Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1040

James crossed the entire length of the Nelson Corporation corridor in seconds. The distance was easily a hundred meters, but he moved so fast that the plants lining the hallway shook from the wind in his wake. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of Emmy. The tension rolling off him was so intense, it felt like you could reach out and touch it.

For a moment, his heart was lodged in his throat, but then he saw her. Emmy was standing there, perfectly fine, not a single hair out of place. Relief washed over his face. His gaze swept around the scene, sharp and dark. Wiona was collapsed on the floor, clutching her stomach, while his mother, Shelly, looked pale as a ghost. James’s expression turned icy, almost threatening.

He strode up to Emmy, but before he could say a word, Shelly rushed over. She was so shaken that her finger trembled as she pointed straight at Emmy.

“James, look what she’s done. She’s insane. She fired a gun right here in Nelson Corporation headquarters. She almost killed Wiona. You have to explain this, to me and to the White family. A woman like her can’t just waltz into the board meeting. She needs to be arrested, right now. Send her to the police!”

Shelly tried to grab James’s sleeve, desperate to make him see Emmy for who she really thought she was. But James’s eyes went cold. He shook off Shelly’s hand and took Emmy’s instead. Then he turned to Shelly, his stare sharp enough to cut.

“If anyone here is crazy, it’s you.” His voice was quiet, but there was no room for argument.

Shelly froze. She looked at her son, completely stunned. James stepped forward, shielding Emmy with his body.

“If you try to mess with my wife again,” he said, his voice dangerously calm, “she won’t need to fire a gun. I’ll tie Wiona up myself and send her back to the White family. They can do whatever they want with her.”

Shelly’s eyes went wide, like she was seeing a stranger. “What did you just say? I’m your mother. Is this how you talk to me?” Her voice shook with anger. “What has she done to you? Do you have any idea how much damage she’s done to the Nelson family’s reputation? And now, because of her, you and Tyler are at each other’s throats. The whole city is laughing at us!”

Wiona was still sitting on the floor, gasping for breath. She stared after Penny, her eyes burning with frustration. No one in the White family had ever dared to cross her, let alone lay a hand on her. Penny was the first. Wiona wasn’t about to let that go.

At the other end of the hallway, as James and Emmy approached the conference room, the shareholders who had been watching the scene quickly slipped back into their seats. Just as Emmy reached the doorway, Joshua hurried over with a file in his hands.

“Sorry, Ms. Lincoln, I’m late. Here are the details on your share ownership. The process was a bit more complicated than I expected, so there was a delay.”

Almost without thinking, Emmy let go of James’s hand and took the file.