# Chapter 142: Caught Red-Handed – The Unlikely Alliance
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 142 of "The Untouchable Ex Wife." This chapter delivers a wonderfully tense, emotionally rich confrontation that fans will absolutely devour—a scene dripping with jealousy, pride, and a most unexpected twist. So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let's dive right into the drama!
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The moment had finally come. Shirley, oozing with wounded vanity and barely concealed spite, was already turning on her heel to storm away with her agent and assistant in tow. Her exit was meant to be triumphant—a final cut delivered straight to Xavier's heart.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
Just as Shirley moved to leave, Leia—who had been hiding nearby and listening to every damning word—lost her balance and came crashing down right in front of the entire group.
*Thud.*
The sound echoed through the air like a thunderclap.
Everyone froze. Eyes widened. Jaws dropped. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as all gazes locked onto Leia, sprawled unceremoniously on the ground like a deer that had tripped over its own legs and dignity.
"Ugh, how embarrassing..." Leia mumbled, keeping her head low as burning heat crept up her neck. Her face was the color of a ripe tomato. She mentally pleaded with the universe, wishing the floor would split open and swallow her whole. Perhaps she could just move to another country by morning? Start a new life in some remote corner of the world where no one knew her name or her humiliation?
But reality, as it always does, offered no such escape.
Knowing she couldn't hide from them any longer, Leia lifted her head and plastered the widest, glossiest smile she could muster onto her face. "Umm... hi. What a coincidence, I just happened to be passing by!"
The excuse was as flimsy as tissue paper in a hurricane.
Shirley looked down at Leia like a queen examining a cockroach at her feet. Her gaze traveled from Leia's disheveled hair to her dust-covered clothes, and a contemptuous sneer curled her lips. "Yeah, what a coincidence! Miss Osborne, weren't you eavesdropping on us?"
"Of course not! Why would I do something like that? I told you, I was just passing by." Leia scrambled to her feet, brushing the dust off her clothes with furious little pats, stubbornly refusing to admit what was crystal clear to everyone in the room.
Shirley's smile turned razor-sharp. "I thought you were a virtuous person given your noble background, but it looks like those two things clearly aren't connected. Although I grew up in an ordinary family, I never did such an immoral thing."
The words landed like a slap. Shirley was revealing her true colors now—vicious, arrogant, and dripping with venom. With Xavier supposedly wanting nothing more to do with Leia, she no longer felt the need to play nice or pretend to be gracious.
"What?! How could you say something like that? I... I wasn't being immoral. I..." Leia stammered, her brain scrambling frantically for an excuse. But nothing came. She was caught, and she knew it.
"Was I wrong?" Shirley pressed, savoring Leia's discomfort like a gourmet meal. "Can you swear that you didn't eavesdrop on us just now?"
"I... I..." Leia pursed her lips guiltily, her eyes dropping to the floor. There was no way out of this corner, and Shirley knew it.
But then—something unexpected happened.
Xavier had been watching everything unfold in chilly silence, his expression unreadable. But when he saw Leia trapped, cornered, and floundering, something inside him stirred. Instinctively, without a second thought, he stepped forward.
His voice cut through the air like a blade. "So what if she did?"
Everyone turned to stare at him.
Xavier's gaze was cold and unyielding as he addressed Shirley. "I'm her boyfriend, so she has the right to know what her boyfriend talks about with another woman. In fact, any other woman would have barged in and insisted on being included."
"Boy... Boyfriend?" The word dropped from Shirley's lips like a stone, her expression twisting horribly. Her eyes narrowed into icy slits as she glared at Xavier. "Are you seriously in love with her? You once said that all these other women are just playthings, and that you'll find someone new the second you get bored. How can you call yourself her boyfriend? Isn't it ridiculous?"
The accusation hung in the air—a ghost from Xavier's past rising to haunt him.
But Xavier didn't flinch. His sharp gaze darkened. "She's different."
The three words landed with the weight of a hammer.
"And you have no right to judge me," he added coldly.
Shirley's eyes blazed with fury. "Of course I do! I'm the only woman you ever loved. Just admit it—everyone could see how much you sacrificed for me, which is so different from the way you treat her."
Her voice dripped with arrogance and entitlement, as though she were staking a divine claim upon Xavier's heart that no one else could ever challenge. The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable, pressing against Leia's chest like a physical weight.
Leia's cheeks burned with humiliation. Every word Shirley said felt like a needle digging into her skin, reminding her that she was just the replacement—the consolation prize that would never truly compare to the "great love" of Xavier's life.
But Leia Osborne was not the kind of woman to wither quietly.
She laughed—a sharp, mocking sound that cut through the tension. "Hmph, you make it sound like he's the most popular man around. He said he can get another woman if he's bored? Well, I should be the one saying that."
Then she did something that made every jaw in the room drop.
She walked up to Xavier with easy confidence, reached out, and pinched his cheeks between her fingers like he was a petulant child who needed a lesson in humility.
"Look at him," she announced, as if displaying a slightly defective piece of merchandise. "You don't have to worry, I'm already bored of him. If you want, I can give him back to you."
Silence.
Total, absolute, stupefied silence.
Shirley's eyes bulged. Her agent gasped. Even Xavier looked momentarily stunned, his typically unreadable expression flickering with something between shock and reluctant amusement.
Because in the world of high-stakes romance and power plays, no one—*no one*—had ever spoken about Xavier like he was a pair of old shoes you could trade in for a new pair.
And yet Leia had done exactly that.
With her chin held high and a defiant sparkle in her eyes, she flipped the script entirely. Shirley's claim of being "the only woman Xavier ever loved" was suddenly meaningless. Because Leia had just made it clear: she didn't need to fight for Xavier. She didn't even consider it a competition.
If Shirley wanted him back so badly, she could have him.
The power in the room had shifted. And for the first time in this entire confrontation, it was Shirley who found herself with nothing left to say.
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### Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
What a delicious chapter! I have to say, this scene absolutely thrilled me. Watching Leia go from mortified, tripping-on-her-face embarrassment to confident, cheek-pinching queen in the span of a few breaths was incredibly satisfying. The shift in dynamics here is masterful—Xavier's unexpected defense of Leia ("She's different.") adds so much depth to his character, showing he may have real feelings beyond his usual coldness.
But what truly steals the show is Leia's daring move at the end. Offering to "give Xavier back" was the ultimate power play. It told Shirley that she sees Xavier not as a prize to win, but as someone she can choose or discard on her own terms. That takes guts. And it certainly left Shirley speechless—a rare and satisfying sight.
We also get wonderful insight into the ongoing rivalry between Shirley and Leia, and Xavier's mysterious shifts between coldness and protectiveness toward Leia. There's still so much unresolved tension here, which makes me desperate to read the next chapter!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
### Next Chapter Prediction
What will happen next? I predict that after Leia's shocking declaration, an infuriated Shirley won't simply walk away. She'll likely retaliate by digging deeper into Leia's past—perhaps exposing secrets about her marriage to Xavier, or attempting to drive a wedge between them by revealing something Xavier has hidden from Leia. Meanwhile, Xavier's reaction to being "returned" is bound to be intense. He might pull Leia aside and remind her—in his own forceful way—that she belongs to him, blurring the lines between his supposed indifference and undeniable obsession. Let's just say, the emotional battlefield is far from settled!
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