CHAPTER 01 - A DARE TO KISS
People said that pairs came from heaven. In this universe, each has its destined love. You only need to find it. But was this really true or just a myth?
But there was a guy who was sure that love was just a game. The game pulled you to the worst ending.
Growing up with luxurious life, Shawn Vaughan had no shortage of anything.
However, he somehow needed love and attention.
During his teenage days, he fell in love with his own batch mate, who only seemed to be after his money.
He didn't agree to break up with her, even after thousands of requests from his parents. The young love made him blind.
But one day, he had to face the worst betrayal that made his heart cold.
His first love affected him in such a way that even after five years, he could not move on from it.
To forget his sorrow, he went to the club and spent his days with a new stripper every day. But none of the strippers could own his heart.
After finishing all his work for the company, he seemed to enjoy his favorite wine while sitting in the bar area as usual.
"There is no better option for me to get rid of this tiredness."
Holding a glass in his hands, he just kept swirling the wine. "I wish my life could be like you, my wine. You're too perfect for the betrayal by anyone."
He had nothing to do with the noise that occurred in the bar. He was just delighted in his world.
Nearby some young fellows in a group were playing truth and dare. They used to visit the club daily, as all of them were party animals.
Lara turned the bottle from her end, and everyone was waiting for the bottle to stop.
Unexpectedly, the bottle stopped at a girl with a ponytail as all started whooping.
"Finally, we caught the devil. Leader, you have to accept whatever challenge we give to you."
Biting her lower lip, she sat up. "Whatever you give, I'll accept it."
The girl sitting next to her pulled one end of her hoodie and whispered.
"Are you sure, Selena? You know them already. What if they give you a dirty dare?"
Caressing her hand, Selena assured her. "Don't worry about me, Camila. I'm the most badass girl. No dare can stop me."
Even after saying this, her friend Camila started worrying about her.
"Okay, leader, the dare is simple for a girl like you. You have to kiss that hot guy for fifteen seconds."
Lara pointed her finger at Shawn, who seemed drunk already. Selena turned her head and glanced at him, but she was unable to see his face as the red light of the bar was dim.
She confidently stood up and smirked. "It's a piece of cake for me. Just wait and watch, kiddos."
She smiled as the dare looked simple to her. The guy didn’t know her, and so this was an advantage for her. But little did she know after this night her life was going to be changed.
With every step, the excitement of others was increasing.
However, when she reached him, she tried not to waste time and did her dare.
She bit her inner cheek and released a deep breath. Her hands followed and quickly cupped his face, making him tremble.
She closed her eyes and brought her face closer to him.
In a moment, her lips brushed against his. He could feel the softness of her lips as they tasted so favorable to him.
In those few seconds, he started feeling livelier. As if all his sorrows were going away within just one kiss.
The comfort he was searching for, now, seemed to appear on her lips. Even though he couldn’t see her face, her scent was enough for him to recognize her after.
After fifteen seconds, she moved back, and the next moment, she ran away while Camila followed her.
After a while, she stopped and rested her back against the wall when Camila came to her and asked. "Selena, are you alright? Why did you run away?"
Taking heavy breaths, she replied. "That guy is insane. He kissed me back."
Her cheeks were red like a fresh tomato picked from a virginity farm. Her lips were no longer virgin. The first kiss was stolen by a drunk stranger.
As she said, Camille choked on her gasp. "WHAT? Do you think he enjoyed it?"
She flatly refused with her hands. "I don't care. It was my first kiss."
In the early morning, the blue sky was like a sapphire that was just going to bring luck in her life. The sun was like a fire, doused with a red glow. The white clouds seemed like a bunch of joyful kids running in the sky.
Following her same boring routine, Selena again went in search of a job.
No matter how much she enjoyed nights. In the morning, she had to return to her tiring life.
She kept giving interviews in the same selected company, but she never got selected anywhere.
Tired, she sat on the bench nearer to the streets as an exhausted sigh escaped her mouth. "Why is getting a job so difficult? Is there no job with less competition?"
Her lips downturned when her gaze followed an old lady who was about to cross the road.
She was alone, trying to cross the road. But her weak body didn’t support her till the end, and she fainted away.
With her eyes wide open, she rushed to her and lifted the lady.
"Grandma? Are you alright?"
Getting no response, she soon took out her phone and dialed the ambulance number.
Within moments, an ambulance came, and they took that old lady to a nearby hospital.
They soon brought Grandma lying on the stretcher to the room, and Selena remained there in the corridor, not even moving a little.
She kept walking here and there when a nurse came and asked her.
"Hello miss, are you patient's family? Please, fill in the details and fees."
Concerned about the old lady's health, she asked her back. "Is grandma okay?"
"She is under inspection. Please, fill in the details."
Nodding her head, she filled in the details and walked to the counter to pay the fee.
"How much is the fee?"
The nurse checked on and answered her. "$300, Ma'am."
"WHAT?"
Hearing this, she was shocked when she realized she had only $340 in her pocket.
Now either she could pay that fee, or she could return home.
CHAPTER 02 - KINDNESS OVER SELFISHNESS Today's inflation was taking her into a complex test where either she could choose herself or that old lady. Seeing the fees, Selena became worried when she remembered her mom's tips. She slowly bent down to the counter and looked at the nurse with a cute smile on her face. Her puppy eyes flickered, sending hopeful twinklers towards her. "Miss, can I get a discount, please? I don't have enough money, please." Knowing these simple tricks, the nurse started laughing. "Ma'am, we can't give a discount in the hospital. It's not a clothing store." Her
CHAPTER 03 - THE JOB OFFER His grandma's last wish was everything to him. Now he was looking for the girl who saved his grandma. He was ready to work day and night for this. In search, when he came out of the room, his eyes fell on the CCTV camera as he asked his manager. "Sam, help me to get the footage. I want everyone to find that girl." Following his orders, Sam went to the hospital management, but the response was quite different from what they thought. "Sir, the camera footage that you're asking about has not been working for the past few days. However, we have another camera in front. We can give you that footage, but it will take some time." "Please, try
CHAPTER 04 - AN EVIL DEMON A lady's voice echoed in the street, gaining everyone's attention. "Please, accept my proposal. I love you, Shawn." The guy seemed to get rid of the lady as he shouted. "STAY AWAY FROM ME. I TOLD YOU ALREADY I'M NOT INTERESTED IN YOU." Despite his harsh words, the lady didn't move back. In fact, she tried to come closer, which forced him to push her. "AGH!" But before she could fall, Selena caught her hands. Being concerned, she asked. "Ma'am, are you okay?" Seeing someone's sympathy for her, the lady shed crocodile tears. "The
CHAPTER 05 - THE DEMON IS HER BOSS "Good morning, Sir. I'm the one who got accepted as your new assistant." Sitting on the chair while facing the window, he was reading her details. When the room filled with his laugh, making her puzzled. "Is he physio?" she thought. But soon, when he turned around, her face was no longer cheerful. It turned pale as if someone saw a ghost. "Welcome to the Vaughan group, Miss Selena." Her eyes popped out of the socket as she choked in the air. "Y-you?" Narrowing his brows, he smirked. "Yes, me. The one who you cl
CHAPTER 06 - LOVE AT THE FIRST SIGHT With every step, Selena was holding her breath as if her death was near. The glow on Misty's face was clearly a warning of the storm. But there was another kind of storm in Selena's heart. Her heart skipped a beat when Shawn glanced at him. His pissed face sent shivers down her spine. Arching one eyebrow, Misty pulled Shawn's arm and pointed her finger at Selena. "Brother, fire her. I don't want to see her anymore." Selena's breath choked in the air as her eyes widened, and her gaze shifted to Shawn with a begging look plastered on her face. Her fingers crossed automatically, hoping he might reconsider her. When Shawn's gaze fell on he
CHAPTER 07 - HER BITTER PAST Selena was standing outside the office. For the last half an hour, she was roaming here and there, waiting for the taxi. Her very first day in the office was a bit sour and sweet. From that troublemaker Misty to romance in front of all the office people, everything was exciting for her. Her cheeks were blooming more than a flower. The whole day she was feeling a little uncomfortable. The moment with Shawn was not allowing her to relax even for a moment. That moment was now written in history as well as in every office staff member's heart. No one could forget how Selena's fragile body fell above his muscular figure. Their eyes were playing archery, attacking each other's hearts.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and her heart was broken like a stone smashed into pieces. She was watching the two of them fighting, but why? Did she mean anything to them? On one side, it was her new boss, while on the other, her toxic ex. Shawn pushed him away when he punched him in the face, causing a wound near his lips. Frightened, Selena didn't know what to do? Thus, she pulled Shawn by her side and came between them. "Stop, you two." Her voice cracked in between her weeps. "Mark, I have nothing to do with you. Let me live my life peacefully. Whatever we had is now a dark past. I don't want to jump in it again." Turning her head, she glanced at Shawn as a few glares exchanged with Mark before he left with Selena.
She felt out of breath as tears took control over her. Shawn stood beside her and could feel her pain. After all, he had also gone through this heartbreaking breakup. Even though he wanted to hug her, his hands hesitated to do so. The hands stopped in a way. One hand took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. The wisdom of his words automatically dragged her attention. "It's just a myth about love. Not all first love comes to a happy ending. Some just shattered in their way. I shared a similar experience as you." "For one, I was ready to fight with the whole world, hooked up with someone else. Behind my back, she promised someone else the same promises she did to me. Hmph! But I caught her red-handed."
Her heart paused for a second, meeting those blazing eyes. The fear she had was taking over her. Her feet automatically cut off their closeness as she moved back and stood in silence. With her head lowered, she stared at the ground, making his bitterness worse. He witnessed the cowardice in Selena. It throbbed in his heart how she didn't even try to explain the situation. The silence was like a white blindfold over his eyes, and she didn't even bother to unfold it. Perhaps, she knew his reaction from the start. She understood his insecurities. Still, she didn't wish for a cage.
Watching himself in the mirror for the last time, Mr. Hendricks smiled. It wasn't to put off a fake show before entering the party, but was genuinely coming out. He wandered his hand over his suit, and a flashback hit his mind. *Flashback* Turning the riddle of the time, Mr. Hendricks went to see Selena. He had come to know about her, and his fellows were keeping an eye on her all the time. A shiny black car stopped outside Selena's fashion studio, shimmering in the sunlight. A man wearing a black suit came out and opened the back door. Another man came out
She wrapped her hair into a bun and leaned towards the gas station. "Alright! I'll teach you how to make the lemon cake." She started making the batter, but it appeared as if his mind was still stuck on how she flawlessly wrapped her hair around. He was more likely doom on her and her imperfectly perfect smile. While she seemed busy with baking, someone had his eyes stuck on her all the time. His heart fluttered, noticing how focused she was. "And now, we'll add cream." She glanced at him as his pupil extended because of unimaginable eye contact. Her eyes were like a free ocean, calling him to swim in them. "Would you like to do it?"
Moving the paper around, Selena looked at everyone with her intense eyes and declared. "No, I'm rejecting it." Everyone was startled to hear her. Sharron raised her voice against her decision and asked. "But why, Selena? You know we don't have any inverters. If someone's investing in it, then what's the problem?" "I said no already, Sharron. Besides, Chris invested already. We'll find someone else." She gave Kasey a chance to use it against her. As a result, she didn’t hold back. Her sharp words made everyone believe in her. "You got the right for the final say. That doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Mark is ready to invest, then why not?"
The cold weather had arrived. It was getting chilly too.Shawn was waiting for Selena outside her company.'Hwah!' The sound came out of his mouth, and he started rubbing his folded hands.When Selena didn't come for a while, he called her.Fortunately, she picked the call and asked in a frustrating voice.Selena: Shawn, what do you want? I'm not in the mood to talk.Shawn: Who made you upset?Selena: Nothing much! I'm pissed off today.That's when a lively idea came to his mind, and he asked Selena to look outside
It happened that the smile, which showed you lost in love, was just glued to Selena's face.That melodious melody mixed with the tune, she whirled around.Returning to the office was as if her happiness had caught sight of someone.She stepped in and found a broken vase on the floor with roses scattered around. It pierced her heart as it was a remarkable gift by Shawn.She wanted to keep those flowers in her office. And every day, she aspired to keep their love alive by giving them water.But all her hopes were crushed under Kasey's feet.She was startled to see this and took the support of the wall to stand furthermore.
Words sometimes prick the heart in such a way that if we didn't put the ointment, it would get deeper. Similarly, cracks were coming to their relationship and separating them. And it buried their love as they kept on ignoring each other. Selena had even left to ask about Shawn. After winning the contest, all the work of the whole world had come to her head. From building up her fashion studio to finding investors, the task became frequently troublesome for her. Bumping her head, she restlessly sighed. She was missing Shawn's smile enormously at this time. But she couldn't message him even if she wanted to. Moving her hand, she was ju
It was dark everywhere, impossible for a human to see. Shawn seemed tense as he heard Selena's voice echoing in his ears."Shawn, save me. Shawn!" She kept on screaming, but he was unable to find her. Once he spotted her, she was breathing for the last time.He ran to her and took her in his arms before she fell down. Tears shed from his eyes fell over her cheeks. She was slowly closing her eyes, and Shawn felt helpless about this."Selena, you can't leave me alone." He kissed the back of her hand while she stared at him with a rueful smile plastered on her face."Shawn, don't worry about me, okay? Continue your life with someone better who can take better care of you. Although she might not throw tantrums like me, she'll be the best one for you."He looked at her, and she could see he was scared and ready to fall.
The clock of time had taken a turn. Putting hand in hand, exploding their heartbeat, everyone was looking towards the judges. It was time to announce the winner of the Fashion Era. Gazes followed a red line over the screen. A Tick-tick sound echoed in the hall when suddenly CICI group name showed up. A swirling vibration came, and the whole atmosphere was engulfed. The whole sky was shining with fireworks. The repetition of applause had lit up everything. For a moment, they couldn't believe themselves. Was it a dream? Did they win the contest for real? All the members of the group started celebrating.