Chapter 47 My Fiancée Has Many Secrets
Selena's POV
Taisia's face went from flushed red to deathly pale.
The Katesons beside her were so scared they even forgot to breathe.
Royce Sterling.
That name itself was a crushing force.
"Mr. Sterling... we... we were just..." Mr. Kateson stammered, trying to defend himself but couldn't get a single word out properly.
Royce didn't even look at them again.
He just lowered his head and gently wiped away a nonexistent bread crumb from the corner of my mouth, the gesture outrageously intimate.
"Trash belongs in the garbage can," he said quietly. I couldn't tell if he was saying it to me or to those three people across from us.
As they were leaving, a surprised voice suddenly came from the hotel entrance.
"Mr. Vance, what a coincidence running into you here. Do you have time to talk?"
The Katesons' eyes lit up.
I turned my head. A young man in his late twenties wearing a well-tailored blue suit stood at the entrance.
I recognized that face—Leo Vance, the genius trader who'd made a name for himself on Wall Street in recent years, known for his bold moves and sharp instincts.
Leo gave Mr. Kateson a slight nod as a greeting.
Just when they thought they'd grabbed onto this angel investor as their lifeline.
Leo's gaze found me. "My God..." he cried out, "Astrid? Is that really you?!"
Astrid.
The code name I'd used in financial circles for years.
I saw Royce's eyebrow lift almost imperceptibly.
"Leo." I nodded, my expression unchanged. "Long time no see."
"It really is you!" Leo was so excited his face turned red. He stepped forward, wanting to say something, but mindful of Royce beside me, he stopped himself. "I... I thought you'd completely retired and would never appear again. Last time at your lecture in Zurich, I waited in line for three hours to get in. Your quantitative hedging model... it was a work of God!"
I didn't want to discuss financial models with him here.
"You here for dinner?" I asked flatly, trying to change the subject.
"Yes, I'm meeting some partners here to discuss a project. Oh, right, Astrid," he said, as if remembering something. He pulled a black metal business card from his pocket and handed it to me with both hands. "This is my new contact information. I recently started my own angel investment fund. If you need anything... no, just say the word, and all my resources are at your service! Without your guidance back then, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm practically your student!"
Student? He was being too generous. I'd only casually commented on his hole-filled investment proposal at a private investors' meeting once.
I didn't take the card.
"I'm very busy lately," I said.
Royce had been silent the whole time, just standing beside me, looking back and forth between Leo and me.
He must be wondering how a "jewelry designer" in his eyes could be the "Astrid" that a Wall Street genius trader was worshipping, the "God" they admired.
This feeling was good.
This feeling of being inscrutable to him, beyond his control—it gave the anger he'd been suppressing in me an outlet.
"Astrid, you..." Leo wanted to say more.
"Mr. Vance," Royce finally spoke, "my fiancée and I have some private matters to discuss. If you don't mind."
He emphasized the word "fiancée" again and reached out to put his arm around my shoulder.
This time, I didn't struggle.
I even gave Leo a distant smile.
The fervor on Leo's face instantly cooled. He glanced at Royce's hand on my shoulder.
"Of course, of course. Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Sterling." He immediately resumed his business elite demeanor, nodded at Royce, gave me one last deep look, then turned and walked into the hotel.
As soon as he left, I immediately stepped out of Royce's embrace.
He looked at me, and for the first time, his eyes held the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent. "A fiancée who designs jewelry, understands finance, and knows how to fight. How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"
I didn't bother answering him.
"That's none of your business, Sterling." I coldly threw out the words, turned and walked away, leaving him standing there alone.
I walked through the hotel's magnificent lobby and saw those three idiots from the Kateson family still huddled near the entrance like lost puppies.
Taisia was pointing at the corridor Leo had just entered, excitedly telling her father something. Mr. Kateson's face was full of hesitation and fear, but Mrs. Kateson, that woman who could never read a situation, was nodding frantically beside them, cheering on her precious daughter.
I could almost guess what they wanted to do.
Corner Leo Vance and pitch their rotten-to-the-core company.
How ridiculous.
They always thought that as long as they were loud enough and shameless enough, they could get what they wanted.
I snorted and turned toward the lounge area.
I found a window seat and sat down, ordering a glass of ice water.
I wanted to see how this farce would end.
I didn't have to wait long.
About ten minutes later, I saw a small commotion at the entrance to the corridor leading to the upscale restaurant.
I saw Leo.
He stood at the entrance, his face no longer showing the fervor and excitement from when he saw me, back to the indifference of a Wall Street elite.
Mr. Kateson was bowing and scraping, trying to hand him a business card, while Taisia actually tried to grab Leo's arm.
Leo recoiled as if touched by something dirty, stepping back sharply.
Then he spoke.
I was too far away to hear what he said.
But I saw Mr. Kateson's face turn deathly pale, the business card falling from his hand to the floor.
Taisia's expression looked like she'd been slapped hard, going from disbelief to venomous.
Two hotel security guards in black suits walked over and gestured for the Kateson family to leave.
They were thrown out.
Like three stray dogs.
Taisia's makeup was ruined from crying. As she passed through the lobby, she shot me a venomous glare, as if she wanted to devour me alive.
I raised my ice water and lifted it toward her, giving her a victor's smile.
She trembled with rage as her mother dragged her away.
Truly... delightful.
"Looks like your admirer solved your problem for you."
Royce's voice suddenly came from behind me.
He'd walked over at some point, holding a drink, and sat down on the sofa across from me.