Selena

"Fucking hell!"

The crystal glass exploded against the wall of Xavier's office, sending shards raining down like diamonds. His men flinched, their eyes fixed on the floor, but Selena remained perfectly still. Experience had taught her that stillness was safer than showing fear wherever Xavier was concerned.

"Three fucking million dollars." Xavier's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Three million dollars worth of product, burned to ash, and these idiots think I did it?" His laughter held no warmth. "The Moretti family thinks I'd destroy my own shipment?"

One of his newer men, young and foolish enough to still have courage, cleared his throat. "Sir, they're saying—"

"I know what they're saying!" Xavier's fist crashed into his mahogany desk. The sound echoed like a gunshot through the office. "Find out who did this. Find out who dares to cross me. Or I'll fucking find new men who can."

The threat hung heavy in the air. His men shifted nervously, except for the two guards who never left his side. They were like statues, hands resting on their weapons, eyes scanning constantly for threats.

Selena watched it all from her corner, unable to stop the comparisons that flooded her mind. Victor had never needed to shout to command respect. His anger had been different—cold and precise, like a blade. Even at his most dangerous, he'd never made her feel worthless.

The memory of him sent an ache through her chest so sharp it stole her breath.

Xavier caught her expression and walked toward her, his cologne too strong, too close. "Something on your mind, beautiful? Enjoying watching everything fall apart?"

"No." She kept her voice carefully empty, her face a mask she'd perfected over five long years. Five years of hiding, of surviving, of doing whatever it took to protect him.

His hand shot up so fast she almost broke her practiced stillness. But the slap never came. Instead, his fingers gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. His touch was like ice on her skin.

"Remember our arrangement." His whisper was for her alone, his breath hot against her ear. "Remember what happens if you forget your place. Everything you are belongs to me now. Everything you do, every breath you take—it's all because I allow it."

Selena's nails carved crescents into her palms, deep enough to draw blood, but she didn't pull away. Couldn't pull away. The price of defiance was too high, too precious to risk.

"The club needs managing tonight," Xavier said, finally releasing her. His eyes raked over her body in a way that made her feel naked, exposed. "I have to deal with these Moretti idiots before they do something even more stupid." A cruel smile curved his lips as he stepped back. "Handle things well, and I might be generous this week. Give you something you've been missing."

The threat in his words was clear as glass. Selena's stomach turned, but she kept her face neutral. She'd learned to wear emptiness like armor.

After he left, after his men filed out behind him like well-trained dogs, Selena finally let herself move. Her legs carried her to her room—the room that had once been hers and Victor's. Xavier had given it to her as a special kind of torture, a daily reminder of what she'd done.

The red dress hung in the closet like an accusation. She'd worn it that night, when everything she loved turned to ash. When she'd stood over Victor's body, watching his blood spread across imported marble floors, knowing she'd killed more than just a man.

Her fingers trembled as she touched the fabric. The silk was still perfect, still beautiful, still stained with memories she couldn't wash away.

*If only I'd told him the truth. If only I'd trusted him. If only...*

But "if only" was a luxury she couldn't afford. Not anymore. Not when every moment of every day was measured, watched, controlled. She had to stay focused. Stay alive. Stay whatever Xavier wanted her to be.

She put the dress on.

The club pulsed with life that night, music vibrating through the walls like a heartbeat. Selena moved through the crowds with practiced grace, the red dress drawing eyes but never attention. She checked the VIP sections, made sure the drinks flowed freely, kept everything running exactly as Xavier demanded.

The dress felt like a second skin of lies, both protecting and suffocating her.

"Boss really outdid himself this time," Mark, one of the security guards, appeared beside her as she surveyed the main floor. He gestured at the new chandeliers Xavier had installed—gaudy things dripping with crystal and gold. "Guess when you've got new money, you have to make sure everyone knows it, right?"

A laugh escaped before Selena could catch it. The sound startled her—when was the last time she'd laughed? Really laughed, not the fake sounds she made when Xavier demanded her attention?

Only Victor had been able to make her laugh like that, real and free and...

The thought died in her throat as something shifted in the air. The hair on her neck rose, her body recognizing danger before her mind could process it. She felt someone watching her.

She turned and saw him.

He stood in the shadows like he'd been born from them, partially hidden by a black hoodie and cap. But she would know that stance anywhere. Those shoulders. That presence that seemed to draw all the oxygen from the room.

"Victor?" His name fell from her lips like a prayer.

He lifted his head slowly, deliberately, letting her see his face. Five years hadn't softened him—they'd honed him, shaped him into something even more dangerous. More beautiful. More lethal.

"Hello, Selena." His voice was exactly as she remembered, deep and smooth like aged whiskey, wrapping around her like smoke. "Miss me?"

The world tilted beneath her feet. Impossible. He was dead. She'd watched him die. She'd helped make it happen.

But the ghost of her greatest sin stood before her, breathing, living, burning with a quiet rage that threatened to consume them both.

And all she could think was: *He can never know the truth. Never know why I did it. The price is too high.*

The music continued to pound around them, but Selena couldn't hear it anymore. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, She could hear it beating louder and louder as she watched the ghost of her past standing in front of her shrouded I'm rage, betrayal and something else.