Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 873

James had spent the past few weeks living rough, surviving on nothing but energy bars and canned food. The moment the smell of real food hit him, he didn’t even try to hide his hunger. His voice came out low and scratchy. “Thanks, Mom.”

He pulled out a chair and sat down, grabbing his fork and digging in like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Andrew watched him, his expression hard to read.

Teresa sat down across from James and used the moment to speak softly. “The kids are doing great. Lorraine has been wonderful with them. They’re settling in at Moonlight Bay, really getting used to everything. Your son’s gotten chubbier, and your daughter’s starting to babble. She’s always smiling.”

James paused for a second, his fork halfway to his mouth, then kept eating. There was a gentle warmth in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Once he’d nearly cleared his plate, Andrew set a black waterproof supply bag on the table. “Will asked us to bring this for you.”

James took it, unzipped it, and checked inside. There was a brand-new, ultra-thin bulletproof vest, some medical supplies, a pistol, ammo, and a knife. “Thank you.”

Andrew watched him, unable to hold back his question. “So, which islands haven’t you checked yet?”

James looked up. “Got a map?”

“Yeah, I do!” Teresa hurried into the cabin and came back with a huge nautical chart of the Fiji islands, spreading it out across the table.

“Pen,” James said.

She handed him a marker right away.

James smoothed out the map, marker in hand, and quickly circled every island he’d already searched. The red circles kept multiplying, shrinking the empty spaces left on the crowded map.

He pointed at one of the circles. “A bit over two months ago, I heard something about Emmy on Moonlight Bay Island. Someone saw her, but she didn’t stay more than half an hour. So she’s probably on one of the nearby islands.” He drew a bigger circle around Moonlight Bay.

He turned around.

“Take care of yourself.” She wanted to say so much more, but those were the only words that came out.

James nodded, hopped onto the boat, and started the engine. The black speedboat shot off into the dark, open water.

Teresa stood by the shore, the wind whipping her hair. The sky was just starting to lighten, a faint glow on the horizon. She stared at the spot where James had disappeared, her chest tight with worry. She whispered, “Andrew, where do you think that bastard could be hiding Emmy?”

Andrew stepped over and wrapped his suit jacket around her shoulders, pulling her gently into his arms. “Don’t worry. With James’s determination, he’s bound to find her. Try to get some rest. When it’s light, we’ll use our business partnership as an excuse to visit every private island he hasn’t checked yet.”

Teresa nodded, her eyes fixed on the endless sea, her face full of concern.