The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

~ Soraya ~
Soraya was in a daze the next day at work. Her mind kept replaying last night’s movie incident.
After that awkward moment of holding hands with Jacob, he casually placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the mall’s exit. He didn’t say anything, but she felt like his silence said more.
He convinced her to stay the night at his estate, and she did. Soraya left early in the morning for Cedar Heights, and Jacob? He walked her out of the house and watched her get into the car.
It was... too kind of him.
Soraya’s phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts.
Jacob had sent her a message. It read: [Did you get to the office safely?]
She leaned back, gulping, and her head tilting. ‘He should know. His family driver brought me to Cedar Heights this morning!’
“No,” she muttered. “I’m overthinking this. Jacob is just a good person… apparently.”
But despite telling herself that, Soraya flushed. She ended up feeling the warmth of her face. ‘No, Soraya. You have no time for this. You have a goal, and that goal does not include another man in your life—especially Calum’s friend!’
Speaking of Calum, Soraya’s divorce attorney called.
She had been ignoring Calum’s calls over the weekend, but she never expected that she’d be the one looking for him later on.
“Hello? Attorney?” Soraya answered the phone.
“Miss Azar, we have a problem with the divorce,” the lawyer said.
“What problem?” she asked.
Her lawyer drew in a measured breath. “Mr. Montclair’s legal team did file the divorce petition. However, your ex-husband failed to sign the final page of the document. Legally speaking, the divorce process has not been formally initiated.”
“What?” Soraya felt her face burning in anger. In her head, she screamed, ‘What the hell was Calum thinking?’
She recalled the day she signed the revised divorce agreement. Sadly, she didn’t witness Calum sign the papers, and maybe that was her mistake.
The thought of being stuck as Calum’s wife longer than she should be angered Soraya. She had already made investments, and she had no plans to share them with Calum!
Even after filing, there was still a two-month waiting period. And while her investments wouldn’t yield visible returns just yet, Soraya didn’t want to take any chances.
“Listen, Soraya,” the lawyer said, “my contact at City Hall is letting me retrieve the document as it is—so you won’t need to refile. But there’s a catch: it must be returned before three this afternoon. If we miss that deadline, we’ll have to go through the entire filing process again, and the waiting period will start over.”
‘No. No!’ She thought. “Attorney, can you bring the divorce papers over? I’m going to find Calum and make him sign it right in front of me.”
After contacting Greg Foster, Soraya had learned that Calum had thrown a special lunch gathering for Rose’s mother. Mrs. Becket was celebrating her birthday, and they were gathering at the Prima Hotel. There was no way she’d go there alone, so she went to Silas’s office.
Silas had his hands full, but upon hearing Soraya’s predicament, he said, “I’ll come with you.”
They met with Soraya’s lawyer in the lobby of Aegis Core Systems. After confirming it was the same document Soraya had signed in Calum’s office, they all left for the Prima Hotel.
Soraya’s group easily found the venue for the gathering. A crowd of around a hundred people filled the conference room, which had been transformed into a lavish banquet hall.
The room looked like it came straight out of a magazine. Velvet curtains framed the tall windows, and a live quartet played soft music near a grand floral arch. In the corner stood a towering birthday cake. Even the waiters looked like they’d been hired from a five-star hotel.
She couldn’t believe Calum had arranged this for his future in-laws, an effort he never once made for Soraya’s uncle or aunt. Once again, she felt bitter, but the pain was no longer that deep. Not anymore.
“What are you doing here? This is a private event, and you’re not invited,” Claire Rowan immediately noticed Soraya.
Her brother, Roger, followed. He said, “Leave, Soraya! Don’t you dare cause trouble for Rose!”
Silas stepped in front of Soraya. He pushed Roger back, warning, “You better be careful how you speak to Soraya.”
“I don’t want any trouble. I just want to speak to Calum privately. I only need a minute of his time. Can you please call him for me, Claire? I don’t have all day,” Soraya said, walking around Silas. The entire time, her lawyer stood quietly at the back.
Claire gritted her teeth. “When will you ever let go of Calum, Soraya? Have you not learned anything? He will never be interested in you—”
Soraya’s eyes narrowed. “I need him to sign—”
“Stop! Leave!” Claire snapped.
They were catching people’s attention at that point. An older lady, who seemed to be an older version of Rose, walked up to them. “Claire, what’s going on? Who are they?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, Aunt. This woman is just one of Calum’s obsessed fans,” Claire said.
“Soraya? What are you doing here?” Finally, the man they had been looking for emerged from the crowd. He walked forward, with Rose clinging to his arm.
“Calum, this is very important. Can—” Soraya began to explain, but just like before, Claire interrupted.
“Don’t listen to a word she says, Calum. She’s just here to cause trouble for you and Rose. Why now? Why pick this time—Guards! Take this lunatic out!” Claire called security.
“Will you stop interrupting Soraya?” Silas snapped, stepping in front of her.
Around them, people began to whisper. However, Roger cut in, saying, “It’s nothing. She’s just someone jealous of Calum and Rose. She’s no one important.”
“You know, maybe we should hear her out, Calum!” Melvin said aloud, his voice overpowering Claire and Roger’s. Soraya had not noticed him earlier, but apparently, he was also present.
“Calum, please! I just need a minute!” Soraya yelled, all while being pushed by Claire.
“Isn’t that Silas Ward? Why is he here with that woman?”
“Just who is this woman?”
Of course, Soraya knew Calum’s party didn’t want anybody to know that Rose was a mistress. Claire and Roger were violently pushing her away from the venue. Soraya had no interest in the title of Mrs. Montclair anymore; however, she had a deadline! She needed to return the divorce filing by three in the afternoon, and at that very moment, it was already 1:00 p.m.!
“We’ll talk later, Soraya,” Calum said. He looked irritated. It showed in the way his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.
The hotel’s security arrived. The first one they grabbed was Silas. Silas then shouted, “You fucking moron, Calum! You didn’t sign the divorce papers!”
Silence fell over the room. Silas went on, “We’re here because City Hall only gave Soraya until 3:00 p.m. to return your divorce agreement. The last thing she wants is to stay married to you!”
“Divorce? What’s going on?”
“Who’s getting divorced? Calum?”
“Married? Calum is married?”
Rose’s face turned pale.
Claire’s jaw dropped, and Roger’s eyes widened.
As for Calum, he looked like he forgot how to breathe.
Melvin, on the other hand, said to the security, “Let him go! Let Mr. Ward go!”
Silas freed himself. He took deep breaths and turned to Soraya. “Tell him, Soraya! Otherwise, you’ll be stuck waiting even longer for the divorce to go through. And Rose? Legally, she’ll always be nothing more than a mistress.”
He turned to Calum and asked, “Is that what you want, Calum?” Then, glaring at Claire and Roger, he added, “Claire? Roger?”
“Unless—” Silas fixed his coat and narrowed his eyes at Calum. “Unless you realize now just how great Soraya is... and you don’t want to divorce her.”
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Everyone was stunned.
Soraya was shocked by what Silas had done, but she realized it was necessary. She took the document out from her bag and held it up for all to see, her eyes locked on Calum. “Calum, I badly want this divorce.”
She flipped to the last page and pointed. “You forgot to sign the last page.”
Soraya marched toward him with a pen in hand. She pushed the paper against his chest. “Sign. We still need to return this to City Hall.”
Calum looked furious. He looked like he was ready to explode. But Soraya shot back, “If you want to blame someone, blame Claire! I came here hoping to have a private talk with you, but she blocked us. She and Roger forced me and Silas out—calling security on us when all I needed was your fucking signature!”
‘What was he going to do? Tear the paper? That was the last thing he wanted,’ Soraya thought.
Calum ended up taking the pen and signing the page he had left blank.
After that, Soraya and Silas left with her attorney. But as they did, the gossip began to swirl around the venue:
“Oh my god. Calum was married?”
“When were they married? Was it just recently?”
“If City Hall gave them a chance to resubmit the divorce documents like that, it must have been recent!”
“Wait. Wait. Is Rose a mistress?”
“Oh my god. How shameful!”