Hi folks,
I wanted to give everyone an update as my trip to the US finally happened.
We were questioned by the initial CBP officer and we were sent to secondary inspection where we waited for 2+ hours. At the secondary inspect, we were asked similar questions such as "What is your travel history after leaving the US?", "Why were you gone for so long?", "What ties do you have to the US?", "Are you staying for real this time?", "What kind of a job will you start?" etc.
After their internal discussion, I was presented the choice to fill out I-193 and pay $695 for each form. We naturally accepted this as we wanted to avoid an NTA. We paid and our passports were stamped with "Admitted with SB-1".
We are definitely grateful for the opportunity and we will make sure not to be in a similar situation ever again.