A Welcome Present
1442 Words
There was an eerie silence in the space as soon as the words 'LuminaTech' left Dan's mind. Serena stared at him like he had lost his mind, Jada looked like she wanted to laugh while Julian looked purely confused. Nothing about what Dan had just said made sense.
But, Dan didn't look like he was joking. He didn't even bother repeating himself, which only increased their confusion.
Jada was the first to recover. "That's not possible." She snapped immediately, taking a step forward as if the distance could correct what she had just heard. "You must have it all wrong. Go and confirm again. I'm sure there's been a mistake."
Dan didn't flinch. He only gave a respectable nod and held up his tablet more firmly. He had been around the Monroes for a few years, so he knew they weren't going to let him be until they had confirmed things themselves.
“I understand your concern, ma’am,” he replied calmly, his voice steady despite the tension pressing in from all sides. “But there is no mistake.”
He tapped the screen a few times, pulling up a clear image before turning it around for everyone to see. “This was sent by her team exactly one hour before she arrived so I would recognize her immediately.”
The tablet displayed Sophie standing on a sleek podium, the LuminaTech logo glowing boldly behind her as she addressed a packed audience. The image alone carried weight, but what made it worse was how different she looked when compared to five years ago. She looked like a woman of authority and class. That was enough to make Serena and Jada livid.
Once again, silence fell over the group as reality finally settled in.
Sophie really was the CEO of LuminaTech!
Even the guests nearby who had been pretending not to stare at the scene leaned in more openly now, their curiosity turning to silent admiration. Some even gave quiet, hesitant applause, like they were witnessing something bigger than a reunion or a scandal.
"Turns out she was the smarter sister."
"LuminaTech is no joke. She must be a genius!"
Silent praises flooded across the ballroom, riling Serena and Jada even more.
Julian’s breath caught as he looked at the image, and for the first time, everything about her presence made horrifying sense. She hadn’t just changed, she had rebuilt herself completely into someone untouchable.
Sophie turned her head slightly toward Julian, her expression calm but laced with something colder than anger. “I’m starting to feel disappointed,” she said evenly, her voice calm but edged with a quiet authority.
“For someone who went through so much trouble to have me attend this gala,” she continued, her gaze steady on him, “you are doing a terrible job as a host.”
Julian took a step forward instantly, his voice breaking through his shock as he tried to reclaim some sense of familiarity. “Sophie…”
She lifted a hand slightly without even looking fully at him. "Please, Mr Vale. I do not believe we are close enough to be on a first-name basis, are we?” she said coolly, her lips curling slightly into a small smirk.
Julian froze, confusion flashing across his face as he tried to process her sudden coldness. She sounded nothing like the Sophie he remembered. “What are you talking about? I know you, Sophie, you are—”
“I think there is a misunderstanding,” she interrupted again, this time sharper, her patience visibly thinning. “We are meeting for the first time, Mr. Vale.”
The words hit him harder than he expected and for a second, he wondered if he was standing before someone else. The Sophie he knew was never this cold. This woman before him spoke as if she had never met him before. If anyone saw them, they would think she was being forced to be in the same space with him.
Sophie turned away from him without waiting for a response and glanced toward Dan instead. “Please, show me to my seat. I do not believe I was invited here to have meaningless chats.” she instructed calmly, already moving as if the conversation was beneath her attention.
Dan immediately stepped aside with a respectful nod, guiding her forward as the crowd instinctively parted for her. Every step she took away from Julian felt heavier than the one before it, like the distance between them was widening in real time.
Julian stood frozen, watching her leave as his eyes began to sting, the weight of everything he couldn’t say pressing against his throat. His chest tightened painfully, but he didn’t move, as if his body had forgotten how.
Catching the expression on Julian's face, panic filled Serena. She immediately rushed to his side and linked her hand with his. “Julian,” she whispered sharply, pulling him slightly back into reality. “People are watching you.”
Julian blinked slowly, finally noticing the sea of eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to react. Slowly, he inhaled, forcing down whatever emotion threatened to spill out and straightening his posture.
Without saying a word, he gently removed Serena’s hand from his arm and stepped away, masking his true emotions with the one he had rehearsed all morning. He turned and walked off, leaving Serena standing there with a flicker of frustration and disbelief.
Back at her table, Jada had barely settled when her husband, Edward, leaned in sharply and pulled her slightly closer. His eyes were narrowed with confusion, his attention still locked on Sophie across the hall.
“Tell me I’m not seeing things, Jada,” Edward muttered, his voice low but urgent. “Is that really Sophie?”
Jada hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly, gnashing her teeth as it pained her to admit the truth. “It is her,” she admitted reluctantly, her expression tight. Then, she shook her head and frowned. “As if her being here isn't enough bad news, I hear she is the new CEO of LuminaTech as well."
Edward’s eyes widened instantly, disbelief flashing across his face. He leaned back slightly, shaking his head as if refusing to accept the statement.
“That can’t be right,” he said firmly, his tone filled with suspicion rather than shock alone. “You are telling me she disappeared for five years and suddenly came back as the head of LuminaTech?”
Jada gestured subtly toward Sophie’s reserved VVIP seating area, where staff were already ensuring her space was perfectly arranged. “That seat alone should answer your question,” she said quietly, her voice uneasy now. "Even we, the Monroes weren't allowed to sit there. Doesn't that tell you enough?" She answered bitterly.
Edward followed her gaze and shock filled his eyes when he realized that she wasn't telling a lie. Sophie being the CEO of LuminaTech didn't add up, not to him. It was no small company and from the rumours, the new CEO is to thank for its recent success.
He had raised Sophie for more than twenty years. When did she suddenly get so smart to handle a company as big as LuminaTech?
“If she really owns LuminaTech,” he said slowly, almost to himself, “then you are telling me she became a billionaire in five years.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. "Things like that don't happen in real life, not unless she has someone really powerful backing her.
Jada frowned slightly, watching his reaction carefully. “What are you suggesting?”
Edward’s jaw tightened as he leaned forward again, lowering his voice even further. “I don’t believe it,” he said bluntly. “If anyone was going to rise like that, it would have been Serena. She has always been the luckier sister.”
His eyes hardened as suspicion fully formed in his expression. “So either she is lying about all of this,” he added slowly, “or she did something to get here that she is not telling anyone.”
He pushed himself up from his seat immediately after that, adjusting his jacket. “I should have a word with her." He said firmly but Jada grabbed his arm before he could move.
"What if she refuses to talk to you? We've all seen how different she's acting." She said worriedly but Edward chuckled confidently.
"Don't worry. She will speak to me." He said, looking at Sophie who looked engrossed in the musical performance on stage.
"What choice does she have? She is my daughter after all."
- Writer
