Chapter 038

38.

"Now, let's go make a dramatic entrance." he smirked and she smiled as they walked into the hall together.

The hall was filled with influential men and women, who came to witness the handover ceremony of the Sullivan Group. Bianca sat in the midst of her friends as they chatted and giggled happily while congratulating her for becoming the first CEO among them.

Nathan was seated by her side, her arms locked with his as she gisted with her friends about how shocked she was when her father sent out the invitations.

"You needed to see the look on my face, babes." she said, flaunting her perfectly manicured nails in their faces.

"Girl, you rock. Your father must have seen your potential. We all know how much of a boss lady you are." Brenda, one of her friends, spoke up.

"I know, right? She is beautiful, talented and all round capable! Not to think she also has a very handsome boyfriend." Ava, her second friend complimented her as she looked at her dreamily.

"Oh, stop it, girls. You flatter me too much." she chuckled.

"It's true. You've got to be named the most beautiful female CEO for this year. I can't wait for the award night as you'd go up there to collect the award." Ava shrieked, causing them to giggle.

Just then, the lights focused in a particular direction, causing everybody to turn their heads, wondering what was happening. Their eyes widened when they saw Samantha and Aiden, looking radiant as they walked into the hall together, their arms linked.

"Wow!" People exclaimed, murmurings everywhere.

Bianca and her friend were shocked at how gorgeous Samantha looked. They hadn't seen her looking this sophisticated before. She didn't even dress like this on her own celebration day. Bianca frowned, her jaw clenching.

Nathan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Samantha - his ex-wife was looking absolutely stunning and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

As Samantha and Aiden made their way through the crowd, the room fell silent, with all eyes on them. Bianca's face turned red with anger and jealousy, while Nathan's eyes were fixed on Samantha, his expression a mix of shock and admiration.

Aiden, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the attention, his smile charming and confident. Samantha, however, looked poised and elegant, her eyes scanning the room with a hint of pride. Her eyes met with that of Bianca and she winked, causing Bianca to frown.

She and Aiden took a seat at the table reserved for them and her parents. Her mother smiled at her. "You look stunning." she whispered and Samantha smiled. The smile on her father's face already told her what he thought.

"Bianca, I can't believe this. Could she have dressed like this intentionally to spite you?" Brenda asked.

Bianca snorted. "How dare Samantha walk into my own ceremony and steal the spotlight?" she seethed.

Nathan looked at Bianca, but didn't say a word to her. He just kept looking at Samantha, who didn't even act like he was there. Whenever Aiden brushed her hair from her face, his heart would tighten.

When everything had settled down, all eyes went to the stage immediately as the MC welcomed them. Later, Mr. Sullivan took the microphone and began his speech, his voice filled with emotion. "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, it is with great pleasure that I stand before you today to hand over the reins of this great company to a worthy successor. My daughter, Bianca, has proven herself to be a capable and talented leader, and I have no doubt that she will take the Sullivan Group to new heights."

The room applauded, and Bianca stood up, a smug smile on her face as she made her way to the stage with her arm linked with Nathan's. She did this intentionally to annoy Samantha, but Samantha sat there unmoved, acting like she wasn't affected by what was happening.

Aiden looked at her and saw the way her hand tightened around the wine glass she was holding. He placed his hand on her thighs and she looked at him. He gestured for her to take a deep breath and she nodded, doing as he said before averting her gaze back to the stage. Surprisingly, she felt a lot better.

Mr. Sullivan handed Bianca the microphone, and she began her acceptance speech, her voice dripping with confidence and arrogance.

While she spoke, Nathan's eyes were still fixed in Samantha's direction. Her eyes locked with his for a moment, and just as he was about to smile at her, she averted her gaze, causing him to sigh.

"...and I promise to do a good job and make my father proud," Bianca finished her speech, her voice echoing through the hall.

The room erupted in applause, and Bianca's friends rushed to congratulate her, surrounding her with cheers and hugs. Nathan joined in, his eyes never leaving Samantha's face, who was clapping politely, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Aiden, however, was not clapping. He was watching Nathan, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to read his intentions. Samantha noticed Aiden's gaze and followed it to Nathan, a smile forming on her lips, knowing that Aiden was jealous. She didn't know why she found it amusing, but it made her smile.

As the applause died down, Mr. Sullivan took the microphone again, his voice filled with pride. "And now, my dear friends and colleagues, I would like to invite you to join me in a toast to our new CEO, Bianca. May she lead the Sullivan Group to even greater heights."

The room erupted in cheers and applause again, and everybody stood up with their wine glasses in their hands as they made a toast. Samantha stood up, her eyes locked on Nathan's, as if daring him to come closer. Aiden stood up beside her, his hand on her waist, a possessive gesture that did not go unnoticed by Nathan.

As the guests began to mingle and congratulate Bianca, a business man walked up to Aiden, drawing his attention. Aiden smiled at Samantha asking her to give him a few minutes as he went to talk with the man.

Nathan saw this as an opportunity and made his way through the crowd, his eyes fixed on Samantha, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to talk to her, to explain everything, to make things right between them.

But before he could get there, reporters had already surrounded her, asking her questions while she sipped her hand casually as she replied to them.

"I love your dress. It's so pretty!" A lady exclaimed and held Samantha. "I'm sorry, please, can I take a picture over there with you? I will understand if you refuse, but-"

"Sure," Samantha cut in, shocking the lady, who shrieked excitedly and led her to another table where her friends were seated. She gave her phone to one of them to take the picture and struck a pose with Samantha.

Nathan stood there as he watched Samantha smile at the camera. He couldn't believe how down to earth she was even after getting famous. And her smile... her smile seemed to be setting something off in him. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile. The last time she smiled was during their relationship but after their marriage, it faded. Even if she smiled, it wasn't from her heart and he was the reason for that.

He just realized how beautiful her smile was, how beautiful she was. He just realized everything! Everything she was, and he couldn't bear to lose her anymore. He had to win her back.

When Samantha was done with the pictures, she was about walking back to her table when Bianca walked up to her. "If it isn't the spotlight taker? I suppose you're very fond of taking people's place. You come to my ceremony all dolled up and looking flashy, trying to take all the attention. Shame on you!" she spat.

Samantha smirked. "If it isn't the husband stealer! I suppose you're fond of stealing other people's husbands and wrecking homes. How can a CEO settle for a hand me downer? What a shame." she retorted, her tone dripping with enough venom to hurt Bianca's pride.

Bianca pointed her index finger at Samantha and was about to talk but Samantha waved her off and walked away, leaving her to curse under her breath.

"I'll show you!" she stomped her feet and returned to her friends. When she got there, she couldn't find Nathan.

"Where is Nathan?" he asked and her friends looked around.

"He was just here a few minutes ago." Ava answered.

Bianca looked around and her eyes landed on Nathan, trying to get close to Samantha. She frowned and stormed to where he was. Before he could get to Samantha, she held his hand and pulled him back.

"Where the fvcking hell do you think you're going?" she snapped and he looked at her.

"I wanted to have a word with Samantha." he answered.

"What for exactly? To beg her to come back to you?"

"No, not at all," he smiled nervously. "I wanted to see if she would be willing to invest in my company. I have no ulterior motives."

Bianca's eyes narrowed slightly. There was no way she was going to believe what he said. "Okay then, let's go together." she pulled him before he could say anything and walked to where Samantha was seated.

Samantha looked up at them. Nathan's heart skipped a beat at her intense gaze on them. This was actually the first time he was seeing her up close in a while. She was beautiful.

"Are you here to ask for my blessings for your wedding? If that's the case, sorry, but I am not your relative, nor in any way related to you people, so can you leave? You're suffocating me by standing there." she blurted out, and Nathan couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked talking like that.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "I don't need your stupid blessings to get married to a man who loves me; a man who I wouldn't have to do anything to please because he loves me," she retorted, hoping to strike a chord in Samantha, but Samantha's face held no emotion, causing her to wonder if what she did actually affected her.

When Samantha didn't say anything, she cleared her throat. "Well, Nathan wants you to invest in his company, that's why we're here."

Samantha raised an eyebrow. "Not interested." she answered and finally looked away from them.

"What do you mean not interested?" Bianca snapped. "Don't think you can give me that attitude. I am a CEO too!"

Samantha chuckled. "Yes, your royal highness." she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm, and Bianca didn't fail to notice it.

Bianca was about to say something but Nathan held her hand. "It's okay. All eyes are on you today. Don't act in a way that'd ruin your reputation. You have to be mature today."

Bianca faced him. "Are you trying to say that I'm not mature? Is that the fvcking shit you're trying to tell me right now?" she snapped at him.

"That's not what I meant. Look around," he said and she obeyed. She saw cameras flashing in all directions as reporters went from table to table for interviews. On the other hand, her father's directors were putting in a good word to businessmen for her. She soon understood what Nathan meant. She wasn't going to let Samantha ruin this day for her, so she took a deep breath.

"Ms. Sullivan, can I have a word?"

Bianca turned to see one of the influential businesswomen in the meeting and a smile graced her lips. "I'll be over there." she whispered to Nathan and left him with Samantha as she rushed over to the lady.

After she was gone, Nathan sighed. "Sam," he called and she glared at him.

"Don't be informal with me, Mr. Nathan. I won't correct you again." she warned.

"I'm sorry," he sucked in a breath. "Ms. Salvador," he called.

"I already said that I'm not interested in investing in your company. If you would excuse me, I have people that are waiting to talk to me, but you're stopping them by standing here." she spoke so formally that Nathan was shocked at how much she had changed.

He turned and saw that it was true. People really wanted to see her. She was a big shot, and he didn't compare to her in any way at all. He realized he wouldn't be able to say whatever he wanted to say here.

"I just wanted to say you look gorgeous tonight." he complimented.

"Thanks. If that's all, you can leave now please." she gave him a small smile, one that he knew didn't reach her eyes.

"See you some other time," he stretched out his hand for a handshake. Samantha stared at his hand for a while, hesitant to take it.

She looked around and seeing that most eyes were on her, she faked a smile and shook hands with him, pulling her hand away immediately.

Nathan gave her a slight bow and walked away as he stared at his hand. For a moment, his heart fluttered when their hands touched. This was a whole new feeling.

He missed her... so much.