*Ares's POV* “Cameron!”My mother yelled,and our butler hurried into the dining hall nervously. “Ma'am?You called for me?” “Yes,Cameron,take that radio and burn it.I never want to set eyes on it again.” Cameron nodded and obediently took the radio outside. Athena glanced my way with a concealed look of mirth in her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?Yolanda states digging her fork in her cinnamon roll. “That interview just further proves my point,she is a menace.” My mother took a deep breath and kissed her necklace of the moon goddess,praying reverently to it to calm herself. She exhales loudly and adjusts her grey hair to its normal state. “Sometimes,”she began, running her eyes around the table. “I forget I'm from a royal family,how did we come to this level of low? So low that a mere actress like Selene has the audacity to insult us on a public platform.” “Let's ban her…”Yolanda said immediately, “Cut off her life force from it's root.Never let her set foot in this territor
*Dominic's POV* I had a big statue of a Swan in my home office.I had gotten it from the auction and since it was the most expensive item there,I was sure Selene would love it.The only problem was,she wasn't picking up my call. I dialled her number again and pressed the phone to my ear.I got her answering machine again–she wasn't available. I cracked my knuckles,my frustration was slowly becoming unbearable–I needed to talk to her. Caleb came into the room with his briefcase dangling by his side.She glanced at the Swan statue momentarily before mentally dismissing it. “What are you doing here?”I asked him. He headed to the drawers and began to search through it. “I think I forgot some files here.”He wears his glasses and begins scanning each folder closely. “I have a meeting in an hour,I can't go without it.” I shrug and return my attention to my own troubles. “What are you doing here?”He asked this time. “Didn't you say you will begin work today?” “I rescheduled.”I replied
*Selene's POV* “Ungrateful Bitch.”Cassie repeated with a hand on her hips. “That is exactly what I called you the first time.” “I didn't expect a warm hug,but the least you could have given me is respect.” “Respect is earned,and you have lost mine.” A man walked in behind me and immediately gasped at my face. “Selene Foxx.”he rasped,approaching me delicately. “Is it really you?Goodness,it must be my lucky day.” He reached for my hand and kissed it,lingering there for a while. “You smell exquisite,”he says with a smile. “Like flowers only found in heaven—” “Let's go to my office.”Cassie interrupts rudely. “I don't want you distracting the customers.” I laugh internally and follow her to the back of the hotel. She pushed open a blue door and inside revealed a small room with two wooden chairs,a big office desk that threatened to suck all the space out of the room and an old fan struggling to produce little breeze.The place didn't look expensive,but it was presentable. Cassie c
*Ares POV* I arrived at the safe house a little late,but for these types of things it was needless to rush. Elais met me at the door. “Took you long enough.” “I had meetings” I explained,walking past him,I glanced at the tied up journalists in the living room and turned back to Elais,concerned. “Why are they tied up?”I gave them a second glance. “And blind folded too?” Elais's puzzled gaze went from me to the men and he came to me with a hushed whisper. “I thought it was an interrogation.” “It is,”I say,removing my jacket and my gloves. “That doesn't mean they can't be comfortable.Before this whole unpleasant ordeal,these journalists were my good friends,I intend to treat them as guests.They arent the enemies here” I sent a signal to the guards watching them to release them and they did as told. The journalists scurried and squinted until their eyes were used to the bright light.The first one to notice me gasped and his friends turned my way,also receiving my presence with
*Dominic's POV* Well,Selene was apparently very preoccupied today.It had been hours since I tracked her location and found her. She was at a small Italian restaurant withthe friend She had left the brothel with. I don't know why she would ever go to a brothel in the first place but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided to approach her when she was alone. Little did I know that Selene planned to never be parted from this friend again.The hooker-like person Selene had taken as companion over me was a petite red headed woman,with boot heels tall enough to make her the same height as Selene and a hideous looking orange jacket. I didn't know her but I already despised her–or maybe the correct word was envy? Whoever she was,she seemed to had Selene's full attention and that looked so nice. Watching Selene with this ill dressed woman made me realize I had barely touched the iceberg of who Selene really was. For the longest time I thought she was just a charmer who picked m
*Selene's POV* “Dominic,”I called with a hint of Seduction to my voice. “Have you been following me?” “No..”Dominic managed to say as he coughed out a mixture of spit and blood. “Oh.”I sighed,laying a hand over my chest.“You scared me.” “Why would I be following you?”he asked,touching his face to check for bruises. I smiled in satisfaction,I didn't expect him to actually admit it. in fact,I'm glad he didn't…it meant a prolonged game.I loved prolonged games. Although I wished they had beaten him a bit more,that would have been nice to watch. I bent over and stuck my red nail under his chin,guiding his face to mine. “You poor thing.”I said sweetly. “My security thought you were a stalker,for a moment there I thought you wanted to rob me. I owe you an apology,they can be a bit brutal.” “No worries..”he sniffed,rubbing blood from his nose. “No,no.it's actually very worrisome, what if they get this violent with all my friends.Even if it was a fan,it's still a horrible way
*Selene's POV* I dialled Greta's number, and she picked up immediately after one ring.I was about to celebrate her new devotion until I heard how unwelcoming her voice sounded. “What?” “I just sent Dominic to the downstairs bathroom.”I continued,paying no heed to her uninterested tone. “And?”she probed. I turned the key of my bedroom door,locking it. “And I want you to keep him distracted for at least five minutes.” “No.”Greta replied instantly. A frown crossed my face.“What do you mean no?” “I'm watching a telenovela.” “Greta,there will be repeats of the episode.” “Yes,but I want to watch it now,”she said cruelly. I stared down at the phone in my hand and mentally calculated How long it would take Dominic to get back here.Judging by how excited he was,he will be very hasty about it,that simply gave me so little time to snoop around. I bit my lower lip in frustration and finally gave in. “How much do you want?” “I saw this vase in the market today…” “How
*Ares POV* Three knocks came in,waking me up from my sleep. My eyes flashed open and was almost momentarily blinded by the light from the television that I had left on.I had fallen asleep watching Selene again. Her laugh bubbled from behind the scene,her siren eyes curling at the ends as she smiled. I groaned and roamed the bed for the remote,another annoying knock banged at the door before I could find it. “In a minute.”I grumbled loudly before switching the TV off. I took a second or two to try to process my thoughts, but in subtle fear of hearing another nerve-racking knock,I pulled myself up to get the door,staggering half the way,still half asleep “Noelle?”I asked,raising an eyebrow as I pulled the door open. “Oh,you were asleep already?”she asked apologetically. I rubbed my eyeballs for clarity. “What are you doing here?” “You called for me.”she said,then soon realised my mind was far away and volunteered to explain further. “This morning at breakfast–you said
*Noelle's POV*“There she is.”the maid pointed at the table under an oak tree and scurried away,leaving me at the edge of the garden,scared to enter the open field I saw my mother from a distance,sitting at her computer with a tea cup at her side,her silky gray hair pulled tightly to her neck and secured with a pin. I stared long and hard before I gathered the courage to walk to her. Besides,if she didn't want to meet me,she would have told the guards to let me in, right? The sound of my shoes hitting the grass sent her eyes spinning my way. They paused at my face and did a full scan of my body,her gaze got disgusted and she quickly looked away,facing her computer with an unbothered air. “Hello Mother.”I said respectfully,as though I was addressing an authority figure and not my caretaker,I might have been adopted but my feelings for her went way beyond papers,Im not sure–no I am sure–she didn't share the same sentiment but it never hurt to try.“The fact that you are calling me
*Selene’s POV*“Cassie?” My voice cracked as I gripped the steering wheel, swerving around another tight curve. Horns blared, angry drivers flashing their headlights at me, but I couldn’t care less. If they were being hunted by a psychotic freak, traffic laws would mean nothing to them either. My knuckles turned white as I weaved through cars, my mind racing faster than my heart.I didn’t look at my phone, too focused on getting away, but my voice grew sharper as I called again, a tremor sneaking in. “Cassie!” I tried not to let my rising fear unsettle me lest I crash my car.A groggy voice finally crackled through the speaker. “Selene?” Cassie’s voice was hoarse, still thick with sleep. “Is everything—”“Will there be room for me at Red Velvet tonight?”“Huh?” A long yawn followed. “Tonight? You mean now?”“Yes, yes, tonight,” I said, urgency seeping into my tone.There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, the weight of my request sinking in. The last time I was this fra
Selene’s POV“Just say it.” I spat, disgusted at myself.“Say what?” Elias asked, still holding the doorknob, his brows furrowed in confusion.“That you think I’m being reckless and stupid,” I snapped, folding my arms. The air between us was thick with tension, and I could feel the heat of embarrassment rising to my cheeks. Elias was the last person I wanted to appear vulnerable in front of.“Eh,” he gave me a small, sympathetic smile. “I’ve done worse, trust me.”I didn’t fully believe him, but I appreciated the effort. At least he was trying to make me feel better, which was more than I could do for myself.“Just stay in here for a bit,” he added, glancing down the hall. “So people don’t get suspicious.”“Yeah,” I sighed, resigned. My arms unfolded, my body suddenly feeling heavy. I needed some time alone to think anyway. When the door clicked shut behind him, the silence returned with a vengeance, amplifying the chaotic mess inside my head.I tried to replay what had just happened,
*Ares' POV*I pulled away from her, my fingers still tingling with the scorching heat of contact. She’s lying. She has to be.“What do you mean?” I barely recognize my voice—it was raw, guttural,scared.Noelle’s lips curved into a faint smile, her eyes glittering with amusement as if she were toying with me.“What do you think I mean?” she said, voice dripping with mockery. “A man with your experience shouldn’t have to ask what happens between a man and the woman when they lie in bed together.I didn't say we slept together,I left no room for misunderstanding…we fucked.”My stomach twisted, nausea clawing at me as I tried to process her words. When? How?I pushed off the bed, my movements rough, stumbling toward the bathroom as if putting distance between us could clear the fog in my head. Splashing water onto my face, I braced my hands on the sink and stared into the mirror. Focus.My reflection was a mess—hair disheveled, eyes hollow, sweat slicking my skin. What happened last night?
*Noelle's POV* The knife cut through the onion slice and another strand of tear streamed from my eye. My focus shifts to the boiling pot and smiles sadly.Even with very little practice,I love cooking and thus I've always wanted to cool for someone–that someone being Ares. But that had been a far fetched dream then yunno,I always knew that that was too big of a dream and I may never realize it,that way my happiness lied there-out of my reach,unattainable but at the soothing of some sort,it gave me something to fight for. And now I was in his house,doing exactly what I had dreamed of all this while,I had made it..I should be ecstatic right? No. I felt the opposite. I felt sad,frustrated and lost. Lost in the sense that I no longer understood myself,and it didn't even have to do with my pregnancy,I genuinely can't even understand what's wrong with me ever since Elais and I slept together,the guilt was eating me up but one question remained. Do I even love Elais? The doorbell r
*Selene's POV* I stared at the board blankly,I should be analysing the data on it to plan my next move, but instead, my mind is on the court case. Ares did everything to avoid specifying that we were together during the time of the murder,on one hand it could be him trying to protect me and on the other it could be him just being selfish and trying to protect his image now that he doesn't want me anymore. A sting reached my heart and spread like wildfire,my head began to feel heavy,when I was done with all this revenge was over with,what on earth will I do? My reputation is hanging by a fragile thread,my relationships with my partners are now severed,even Saint Locke doesn't talk to me anymore…and now Ares,not that I miss him, it just felt like I was losing so much of my life to this revenge–would it all be worth it? I replayed my last encounter with Yolanda and shut my eyes tight,that lying witch needed to pay,no matter what it costs,even if it was my happiness. “Have
*Yolanda's POV* “Crushed,bay leaf,turmeric and–” I squinted,what on earth did Victor write here? How am I supposed to complete the potion now without the name of the ingredients? I slapped the piece of paper on the table and frowned. With Selene now in full anger grating at my back,it is getting crystal clear that Im getting into a deeper hole than I had estimated,the assurance of an antidote to any poison spell was the only thing able to give me a good night's sleep,though I doubt she would want to kill me by poison,It's better to be safe. If only Victor had fixed that terrible handwriting of his so I could actually understand how to make this thing. I grunted and slammed the paper down.It's as though everyone and anyone desperately wants me to die. A knock on the door interrupted me from my mental assault against Victor,the maid walked into the room and glanced at the herbs on my table in part confusion. “Well?” I asked harshly. “Are you going to talk or are you just tryin
*Ares' POV*It's finally the day of the trails and my head is blazing hot. The only thing I'm grateful for is the fact that it is a private hearing but other than that,I hated the day already.The sunlight slicing through the grand windows of the courtroom is too harsh, too bright. It doesn't match the shadows creeping beneath the stone columns or the solemnity of the faces around me. The Council members are seated at their elevated sears, each expression a mixture of judgement, curiosity, and barely veiled contempt. Noelle hasn’t spoken a word since we arrived, which is odd, especially for her. She’s standing slightly behind me, her hands clasped in front of her, fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her coat. Her eyes, flickering nervously between the members of the Council, never quite meet mine. Her uneasiness was beginning to rub off on me and that's the last thing I needed today.“What's wrong with Noelle?”I hush to Elias as he walked to me.His face turned sour and he cleared h
*Noelle’s POV* The cold bit into my skin as I clutched the small package in my hand, trembling from a mixture of nerves and the biting chill of the evening. The maid stood before me, her eyes darting nervously around the dimly lit hallway in the maid's quarters. I couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety with every glance she made over her shoulder. "Did anyone see you?" I whispered, my voice barely audible as I hid the small package within the folds of my dress, slipping it into my bra. “No,” she said quickly, still shifting on her feet as though someone might appear any second. “I was very careful, you don’t have to worry about it.” "Are you sure?" My heart pounded in my chest, the thrum of it so loud it echoed in my ears. Her constant fidgeting made my nerves spike. “Yes,” she whispered, her gaze finally meeting mine, her large brown eyes betraying something between pity and fear. “I have to go now.” My hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could escape, my fin