Mr billionaire's regret chasing his irresistible wife by Gabby Emmanuel

(SOFIA'S POV)

The air in the room was charged with raw tension, alive and electric. Jared was still standing by the door with his new girlfriend - my replacement, perched on his arm.

She didn't even have the decency to stand by herself, leaning on Jared the whole time like a silly highschool teenager out with her crush.

I rolled my eyes and looked away. I wanted to be anywhere but in the same room with Jared and Arielle.

It all felt insanely awkward, like walking around the house with no clothes on.

Jared himself looked uneasy at the sight of Arielle in the house but he did well to mask it up almost immediately. He took his arm off the lady and prodded her forward before shutting the door behind them.

He stepped into the house and nodded to his mother. "Good afternoon, mum."

Then he looked at Arielle and Ashley, and said a polite, "Good afternoon."

Arielle nodded coolly before Ashley followed suit. I could sense the malice rippling off of her, like a wild hunger to cause Jared some harm.

He didn't say anything to me and I didn't mind. I looked away, content to enjoy my own company and ruminate over my own thoughts.

Arielle's gaze locked on mine as Jared walked past and moved ahead to the stairway. But I looked away, careful to hide the effect Jared's presence was having on me.

Mrs. Smith must have noticed the tension in the room but her face remained straight and unmoved, almost drained of any emotion as she rose from her seat.

"I'll be down in a minute," she said and walked off in the direction of the stairs. We remained silent in her absence, our foods untouched on the table before us. Mrs. Smith returned shortly after with Jared and the new lady in tow.

"Please take your seats," she said to the newcomers with a very thin smile. The chef immediately reappeared at the table and set out a pair of plates to cater for Jared and his girlfriend.

"Shall we begin our lunch then," Mrs. Smith announced and picked up her cutlery.

The rest of us followed suit, doing our best to pretend that the air wasn't reeking with suffocating awkwardness.

"Alright everyone. So this here, is Tiana," Mrs. Smith pointed to the new lady.

though I'd expected it and seen it coming. It didn't take away the

Tiana Langley," Mrs. Smith

she looked

as in the Langley Co.? The

he just like my son, share a very unhealthy ambition," Mrs. Smith

mum. Where's

didn't look too pleased with his perspective and dropped her cutlery down on the table with

the difference between ambition and wickedness, huh? It's why you want to run my uncle's business down to the ground so you could

a while before he let out a little sigh, the type one made when faced with disturbance from an unbecoming acquaintance who they

Nothing personal," he said with a

"Unbelievable!" Ashley sighed.

with her arms folded, occasionally picking a piece of grape from the plate before her. She probably still had her

what she used

other as

we'd been raised almost together as sisters. She used to get a lot of my, princess dresses which I didn't

parents would rather give them out than have them go to waste at home. Because we were almost

was nearly half a decade older. She'd be somewhere around twenty

complete strangers to each other. So far, she hadn't shown any form of recognition for me before the

I took a sip of water from the glass sitting before me on the table not because I was thirsty, but because I wanted to keep myself

down on the

with Arielle playing

is all aside from the point, people," Mrs. Smith intervened eventually. She rolled her eyes and rubbed

myself," Tiana finally spoke up. The entire table went

seemed to be enjoying the attention because her lips stretched out in

acknowledged my presence. She has a smile that was anything but friendly. Ashley and Arielle turned to look at me quizzically. "Hello," I nodded in

Langley as you

And I used to

Sofia when we were

always known Jared to be her knight in shining armor... you know, like her first love and whatnot." she paused, "But I want to assure you, Sofia, that I'm not doing any of this out of spite

my family.