Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1258

That day, a lot of people overheard Mercedes’s assistant bragging about how James had flown in just for her, saying he was here because they were meant to be, like they were some epic love story. Supposedly, James was Mercedes’s soulmate. Those rumors had only made Emmy’s misunderstanding of James worse.

Mercedes’s gaze darted away for a split second. Honestly, she had dropped a hint to her assistant to spread those stories, just so everyone would know she was more important to James than Emmy was. Still, she didn’t think she’d done anything wrong.

With her chin lifted in defiance, Mercedes argued, “He’s my Nico. Why shouldn’t he come to the gala for me?”

“I was just trying to help him, you know?” Mercedes went on, her voice rising. “I introduced him to some top-tier tech experts. I wanted to help Janus Sphere Technologies grow its talent pool.”

Now she stared accusingly at Emmy. “But thanks to your meltdown, Nico didn’t get to meet any of them. Do you even realize what a loss that is for him?”

Emmy just found the whole thing ridiculous. “You keep saying you’re helping James, but do you actually know anything about Janus Sphere Technologies?”

Mercedes froze, trying to look confident. “Of course I do. It’s Nico’s baby.”

“Then why don’t you tell me the company’s main focus right now?” Emmy pressed.

Mercedes opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She only knew it had something to do with AI, that it sounded fancy and made a lot of money. The details, especially the technical side, were a mystery—she was in showbiz, not coding.

Seeing Mercedes at a loss, Emmy’s eyes turned sharp, her voice even colder. “You don’t know anything at all. This whole ‘helping’ thing is just you trying to get Nico’s attention.”

She continued, “Right now, Janus Sphere Technologies needs experts in AI ecological protection algorithms for tropical oceans, and architects with serious eco-credentials. The people my husband scouted at the gala are specialists in exactly that. They’re a perfect fit.”

“Did your so-called top experts even work in this field?”

Mercedes faltered. Truth was, when she reached out, she’d only cared about their big reputations. She hadn’t checked if their expertise matched what Nico actually needed.

Even so, she tried to hold her ground. “But they’re all the best—real leaders in their industries! I worked hard to set up those meetings. And because you made a huge scene at the gala, Nico had to skip out. That’s just a fact, isn’t it?”

It was as clear a goodbye as it could get.

Mercedes’s face fell even further. She’d come here hoping to intimidate Emmy, maybe even ruin her day, but it was like punching a pillow—she just ended up flustered and angry herself.

She stood up anyway. Now that she’d been shown the door, there was no reason to keep hanging around.

Just as she reached the exit, something seemed to occur to her and she turned back, voice chilly.

“Add me on messenger, would you? It’ll make things easier when we need to talk about work, or Nico. After all, if things get too tense between us, he’ll be the one stuck in the middle.”

Without waiting for a reply, Mercedes turned on her heel and stormed out, her heels echoing on the floor. The door clicked shut behind her, and the suite finally fell quiet.