Being Pursued By Ex-husband

Megan happened to be eating out with friends that day. As she was leaving the restaurant, she realized she left her purse behind and made a U-turn to retrieve it.

She retrieved her purse without incident and headed for the elevator. On her way there, she noticed some people chatting in a small lounge.

Megan recognized them as people who ran in her social circles. She would not exactly call them friends, but she was well acquainted enough with them to remember their names.

She had been married to Casper for almost a year by then, and he had proved to be a kind husband. Marriage had changed Megan for the better, removing her from Jessica's round-the-clock mollycoddling at the Queen residence.

The Coopers were a prestigious lot and had high expectations for their daughter-in-law. Megan often found herself at odds with her in-laws at the beginning of her marriage, though Casper threw his support behind her in every disagreement. He would educate her on the proper etiquette when interacting with elders and acceptable social manners in public.

Over the course of a year, Megan had certainly become more socially adept and mature.

She knew it was prudent to greet her acquaintances in the lounge politely, even if they were not close friends.

Before she could approach them, however, Megan heard them discussing a familiar name—Sophia Yarrow.

Jadeborough's upper society had been horrified upon learning of Alexander's car accident half a year ago. There were the usual blabbermouths, the sympathizers, and those who attempted to capitalize on his misfortune. Some people had even tried to woo Sophia.

Sophia took over the reins at Odyssey, keeping the corporation running as it did when Alexander was still around, quashing their delusions of whisking Sophia away.

Megan knew her acquaintances were discussing Sophia because of a particularly incriminating photo circulating WhatsApp that morning.

She had once been notorious for her conflicts with Sophia, which embarrassed the Queen family to no end. Thankfully, the two women ended up burying the hatchet. Sophia and Alexander even attended her wedding with a lovely and expensive gift.

Her newfound maturity allowed Megan to realize how she had always instigated their past conflicts. Naturally, she now viewed Sophia through a wholly different lens.

In her husband Casper's words, Sophia was more impressive than most people they knew, given how she had singlehandedly founded Sunshine Group and invested in many successful, listed companies.

Sophia's pretty looks were only icing on the cake. She was intelligent, talented, and a natural-born leader.

Megan had been jealous when Casper was praising Sophia, but half a year's observation convinced her that Casper was merely stating the truth.

A woman's animosity toward another came easily, but so did a favorable impression.

After her marriage, Megan found herself admiring independent, capable women much more than wealthy heiresses who only knew how to swipe a credit card.

She truly admired and respected Sophia's abilities.

That was why she immediately wrote off what Sophia's photo had alluded to earlier that morning.

Of course, Megan could not claim to know Sophia like the back of her hand, but she was certain that Sophia would never be such a disloyal partner.

If Sophia was going to give up on Alexander so easily, she would not have married into the Xenos family while subjecting herself to all the gold-digger accusations.

Everyone bore witness to Sophia's well-being during her married years. Even when she divorced him three years later, she acted with equal resolve.

Their reunion afterward was also built on the foundation of stronger feelings and the two being on equal footing. Megan herself believed their remarriage was only a matter of time.

It was inconceivable that Sophia would seek a new lover while Alexander's fate remained unknown.

Megan frowned, though she did not interrupt her acquaintances' conversation. A nasty, ungrounded remark by one of the women ticked Megan off. She burst into the lounge and berated them, "Did you know all this baseless gossip is basically slander against Ms. Yarrow? If she knows about this, I'm sure Sunshine Group and Odyssey's legal departments will be on your doorstep. I'd strongly advise against meeting them in court."

Jadeborough's social circle was only so big. Anyone who had attended a black tie dinner would know who Megan was.

The three women gossiping about Sophia appeared somewhat sheepish. The one who accused Sophia of killing Alexander pouted and retorted, "That's funny, Ms. Queen. We're just doing some harmless gossip here; it's not as if the public will hear about this. We won't go to the press with our discussion, either. Why are you suddenly accusing us of slander?"

Megan scoffed and shot back, "You'd do better to say kinder words in the future! You may not think much of me overhearing your gossip, but what if Mr. Schild and Mr. Quail were here? Your family businesses would be on their last legs!"

Her threat finally frightened the women into silence.

Back when Alexander disappeared after his accident, the Dawson family of Doveston thought it was the perfect opportunity for them to teach Sophia a lesson. They assumed she had lost her only pillar of support in Jadeborough. After all, no amount of talent could make up for power and connections in the city.

Alas, they never expected Samuel and Justin to step up and support her. The two even attended Sunshine Group's annual dinner.

Convincing just one of them to attend a business event was already a Herculean task, yet Sunshine Group had successfully gotten both men to show up. The feat warned others against belittling Sophia's influence.

The gossiping women ultimately proved to be more bark than bite. After surreptitiously exchanging glances among themselves, they no longer argued against Megan's words. They were smart enough to know the repercussions of offending a lady affiliated with both the Cooper and Schild families.

The woman who challenged Megan earlier lowered her head meekly. Her friend, however, offered an apology. "Again, it's just harmless gossip, Ms. Queen. We won't talk about it again. Please don't take this to heart."