The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback - Chapter 52: Chapter 52
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~ Soraya ~
“I can’t believe you did that!” Lyra said to Silas. “Haha! Aren’t you afraid that Calum will sue you?”
“With what? With telling the truth? Last I checked, there are no legal implications for speaking the truth,” Silas said, gritting his teeth.
Even with his jaw tight in irritation, Silas still managed to look like he’d walked out of a magazine shoot. His perfectly styled blond hair caught the light, and his dimples deepened with every smirk.
“I’m not afraid. Let him go after me. I might just dare to hack his company,” he added, flashing that dangerous smile that had ruined more than a few hearts in Cedar Heights.
“Are you out of your mind?” Soraya scolded. “What if you get caught?”
Silas’s eyes narrowed. “As long as you back me up, we won’t get caught.”
Lyra and Soraya laughed at Silas’s suggestion.
When their giggles died down, Silas turned to Soraya and said, “I’m glad that your marriage is over. I’m so fucking glad you don’t have to deal with Claire Rowan and her brother more often—and I say more often because unfortunately, we live in the same city.”
“I can’t believe you endured that for so many years. Tell me, Soraya. Had they always treated you that way?” he asked, his voice gentler now.
Soraya took a deep breath. She didn’t like drinking, but the question made her grab Silas’s beer bottle and chug it down. Afterward, she admitted, “They always put me down, especially Claire. That’s why I stayed away. I mostly take care of Sage, visit Mr. and Mrs. Montclair, and work.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Lyra said, hugging Soraya.
Seeing them, Silas slid closer, throwing an arm around them with the easy confidence of someone used to getting away with things because of his charm.
Lyra and Soraya ended up laughing. Lyra said, “This is harassment.”
“Are you kidding me right now? This is friendship, right here,” Silas replied. He reached for another beer bottle and took a long drink. “But seriously, Soraya, had I known it was that bad, I would have—” He paused, wavering. “I don’t know. I would’ve seduced you. Made you fall in love with me so you’d leave Calum right away.”
Soraya: “...”
Lyra cracked up.
The friends were at a Japanese grill restaurant that evening, still laughing about how she and Silas had ended up crashing Silvia Becket’s birthday party.
“Soraya, do you remember Liselle? My friend in high school? I didn’t know it until today when I saw her post on Facebook. She’s the sales executive at the Prima Hotel,” Lyra said, opening her phone. “Check this out.”
Silas and Soraya leaned in to look. The latest post from Liselle showed pictures of a lavish banquet setup with her supervising it.
Then, she captioned it: [This is my biggest client yet. Imagine spending five million dollars on one lunch gathering. We’re talking premium wine, the best caviar, engraved gold-leaf menus, custom centerpieces, and a live cooking station by a three-Michelin-starred chef who doesn’t usually cater to private events.]
Comments flooded Liselle’s post. Many were asking who the special client was. Liselle responded: [Well, he just happened to be the richest man in Cedar Heights. I think he was trying to impress his future in-laws.]
Seeing the comments left Soraya’s throat dry. Yet again, she witnessed Calum’s special treatment of Rose.
“Wow,” Silas hissed. “Calum did go all out for his future in-laws. Hope Rose and Calum get married soon. They deserve each other.”
“Don’t worry, Soraya. When I become richer than Calum, I’ll marry you and give you a grander gathering. I’ll buy you the most expensive gown in the world.” With conviction, Silas added, “I’ll show Calum what he threw away was a precious gem.”
“Funny, Silas. Very funny.” Soraya rolled her eyes, and Lyra only laughed.
Later, Silas went to the restroom. Lyra suddenly said, “You know, I’ve always thought Silas liked you.”
“What?” Soraya’s eyes rounded. “Don’t be absurd! Silas is just a friend. He’s always been just a friend to us.”
Lyra shook her head. She said, “I think he treats you differently. And maybe, he never got a chance. You were married, remember?”
“Don’t. Don’t put malice into this friendship,” Soraya insisted.
“I’m just saying. Behind all that playboy charm, maybe he’s a man who loved someone… but never got the chance,” Lyra suggested, but Soraya dismissed the idea.
Silas had always been playful, a natural flirt. Many women were led on by his actions, and she swore she wouldn’t be one of them. One heartache from a Calum Montclair was bad enough. Besides, Silas was not really her type.
Soraya had always preferred the quiet ones, the ones who didn’t rely on charm. The ones with that steady, powerful aura that spoke louder than words.
Later at Soraya’s apartment.
The sound of Soraya’s phone buzzing awoke her. She grabbed it blindly and answered without checking the caller ID.
“Soraya, I need you.”
It was Silas.
“Silas? Why are you calling me at—” She squinted at the time. “Three?”
“I’m at Pinnacle Cedar Bank. They’re our former client. Former, because they failed to renew their NeuroSentinel license. They’ve been hacked, and some client information has already been infiltrated. I’ve been working on this since midnight, but—” He exhaled heavily. “I can’t handle it alone. Whoever is hacking the bank’s system… they’re too fast, or too many.”
When Soraya didn’t answer right away, Silas added the final push. “The pay is premium. Ten million dollars.”
“I’ll be there,” Soraya said without hesitation.
She quickly threw on her pants and jacket and headed out. When she arrived at Pinnacle Cedar Bank, the atmosphere was tense. She and Silas worked in tandem to restore the bank’s compromised system.
Client information had already been breached—names, account numbers, and sensitive financial data had been exposed. Finding the hacker wasn’t just urgent; it was critical. A full-scale data leak could collapse client trust, trigger investigations, and invite lawsuits. Time was against them.
While Silas handled the recovery, Soraya dove into tracing the breach. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, tracking digital breadcrumbs left behind by the infiltrators. Firewalls were rebuilt. Traps were set. Eventually, a trace pinged back to a specific location.
By sunrise, the worst was over.
Later that morning, Soraya sat in her apartment, hair damp from a shower, coffee in hand, as she scrolled through her phone. A breaking news alert flashed across her screen:
BREAKING: Cyberattack on Pinnacle Cedar Bank Foiled: Hackers Traced to Private Office Building in Midtown; Arrests Made, Two Suspects Still at Large.
Soraya thought it was just another job—another breach, another late-night rescue, another paycheck.
But little did she know, the incident at the bank would turn her into the most sought-after cybercrime interceptor in the state... and maybe the country.
And the hackers who got away?
They wouldn’t stay away for long.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Lyra said to Silas. “Haha! Aren’t you afraid that Calum will sue you?”
“With what? With telling the truth? Last I checked, there are no legal implications for speaking the truth,” Silas said, gritting his teeth.
Even with his jaw tight in irritation, Silas still managed to look like he’d walked out of a magazine shoot. His perfectly styled blond hair caught the light, and his dimples deepened with every smirk.
“I’m not afraid. Let him go after me. I might just dare to hack his company,” he added, flashing that dangerous smile that had ruined more than a few hearts in Cedar Heights.
“Are you out of your mind?” Soraya scolded. “What if you get caught?”
Silas’s eyes narrowed. “As long as you back me up, we won’t get caught.”
Lyra and Soraya laughed at Silas’s suggestion.
When their giggles died down, Silas turned to Soraya and said, “I’m glad that your marriage is over. I’m so fucking glad you don’t have to deal with Claire Rowan and her brother more often—and I say more often because unfortunately, we live in the same city.”
“I can’t believe you endured that for so many years. Tell me, Soraya. Had they always treated you that way?” he asked, his voice gentler now.
Soraya took a deep breath. She didn’t like drinking, but the question made her grab Silas’s beer bottle and chug it down. Afterward, she admitted, “They always put me down, especially Claire. That’s why I stayed away. I mostly take care of Sage, visit Mr. and Mrs. Montclair, and work.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Lyra said, hugging Soraya.
Seeing them, Silas slid closer, throwing an arm around them with the easy confidence of someone used to getting away with things because of his charm.
Lyra and Soraya ended up laughing. Lyra said, “This is harassment.”
“Are you kidding me right now? This is friendship, right here,” Silas replied. He reached for another beer bottle and took a long drink. “But seriously, Soraya, had I known it was that bad, I would have—” He paused, wavering. “I don’t know. I would’ve seduced you. Made you fall in love with me so you’d leave Calum right away.”
Soraya: “...”
Lyra cracked up.
The friends were at a Japanese grill restaurant that evening, still laughing about how she and Silas had ended up crashing Silvia Becket’s birthday party.
“Soraya, do you remember Liselle? My friend in high school? I didn’t know it until today when I saw her post on Facebook. She’s the sales executive at the Prima Hotel,” Lyra said, opening her phone. “Check this out.”
Silas and Soraya leaned in to look. The latest post from Liselle showed pictures of a lavish banquet setup with her supervising it.
Then, she captioned it: [This is my biggest client yet. Imagine spending five million dollars on one lunch gathering. We’re talking premium wine, the best caviar, engraved gold-leaf menus, custom centerpieces, and a live cooking station by a three-Michelin-starred chef who doesn’t usually cater to private events.]
Comments flooded Liselle’s post. Many were asking who the special client was. Liselle responded: [Well, he just happened to be the richest man in Cedar Heights. I think he was trying to impress his future in-laws.]
Seeing the comments left Soraya’s throat dry. Yet again, she witnessed Calum’s special treatment of Rose.
“Wow,” Silas hissed. “Calum did go all out for his future in-laws. Hope Rose and Calum get married soon. They deserve each other.”
“Don’t worry, Soraya. When I become richer than Calum, I’ll marry you and give you a grander gathering. I’ll buy you the most expensive gown in the world.” With conviction, Silas added, “I’ll show Calum what he threw away was a precious gem.”
“Funny, Silas. Very funny.” Soraya rolled her eyes, and Lyra only laughed.
Later, Silas went to the restroom. Lyra suddenly said, “You know, I’ve always thought Silas liked you.”
“What?” Soraya’s eyes rounded. “Don’t be absurd! Silas is just a friend. He’s always been just a friend to us.”
Lyra shook her head. She said, “I think he treats you differently. And maybe, he never got a chance. You were married, remember?”
“Don’t. Don’t put malice into this friendship,” Soraya insisted.
“I’m just saying. Behind all that playboy charm, maybe he’s a man who loved someone… but never got the chance,” Lyra suggested, but Soraya dismissed the idea.
Silas had always been playful, a natural flirt. Many women were led on by his actions, and she swore she wouldn’t be one of them. One heartache from a Calum Montclair was bad enough. Besides, Silas was not really her type.
Soraya had always preferred the quiet ones, the ones who didn’t rely on charm. The ones with that steady, powerful aura that spoke louder than words.
Later at Soraya’s apartment.
The sound of Soraya’s phone buzzing awoke her. She grabbed it blindly and answered without checking the caller ID.
“Soraya, I need you.”
It was Silas.
“Silas? Why are you calling me at—” She squinted at the time. “Three?”
“I’m at Pinnacle Cedar Bank. They’re our former client. Former, because they failed to renew their NeuroSentinel license. They’ve been hacked, and some client information has already been infiltrated. I’ve been working on this since midnight, but—” He exhaled heavily. “I can’t handle it alone. Whoever is hacking the bank’s system… they’re too fast, or too many.”
When Soraya didn’t answer right away, Silas added the final push. “The pay is premium. Ten million dollars.”
“I’ll be there,” Soraya said without hesitation.
She quickly threw on her pants and jacket and headed out. When she arrived at Pinnacle Cedar Bank, the atmosphere was tense. She and Silas worked in tandem to restore the bank’s compromised system.
Client information had already been breached—names, account numbers, and sensitive financial data had been exposed. Finding the hacker wasn’t just urgent; it was critical. A full-scale data leak could collapse client trust, trigger investigations, and invite lawsuits. Time was against them.
While Silas handled the recovery, Soraya dove into tracing the breach. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, tracking digital breadcrumbs left behind by the infiltrators. Firewalls were rebuilt. Traps were set. Eventually, a trace pinged back to a specific location.
By sunrise, the worst was over.
Later that morning, Soraya sat in her apartment, hair damp from a shower, coffee in hand, as she scrolled through her phone. A breaking news alert flashed across her screen:
BREAKING: Cyberattack on Pinnacle Cedar Bank Foiled: Hackers Traced to Private Office Building in Midtown; Arrests Made, Two Suspects Still at Large.
Soraya thought it was just another job—another breach, another late-night rescue, another paycheck.
But little did she know, the incident at the bank would turn her into the most sought-after cybercrime interceptor in the state... and maybe the country.
And the hackers who got away?
They wouldn’t stay away for long.
End of The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback Chapter 52. View all chapters or return to The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback book page.