Chapter 148 I Must Destroy Her

Chapter 148 I Must Destroy Her
Selene’s POV

The second Lucian whispered Teressa’s name while holding me in his arms, every trace of warmth inside me turned into anger.

My palm struck his face before I could think twice.

The sharp slap broke through the heated atmosphere between us, leaving behind a silence so cold and heavy that it seemed to freeze the entire room. I pulled myself completely out of Lucian’s embrace and stared at him, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to control the rage burning through me.

Damn Lucian!

Just moments ago, I had almost allowed myself to believe him. I had remembered everything he said on the Ferris wheel, how Teressa belonged to his past and how I was the only woman he wanted beside him now. I had even started wondering whether I had been too cautious with him.

Then he kissed me and called another woman’s name.

Teressa.

That one name destroyed every good feeling I had carried back from the amusement park.

“Well done, Alpha!” Frieda’s satisfied voice rang through my mind. “That slap was exactly what that indecisive fool deserved!”

For once, I did not argue with her.

I glared at Lucian, unable to hide the hurt beneath my anger. “You’ve gone too far, Lucian!”

Lucian did not immediately respond. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes, but there was something else beneath it, something deeper and more complicated that I could not understand. For several seconds, he simply stared at me as if he were trying to make sense of what had just happened himself.

I did not care.

The red mark from my palm slowly became clearer against his cheek, but looking at it brought me no regret. If anything, the silence only made my frustration worse.

“You’ve never truly seen me for who I am, have you?” My voice trembled despite my effort to keep it steady. “All this time, I’ve been nothing more than Teressa’s replacement.”

Lucian’s expression tightened.

I did not give him a chance to interrupt.

Everything I had forced myself not to think about since he began pursuing me suddenly rushed out.

“Everything you said to me on the Ferris wheel today was a lie. You told me Teressa was your past. You said I was the person you wanted beside you now. You even claimed you would give up your destined mate for me.”

My throat tightened, but I forced myself to continue.

“The woman you love is Teressa, Lucian. The woman you actually want beside you is her. You just can’t find her, so you decided I was close enough.”

The thought made something inside me ache.

I hated that it hurt.

I hated even more that I had come dangerously close to trusting him.

He had asked me for an answer in two months, and somewhere inside me, I had already started imagining what that answer might become. I had allowed his kindness, his protection, and his constant presence to slowly weaken the walls around my heart.

Now I felt foolish for it.

My anger rose with every breath.

“I refuse to be anyone’s substitute,” I said. “You wanted an answer from me, didn’t you? Well, here it is.”

Before I could say anything more, Lucian finally spoke.

“Selene, it’s not like that.”

His voice was firm, but it did nothing to calm me.

I laughed bitterly. “Not like that?”

I stared straight into his eyes.

“Then explain it to me.”

Silence.

That was all he gave me.

I waited, almost daring him to find an explanation that could make sense of what had happened. If Teressa truly meant nothing anymore, why had her name escaped his lips while he was kissing me? Why had he looked at me and somehow seen her?

I was not naive.

Lucian could say whatever beautiful words he wanted, but in that unguarded moment, his heart had betrayed him.

He had called for Teressa.

Not me.

Lucian swallowed, and guilt flickered across his face again. His lips parted slightly, but nothing came out.

That silence hurt more than an excuse would have.

“Nothing more to say, huh?” I scoffed.

My voice turned cold as I forced every vulnerable feeling back behind the walls I should never have lowered.

“I don’t want to see you ever again, Lucian.”

I did not wait for him to answer.

I turned and walked toward the door before my emotions could betray me further. Every step away from him felt heavier than it should have, but I refused to look back.

My heart burned as though someone had poured acid directly into it.

How foolish could I have been?

Only a short while ago, I had sat beside him at the top of the Ferris wheel and listened while he told me my parents were watching over me from the stars. I had let his words comfort me. I had allowed myself to feel safe beside him.

When I asked him who he would choose if Teressa ever returned, he had answered exactly the way I wanted.

He chose me.

Or at least, that was what he had claimed.

I had almost believed him.

I had nearly fallen for those words.

Thankfully, I had not allowed myself to sink too deeply.

I had promised him an answer in two months, but now I was grateful I had waited. If I had accepted him tonight, only to discover afterward that another woman still occupied his heart, the pain would have been far worse.

This hurt, but I could survive it.

I had pulled away in time.

It was not too late to move on.

Winnie’s POV

The longer I stood in that hallway knowing Selene was inside Lucian’s room, the harder it became to control my anger.

My fists remained tightly clenched at my sides as my imagination filled with possibilities I did not want to see.

What were they doing in there?

Why had Lucian taken her hand and brought her into his room so naturally?

Why had he shut the door in my face without even allowing me to finish talking about the cooperation proposal?

My head began to pound.

It was Selene.

Everything had changed because of that worthless Omega.

Before she appeared, I had always believed there was still a chance for Lucian to notice me. I had the right background, appearance, and family connections. We belonged in the same world.

But Selene kept appearing between us.

She had taken too much already.

I could no longer allow her to remain.

I had to eliminate Selene.

The thought came with frightening clarity.

That shameless Omega had no place beside Lucian.

Lucian was mine.

After standing outside for another moment, I finally forced myself to turn away. Remaining there would accomplish nothing, and I refused to give anyone another chance to see me humiliated tonight.

I headed toward my room, but as I approached the elevator, movement from the far end of the hallway caught my attention.

I slowed.

A familiar figure had just appeared.

My brows lifted.

Aubree?

What was she doing back in Fostrau?

Curiosity stopped me from entering the elevator. I remained where I was and watched her approach.

The woman before me looked nothing like the proud celebrity I remembered.

Aubree wore a thin white dress that revealed far more than it concealed, and she was pressed closely against the side of an older man. Her smile was overly sweet as she clung to his arm, trying desperately to please him.

I recognized the man almost immediately.

Dominic.

He was a moderately well-known director in Fostrau. He had enough influence to offer struggling actresses opportunities, though he was hardly important enough for someone like the old Aubree to have treated with such devotion.

Yet tonight, she was practically hanging from his arm.

“Darling,” Aubree said in a sugary voice, “I truly adore you. You have to give me the lead role.”

Dominic chuckled as his hand settled around her waist.

“You performed well tonight,” he said, clearly enjoying the attention. “But there are plenty of actresses competing for that part. Your reputation hasn’t exactly been stellar lately.”

Aubree’s expression changed instantly.

Her lips trembled as she looked up at him. “I was framed!”

Even from where I stood, I could hear the desperation in her voice.

“It was all because of that despicable Omega, Selene, from Moonveil Group!”

My eyes narrowed slightly.

Selene again.

Of course.

I remembered Aubree’s scandal clearly. Reporters had caught her at the scene, destroying the innocent image she had spent years carefully building. Once the truth became public, everything around her collapsed.

Her contract had been terminated.

Her reputation had been ruined.

Good roles disappeared.

The entertainment industry that had once praised her turned its back on her almost overnight.

And now she had fallen so far that she was clinging to a man like Dominic merely for a chance to remain relevant.

I watched silently.

Pitiful.

But considering everything she had done, it was also deserved.

Dominic did not seem moved by her complaint.

“It doesn’t matter if I believe you,” he said with an indifferent shrug. “The public doesn’t.”

Aubree's expression stiffened.

Dominic looked her over before continuing, “Give me a little more time. I’ll call you tomorrow night for a proper discussion.”

For the briefest moment, humiliation flashed through Aubree’s eyes, but she quickly buried it beneath another sweet smile.

“Alright.”

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll be expecting you,” Dominic replied.

The look in his eyes made his intentions obvious before he turned and disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him.

Aubree remained standing outside.

Her fake smile vanished almost instantly.

She leaned against the door for support and rubbed her legs before pressing a hand against her waist as though she were in pain.

That was when I noticed the faint bruises marking her exposed skin.

My eyebrows rose.

Rumors about Dominic had circulated throughout Fostrau for years. People whispered about his behavior with desperate actresses and the kind of demands he made behind closed doors. I had never cared enough to find out how much of it was true.

Seeing Aubree now told me enough.

Still, I had never imagined she would fall this far.

The woman who had once carried herself like a star was now enduring humiliation from a director she probably would not have looked twice at before her scandal.

I stepped away from the elevator and walked toward her.

“It’s been a while, Aubree.”

Her head snapped up.

The instant she recognized me, tension crossed her face.

“Ms. Crawford?”

Her voice was filled with surprise.

I allowed my gaze to travel deliberately toward the bruises she had been trying to hide.

Aubree noticed where I was looking.

Embarrassment flashed across her face, and she quickly moved her hands to cover the marks.

That small action told me everything I needed to know.

She was desperate.

More importantly, she was angry.

Her career was collapsing, her reputation was destroyed, and she clearly blamed one person for everything that had happened to her.

Selene.

The same woman I wanted gone.

I studied Aubree more carefully, and slowly, the frustration that had followed me from Lucian’s door began to disappear.

Only minutes ago, I had been wondering how I could get Selene out of my way without dirtying my own hands.

Now, standing right in front of me was a woman who hated Selene almost as much as I did.

A woman with nothing left to lose.

I looked at Aubree and could not stop the slow smile forming inside me.

Just when I had been wondering how to get rid of Selene, an opportunity had fallen right into my hands.