Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 11

Vivian Winthrop finished speaking, her gaze fixed intently on Elara Sterling.

But Elara didn't show the reverence for her identity that Vivian had expected, nor did she press further about her employment at Ark Solutions. Meeting her eyes, Elara simply offered a good-natured smile.

The smile on Vivian's face faltered. Disappointed, she shifted her attention to Melody, who was resting in Julian Beckett's arms. "This must be little Melody, right?"

She reached out, pitching her voice higher to greet the child. "Hi there, Melody. My name is Vivian. Can we be friends?"

Melody sensitively picked up on her hostility toward her mother. Glancing at the outstretched hand, the little girl silently turned her head away, burying her face into the crook of Julian's neck and leaving Vivian staring at the back of her head.

Vivian's smile stiffened.

"She's just shy," Julian explained, gently patting his daughter's back. "She's always like this with people she meets for the first time."

Vivian awkwardly lowered her hand. "I'm sorry. I must have frightened her."

Julian knew his daughter's temperament, but he couldn't bear to see Vivian's kindness brushed off. He turned slightly, shifting Melody so she faced Vivian. "Melody, say hello."

They were bound to cross paths eventually. He couldn't just let his daughter use her shyness as an excuse to be rude.

That would be incredibly disrespectful and unfair to Vivian.

With Julian shifting his stance, he moved closer to Vivian, leaving Elara standing opposite them as the odd one out.

To any onlooker, the three of them looked like a perfect family.

A sharp pang pierced Elara's chest. Unable to maintain her calm facade any longer, she stepped forward and pulled Melody into her own arms before Vivian could try to touch the girl again.

Vivian's outstretched hand grasped at empty air. She looked at Elara with a mix of awkwardness and confusion.

Julian had never seen Elara act so completely out of line. It felt as though she had slapped him in public, stripping away his dignity. Anger flared within him.

"Elara!"

Holding Melody with one arm, Elara placed her other hand on the back of her daughter's head, pressing the girl's face into her neck to completely block out the unfriendly stares.

Meeting Julian's furious glare, Elara's expression flattened. "The banquet is starting," she said coolly.

Julian knew full well that Melody had suffered a breakdown because of him just yesterday. He knew she was resistant to Vivian, yet he still tried to force her to say hello, foolishly hoping they could get along...

When no one was looking, Vivian hooked her finger around Julian's, flashing him a grateful smile.

Julian smiled back to reassure her, but with Elara and Melody standing right there, he forced himself to tone it down.

It was only then that Julian realized the crowd had surged forward, pushing Elara and Melody a few paces behind him. Several people now stood between them.

Afraid that the jostling crowd would bump into Melody, Elara guarded her daughter carefully, lacking the energy to pay attention to them.

However, from her perch on Elara's shoulder, Melody had a clear view of Julian and Vivian.

She couldn't see their intertwined fingers hidden by the crowd, but she took in every subtle interaction between them. Slowly, confusion clouded her bright, innocent eyes.

Stared down by his daughter's pure, inquisitive gaze, Julian felt entirely out of his element. He guiltily averted his eyes and used the excuse of the pressing crowd to silently pull Vivian backward.

By the time Elara regained her footing and turned to look for him, Julian and Vivian had already retreated even further away.

So far away, in fact, that they vanished from sight.