Chapter 4: You Can't Fool Us!

GRAY’S POV

“A pleasant evening, everyone. It is an honor to stand in front of you today. To be honest, I didn’t expect this company to be this grand. I am a little pressured…”

The guests who were unfamiliar with Jane laughed and cheered for her, while the others who knew my deceased wife, remained clueless about what was happening. My muscles were tensed, and my eyes could not leave the woman’s presence.

“What kind of nonsense is this?! Why is that woman on the stage? Is this a joke? Mom! Do something about this!”

Aerah was the first to react. Her sudden burst out took the attention of the guests that were previously drawn by Jane. Aerah’s reaction broke the ice that stiffened me in my seat. 

Damn, Aerah. This was not the time to be a fucking brat!

“Aerah, sit down!” I ordered, my voice almost a whisper. She looked at me incredulously, her mouth slightly parted. She stood up, scoffing, making her the center of attention. Even Jane, who looked at her like she was a scandalous stranger watched her make a scene. I clenched my fist. 

“You whore! What the fuck are you doing—”

“Aerah! Stop it this instant!” I got to my feet and reached for my sister’s arm, but she cast it away. She rolled her eyes on me and started walking towards the stage, her eyes brimming with hatred. Damn, woman!

My sister buried a strong disgust towards my wife. Just like my mother, she believed that Jane was already dead. She was gone in their hearts and minds. Seeing Jane here was like seeing a dead person rise from the dead. 

SERENA’S POV

“So, you’re freaking alive, huh? What kind of witchcraft did you use to be able to come back here?” the woman who stood up asked me, her tone overflowing with disdain. Hearing Aerah’s voice for the years that I had not seen her woke something inside me. Staring at her for a couple of seconds, I noticed a hickey on her neck. 

She had not changed. She was still the biggest whore I knew. Where can she get the audacity to call me a whore when she, herself, was the one who liked to bed men daily? 

“E-Excuse me?” I responded, faking my surprise. I had expected them to react this way. Given how classless Geraldine raised her only daughter, I was anticipating something worse than this. The only thing that I did not expect was for her to be in this gathering. Kelly once told me that Aerah was rarely at home. It was either she was gone clubbing or she was staying at a random man’s apartment.

“Excuse me your ass! Who are you fooling, Serena Ambers slash Jane Williams? What do you think of the people here? Dumb? Stupid? Your striking resemblance with my brother’s filthy ex-wife is very evident!” 

Aerah’s voice was trembling. She was Geraldine’s daughter, so it would be impossible if she was feeling anxious or scared of me. She was trembling out of anger. She never expected me here, especially when she lived her life knowing she successfully got rid of Jane Williams. 

But I didn’t come here as Jane. Jane was dead. I am Serena now, and I would not let this whore ruin my comeback. The guests were now alarmed. Bewilderment surrounded the hall, plausibly because of Aerah’s scandalous burst out. Psh, Airhead. Can’t she realize that their guests were high profiles? They would not like this—dumb ass.

“I did not expect this kind of welcome from a billion-dollar company. Mr. Moore? Is this how you represent your business? Is this how you treat your guests? I was promised a good environment when my secretary discussed business matters with your people, Gray Moore…” I stated, my eyes now focused on my ex-husband, who was currently standing beside his dying mother. 

Even from afar, I could see him clench his jaw. Hazel’s shadow was beside him, almost unnoticeable. He started advancing towards his sister, shame could be seen in every step. 

Just like that, Gray Moore. Just like that. Have your walk of shame. You have all the reasons to be ashamed.

“Aerah! Stop this right now. There are guests here…” he spoke, his tone ice-cold. The corner of my lips raised. Gray was so calm, but his uncertainty didn’t escape my gaze. 

Every glance that he was taking from me caused an unseen shock between us. Waves of memories flashed in my mind, most of them were the flashbacks of my first two years being married to him. The ones that were still unclear to me. 

He had changed so much. He used to look at me with nothing but indifference. I would be even lucky if he looked in my direction before. Even his build had changed, too. I used to admire his entire being years ago. I could not deny that Gray Moore was really an attractive man, but remembering how much I suffered from his family, and how he was one of the suspects who tried to kill me that night, his attractiveness instantly disappeared. Anger fueled my chest as I shot him with a piercing gaze. 

“What now, brother? Don’t tell me you believe that this woman is not Jane Williams? Gosh, since when did you become so stupid—”

“Enough, Aerah Celine! Can’t you see that guests are watching you? You are ruining this party! You are ruining this company’s anniversary!” Gray exclaimed, his eyebrows meeting each other. He reached for Aerah’s arm firmly, making the woman unable to cast it away. Aerah rolled her eyes with exaggeration, glancing up with pride.

I actually felt so impressed with her confidence. Even if her family’s company was on the verge of facing public judgment, she never cared. Even if there were hundreds of cameras filming how she lacked the etiquette, she never gave a damn. She was just there, shaming her mighty family like an uneducated person.

Well, what do I expect? She came from Geraldine. She came from a woman with money but without class. 

“I could not believe that I would receive such a welcome after I put millions of fortune in this company. With your employees being so unalarmed with that woman’s actions, I guess they are already used to her. Is this the company I would work for, Mr. Gray Moore?” I remarked, spitting nothing but pure disappointment. Gray Moore remained calm. He was still holding Aerah’s arm when he cleared his throat. 

“I apologize for the disrespect, Ms. Ambers. I would take full accountability for this matter—”

“I am so disappointed. I don’t understand why is that woman so mad at me when this is the first time I met her. Please remember that this first impression would last forever, Mr. Moore. Do not expect me to be kind after this…”

“Yes, Ms. Ambers. I suggest that you sit down for a while and calm things down. I sincerely apologize. I assure you that this will not happen again…” 

Staring at Gray’s every move made me realize how much he was enduring this situation. The uncertainty in his eyes never left. It seemed like he did not have any idea if he would believe his sister or me. 

He looked clueless and stupid. 

“You better be…” I turned my back against him and walked down the stage. Several murmurs could be heard as I went to the table prepared for me. I was not alone there, as my secretary sat there, too.

“Ms. Kelly is on her way here, Ma’am. Do you want me to tell her what happened just now?” Miranda inquired, readying to dial Kelly’s number. 

“Don’t. Let her be shocked and find it out herself. I wanna see how Aerah would run to her and rant about my comeback. For sure, Aerah would talk shit about me in front of her so-called best friend. Funny, right?” 

Kelly intentionally befriended Aerah years ago as Kelsey Robins. Well, that was to find things about what was happening to me in Gray Moore’s house. I was so impressed when Kelly told me about that. I didn’t know how dumb Aerah was for believing everything that Kelly did. I could imagine how broken she would be once she found out that her only best friend was my sister. 

“Everyone’s looking at you, Ma’am. Do you want me to do something about this? The media is also present, recording everything that’s happening here. Do I have to pay them to not leak every footage they have? What happened here is damaging to your name…” 

“You don’t have to, Miranda. I already expected this. Remember what Kaihly warned me? This is what she was talking about. The woman did extensive research and found that Geraldine and Aerah tell stories about my death—which never happened…” I responded, a smirk forming on my lips. Miranda’s lips parted, her eyes filled with confusion. 

“How come? Nobody said you were dead. We didn’t fake a body as well. How come they tell people that you’re gone when you just completely disappeared?” 

I turned to her and shrugged.

“When people hate you, they will do everything to ruin you or make you disappear. They probably told the people that because that’s what they wanted to happen. They knew I was in an accident but never found my body, but they still assumed I was gone—because that was what they wanted…” 

Miranda’s innocence about my situation made me want to fire her. Not because I didn’t like her services, but for fear that she might be involved in this. Miranda was a loyal secretary to me, and her loyalty made her stay even if she knew that I was plotting something that would not make her safe. 

“Ms. Ambers?” 

Miranda and I were interrupted by a low, raspy voice. Seeing Geraldine Moore, Gray’s mother who loathed me since I got married to Gray, I readied myself to pull another fake act. My nerves were heightened as our eyes met. I  gave my all to not let my artificial facade down while she watched me suspiciously.

“Mrs. Moore,” I greeted her, standing up. I faked a smile and extended my hand to her. She glanced at it, seemingly hesitant to accept it. 

I am the same, Geraldine Moore. If it weren’t for my plan, I wouldn’t even be breathing the same air as you. 

Geraldine smiled subtly and reached for my hand, shaking it. Disgust rushed through my veins as our skin touched. I wanted to pull away the moment our hands went in contact. My organs seemed to be starting a war inside my stomach, making me feel like throwing up. Touching her felt like handshaking with my baby’s murderer.

Geraldine withdrew her hand seconds later, her gaze never leaving mine. 

“You look exactly like her…” she whispered, her eyes marveling from my head to toe. I acted confused, my eyes squinting a little.

“Excuse me? Is this another show again? Are you here to humiliate me?” 

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t do that, Ms. Ambers. My son is watching me…” she replied, her pearl-white teeth showing. 

I wondered how could she look at the woman who she abused years ago. They might not confirm that I was Jane Moore, but still, standing in front of a person who looked exactly like her would surely send shivers down her spine. I wondered how she achieved this kind of evilness to feel exactly nothing facing me. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mrs. Moore. I look exactly like who? This is the first time we have met, Ma’am. I have no idea what is happening,” I said, bewilderment surrounding me. I could see how much Geraldine restrained herself not to lift a finger to hit me. I didn’t want to receive a slap, but I was dying that she would do it for the sake of shaming herself. I wanted the media to know how classless this person was. 

“Oh, are you sure you don’t know? I am not gonna make a scene here, Ms. Ambers, but I want you to know that I won’t be deceived by you. You can’t fool me, Jane Williams. If you’re here to ask for an apology about supporting my son for divorcing you—”

“Whatever you did to Jane Williams or whoever that woman was, I don’t care. I am completely out of that. Are you threatening me, Mrs. Moore? You sound like an expert talking to me so calmly while spitting the most nonsense words. The guests won’t even think what’s going on between us…”

Geraldine Moore was a great pretender. She brainwashed his son to divorce me, so acting so nice to me right now would be a piece of cake. 

“That’s enough, Mom…”