The Ex-Wife’s Billion Dollar Comeback Novel

---- Chapter 151: The Celeste of Navarre ~ Soraya ~ "Since the adoption has been legally challenged, we have to prepare for litigation," Harold explained. He and Martin visited Soraya and Jacob first thing in the morning on Wednesday. "We will go through several processes following my response to Damien Cross's motion,' the attorney added. "We will be informed of the first hearing soon, so, ideally, you must get married before this happens. When the judge first reviews the case, we can already present you both as part of a stable, married household." They were discussing in Jacob's study.

The couple looked at each other before Jacob revealed, "We will have a civil wedding first before the actual ceremony. Planning a wedding takes time, but at least we can have the legal papers done quickly." "That's good," Harold noted. "The earlier that you are married, the better." "The preliminary hearing date depends on the judge, but given Jacob's influence, it's possible to get priority. So, it could be a month or two from now," Martin, the other lawyer, explained. " After that, we will proceed to discovery, which is the time when evidence is presented.

Ideally, we should have enough evidence against Mr. Cross by then." "The final hearing could take six months to a year,' Harold added. "But rest assured, we will try our best to expedite the entire process." "I've already started speaking with a few of my contacts at the court," Jacob shared. ---- "That could prove useful," Harold acknowledged. "In the meantime, it's crucial to keep Angela's best interests at the center," Martin added. "Ideally, nothing should cast doubt on your relationship or raise questions about your home. Remember what | said last time?

Stay away from past troubles for now." Soraya and Jacob agreed. It couldn't be helped. Sienna had already approached Silas, thinking he was Soraya's lover. If Sienna were to discover her past with Calum, chances were she would run to him, or worse, to Rose, and come up with a scheme together. "And as for Sienna, | have already filed the motion to amend the restraining order, but if this person intends to really cause trouble, there are creative ways to do it. You both need to be very careful," Harold warned.

But only later that day, they realized the restraining order was nothing more than a false sense of safety. When Angela came home from therapy, she was crying. Soraya and Jacob had not gone with her because of their meeting with the lawyers. Only Veronica and Dante went to the therapy center. "Angela? What's wrong?" Soraya was the first to react, seeing her in Veronica's arms. "It's bad. It's bad," Veronica mouthed. Trailing behind, Dante shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steel, it was someone we didn't recognize." "Daddy!" Angela turned to Jacob, her arms raised toward him.

"A bad man said you are not my daddy!" Soraya, "!!!" ---- "Shhh. I'm your father. I'm your daddy. Whoever said that is wrong. Don't cry, Baby," Jacob hushed his daughter, stepping away from Dante and the others. "I know what will make you feel better. How about you and Daddy have a cup of ice cream?" "This is the surveillance video from the therapy center," Dante shared, showing his phone. Soraya looked at the video and, true enough, a man with a hat pulled low over his head had approached Angela while Veronica was speaking with the teacher.

Then, the man left in arush, leaving Angela in tears. "At that time, | was preparing the car," Dante said regretfully. " Later, after we checked the surveillance videos, we learned that this man had been stalking the therapy center for two days, probably trying to figure out Angela's routine." But the bigger question was, who was that man? Soraya had seen pictures of Damien, and that was not him. Even with the hat, she could tell the difference. "It must be someone connected to Damien or Sienna," Soraya said through clenched teeth.

"Maybe we should homeschool Angela for now," Veronica suggested. "I'm so worried!" The suggestion took Soraya aback. While it was a solution, it was not ideal for children on the spectrum. In fact, she wanted Angela to attend a regular school, not be shut away from the world. On Thursday, thankfully, no one dared to approach Angela during therapy. However, someone approached one teacher during break time. That day, Soraya herself accompanied Angela. Jaxon and Logan were also with her, watching from different exits of the center.

---- One teacher walked up to Soraya and reported, "Ma'am, a man came to me begging for help. He said he was Angela's real father and that she was unfairly taken from him." But the problem was, the description the teacher gave Soraya did not match Damien's. Based on the photos, Damien was a man in his late twenties, young-looking with sandy blond hair and gray eyes. The person who had approached the teacher was an older man with black hair. At least the teacher knew to ignore the claim and report it, but that did not ease Soraya's heart.

She and Jacob needed to establish the connection between Damien and these men, but more importantly, they needed to protect Angela. So, when evening came that Thursday, Soraya waited for Jacob. The second he entered the living room, she said, " Maybe we should move." Jacob nodded. He sat next to Soraya on the couch and said, "I was thinking the same." "But first..." He slipped a velvet box from his jacket pocket and opened it in front of Soraya.

Inside rested a cushion-cut 198- carat Kashmir sapphire ring, its royal blue stone was encircled by a halo of pink and white diamonds, all set in gleaming platinum. Then, he knelt on one knee, asking, "Will you marry me, Soraya Azar?" A tear fell on her cheek. Despite the worries they were facing, there was still happiness lingering around them. "Of course," she said, giving him her hand. "It's so beautiful. It looks very expensive!

How much did you pay for this?" The two shared a hug while Jacob whispered, "It wasn't ---- expensive at all." some ~ Rose ~ Meanwhile, back at Rose's apartment, she and Calum were arguing. "| can't believe you didn't let me bid for it," Rose cried. "That was my dream ring!" "Do you really expect me to pay three hundred million dollars for a ring right now, Rose? You know I'm trying to put up a new business, and | won't be earning my salary from the Montclair Group next month," Calum shot back.

"And let's not forget we still need to pay for the rest of the wedding!" The Celeste of Navarre was a legendary Kashmir sapphire ring, once commissioned for the House of Navarre as a symbol of eternal love and unbreakable legacy. It was regarded as one of the rarest and most valuable jewels in existence. Its estimated cost was two hundred million dollars, but today, during the auction, a representative fought for the bid and paid three hundred million dollars! Rose was so frustrated. 'Who in the world would drive the cost up that much?!" So, she lost her chance at her dream ring.

She turned to Calum, sniffing back tears. "It's just that... | had always wanted that ring." "Ill get you a different ring, one that doesn't cost a fortune," Calum said.