Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 764

James saw her too.

Their eyes met for a split second, the kind of charged, accidental collision that makes the world seem to pause. For just a moment, the icy calm in his eyes broke, surprise flickering there before his sharp, guarded look softened just a little.

Emmy dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to look straight ahead and keep walking, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything at all.

They passed each other, barely inches apart.

Then she heard it, his deep, magnetic voice behind her.

“You all go ahead.”

Emmy’s back went ramrod straight.

From behind, the chorus of polished voices answered in perfect sync. “Yes, Mr. Nelson.”

She didn’t turn around, just followed the attendant into a quiet, elegant pavilion tucked away from all the noise.

Inside, a man sat at the head of the table, his presence commanding the whole space. He was typing quickly on a laptop, focused, precise. Next to him, a tea master in an elegant dress was preparing tea, letting the fragrant steam spiral through the air.

“Mr. Nelson, Mr. Lincoln has arrived,” the secretary said softly, stepping forward.

Jared didn’t stop what he was doing, but his gaze flicked up to meet Emmy’s.

She gave a polite nod. “Mr. Nelson.”

“Please wait a moment, Mr. Lincoln. I just need to finish this.” Jared gestured toward his secretary. “Give the documents to Mr. Lincoln.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary took out a thick stack of papers from a briefcase and handed them over to Emmy.

She accepted them, puzzled, her fingers brushing the top page. When she saw the bold title, she froze.

Self-Reflection

Emmy fought to hide her surprise and kept reading. The signature at the bottom caught her eye.

Shelly.

Mrs. Nelson?

She didn’t take the olive branch, didn’t even acknowledge the gesture.

Jared’s hand, still holding his teacup, paused in the air. He clearly hadn’t expected Emmy to be so professional, so detached. She had read his wife’s ten-page apology as if it were just some random report, her expression never changing.

He looked at her differently now. He’d heard about the drama Shelly had stirred up lately. If Emmy had just accepted an apology so easily, he would have thought she was too soft, too easy to manipulate, not someone who could handle the Nelson family.

A slow, thoughtful smile curved Jared’s lips.

He set his teacup down and leaned back, his presence somehow becoming even more intense.

“All right,” he said.

“In that case, Mr. Lincoln, why don’t you start by updating us on the agricultural project?”

But Emmy didn’t dive into the report right away. Instead, she slid the apology out of her way and looked him straight in the eye, her voice calm and clear.

“Before I start, I’d like to ask you something, Mr. Nelson.”

“Why did our agricultural project only get third-tier support?”