Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1031

The SUV rolled forward for a while, headlights slicing through the darkness. Suddenly, two tall iron gates loomed ahead, black and heavy, almost intimidating. At the entrance, guards stood at attention, rifles in hand, their posture sharp and unyielding. The moment they spotted the familiar license plate, both sentries snapped into a perfect salute. The gates slid open with a quiet authority, and the car slipped inside without a hitch.

Emmy pressed her face to the window, eyes wide with surprise. Everything outside looked like something out of a movie. There was a grand old European mansion, the kind with ivy crawling up its stone walls, making it feel both mysterious and a little foreboding in the dark. It was eerily quiet except for the steady, marching footsteps of soldiers on patrol.

She couldn’t help but blurt out, “What is this place?”

James, calm as ever, kept one hand on the wheel. “My private house on the base,” he said.

That only made Emmy more confused. She pointed toward the guards outside. “Do all Special Forces guys get this kind of treatment?”

To her, this looked way less like a house and way more like a mini fortress.

James glanced over, a small smile barely touching his lips. “It used to belong to my grandmother. But yeah, I guess you could say the military looks out for me.”

He paused, his voice dropping. “Actually, they just offered me a chance to come back again. I haven’t decided yet.”

The car took a gentle turn and pulled into a wide garage. As soon as James cut the engine, the silence pressed in on them. He unbuckled, got out, and circled around to open Emmy’s door. He braced a hand above her head, making sure she wouldn’t bump it as she stepped out.

“Come on,” he said.

She took his hand and let him help her out, her heels making a sharp, clear sound against the concrete. Without thinking, James held onto her hand, their fingers falling into place together.

“Let me show you around,” he told her. “Wouldn’t want you getting lost next time.”

But Emmy was still stuck on what he’d said before. “Second time they’ve asked you to come back?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

She thought about it for a second. For James to take over the Nelson Corporation for Jamie, he must have left the military and gotten into business a while ago. But being asked to return a second time? That didn’t sound normal. Usually, when someone left the army, that was it. No one came knocking again and again.

“My second retirement was in Fiji,” he said quietly. “I was looking for you. I had to stay overseas for a long time. Because of everything that was going on, and with all the confidentiality rules, they processed my official discharge.”

Talking about that time clearly weighed on him. The air around him seemed heavier, and Emmy could almost feel the pain he tried to hide. That must have been the lowest point in his life. Without her, nothing else mattered.

Emmy felt a sharp ache in her chest and stepped a little closer to him.

James pulled himself together and kept going. “But when I finally found you and came back to finish things up, my commanding officer tracked me down again. He didn’t want to let me go. He wanted me to stay on as a sergeant major. Even before I’d made up my mind, he’d already set up a team for me, just waiting for me to take over.”

Emmy shook her head, even more confused. “Sergeant major? What does that mean?”

Ranks and military jobs were a total mystery to her.