The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 15

Nathaniel’s voice was that CEO tone, the one that had ended countless business negotiations and sent executives scrambling to do his bidding. He stood in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed, still in his tailored business suit despite the late hour, looking like he’d just walked out of a boardroom instead of a private jet.

“You’re not going anywhere alone again. Kevin was supposed to be with you, and instead, he was…”

“Busy,” Kevin interjected from the couch, where he’d collapsed dramatically after arriving back. “Very busy. With important

matters.”

“Chasing women,” Nathaniel finished coldly.

“Not just one woman,” Kevin protested, then seemed to realize how that sounded. “I mean… that’s not what I…”

I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. After the emotional devastation of seeing Amber and driving away, after the sleepless night spent agonizing over my decision, the sight of my brothers bickering like teenagers was almost absurdly comforting.

“Kevin, you’re the worst,” I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

“I’m not that bad!” Kevin looked genuinely wounded. “I’m just a ladies‘ man trying to help ladies satisfy their…”

“Ewww,” I interrupted, laughing harder. “Okay, I didn’t need to hear that.”

“I’m embarrassed,” Kevin said, his face turning red as he buried it in his hands.

Nathaniel shook his head with the air of someone managing a particularly difficult toddler. “The point is, you should have been with Cynthia. Instead, she spent the evening alone after a traumatic encounter.”

“I’m not a baby,” I said, trying to rein in my laughter. “I have high–level security. I’m perfectly capable of being by myself for a

few hours.”

“Clearly not, since you spent those hours falling apart about Amber,” Nathaniel said bluntly. “And now you want to go back out there alone? No. Either Kevin accompanies you, or…”

“Or what?” I challenged. “You’ll tie me to a chair?”

“I’ll ask Julian to fly back,” Nathaniel said calmly. “And then we’ll have three very angry brothers making your life difficult”

Kevin winced. “Damn, that’s a good threat. I would have gone with something softer.”

“That’s why you’re the pretty one and I run a global company,” Nathaniel replied.

I held up my hands before they could escalate further. “Okay, here’s a compromise. Helen’s flight lands today, right? With Lily? Nathaniel, you go pick up your wife and daughter from the airport. That’s important family time, and you know Helen will kill you if you’re late.”

Nathaniel started to protest, but I pressed on quickly. “Kevin will come with me It you insist on that level of caution, then fine. Kevin is my security today. He’s proven he’s willing to abandon attractive women to be with me, so clearly his priorities are in order now.”

Kevin made a small noise of protest at being called out, but didn’t argue

“And if anything…and I mean anything at all happens,” I continued, “Kevin will call you immediately. You’ll be with your family, but you’ll also be available if needed. It’s not ideal, but it’s a compromise.”

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Nathaniel looked like he wanted to argue further, but I could see the calculation happening in his mind. Helen had been texting him all morning about picking them up. Lily, who was two, had been asking for her father non–stop. His wife’s patience was wearing thin.

“Fine,” he said finally. “But Kevin…”

“I will not leave her side,” Kevin said seriously, sitting up straighter. “I swear. Cici had convinced and manipulated me into leaving her yesterday, I won’t fall for that again. No diversions. No ‘important business.‘ Just me, my sister, and whatever security detail she needs.”

“And you’ll call me if…”

“At the first sign of anything unusual,” Kevin promised. “You have my word.”

Nathaniel studied both of us for a long moment, his dark eyes narrowed, clearly unhappy but recognizing he didn’t have a better option.

I could almost see the gears turning in his head, weighing the risks of leaving me alone in Missford with only Kevin to watch over me. “Fine,” he said finally, his voice gruff with reluctance. “But I’m calling every two hours to check in.”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “That’s excessive, Nathaniel.”

“Non–negotiable,” he shot back, his tone leaving no room for argument. He pointed a finger at me, then at Kevin, who was lounging on the couch like he hadn’t a care in the world. “And if I can’t reach you…”

“Then Julian flies back,” I finished for him, a teasing smile tugging at my lips. “Yes, we all get it. Go pick up your family, Nathaniel. We’ll be fine.”

He hesitated, his hand lingering on the doorknob, his broad shoulders tense as if some invisible force was pulling him back. He turned to glance at me, then Kevin, then me again, like he was memorizing our faces in case something went wrong.

It was the same look he’d given me in Paris, when I was still recovering from surgery, when he’d sit by my hospital bed for hours, refusing to leave. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he pushed through the door, pausing one last time on the threshold before forcing himself to go.

Once the door clicked shut, Kevin flopped back onto the couch, his long legs sprawling across the cushions. “That was intense,” he said, grinning, his voice light but laced with affection. “I thought I was the overprotective one.”

I laughed, sinking into the armchair across from him, tucking my legs under me. “Oh, please. I can’t even decide who the worst of you three is. Nathaniel’s overprotectiveness is like a storm cloud…he’s all brooding intensity, ready to bring down a whole empire, like he keeps threatening to do with the Walker Industries if they so much as look at me wrong.”

Kevin’s grin widened, his sunglasses pushed up into his messy hair, revealing eyes that sparkled with mischief. “Hmmm. And me? What’s my brand of overprotective?”

I tilted my head, pretending to consider it, though I’d thought about this a hundred times since they’d welcomed me into their family. “You’re the sneaky kind,” I said, pointing at him. “You act all cool and laid–back, like you’re not worried at all, but behind the scenes? You’d catch a grenade for me. You’d ditch a Formula One race, mid–season, no less just to make sure I’m okay. Don’t think I forgot that time you canceled a press event in Monaco because I had a fever.”

Kevin’s cheeks flushed, a rare crack in his confident facade, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, you were sick. Couldn’t exactly leave you to fend for yourself, could I?”

“Uh–huh,” I said, smirking. “And Julian?”

Kevin burst out laughing, “Julian’s overprotectiveness is the weirdest. The man’s a doctor, so of course he’s sneaking into your room at 2 a.m. to check your temperature, adjust your duvet, and take your pulse like you’re his personal science experiment?”

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