Meeting Again

The brisk afternoon air drifted through the open windows of the lively university district café, carrying the faint, energetic hum of passing students. Clara sat across from Maya, wrapping her hands around a warm ceramic mug. For the first time since her return to Jentis, she felt a rare, genuine moment of peace. She had sent a batch of photos to Mira and Lucian back in Javarra, giving them a glimpse of her everyday life.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Maya breathed out, dropping into the opposite chair.

Clara pushed a sweetened latte across the table. "I wasn't timing you. Catch your breath."

Maya grinned, taking a quick sip. "When my CEO asks me for coffee, I drop everything and run."

Outside, the pedestrian traffic flowed past the glass storefront. Selena Wexley stepped onto the sidewalk, clad head to toe in flashy designer brands. She had just wrapped up an interview with a physics professor. Through the café window, her gaze snagged on the two women sitting inside.

Her footsteps faltered.

A familiar, bitter resentment flared deep in Selena's chest. Even after the divorce shattered their lives, Sebastian had thrown a financial life raft to Valerius Holdings. He had pulled Clara's family back from the brink of ruin. In Selena's mind, Clara owed her current survival to the man Selena claimed as her own. The sheer sight of Clara sitting there, sipping coffee like an untouchable heiress, made her blood boil.

Selena pushed through the heavy café door and marched straight toward their table.

"Ms. Valerius. Long time no see." Her voice dripped with aggressive sarcasm, deliberately pitched to publicly humiliate Clara right then and there.

Clara paused her conversation. She lifted her chin, her eyes sweeping over Selena with chilling indifference. She offered no reaction to the provocation, choosing instead to raise her mug and take another slow sip.

The silence stung. Selena’s face twisted in sheer infuriation.

"Clara, just because Sebastian saved Valerius Holdings back then doesn't mean you're still the untouchable Valerius heiress," Selena sneered loudly, drawing the stares of neighboring tables. "Valerius is irrelevant in Jentis now. Maybe you should put that arrogance away."

Unwilling to let her best friend be spoken to this way, Maya immediately fired back. She slammed her mug onto the saucer.

"Clara, do you smell that?" Maya projected her voice, theatrically complaining to the entire café. She waved a hand in front of her nose as if fending off toxic fumes. "A sudden, nauseating stench of cheap perfume. Look, Ms. Homewrecker herself is yapping right next to you."

Clara lowered her gaze, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I do smell it."

"You—" Selena stammered, her face flushing red.

Clara smoothly stood up. Her movements were fluid and unbothered. She grabbed her elegant handbag and took a deliberate step forward, walking right into Selena’s personal space.

Selena swallowed hard, suddenly stammering under the pressure.

"Ms. Wexley, you've really got a lot of nerve," Clara stated. Her voice was low, carrying a razor-sharp edge. "Even if Valerius Holdings isn't what it used to be, it still towers over your Wexley Enterprises."

Clara leaned in slightly, a scornful, razor-sharp smile cutting across her beautiful face. She delivered the killing blow without hesitation.

"What? Sebastian hasn't pulled your company up all these years? Or is it that he's just had enough fun with you, and now you're not even his dearest lover anymore?"

Selena’s jaw dropped. She stood tongue-tied, shaking with blinding, uncontrollable fury.

Clara turned and headed for the exit with Maya trailing right behind her, exiting without a backward glance.

Behind them, the sharp crash of shattering ceramic echoed through the café. Selena had hurled her hot coffee cup to the floor.

The quiet luxury of Maya's car wrapped around them as they pulled away from the curb.

"Talk about a massive mood killer," Maya vented, gripping the steering wheel. "The one time we manage to squeeze in a peaceful break, we run smack into that walking disaster. Could she be any more pathetic?"

Clara stared out the passenger window, watching the familiar Jentis streets roll past. "The city is small. Bumping into her was bound to happen. Are we really going to let her dictate our mood every single time?"

"Fair point," Maya grumbled. "But I don't get why she acts so high and mighty. She and Sebastian haven't even tied the knot."

Clara’s head snapped toward Maya. "What did you just say?"

Maya glanced over, surprised by the shock. "That they aren't married. Haven't you noticed? For five years, the media has pushed relentless rumors about them. People talk about a secret child. But neither Sebastian nor Selena has actually married, nor have they ever confirmed their relationship in public."

Clara sat in genuine surprise. For the last five years, she had purposely avoided any and all news regarding Sebastian. If his name flashed across a screen or appeared in a financial magazine, she forced herself to look away. She had always assumed a lavish wedding between the two was a foregone conclusion. They shared a child. A marriage seemed inevitable the moment she walked away.

The revelation that he never legalized things with her rival twisted something strange inside her.

Just as she processed this strange reality, her phone rang sharply.

Clara checked the screen. It was Jeremy.

"Did you get the invitation?" Jeremy asked. "I'm calling to officially confirm your attendance as my plus-one at the highly exclusive Opulence Group's dinner party the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, I did," Clara replied.

"Good. Be ready. We will head over together."

Clara hung up the phone. A sudden, involuntary flutter of nerves stirred in her stomach. She knew the guest list for the Opulence Group's private dinner. The Varkas family name was stamped at the very top.

The inevitable, face-to-face run-in with Sebastian had finally arrived.

On the night of the high-stakes party, Clara stood in front of the mirror. She wore a simple, form-fitting white strapless gown. It hugged her curves, matched with a dainty white clutch. Her dark hair was pinned up in a casual yet elegant style. She radiated a graceful, untouchable elegance that commanded attention.

When Clara arrived at the private dinner arm in arm with Jeremy, the response was immediate. The event was exclusive, hosting only a select handful of renowned reporters, yet her breathtaking entrance immediately drew the rapid, blinding flashes of reporters' cameras.

"Mr. Valerius, is that Ms. Clara Valerius beside you?" a reporter shouted over the noise.

Jeremy offered a measured nod. "Yes, she is."

They moved past the media line and stepped into the massive, lavish party hall. The room buzzed with the chatter of the city's elite. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over the sea of tailored suits and expensive gowns.

Clara and Jeremy drifted toward the center of the room. They found Jared Soran, the powerful chairman of Opulence Group, standing near a towering champagne pyramid. They joined his circle, falling into a casual conversation about the market.

Then, the atmospheric pressure of the entire room suddenly shifted.

The ambient noise dipped into a hushed murmur. The crowd naturally parted, forming a clear path to the grand entrance.

Sebastian walked in.

He wore a perfectly tailored, pitch-dark suit that accentuated his tall, commanding frame. His chiseled features remained as striking as ever, but the passing years had etched an added, heavy air of seasoned, dangerously cool confidence into his demeanor. He looked like a predator surveying his domain. And clinging tightly right beside him was Selena.

As Sebastian strode deeper into the lavish hall, his dark, predatory gaze swept the room. The moment his eyes drifted past the champagne pyramid, they instantly locked onto Clara.

He stopped.

For a fraction of a heartbeat, his confident steps faltered. A split-second flash of raw, unfiltered surprise lit up his dark eyes. He stared at the woman in the white gown standing beside Jeremy.

Clara’s heart hammered against her ribs. She forced herself to maintain absolute composure, pushing down the tidal wave of traumatic memories threatening to surface. Her beautiful face froze into a flawless mask of perfect, polite indifference as the couple approached her circle.

Sebastian guided Selena closer, his eyes refusing to leave Clara's face. The silence between them grew thick enough to cut with a knife. Sizzling tension radiated outward, causing the surrounding guests to quiet down and watch the collision.

Sebastian stopped right in front of her.

"Ms. Valerius, long time no see," he greeted. His low baritone voice was steady and deep.

Clara met his probing stare without flinching. She offered him a graceful, hollow smile. "Mr. Varkas, it's really been a while."

The crushing weight of their traumatic shared past hung over the group. It threatened to stretch the silence into something dangerous.

Before Sebastian could speak again, Jeremy smoothly and protectively stepped in. He placed a hand on Clara's elbow.

"If you'll excuse us," Jeremy said, his tone polite but firm. He led Clara away by the arm to mingle with the other guests.

Across the massive room, Selena scoffed under her breath. She dropped Sebastian's arm and haughtily walked away to grab a drink.

The moment she was gone, Garrett quickly stepped up to Sebastian's side. The assistant’s face was tense.

"Mr. Varkas," Garrett whispered with intense urgency. He pulled out his smartphone and held it up.

The screen displayed a live financial website, detailing the latest corporate shifts in Jentis. The top headline confirmed the massive acquisition.

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he read the headline. His probing, intense gaze immediately darted back through the sea of guests. He ignored the people trying to catch his attention and locked entirely onto Clara’s retreating back in that form-fitting white gown.

The monumental realization hit him like a physical blow. The strategic blocks, the sudden legal hurdles, the closed doors.

Valerius Holdings, under Clara's brilliant command, had already taken over Rothesis Studio.