Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 914

“Ma’am?”

Emmy’s hand stopped in the middle of fixing her hair. Her brows knit together, confusion flickering in her eyes. Was someone really calling out to her? She hesitated for a second and replied, “I’m fine.”

James shot his subordinate a hard look. “Enough. Get on the helicopter.”

They wasted no time climbing aboard. The rotors thundered, and the helicopter rose, pulling away from the little island in no time. Emmy leaned against the window, watching as Emerald Island grew smaller and smaller beneath them.

She turned to James, uncertainty written all over her face. “Where are we going?”

James met her gaze. “Star Jewel. It’s in Vanuatu, just west of Fiji. It’s private, completely secure.”

Emmy glanced back at the shrinking island and spoke up, her voice hesitant. “But… what about there? Don’t you need to take care of it?”

Yesterday’s chaos had wrecked the whole exhibition, smashed up expensive AI tech, and—worse—hurt innocent people. Some islanders and tourists had gotten caught up in it. Some might not have made it at all.

James followed her gaze for a moment, then grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her. “My people will handle it.”

Emmy took the water and let the rest go. She turned back to the window. The ocean and sky melted together in a sweep of perfect blue. For the first time in forever, she felt a strange sense of calm, even safety, settling over her.

She couldn’t make sense of it. When Dean had put her on a helicopter before, all she’d felt was anxiety and frustration. But now, sitting next to this man she barely knew, she felt relaxed. Secure, almost.

Her body’s reaction was impossible to ignore. Emmy stared down at her water bottle, turning it in her hands, lost in thought.

Suddenly, she glanced over at James, almost involuntarily. He was already looking at her, those deep eyes fixed steady on her face. His gaze was intense, but not scary—instead, it was gentle, almost heartbreakingly sincere.

Their eyes met, and Emmy’s cheeks went hot. She forced a smile and pointed quickly out the window. “Just… looking at the view. It’s really nice.”

She spun back to the window, staring hard at the rolling blue sea, but her heart was pounding like crazy. Emmy pressed her palm to her chest, brows drawn together. Was all this because of him? How could that be? She didn’t even remember him, but somehow, her body remembered what it felt like to be safe.

“Mom!”

Emmy’s eyes went red as she called out. Teresa hurried closer, saw the drop from the door, and started to call for a ladder. But Emmy couldn’t wait. She gripped the edge of the door and just jumped down.

Teresa gasped, arms flying open to catch her. Emmy landed and, in a few quick steps, threw herself into her mother’s embrace, clutching her tight.

The smell was terrible—a sharp, sour stink—but Teresa didn’t care. She just held Emmy closer, not letting go for a second.

Emmy’s sobs were muffled against her shoulder. “Mom, you’re here. You’re really here. I’m so, so glad…”

Teresa’s tears fell fast. Her hand shook as she stroked Emmy’s rough, tangled hair, her heart twisting with pain. Her Emmy used to panic if her dress got the tiniest bit dirty. What kind of nightmare had she lived through to end up like this? Gone was all that delicate fussiness. Now, she looked like a little stray who’d crawled out of the trash.

“You’re home, that’s all that matters. You’re home…” Teresa’s voice broke. “Emmy, tell me, what happened? How did you end up like this?”