Chapter 33
When Selena returned to the emergency room’s waiting area, Liam had been called away by the police to give a statement. Now, she sat alone on a bench, her mind a whirlwind of confusion.
She regretted not telling Sebastian about her history with lanes sooner. All she could hope for now was that Sebastian wouldn’t get hurt.
Ten years ago, when she first met James, she had felt the same kind of panic and helplessness that gripped her now. It had started with a phone call from his assistant, asking her to come right away because her brother had potten into some trouble at his compa
She had taken a half day off from work and grabbed a cab to James‘ office. When she arrived, he was sitting behind his desk, looking her up and down with those sharp, calculating eyes of his.
“Do you know what corporate espionage is?” he asked, his voice calm but chilling
Selena shook her head. She was no expert in law.
“Your brother works for us,” James continued, his tone colder. “He took confidential business contract information and sold it to a competitor. If we lose the bid because of this, do you know how much it’ll cost us?”
She just stared at him like a fool, shaking her head again.
“One billion,” he said flatly.
Selena stood there, frozen. She wasn’t sure if James was exaggerating or if he was trying to scare her, but for a student like her, with only a thousand dollars a month for living expenses, it felt like a number straight out of a nightmare.
She swallowed hard, stammering, “He he..”
“Can your brother afford to pay that back? Because if he can’t, there’s only one place he’s going–prison.”
Tears streamed down Selena’s face.
“Please, my brother just wanted to earn money for my tuition,” she sobbed, her words tumbling out in a jumbled mess. “I know him, he doesn’t have much ability, but he didn’t want to let anyone down…
She couldn’t even make sense of her own thoughts. She knew there would be consequences for her brother’s mistake. But it was because he was her brother that she couldn’t bring herself to treat him like anyone else. She couldn’t harden her heart the way she should
James reached out, gently brushing her hair away from her face before lifting her chin with his fingers
“I don’t like being on the losing end,” he said, his voice soft but cold. “And you don’t have the money to make this при night
Selena didn’t reply, her throat too tight to speak
James leaned in closer, pressing his lips to hers in a mocking; kiss before pulling back with a quiet chuckle.
That was how Selena ended up staying with James for seven years seven long years, during which he kept her by his side, hidden from the outside world. No one knew It wasn’t until three years ago, when James had to marry the daughter of a wealthy family to secure a business deal, that he finally let Selena go.
It was also around that time that she met Jessica, who quickly became her best friend And it was in that same Time frame that Sebastian, the boy Selena had secretly admired since junior high, appeared in her life.
Chapter 33
+15 BONUS
Selena pressed her hands to her face, trying to hide her tears. If she could go back and do it all over again, she didn’t know what she would choose.
A gentle weight settled beside her on the bench.
“Lena.”
Sebastian’s voice was soft as he carefully placed his hand on hers before gently gripping her fingers.
“You don’t have to go back,” he said quietly. “I’ve already cleared things up with James.”
