The Ex-Wife’s Billion Dollar Comeback Novel

- Soraya " Who were you expecting to call ? " Soraya bit her lip , making a face at how close she had come to getting caught . She was a second away from saying Jacob's name ! She sucked in a deep breath and replied to Calum , " A friend . " " A friend whom you had kissed ? " Calum asked , his voice sounding irritated . " Why does it matter , Calum ? It's none of your business , " she said calmly . " What do you want ?

" There was a moment of silence before Calum replied , " Sage wants to see you , and … Mom has not been feeling well since Sunday afternoon . She just finished a thorough checkup yesterday , and she said- " Another pause . "She said she'd feel better if you see her , " Calum conveyed . Soraya gulped . She asked , " A thorough checkup ? Why ? What happened ? " " She has been experiencing tightness in the chest , and she fainted last Sunday , " Calum revealed .

" She wants to have dinner with you - with us , at the old Montclair estate . Tonight . " " Tonight ? " Soraya looked at the wall clock in her office . " I can pick you up , " Calum offered . " Pick me up ? " Soraya asked . That was a shock - a rare moment for Calum to invite her into his car . She scoffed and replied , " No , thank you , Calum . I don't want to ruin your perfect Bentley . I'll drive myself there ." If Amanda Montclair was unwell , it was just right for Soraya to visit her .

So , she gave up on the idea of overtime and called Jacob next . He quickly answered , " Dante and I are on our way to Beldrige , but I can turn back- " " No need ," Soraya said . " Calum called . He said that Amanda is not well . She wants to see me . I'll go to the Montclair estate to check on her . " " Hmmm , " he said . " About earlier , my phone died . I did not mean to cut the call , " she added . " I'll see you on Friday ? " " Friday , " Jacob responded .

1/4 13:17 Tue , 19 Aug Chapter 78 " Tell Angela I miss her , " she said . " will , " Jacob answered . ¥ 会 76 % 世 - Calum - Rose : [ Are you going to come over ? I'm wearing your favorite nighty . ] Calum : [ I can't . I need to be there for my mother . And she wants to see Soraya . So , we are having dinner at the old mansion . ] Rose : [ What ? Soraya again ? But Calum , why ? ] Calum : [ I can't refuse my mother right now , Rose . You should understand . ] Rose : [ Okay . You're right .

I'm sorry , but what about after dinner ? Maybe you can come home to me . I really miss you . ] Calum : [ We'll see . ] It had been a tiring few days . After his mother fainted , he and his father spent hours at the hospital . At night , he returned to the Montclair estate to check on Sage . He no longer brought Sage to his own home , as it was more convenient for both of them to stay at his parents ' mansion for the meantime . Attending to Rose was not his priority .

And lately , Sage had been asking about her mother . After all , he had told Sage that her mother would only be gone for a while . But it had already been nearly three months since Soraya left , and Sage was beginning to notice her absence . Even Calum noticed the change , but of course he did not admit it to anyone . The house felt different without Soraya . While she had been around , Sage had been in her best health , and her school performance was solid .

Now , although Sage was still doing fairly well , her grades had begun to dip . Calum hadn't told Sage about the divorce . He was waiting for the appropriate time , all the while considering the gentlest way to explain it to a child . Then , there were the reports . Lately , his assistant , Greg Foster , had been working overtime to go through the daily paperwork , even after the entire support staff had reviewed them . Why ?

There were inconsistencies that his secretaries had missed , something Soraya had never allowed in the past . All the paperwork went through Soraya before it landed on Greg's table . Now , Greg's work seemed to have doubled . Hiring new staff only made it worse . 2/4 70 % 13:17 Tue , 19 Aug Chapter 78 Of course , the most obvious change was his relationship with his parents . Although they spoke , they talked about work and how they were , the warmth was gone since announcing the divorce .

To Calum's parents , Soraya would always be their preferred daughter - in - law . In his view , they were trying to control him … again . And his way of retaliating was to stay firm on the divorce . Besides , why would he love someone who had schemed to marry him ? Calum wholeheartedly believed Rose was better . And Sage liked her too . But in the past three days , Calum had started to wonder … what if he had given Soraya a chance ? What if he had just … forgiven her ?

What would have been … their future together ? Perhaps his mother's health wouldn't have taken such a blow . Maybe then he wouldn't have to deal with his parents ' cold behavior , and he might not have had to face all the small , yet noticeable , inconvenient changes in his life . Of course , he still remembered how Rose had gone along with Claire's plan to invite Elana Dalton to Melvin's party . That wasn't like Rose at all . What if there was more to Rose than he had ever realized ?

He forgave her , but that didn't mean he had forgotten . On top of that , he had been noticing a different side of Soraya , one she had never revealed to him before . Or … maybe … she had tried , and he simply refused to notice ? A few minutes ago , when he called Soraya , she had mistaken him for someone else . She had given away that she might be involved with someone - someone she was already close to , close enough to share a kiss . He did not know why the idea made him uneasy .

After all , he was already in a relationship with Rose . But Calum supposed it was because he had never expected Soraya to move on that quickly . " Is she … really with someone ? " He wondered . " And she really let go ? " Heartbeats later . " Soraya , there's something different about you - like a special glow . Tell me , who is he ? " Calum stopped in his tracks .

He had just arrived at his parents ' house and was making his way to the dining room when he overheard the conversation between Soraya and his mother . " Mom , there's no one . Please , let's talk about you ," Soraya responded . Her denial only made it clear that , whoever it was , the relationship wasn't serious . ' Could it really be Silas Ward ? ' Calum mused . " How are you feeling today ? " Soraya asked Amanda .

3/4 S76 % 會 Chapter 78 " Much better now that you are here ," Amanda responded . " Don't worry , I won't die just yet . I still have to see you married , and maybe have more beautiful kids . They won't necessarily be my grandkids , but I'll be happy to claim them . " Calum's brows knitted at Amanda's suggestion , and he decided to walk in . What he saw stopped him . Soraya was smiling . It was bright , unguarded , completely alive .

Her laughter rang through the room , genuine and unfiltered , lighting up her face in a way he hadn't seen in years . It reminded him of the young Soraya he had known before - happy and daring . He had seen her laugh with Silas , yes , but this one … this one struck differently . " Oh , Mom , please . Stop joking about that ," Soraya said , still laughing , brushing off the teasing . " I'm serious ! Tell me . I have a feeling there is a man in your life ! " Amanda insisted .

Then , Amanda and Soraya spotted Calum . The warmth in Soraya's expression instantly faded , replaced by the careful composure she always showed around him . He joined them at the dinner table . Cedric and Sage later arrived . They all shared the meal in between awkward pauses - awkward because Soraya had mostly ignored Calum , and any conversation between them had to pass through Sage or through Amanda and Cedric .

After dinner , Calum finally revealed , " Soraya , Mother is undergoing a bypass surgery tomorrow afternoon . It's the main reason why she wanted to see you ." The worry on Soraya's face was evident . Amanda smiled reassuringly and said , " Don't worry , my dear . My cardiologist invited the best surgeon for the job. He's young , but already famous in Southeast Asia and Europe , and so far , has had a 100 % success rate with these surgeries . I'll be fine . Be sure to visit me .

" " Well ," Soraya said , reaching for Amanda's hand . " I'll visit you and thank this good doctor . " And so Calum expected to see Soraya again , not knowing that their coming encounters would remind him of something he'd long ignored : the way Soraya's presence quietly captivated those around her . 4/4 AD Comment Send gift