Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1126

James froze on the other end of the line. The jealousy was practically dripping through the phone, like he could smell it all the way from across the Pacific. He leaned back against his headboard, a smile flickering in his eyes. “I already had someone take her home,” he said, trying to sound casual. Then he pressed a little further. “You haven’t answered my messages or picked up your phone. Is it because of her?”

Emmy let out a little laugh, but it sounded more defensive than convincing. “I’m not the jealous type. I’ve just been busy. Haven’t had time for you, that’s all. The Sync project is almost done. We’re finishing up the last of the data, and tomorrow I’ll run the control group tests a couple more times. If everything checks out, we can finally submit the project.”

James went along with her, not pushing. “That’s awesome. Congrats.”

A few seconds of silence hung between them.

Emmy finally blurted out, “So, are you and Mercedes close?”

James’s voice dropped a little. “Yeah, we used to be.”

Emmy’s fingers tightened on her phone. She didn’t say anything, but James must have sensed her mood, because he jumped in quickly, talking a bit faster than normal, sounding almost desperate to explain himself. “But that was a long time ago. We haven’t really talked in years. This project is the only reason we reconnected, and yesterday was maybe the second time I’ve seen her in forever.”

Emmy didn’t know what to make of it. Her brain told her to be mature. Everyone has friends of the opposite sex, right? But then she remembered Abriella’s message, and the way Mercedes had answered the phone yesterday, all familiar and just a little bit challenging.

She couldn’t help herself. Her voice was cool, almost detached. “So, you two were really close back then?”

James paused. He knew the truth might not go down easy, but he didn’t want to lie to her. He answered honestly. “Yeah, we were pretty close.”

James picked up on her cue and followed along. “I’m good. It’s really nothing.”

“Don’t act tough,” Emmy started, her voice slipping into full-on lecture mode. “Change your bandages on time. No heavy lifting or exercise for a few days. If you sweat, the wound could get infected. And don’t even think about taking a shower, just wipe yourself down. Absolutely no water near the stitches. Watch what you eat, too. No spicy food, nothing irritating…”

She kept going, listing out all the things he needed to remember. James leaned against his headboard, listening to her crisp, bossy voice, a soft smile spreading across his face. He loved the feeling of being fussed over.

Just as Emmy was still talking, a beeping sound cut through. She glanced at her phone and spoke quickly. “Abriella’s calling. I need to take this. I’ll call you back later.”

Before he could say anything, she hung up. James stared at the blank screen, frowned, and let out a helpless sigh.