The Understated billionaire: The Ex-son-in-law's rise

Chapter six

The grand hall of Solaria Imperial Tower glowed like a palace dipped in gold.

Crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead, reflecting off polished marble floors. Classical music floated through the air, played live by an orchestra positioned beneath an archway carved with cherubs. Uniformed waiters glided silently through the room with trays of champagne carved with gold foil labels. The scent of white lilies and old money hung thick in the atmosphere.

Tonight wasn’t just a charity banquet. It was a battlefield of power.

Foreign ambassadors mingled with top CEOs, famous entrepreneurs and high-ranking military officials whose medals flashed like stars. It was a room filled with people others bowed to yet unknown to them.

Bella and Malcolm arrived early, their demeanor poised but visibly stiff. Malcolm adjusted his cufflinks for the fifth time, forcing a confident smile.

“This is an opportunity,” he muttered like a prayer. “Once we lock the partnership with Global Commerce Federation (GCF), Greenshift Energy will finally climb out of its shadow.”

Bella nodded, though her grip tightened around her clutch.

“I know. Don’t embarrass me tonight,” she warned flatly.

They stepped further into the hall, overhearing hushed voices among tables of executives:

“Group A’s boss is attending personally"

“I heard even the Minister postponed his schedule to be here.”

“No one dares offend that person. Even the top families bow their heads.”

Bella’s face remained expressionless, but inside her stomach churned. If these rumors were true, she couldn’t afford a single wrong move.

She forced a smile and whispered, “We’re prepared. We’ll win them over.”

But confidence felt like a thin blanket in a freezing storm.

***

Suddenly, a slight shift swept through the crowd attention snapping toward the entrance.

The music didn’t stop, yet the air changed. Whispers sprouted instantly.

A woman stepped through the doors, wearing a body-hugging velvet wine dress that dripped elegance. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, her makeup flawless, her expression regal but warm. Her every step screamed privilege, power, and control.

'Camilla Adam' But it wasn’t just her entrance that shocked the room it was who walked beside her.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, not flashy yet somehow more intimidating than the loudest politician present 'Lucas Oliver' . His posture calm, gaze indifferent, as if he didn’t need to prove anything. He walked beside Camila as though the space belonged to them. Like royalty. Like equals.

A murmur swept across attendees:

 “Is that the sponsor’s escort?”

 “No… look at the bodyguards around them.”

 “Whoever he is… he’s not ordinary.”

Bella froze.

Her heart dropped to the floor.

Lucas. In a suit. At her dream banquet.

At the side of another woman.

A woman who looked like the world bowed at her feet.

Bella’s grip nearly crushed her clutch. Malcolm looked between them, barely able to suppress a smirk.

The game had just begun.

The hall glittered under chandeliers that looked like frozen waterfalls, pouring light over diamonds, gowns, and jealousy wrapped in silk. Camila moved through it like she owned every shard of crystal above their heads.

Guests whispered behind champagne glasses, voices low but sharp.

“She’s the sponsor tonight…”

“But I heard her identity is even deeper.”

“Deeper? Someone said even the organizers bowed to her.”

The whispers grew louder as Camila took her seat at the center table a seat usually reserved for foreign dignitaries. With her calm gaze, a faint, unbothered smile, and that posture that screamed power more than beauty, she was unforgettable. It didn’t matter that she wore no diamonds, no extravagant dress. She was the luxury.

Bella arrived with Malcolm at her side, prepared to shine, prepared to collect attention. Her dress shimmered, her hair was perfection, and she expected the crowd to turn when she walked in.

They didn’t.

They were too busy trying to guess who Camila was.

Bella noticed, irritation biting first until she saw Lucas. He stood beside the mystery woman, his hand casually tucked into his pocket, speaking to her with the kind of attentiveness he had never given Bella when they were together. And Camila… she wasn’t just beautiful. She was composed. She didn’t try to be seductive; she didn’t have to. She looked like someone people respected before they admired.

Bella’s heart twisted viciously.

Who is she to stand beside him like that?

Lucas glanced briefly around the room, eyes cool, and Bella expected no, she felt entitled to at least one look. One acknowledgement. One sign that she still held value in his mind.

But he didn’t see her.

He looked past her, as though she was air.

Malcolm noticed the crack in her expression, the way Bella’s fingers clenched around her evening purse. His lips curved. Not kind. Amused.

“Careful,” he whispered. “Jealousy isn’t a good color on you.”

Bella forced a smile, her pride in control for exactly five seconds before she took Malcolm’s arm and walked toward Lucas and the mysterious woman, determined to reclaim attention.

She made it halfway.

Two tall bodyguards, dressed in black and expressionless, stepped forward blocking her path like a wall of stone.

Bella blinked. “Excuse me. I know them.”

One guard’s tone was polite, but his words hit harder than a slap.

“Only VIP level guests may approach Mrs. Camila directly.”

The room went quiet. She felt every eye turn toward her. Mrs. Camila? Married? Higher status? Higher position? The title echoed like thunder.

Bella stood frozen, face stiff with humiliation.

Malcolm chuckled under his breath.

Lucas still didn’t look at her.

Not even once.

Camila lifted her gaze briefly a soft, indifferent look that felt like Bella didn’t exist at all. She turned back to her conversation, serene, untouched.

She didn’t even acknowledge Bella’s embarrassment.

And that hurt more than any insult.