

“It’s really late,” Joshua said, sounding casual but not fooling anyone. “Why don’t you stay at the apartment tonight?”

He didn’t beat around the bush.

Xylia turned to look at him, her smile soft and tender.

Joshua tilted his head, heart thumping. ‘Looks like I’ve got a chance!‘ he thought, hope flickering in his chest.

But in the next second, Xylia shut him down, her voice cool and decisive. “Nope, I promised Sonny I’d be staying at the Sadler family’s place for the next two weeks.”

Joshua’s brow knitted in annoyance,

“Didn’t you say it’d just be a few days? How did that get bumped up to half a month?” Joshua protested, clearly

put out.

She was just making it sound way more dramatic than it actually was.

Honestly, even if Joshua didn’t care, Xylia herself couldn’t stand being apart from him that long.

She stared at Joshua’s face–he looked like he’d just been struck by lightning–and couldn’t help messing with him, refusing to answer on purpose and enjoying his reaction.

Chapter 274

The light turned green.

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The constant honking from behind forced Joshua to start the car, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

He never got an answer from Xylia, and when the light turned green at the next intersection, Joshua had no choice but to steer the car toward the Sadler family’s place, going against his own wishes.

The silence hung heavy between them, lasting all the way until they reached her destination.

They arrived at the Sadler family’s house.

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