Claimed By My Ex's Billionaire Uncle

Janevera's Pov

"Stop here," I told the cabman as we pulled up in front of my boyfriend Neven's building. The car eased to a stop, and I stepped out, a smile tugging at my lips. The cabman helped retrieve my rolling luggage from the trunk, dragged it toward me, and handed it over with a polite, "Here you go, ma'am."

I paid him, thanked him, and watched as he drove away.

I couldn't explain the rush of excitement flooding through me. After an entire year apart, I was finally going to see Neven again. I'd been forced to leave Las Vegas for twelve long months to complete my studies, and now, at last, I was finally back.

Sighing happily, I rolled my luggage toward the building and when I reached the door, I knocked, only to notice it was already unlocked.

Strange. Neven always locked his door, whether he was home or not. He had even told me he wouldn't be in today. Could it be... He was actually home, waiting to surprise me? Excited rushed through me as I thought of that.

Pushing the thought aside, I slowly opened the door, and that's when I heard it. A sound drifting from the bedroom, muffled by the thin apartment walls. He wasn't home alone.

I stepped into the living room, my gaze catching on the trail of clothes scattered across the floor, Neven's shirt, and beside it, a silky blouse that could only belong to a woman. My heart lurched painfully when I spotted a pair of red lace panties that definitely weren't mine.

My chest tightened, knowing fully well without a doubt now that Neven was with another woman and the knowledge made my heart ache.

I followed the trail, my heart sinking with every step. The closer I got to the bedroom, the sharper the sounds became, low and breathless moans that confirmed my worst fear that Neven was in bed with another woman.

"Oh yes, Neven... Give it to me. Oh, fuckk, yes! Please don't stop, please," came a familiar woman's voice, breathless and needy.

The rhythmic clap of skin against skin followed, each muffled moan cutting deeper into my chest, twisting like a knife inside me.

My heart begged me to turn back, to run, but my feet refused, urging me to move forward instead. The pains in my chest sharpened with every step, each sound from the bedroom tearing me apart. I didn't want to believe what my mind already knew, but the truth was undeniable, those shameless, raw noises. They sounded more like something from a cheap motel and not from this bedroom as I do not want to believe.

When I reached his door, I froze as my luggage slipped from my hand, landing with a muted thud on the carpet. The door was slightly ajar, a thin strip of warm light spilling into the dark hallway. I could hear his voice now, low and intimate, the tone he once reserved only for me, and then came hers, and I knew that voice, it belonged to Olivia.

The name made my breath hitch. My best friend since freshman year. The girl who knew every detail of my relationship with Neven, every fight, every reconciliation, every dream for our future. The same girl who had promised to "keep an eye" on him while I was gone. I just never knew this was what she meant until now.

My hands trembled as I pushed the door open just enough to see Neven, naked, moving against her as if I never existed. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

I had imagined countless ways our reunion might go, sweet, tearful, maybe even passionate but never like this. Never him betraying me in his own bed we once shared together before I left for studies.

I held my breath until the air in my lungs felt like shards of glass. My heart ached, but I couldn't exhale, not when my eyes were locked on the sight before me, refusing to believe.

Neven was driving into her from behind, his hips snapping forward in a rhythm that made my heart twist. His bare back flexed with each thrust, sweat glistening in the dim light. Her head was thrown back, mouth open in a moan that scraped my ears like broken glass. The sheets bunched beneath her fists, the same sheets that once smelled of us. Her knees were spread wide, her body arching toward him as if she couldn't get enough.

And his hands... God, his hand clutched her hip with a possessive familiarity, while the other braced against the bed frame, steadying himself as he moved in and out of her, animalistic and relentless, while she gasped his name again and again.

My vision blurred. The walls felt like they were closing in, and I knew I couldn't just stand there watching another second.

I shoved the door open with every ounce of strength I had left. It slammed against the wall with a crack, shattering the rhythm of their bodies. They froze, snapping their heads toward me. The shock on their faces was instant and raw, like children caught with stolen candy still in their mouths.

Olivia's gasp sliced through the room, high and sharp, but I didn't look at her. I couldn't. My eyes locked on him, the man who once swore he'd wait for me, who swore he'd never let another woman touch him.

Our stares collided, the silence between us screaming louder than her moans had moments ago.

"Jane," Neven started, his voice low and panicked, scrambling upright from the bed as if the sheets had suddenly caught on fire.

I raised a hand to silence him. "Don't," I cut in, my voice cold and dry, refusing to hear excuses. "Don't. Say. My. Name." My words were ice, but my chest burned like an open wound. "So this is why you left the door unlocked?" I asked, each word dripping with venom. "To make it easier for me to walk in and see what kind of man you really are?"

Janevera's Pov

"Please, let me," Neven tried to explain.

"Don't!" I snapped, cutting him off before a single lie could tumble from his mouth.

My eyes darted to my best friend, Olivia. She was already tangled in the sheets, clutching them to her chest, her back pressed against the headboard, staring at me in shock.

"So this is what you meant when you said you'd keep an eye on him for me.'" I whispered, my voice cracking like it was about to shatter.

"Jane, I," Olivia began, lips parting like she wanted to explain.

I didn't let her. I didn't want excuses. I didn't want to hear their pathetic lies either. "Don't you even dare try," I cut her off, my voice sharp enough to slice her excuses in half. "You slept with him. You! My best friend. You slept with my man." I said the obvious.

Olivia's face twisted, shame flickering for a second before she snapped back, "Don't put this all on me. Don't even blame me, Jane, because If you had been enough and available for him, he wouldn't have come to me."

My heart dropped. I expected an apology. A denial. Anything but this.

Neven's voice followed, cruel and cold, "She's right. So stop acting like the victim and just get over it. Olivia gave me what you couldn't. End of story. Don't make it more dramatic than it is."

My heart squeezed in my chest, fury rushing up to drown out the ache. "You could've had anyone, Neven!" I whispered, voice cracking. "Anyone! But you had to use my best friend? You had to crawl into bed with her instead?" My chest shook as I lashed out, broken and angry. "I understand I had to leave for school, but is this the way you welcome me back? By sleeping with my damn best friend?"

I turned to Olivia, hot tears streaming up my eyes. "And you, Olivia...you were my best friend. How could you do this to me with my man and not feel bad or ashamed of yourself right now?"

Her eyes glittered, not with guilt, but with something sharper, a smug of satisfaction. "If he was really yours, Jane, he wouldn't have wanted me," Olivia said coolly, her chin lifting. "So face it! Neven chose me."

"Olivia!" My voice broke, disbelief clawing at my throat. "You were my best friend!" I cried, as if the words alone could remind her of the bond she'd shattered.

Olivia tilted her head. "Look, I know I'm your best friend, and I'm not supposed to be with your man, but understand, I filled the gap you couldn't..."

"Enough!" I screamed, cutting her off before she could hurt me more with her heartless words. Rage shook my whole body. "You..." I pointed at Olivia, fingers trembling, my voice breaking into a hiss. "...lost the privilege to call yourself my best friend the moment you spread your legs for my man. You betrayed me in the worst way possible."

Her lips curled into a half smile as she scoffed. "Your man?" she echoed, dragging her gaze to Neven before locking back on me. "Please. He was moaning my name while he was buried inside me. He wanted me so bad he couldn't even wait to sneak around. Does that sound like your man? If he was really yours, Jane, he wouldn't have been in my bed, begging for more." She smirked. "Maybe you should ask yourself why he needed me to keep him satisfied."

My throat closed, fury sparking behind the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. "You are my best friend Olivia! How dare you!!!" I choked out, my voice breaking apart.

"Correction...was your best friend." She slipped her arm possessively through Neven's, her nails dragging along his chest. "Best friends don't starve men, Jane. You had him half-dead with your boring little love, and I brought him back to life. You think he wanted you? Nah! He needed me, and you lost him the second you thought you could ever keep a man like him. Neven was always meant for someone stronger...someone like me." She pressed herself tighter against him, nails raking down his chest.

"Olivia!" I choked out, shaking as my heart twisted, the betrayal cutting sharper than any blade.

Neven smirked, sliding his hand around her waist. "She's right, Jane. Olivia gives me what you never could. So stop pretending like you didn't see this coming even when you've been away for years"

Olivia leaned closer to him like he was her prize. "And now you've got to get used to this reality, Jane, that he is mine now, and maybe he always should've been."

Neven's smirk deepened, cruel. He tightened his arm around her waist, pressing her flush against him. "And you know what?" His voice dropped, mocking. "Maybe I always wanted her instead of you because you were never enough, Olivia. Don't twist this into some tragedy either since it's your fault because Olivia just gave me what you couldn't."

His words sliced through me, sharper than any knife could. I staggered back, choking on air. Tears blurred my vision, hot and merciless, but I forced myself to meet his eyes. His words replayed in my head as the betrayal burned like fire in my veins.

My whole body shook, fury and grief colliding until I could barely breathe while they stood there shameless, like my pain was nothing.

I swallowed hard, anger scorching through heartbreak, rage burning through the pain. My voice rose, shaking with venom. "I promise you... Neven." My tears blurred everything, but my rage cut through them. "I will make sure you regret this. Both of you. I swear it."

Then I turned on my heel, tears spilling freely now as I stormed out, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame. I couldn't let them see me crumble, nor do I want to give them the satisfaction of hurting me any deeper. My pulse thundered in my ears as I raced down the hall.

"Jane!" Neven's voice tore through the silence as the door flew open, his heavy footsteps chasing me.

Behind him, Olivia's smug, possessive cry rang out, "Neven! Let her go, she's nothing! You're mine now!" Her voice was sharp, vicious, and victorious. "Let her run, Neven! She was never woman enough for you. She'll never fuck you the way I do. You're mine now, all mine!"

But he didn't stop and by the time he reached the street, I had already flagged down a cab and slid into the back seat. I yanked the door shut and ordered the driver to go before Neven could catch up, my chest heaving as the car pulled away.

"Anywhere with liquor," I muttered.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, caught the storm in my eyes, and wisely kept quiet. He drove in silence until the cab rolled beneath the glowing canopy of The Regent Hotel, one of those places where the lobby smelled faintly of polish and money, the kind of place that never turned away someone with cash. I paid the cab off before I exited the car and went in.

Inside, the marble floor gleamed too bright beneath the chandeliers, making me feel even more exposed. I dug a card from my purse and slid it across the counter.

"One night," I told the receptionist, my voice steady even if my hands weren't.

"Seventeenth floor," she replied with a professional smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. A keycard slid across the counter toward me. I grabbed it without a word and left, deciding I'd figure out what to do with it later but right now, I need the bar.

So instead of heading to the elevators, I turned left, following the low hum of voices and the clink of glass until I stepped into the hotel lounge.

The lighting was warm and dim, shadows spilling across polished wood and velvet chairs. Soft jazz curled through the air, weaving with muted conversations. At the far end, the bar gleamed, crystal glasses catching the glow of golden lamps.

I crossed the room, my heels striking against marble before catching on the brass rail as I slid onto a stool. My fingers gripped the counter like it was the only thing keeping me steady.

"Whiskey. Neat," I said flatly.

The bartender didn't ask questions and went to get my order. A glass appeared in front of me, amber liquid catching the dim light. I grabbed it immediately and downed it in one swallow, the burn searing my throat, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to drown the image of them tangled in sheets, skin to skin, his hands on her body, her voice gasping his name.

The memory tore through me, and my heart clenched as the tears came hot and unstoppable, shattering everything I'd tried to hold together.

I slammed the empty glass onto the counter and shoved it forward. "Another," I demanded, my voice trembling.

The bartender offered my orders to me and I drank in one gulp before I signaled for another and another, anything to dull the ache clawing through my chest.

By the fourth glass, the sharp edges of my pain began to blur, replaced by a numb heat that made the noise around me feel distant, almost unreal. I didn't care who stared at me. I didn't care how I looked. Tonight, I wasn't the betrayed girlfriend or the broken friend. Tonight, I was just a woman drinking herself into oblivion and forgetfulness.

I was halfway through another glass when I noticed someone slide onto a stool two seats down. A tall, broad-shouldered man, familiar in a way that made my stomach twist, though I was too heartbroken and drunk to give a damn.

"Macallan, 18-year. Neat." The deep, velvety voice carried easily over the low hum of the bar, and for some reason, the sound tugged at my attention. I glanced sideways, and my breath caught.

For a long moment, I just stared at him. The dim light kissed the sharp lines of his jaw, accentuating the faint shadow of stubble and the way his tailored suit clung to him in all the right places of his muscular body. His dark hair, streaked with a hint of gray, was perfectly swept back, though a few rebellious strands threatened to fall forward. He was older, more rugged, and more dangerous but, undeniably, devastatingly handsome and he is Caesar Dominic Calder, Neven's uncle.

I recognized him instantly, how could I not? Neven had spoken of him often, always with that uneasy mix of awe and begrudging respect.

I could still hear his words echoing in my head from the night I'd teased him, asking half-jokingly, "What about your uncle Caesar? Is he anything like you?" His answer had been sharp, almost defensive: "My uncle Caesar? Don't even think about it, Jane. That man's untouchable. Nobody crosses him, not in business, not in family and I do not want you anywhere around him too."

And now remembering those words and warnings only lit the fire in my chest. Neven thought his uncle was untouchable? Maybe it was time to prove him wrong.