Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1119

James’s phone rang out of nowhere, cutting straight through the quiet. The video call he’d been on dropped instantly. He jerked awake, eyes snapping open, sharp and alert. For a split second, he wasn’t groggy at all. Instead, there was a dangerous glint in his gaze, something cold and lethal.

His body tensed, falling into a defensive stance. His right hand automatically went to his waist, searching for something that wasn’t there. That’s when it finally hit him. He was in a hospital, not on a battlefield.

Frustration washed over him, heavy and bitter. Had he really just fallen asleep? Worse, he’d been out cold for over five hours.

He pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to clear his head, and glanced at his phone. The video call was gone. Now there was only an incoming call from an unsaved number. He didn’t have to check to know who it was.

James’s brows drew together, but he answered anyway.

A woman’s voice came through, shaky and on the verge of tears. “Nico, can you come get me? I’m scared…”

James’s frown deepened. “What happened?”

She rushed in with her explanation. “I’m filming in Cloudville. I heard the troops pulled back from the border, so I figured you’d be home too. I wanted to come see you at the border hospital.” She barely paused for breath. “But the paparazzi wouldn’t stop chasing my car. My agent and assistant took the van to lead them away, and I drove a Bentley down a back road. It broke down halfway.”

He knew that voice. Mercedes. The superstar everyone was obsessed with.

She sounded defeated and a little desperate. “I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere. My phone keeps losing signal.” She sniffed softly. “I finally managed to get through to you… Nico, can you come pick me up?”

Half an hour later, his SUV tore down the rough road. In the distance, he spotted a white Bentley, tilted awkwardly into a ditch. Mercedes was curled up inside.

As soon as she saw the SUV coming, and recognized him through the cloud of dust, her eyes lit up. She ripped off her sunglasses, burst out of the car, and hurried over. Even out here, she was covered from head to toe, her trench coat buttoned up to her chin, a scarf wrapped tightly around her head. She looked terrified of being recognized.

Her eyes, the only thing visible, shimmered with unshed tears as she gazed at James, full of unspoken pleas.

James swung the SUV around so the passenger door faced her. The window slid down. His voice was cool, almost indifferent.

“Get in.”