My Ex-Husband's Regret

Chapter 9

Susanna was red in the face when she heard what Alex had just said.

Pamela and Peter were not any happier.

"What, Dad?" Pamela shrieked.

Alex wished immediately that he hadn't said it.

"Over my dead body, Alex, will you hand over your property to someone who is not part of our family," she snapped.

"It's just to ensure its smooth running, and it's just the conglomerate, not all of my properties."

Susanna had her hands folded. "That will not happen," she said, crying. "What is wrong with Pamela and Peter?"

Alex coughed. "They are my children too. They will be fine."

"Stop it," Susanna put her hands over her ears. "They will handle the company just fine. You just have to teach them, and I'm sure in three to six months they will be able to manage the company smoothly."

Alex shook his head. She did not understand how close they were to bankruptcy and how quickly the company needed the salvage of an expert and not someone who studies what people study for four years in the university in just three to six months.

He remained silent and looked away from the three angry faces.

*

Pamela sat with her friend Chloe at a party where they had gone to.

"So what are you going to do, PamPam?" Chloe asked after listening to all that her friend had told her.

Pamela shrugged. "My father does not know what he's saying. He can't hand over the company to someone who isn't even... worthy of it."

Chloe sipped on expensive wine while Pamela took large gulps.

"Try more to coax him, baby girl. The same way you coaxed him to buy you that private jet."

Pamela rolled her eyes. "This is much different, Chloe. He says he needs someone to take over immediately for some reason."

Chloe was mute, just staring into space thinking.

Pamela was lost in thought as well when Oliver Green walked up to them with a smile on his face. He had his cocky grin on his face.

"Nice to see you, Pamela White and Chloe Hutchinson. I thought you guys were the groovy type. It's strange seeing you both look so... lost."

Chloe rolled her eyes while Pamela ignored him altogether.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Pamela," he said, suddenly remembering he had heard about her father's illness.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"So he won't be attending the annual Charity Fundraiser in a fortnight?"

Pamela had a blank look on her face. She was too drowned in her misery to talk to him even though he had been a guy she admired.

Oliver took his cue and left them.

"I think Oliver has the hots for you, Pamela," Chloe teased.

"This isn't some high-school love story, Chloe. This is real life," Pamela snapped. "Besides, Mason is the real prize."

She temporarily pushed the thoughts of her father's decision out of her mind and talked about the town's hottest bachelor and richest businessman.

*

"Take this. Be ready by 8 p.m.," Jacob said to Eva, who had just put David to bed.

She was surprised. It was the first time Jacob had talked to her in two weeks.

She turned around dumbly but realized he was referring to her.

"Me?"

"Is there any other person in this room?" he retorted.

He dropped the red shiny bag beside her bed and left.

She wondered what was going on. Since they had both found out that she was pregnant, Jacob was barely ever home anymore.

He most times went out for days without returning home. He had stopped talking to her. Whenever he saw her, he would get so mad and break things, so she had to stay away from his line of view.

She stood wondering.

Firstly, why did he get her a gift?

Secondly, where were they going?

Thirdly, she knew he would not want David going with them, so where would she put him?

She took the bag and opened it to see a black sequin dress and a pair of heels.

She looked at the time. It was quarter past seven p.m.

She felt so tired and just wanted to sleep, but she did not want to make Jacob mad, so she gently lifted David.

She did not know who else to leave him with except her kind old neighbour, Mrs. Wilson, who loved David's company. She loved how inquisitive he was and loved to answer his questions.

She only had a cat and lived alone, knitting most of the time.

Eva wondered a lot why she had no one around her. She always claimed she was fine alone, but then Eva had caught the glimpse of sadness in her eyes when she had gone to pick up David.

She knocked on Mrs. Wilson's door.

"Mrs. Wilson, good evening," she greeted.

The older woman gave her a toothy grin. "Blessings, child."

Eva shifted on her feet. She hated to be an inconvenience. "I am so sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Wilson. Please, can David pass the night with you? My husband has asked that I accompany him for a meeting, and I can't leave David alone at home."

She beamed and made way for Eva to proceed to lay her sleeping child on the little cot placed in the living room for him whenever he was around.

She thanked Mrs. Wilson and rushed home to get ready.

She hurriedly took a bath and began to do a nude makeup as quickly as she could. She curled her long, straight brown hair and paired her outfit with some jewellery.

The dress Jacob had gotten for her was a strapless bodycon dress.

It hugged her body and revealed her geometry, including her slightly protruding baby bump.

She paired it with the red heels and did her best to look good.

For Jacob to get her such an expensive dress, they must be going to a high-profile event.

She lastly wore some of her perfume. It was not anything expensive, but Eva was determined to be confident.

Jacob appeared at her doorway, and his mouth ran dry.

She looked to him like the most beautiful creature he had seen on the planet.

He wanted to just spin her around and tell her how much she meant to him, but seeing the slight baby bump simply killed his joy.

She looked at him in confusion, seeing the hard look on his face.

"Is it okay?" she asked, referring to her look.

He swallowed. "Take a shawl along. This dress reveals too much cleavage."

She frowned. What was the essence of that? Had he not bought her the dress?

"I don't have all day," he snapped.

She nodded and rushed to grab a black shawl. It could get cold, and she would need it too, she assured herself.

The event they were attending was beyond a normal event.

It was an event for the biggest of the biggest and the richest of the richest.

Eva wondered why Jacob was there, though she did not mean any offence.

He was just a sales rep, wasn't he?

They soon got settled after Jacob greeted a few familiar people, as he himself was not really familiar with most of the people there.

He greeted a few of the people he knew and then walked over to a table where Sename's was written on a beautiful placard.

Jacob sat beside her, talking with his boss, who had invited him.

A woman at the table turned to Eva. "You look stunning," she said. "Congratulations on your husband's promotion."

Eva's brows scrunched in confusion. "Promotion?" she asked, but then seeing the look on Jacob's face, she laughed shakily. "Of course. His promotion. Thank you so much."

The event soon began, and they listened to the moderator speak.

She sat and fiddled with her fingers under the table a bit nervously while she paid attention to the man talk about business and the progress of many companies and conglomerates.

She was paying full attention when he talked about the businesses and the common problems as well as some new businesses when Jacob slung his arm across her shoulder and pulled her closer.

She looked at his face, confused, but to her surprise, his lips softly covered hers, and she almost pulled back in shock.

She had her eyes wide open.

What was that for?

"Aww.. That's so sweet," the older woman at the table said adorably.

Some other people awwed at them, but she felt so nervous at the attention, and heat rushed to her cheeks.

She looked away after the intense kiss, trying to catch her breath and flushed terribly at the kiss.

As she looked back to the moderator, she saw Oliver from the corner of her eyes, staring intently at her.

She turned back to Jacob and saw him smirk in Oliver's direction before turning back to the moderator.

What just happened?

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she fought to keep them from falling. What was Jacob trying to prove? She felt trapped, confused, and more alone than ever.