The Ex-Wife's Billion Dollar Comeback - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

~ Soraya ~
“Ha. Ha.” Soraya let out an awkward laugh. While still maintaining her hold on Angela, she said, “Don’t say that, Angela. I’m sure your mommy loves you very much. Every mom loves their child.”
Angela looked at her with sad eyes. She shook her head and buried her face against Soraya’s neck.
Soraya then turned to Jacob, her eyes pleading for help. “Mr. Steel? Right?”
Jacob’s face turned cold. He averted her gaze and stared back at the colorful lights before them. He sucked in a deep breath before revealing, “Angela doesn’t have a mother.”
Soraya’s expression grew perplexed. She hesitated but soon asked, “W-why? Someone gave birth to her.”
“It takes more than giving birth to be a mother,” Jacob said through gritted teeth.
Oh, how Soraya wanted to say more, but it really wasn’t in her place. Moreover, Jacob Steel was known not to be a chatty person. Not that she knew much about him.
In fact, Soraya was surprised to learn Jacob had a child. She had never seen him with a woman before, nor had she heard that he was married. So, where did the child come from?
Then again, she paused. Soraya was Calum’s secret wife. ‘Did Jacob Steel also have a secret wife that he despised?’
Thinking this, her face formed a frown.
He was just like Calum.
They are indeed of the same breed.
Yet, for all the intimidating presence Jacob Steel carried, his daughter couldn’t have been more different. Angela was quiet, reserved, and clearly hesitant around others. At her age, Soraya would have expected a child to be more open and lively, even with ASD.
Besides, given Jacob’s substantial wealth, surely Angela had received numerous treatments and interventions.
Soraya’s curiosity grew as she gazed into the girl’s green eyes, taking in her sweet face and the silent longing for love reflected there.
Why?
Just then, Angela touched Soraya’s face. Then, the little girl felt her stomach.
“Are you hungry?” Soraya asked, and Angela nodded before hugging her again. “Then, um. You need to go to your Daddy, Angela.”
Again, Angela shook her head. She clung to Soraya tightly, calling her, “Mommy.”
‘Is it okay to curse?’ There was no amount of words to describe how awkward the situation felt to Soraya.
Angela had a mother somewhere, yet the little girl was calling her mommy? No way! The last thing she wanted was to be a version of Rose Becket!
“Mr. Steel, please take Angela. I really don’t want to be mistaken for—” She hesitated before resuming, “For your mistress.”
“Miss Azar, rest assured, you are the last person I want to consider as my lover,” Jacob quickly replied, his eyes squinting in her direction.
Soraya’s lips twitched. She reacted, “The feeling is mutual, Mr. Steel.”
The man stood up and tried to take Angela by force, but it only resulted in Angela crying out loud, catching the attention of passersby. Left with no choice, Soraya offered, “Um, I’ll bring her to the restaurant.”
Jacob and Soraya made it to her car when the man suddenly grabbed her arm. “Wait.”
When Soraya turned to those orbs, Jacob said, “Your coat.”
At first, Soraya frowned, but he suddenly took off his coat and offered it to her. “Your coat is dirty. Take this.”
Well, Soraya certainly did not want to go to the restaurant with a dirty coat. So she agreed. They had to explain to Angela again and again that Soraya was not going anywhere. She simply needed to change her coat.
It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, Soraya managed to remove her coat, constantly holding the little girl with one arm. Jacob had to assist her all the way.
Jacob put the coat into her car, and then, they walked to the restaurant together.
“I don’t think she will let go of you. You might as well join us. Consider it my thank you for saving my daughter,” Jacob said.
Soraya wavered, but eventually agreed.
Not like, she had a choice.
~ Jacob ~
Jacob Steel watched as Soraya fed his little girl with a baby carrot. She said, “Veggies help you grow big and strong like a superhero. They make your eyes see better, your tummy feel good, and your brain think super fast.”
Soraya smiled, encouraging, “Try it!”
Angela leaned in and took a bite. She made a face but still continued eating.
“Do you like it?” Soraya asked, and Angela shook her head.
A chuckle left Soraya’s lips, and surprisingly, her smile caught Jacob by surprise. Soraya looked different than her usual sad and gloomy-looking face.
“But, will you eat the carrot for me?” Soraya asked Angela, and she nodded.
Jacob, “...”
His daughter was a picky eater. She had never eaten a vegetable all her life, so why was she suddenly willing to chew on a carrot for Soraya?
It was a wonder to behold.
Even Jacob’s personal bodyguard, Dante, couldn’t help but stare. He was supposed to sit two tables away, but he was simply amazed at how Angela was responding to Soraya.
When Soraya caught them staring at her, she frowned and focused on her meal. That was when Jacob asked, “So, you have Asperger’s Syndrome.”
Soraya nodded.
“What is it like?” Jacob asked before resuming to eat.
“I struggled with social cues when I was young, but I had a lot of help,” Soraya shared.
“I see,” Jacob said, not digging further about her family.
“I, um… I have a fixation with numbers, patterns, codes—” Soraya began, her voice soft. “If something doesn’t add up, I can’t ignore it. It’s like an itch in my brain that I have to scratch. That’s what led me to Computer Engineering.”
She laughed a little and revealed, “If I had not gotten pregnant, I would have taken another course—physics.”
“Don’t worry. I can tell that Angela is smart,” she said, glancing at his daughter. “There are many brilliant people on the spectrum.”
“Elon Musk, for example, has publicly shared that he’s an Aspie. There’s Bill Gross, the co-founder of one of the biggest insurance companies in the world. Some of the greatest minds in history are suspected to have had similar traits. It’s just that, in the past, few doctors specialized in mental development or recognized what we now understand as autism.”
“As for Angela, she just needs to learn how to interact more and express herself. She needs someone to help her through this, someone who understands, someone who truly cares.” Soraya turned to Jacob, asking, “Mr. Steel, don’t you attend your daughter’s therapy?”
He gulped, and his jaws clenched. “I am a very busy man—”
“But, Miss Azar, don’t get the boss wrong. He truly tries his best to be with Angela,” the bodyguard, Dante, said.
“I don’t mean to judge,” Soraya said. “I’m not as judgmental as you.”
Jacob’s lips twitched. His nose flared at Soraya’s suggestion.
“I’m sure you’ll figure out what’s best for your daughter,” Soraya said.
There was a short pause coming from Jacob. His eyes darkened. Later, he shook his head and said, “You talk about Asperger like it’s some kind of gift. Are you gifted, Miss Azar?”
Soraya shrugged. She chewed down her food and said, “I’m just a simple person, Mr. Steel.”
Dinner eventually came to an end, and Angela fell asleep in her seat. It relieved Jacob because that meant he and his daughter could finally part with Soraya.
Although the meeting with Calum’s wife had been unexpected, Jacob was even more surprised by what he discovered. Soraya was nothing like how his friends had described her. ‘Had Calum not known his own wife at all? Did he ever even try to? Or… is Soraya faking it?’
Regardless, he owed Soraya for saving his daughter. So, when they exited the restaurant while carrying Angela, he said, “If you need anything, call me.”
Dante gave her his calling card, and before she turned on her heel, he repeated, “Anything. It is my sincere offer for the compassion you have given Angela today.”
Soraya stared at his calling card. She looked up and replied, “Can you… please be kind to me? That’s all I ask.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Steel,” Soraya said before finally heading back to her car.
When Jacob had entered his car, he stared at Soraya’s fleeing vehicle. He said to his bodyguard, “Have my assistant check on her story, her background.”
“Yes, Sir. Mr. Steel,” Dante acknowledged.
Later that week, when the investigation of Soraya’s background came to Jacob Steel, he found himself clenching his jaw. He hissed and muttered, “She lied.”
And it wasn’t just that. There was more.