While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Chapter 162 The Gangster Fell for a Married Woman

The private dining room felt warm, quiet, and overly formal.

​A large round table sat right in the center, surrounded by soft cushioned chairs and wrapped in smooth silk wall hangings. A single large painting hung on the far wall, depicting a traditional mountain landscape filled with rolling rivers and light morning mist.

​Xander walked over to the table first, pulling out the chair closest to his own spot.

​He gestured toward Veyra with a smooth wave of his hand. "Please, sit here."

​Veyra glanced at the chair, then at Xander’s polite smile, and finally at the open seats on the opposite side of the broad table.

​She offered a calm, neutral smile. "I would actually prefer to sit over here beside Mia."

​Xander’s dark eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. "Mia?"

​"My core business partner," Veyra said, gesturing gently to the woman standing beside her. "We have a few urgent details to discuss regarding our new drink menu."

​Xander’s jaw tightened slightly, a momentary flicker of annoyance crossing his sharp features. He clearly was not used to women casually turning down his direct invitations.

​Veyra didn’t wait around for him to object. She walked smoothly around the round table, pulled out a comfortable chair directly across from him, and sat down. She then patted the seat next to her, signaling Mia to take it.

​Mia quickly slid into the chair, keeping her hands folded tightly in her lap and her wide eyes fixed on the tablecloth.

​Xander stood frozen by his pulled-out chair for a brief moment, his hands gripping the wooden backrest tightly and his expression stiff.

​After a second, he simply shrugged it off, walked around the table, and took his seat directly across from Veyra.

​Mia leaned her head closer to Veyra’s shoulder, keeping her whisper barely audible.

​"Thank you so much," Mia murmured with a small sigh of relief.

​Veyra turned her head slightly, keeping her voice low. "For what?"

​"For not forcing me to sit right next to him," Mia admitted softly.

​Veyra gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "I would never put you in an uncomfortable spot like that."

​Mia let out a long, quiet breath as her tense shoulders finally relaxed. "I honestly don’t think my nerves could have handled being that close to him for an entire meal."

​Veyra placed a gentle, comforting hand on Mia’s forearm. "You are completely safe here. I won’t let anyone bother you."

​Mia nodded, giving her a look filled with quiet gratitude.

​Xander watched the entire hushed exchange with narrowed eyes.

​He thoroughly disliked being left out of conversations, and he disliked people whispering in his presence even more.

​Still, he forced himself to hold his tongue and maintain his cool composure.

​His sharp gaze swept across the room until it landed on Leon, who was standing quietly near the closed dining door. Leon stood with his arms loosely crossed over his chest, his face completely unreadable, and his eyes steadily monitoring every corner of the room.

​Xander raised an eyebrow, looking back at Veyra. "Why isn’t your husband sitting down to eat with us?"

​Veyra blinked in complete surprise. "What did you say?"

​"Your husband," Xander repeated, pointing a finger toward Leon. "He is just standing over by the door like a silent hired guard."

​Veyra opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself as the realization finally clicked in her mind. Xander still genuinely believed that Leon was her actual husband.

​She shook her head softly, correcting him flatly. "Leon is not my husband, Xander."

​Xander’s eyes widened in genuine shock. "He isn’t?"

​"He is my assigned personal bodyguard," Veyra explained clearly. "He works directly for my husband."

​Xander stared at her as his mind quickly processed the news. His face shifted rapidly from sheer confusion to mild surprise, before settling into a look of heavy, visible relief.

​"So he is just your bodyguard," Xander repeated slowly.

​"Yes, that is correct."

​"Which means your actual husband didn’t bother showing up today."

​"No, he did not."

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