Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1144

This was Overlord.

The one everyone feared. Cold-blooded, ruthless, the kind of super soldier even Death would think twice about crossing.

And right now, he was standing there, being hugged by a girl.

The guys trailing behind James stared, their eyes burning. Only they knew just how close this mission had come to disaster. If their captain hadn’t given them a shot at survival, if he hadn’t stormed that stronghold alone and taken out Black Mamba, they’d all be nothing but lost souls haunting the jungle. To be honest, their captain had almost… almost never made it back.

“Mrs. Nelson…”

Someone called out, voice thick with emotion.

James held Emmy in his arms, listening as she tried to muffle her sobs. His heart just crumbled. He swallowed hard, not caring at all about the mud or the sweat or the blood. He shoved his filthy helmet into the arms of a stunned logistics guy nearby, then wrapped Emmy up in a tight, desperate embrace.

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

For these tough border soldiers, seeing something like this was more shocking than anything they’d ever witnessed in combat. Sure, they’d heard rumors that James was married, but Dragonscale team secrets were top-level classified. Other than a few high-ups, no one actually knew who Mrs. Nelson was.

Of course, everyone had their own guesses. Some thought she was the daughter of a big-time officer, others figured she had to be some kind of legendary female instructor. But nobody pictured her like this—a girl who looked as delicate as a flower, but who’d charge right into the mud to wrap her arms around a battered hero.

The shock didn’t last long. Watching those two cling to each other, it just felt right. Like, who else could ever deserve this almost-mythical man but this brave, kind, beautiful woman?

Pretty soon, the silence broke with hushed whispers all around.

“Holy crap, that’s Mrs. Nelson? She’s gorgeous, like something out of a dream.”

“Well, yeah. Look who her husband is. You think James would settle for anything less?”

He didn’t even realize it, but the hard edge of his face softened. He lowered his head and rested his chin lightly on top of Emmy’s head. The sharp smell of gunpowder faded, replaced by the soft, familiar scent of her hair. That was all it took for the tension in him—wound tight for days—to finally let go.

“Thank you, Mrs. Nelson.” His voice was low, deep, and full of pride he couldn’t hide. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for them.”

Emmy looked up at him, her eyes still red but steady now. She reached up to touch his face, rough with paint and blood and stubble, her hand trembling.

“I should be thanking you,” she whispered, voice catching. “Thank you for coming back safe.”

Only she knew what kind of torment the last half hour had been for her.

James felt a sharp ache in his chest. He was about to say something, but Emmy suddenly pulled away as if remembering something urgent. She looked at the wounds on his body, still bleeding, and her face changed in an instant.