Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1238

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James sat on the sofa, lost in thought for what felt like hours, memories flickering through his mind like grainy snapshots from another life.

He could still remember the first time Jamie mentioned Mercedes. They were both sixteen. That day, Jamie had sent him a bunch of photos with the kind of excitement you could feel through the screen. There was a girl—simple white dress, sunlight streaming over her, laughing with a pure, carefree kind of beauty. She looked like a lily in the middle of summer.

[James, check out this girl. Isn’t she gorgeous?]

Back then, James’s world was just drills and missions. Girls weren't even on his radar. But since it was Jamie asking, he took a careful look before answering.

[Yeah, she’s beautiful.]

Jamie shot back instantly. You didn’t need to see his face to know he was on cloud nine.

[I’m totally into her! Just watch, bro. Sooner or later, I’m going to win her over. She’ll be your sister-in-law someday!]

After that, it was like Jamie had fallen under a spell. Every time they talked, he could barely go a few sentences without bringing up Mercedes. According to Jamie, she was one of a kind—proud, independent, honest, but also sharp as a tack.

No matter how hard Jamie tried to win her over, to show he was different, Mercedes always treated him like just another spoiled rich kid that thought everything could be bought. She hardly gave him the time of day, but somehow that only made Jamie fall harder.

Whenever he had a spare moment, Jamie would find some excuse just to see her, even if it was from a distance. He’d be in a good mood for days afterward. He even went so far as to visit James at his army base, grabbed his phone, and added Mercedes to James’s contacts just so James would get how amazing this girl supposedly was.

“James, help me out, will you? Put in a good word for me! You might look cold, but people actually listen to what you say.”

James was never great at this kind of thing. After he added her, the best he could manage were a few stiff messages.

[Jamie really likes you.]

[He’s serious about you.]

Mercedes never replied.

Looking back, James figured maybe that was why Jamie was so hooked. She was different. Untouchable, in a way. Worth chasing.

But then Jamie had his accident.

After that, James practically banished himself to the most dangerous unit on the border. Mission after mission, like he was trying to outrun his own thoughts, throwing himself into gunfire like he had nothing left to lose. Only living on the edge made the pain fade, even if just for a minute.

Then, one day, he was sent Jamie’s things. There was a diary—page after page filled with stories, little moments, bits of Mercedes. Reading it, James remembered exactly who she was to Jamie. He decided to find out what had happened to her.

Everything had fallen apart for her. She was blacklisted, flat broke, singing in bars to get by. James realized instantly—Jamie would have been crushed to see her like that.

So James left the military behind. He came back to the Capital, took over the company, and decided to protect Jamie’s girl, too. He used the family’s power to give Mercedes another shot, cleared every obstacle, and put her right under the spotlight again.