Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1368

James picked up the signed documents and stepped out of the study. Outside the door stood his assistant, Keaton. James handed him the folders and gave a few low-voiced instructions. Emmy couldn't hear the exact words, but watching his broad back, her own goals crystallized with striking clarity. The only way to fiercely guard this hard-won peace was to become stronger. So strong that no one would ever dare to cross her again.

Taking a deep breath, she settled back into the desk chair and began tackling the backlog of paperwork she needed to review. Not long after, the study door swung open again. James walked in holding a ceramic mug. The rich, spicy-sweet aroma of brown sugar and ginger instantly filled the room. He stepped up to the desk and placed the mug right by her hand.

"Drink it while it is hot."

Emmy looked at the ginger tea in surprise. Several thin slices of aged ginger floated in the dark brown liquid. "How did you know?"

She instinctively placed a hand over her lower stomach. Calculating the dates, it really was supposed to be these couple of days.

James leaned against the edge of the desk, looking down at her with a smile that was equal parts teasing and endlessly tender. "I memorize your cycle every single month."

The tips of Emmy's ears burned slightly. She picked up the mug and took a small sip. The spicy kick melted into a soothing sweetness that slid down her throat, instantly sending a comforting wave of warmth spreading through her stomach.

After she finished the tea, their conversation inevitably shifted back to serious matters, specifically, the catastrophic incident deep in the Fijian waters.

"Everything was pure chaos." Emmy set the mug down, forcing herself to dissect every fragmented detail from before she lost consciousness. "Someone tampered with my oxygen tank. The suffocation hit me incredibly fast. I remember fighting to swim upward, but someone had tethered my ankle with a nylon rope, dragging me down into the abyss. Later, as my consciousness started fading, I felt someone grab my wrist and pull me toward the surface."

She looked up at James, her eyes brimming with gratitude. "You arrived just in time to pull me out of the water, didn't you?"

However, James's brow locked into a heavy scowl. "No."

Emmy froze. "What?"

Emmy's heart skipped a terrifying beat. That was the spot she frequented in her past life. It held the coral reefs she knew best. Dean knew her inside and out, which was exactly why, when Mercedes challenged her to a diving contest, Emmy had instinctively chosen the location she was most familiar with. And Dean had been waiting for her right there in the dark.

Emmy fell silent for a moment, deliberately steering away from explaining the usual spot slip-up. "What I mean is, I studied the nautical charts beforehand and decided that area was the most optimal for a deep dive. If Mercedes was conspiring with Dean, she absolutely would have maneuvered me toward that specific location. It is just..."

Emmy shifted gears, her frown returning. "How did Mercedes end up with her wrist slashed?"

This was currently the most glaring discrepancy. If Mercedes was an accomplice, why would Dean turn around and viciously attack her?

James watched Emmy closely for a moment. He noticed how smoothly she had dodged the explanation of her usual spot, but chose not to interrogate her. Instead, he followed her lead. "According to the medical examiner, her wound was inflicted by an exceptionally sharp blade, slicing through the tendons in a fraction of a second. The cut was surgically precise. The preliminary theory is that someone tried to silence her permanently."

Emmy still felt the pieces didn't fit. "If they really wanted to execute her to tie up loose ends, wouldn't slitting her throat have been ten times faster? Why bother slicing a non-fatal spot like her wrist?"