The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

~ Soraya ~
It no longer surprised Soraya that Calum and Melvin were attending the gala. Their companies belonged to the most successful ones in Cedar Heights. However, she did not expect Rose Becket to be there—worse, to be seated at the same table as them!
Rose and Melvin stared at Soraya like she had wronged them. As for Calum? He seemed to be busy with his phone.
He didn't care.
“This is going to be fun,” Silas said, flirtatiously whispering in Soraya’s ear.
Silas did it on purpose, even closing the gap between their chairs so that they would look like a couple.
The event organizers had arranged the seating assignments, and they were left with no choice but to follow them.
More guests arrived, and to Soraya’s dismay, another surprise turned up.
Jacob Steel.
He turned heads as he walked.
Dressed in a sleek charcoal-gray tuxedo that hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, Jacob looked every bit the accomplished professional he was.
How could Soraya forget that Jacob's company owned the biggest mall in Cedar Heights? Of course, he would be present too.
When Jacob reached his assigned table, he froze, locking eyes with Soraya’s already wide ones.
Very quickly, Soraya looked away, pretending to be checking the other tables, but from the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob take the seat next to Calum.
“Jacob, glad you made it,” Calum greeted.
“Of course,” Jacob plainly said, shaking Calum’s hand.
“Jacob,” Rose greeted with a smile, while Jacob only nodded her way.
Melvin, seated beside Rose and across from Calum, shook Jacob’s hand. The two briefly chatted about Melvin’s upcoming birthday and his plans to celebrate at a nearby beach resort.
Meanwhile, Soraya did her best not to be affected by their presence. She also busied herself by discussing weekend plans with Silas.
“Are you sure you’re going to be driving the whole weekend?” Soraya asked her dear friend. “It’s going to be exhausting.”
“Well, we are going to stop at some point.” Silas showed Soraya his phone and revealed, “I’ve already checked. There’s a farm resort in Marrow Glen. We can stay there on Saturday night.”
He whispered the rest of the plans. After all, their trip was a top secret. But as he did, Soraya caught Calum looking at her.
She turned to Calum, but he averted his gaze with calm indifference.
‘No, I probably was mistaken,’ she thought.
“There they are, Soraya,” Silas suddenly said, his eyes directed at the venue’s door. “My surprise for you.”
When Soraya looked up, she saw Mrs. Elizabeth and Mr. Arvind Sharma. They had big smiles on their faces when their eyes met.
Elizabeth, graceful and poised, wore a tailored navy gown and had her silver-blonde hair in an elegant updo. Arvind, dignified in a modern sherwani, carried the calm presence of a seasoned entrepreneur. Together, they looked every bit the power couple behind Aegis Core Systems, the founders of the company.
Soraya had grown familiar with them. In fact, she had built a strong working relationship with the Sharma couple—one that might have become even stronger, had she not left the company four years ago.
“Soraya!” Elizabeth Sharma called, her arms stretching toward Soraya. “It’s been such a long time!”
“Mrs. Sharma.” Just as they hugged, Soraya said, “It’s nice to see you.”
“Look at you,” Elizabeth said, studying Soraya. “You have lost weight, but you look amazing! And your gown is absolutely gorgeous!”
Elizabeth studied the intricate details of her dress and asked, “Where did you get this masterpiece?”
Soraya shrugged. “Somewhere.”
“Trade secret, huh?” Elizabeth smirked. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“Soraya, thank you for coming back to work for us. When we heard this from Silas, we were excited!” Mr. Sharma said, taking his turn to give Soraya a light hug. “With you around, I have a feeling this year will be a great one for Aegis Core Systems.”
“You give me too much credit, Mr. Sharma,” Soraya said, smiling.
“No, you are too humble, Soraya,” Arvind Sharma responded.
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma shook hands with Silas soon after. They settled in their seats and began discussing something more personal.
“Soraya, I’ve heard from Silas that you’re divorced!” Elizabeth said, shocking Soraya.
Of all the things Mrs. Sharma had to bring up, it had to be the one that involved the man right across from her—Calum Montclair.
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma never knew who Soraya’s husband was. Since Calum did not want their marriage publicly revealed, she never registered his name in her company profile. The only thing the Sharmas knew was that Soraya had a daughter named Sage.
Soraya coughed against her fist. She gulped and answered, “Yes, Mrs. Sharma. I’m already divorced.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Soraya. You never told us who you married, but whoever he is, he sure is stupid!” Mrs. Sharma declared. “But you know what? Some things happen for a reason.”
Then, the most awkward thing happened.
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma looked at each other with gleaming eyes. They appeared excited, and Soraya did not know why!
Elizabeth turned to Soraya and grabbed both her hands. She said, “I know this is not a good time, and that maybe you still need time to heal. Divorce is never easy, but—”
Again, the Sharma couple looked at each other with meaning. Elizabeth returned her gaze to Soraya and said, “What if—just what if—you marry my son?! We'd love to have you in the family!"
Soraya, “...”
Silas, who was drinking a glass of water, choked and coughed violently.
From across the table, Soraya could feel multiple stares bearing down on her, like heat pressing into her skin.
If that wasn’t enough, Mr. Sharma had to say, “What do you think, Soraya? Huh? My son is a very eligible bachelor and a renowned doctor!”
Soraya, “...”
“But, Mr. and Mrs. Sharma? What about me?” Silas objected. “I love Soraya!”
Soraya ended up slapping Silas with the back of her hand.
His eyes narrowed at her while she glared at him.
'How could he say that?' She mused. She knew Silas was just fooling around, but he took it too far this time.
“Oh, Silas. You are a playboy. You don’t deserve someone beautiful, smart, and dependable as Soraya,” Elizabeth pointed out, not giving Silas a chance to defend himself.
“Do you remember my son, Soraya? You met him more than five years ago,” Mr. Sharma reminded.
Soraya’s face reddened at that point. She nodded and said, “I remember.”
Then, she grabbed her glass of water and gulped everything down. She did not know how to handle the situation other than saying, “But, I’m not ready for a serious relationship at the moment. Plus, I have a daughter.”
“Oh, we don’t mind if you have a daughter,” Elizabeth said. “We think you’re the best person for our son.”
Soraya struggled to respond. It was Silas who saved her. He said, “Mr. and Mrs. Sharma, give Soraya the freedom to choose, but given our closeness, she’ll probably choose me.”
“Isn’t that right, Soraya?” Silas asked, winking at her.
Soraya just laughed it off, giving Silas another glare at the very last second.
She thought nothing could go worse, but just as dinner started, her attention shifted to Jacob.
Jacob’s phone rang all of a sudden. He answered the call but couldn’t hear the other end.
From across the table, Soraya noticed Jacob pressing a finger against his other ear. “Yes? Angela? Say that again?"
Around their table, almost everyone turned to Jacob.
There was music in the background and people talking. Jacob put his phone on speaker, and so, everyone heard Angela say, “Daddy! I miss Mommy! I want Mommy!”
Jacob immediately turned off the speaker, got up, and took the call outside the gala. When he returned, Calum, Rose, and Melvin stared at him with full question marks on their faces.
Calum asked, “Was that Angela?”
“Yes,” Jacob said calmly, like nothing had happened.
"She's speaking?" Calum clarified, his brows furrowed.
“Who did she mean by ‘Mommy’?” This time, Melvin asked.
‘Oh, boy.’ In her seat, all Soraya could do was drink her wine. ‘This is going to be a very interesting night.’