Chapter 87 Fiancée
Selena's POV
I took a really long hot shower.
The sole heir.
Those words didn't excite me as much as I thought they would.
This feeling of being completely trusted and entrusted with everything—it was too unfamiliar.
I walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.
That light gray cashmere shawl was lying quietly on my bed.
I walked over and picked it up, thinking of Royce...There was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened. It was my mother, carrying a tray with several skewers of freshly grilled lamb chops, still sizzling and giving off a tempting aroma.
She set the tray on the small table in my room, her face showing a gentle smile. "Jonathan made these. Try them."
I sat down and picked up a skewer. The outside was crispy and fragrant, but the meat inside was tender and juicy.
"Eat slowly." She sat down across from me, her eyes falling on the shawl on my bed. "Beautiful shawl. The color suits you."
I didn't say anything, just quietly ate.
"A return gift for Margaret?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Very beautiful," she said admiringly, then changed the subject. "But Selena, sometimes gifts aren't just about returning favors. They can also be... a way of expressing yourself."
My chewing slowed down.
"I can see that young man, Royce, really cares about you. A man of his status doesn't need to please anyone. He sends you cake, his grandmother treats you like family... sweetheart, this goes beyond a business partnership."
"This is a transaction," I stubbornly argued. "What he wants is Hart Group."
"What he wants might be more than that." My mother shook her head, her eyes full of wisdom. "What he wants is you."
"Selena, don't be afraid to accept other people's kindness. And don't be afraid to express your own." She looked at me.
After saying this, she got up and left my room, leaving me with complete silence and a head full of confusion.Taisia's POV
I was startled by the bitter woman staring back at me in the mirror.
No. I can't be like this.
I still have my face, my body. This is my only weapon.
Royce Sterling.
As long as I can get him, I can crush Selena under my feet!
I spent three whole hours getting ready.
I put on my most expensive red bodycon dress, the hem so short it barely covered anything. I put on the heaviest makeup, sprayed half a bottle of perfume until the whole room was filled with a sickeningly sweet smell.
The me in the mirror looked like a warrior ready to hunt.
I found the address of Sterling Group headquarters.
I didn't have an appointment. I just barged right in, and despite being stopped by the receptionist, I camped out in the luxurious lobby waiting.
Finally, that black Bentley I'd only seen in magazines pulled up at the entrance.
The car door opened, and a man in a dark gray suit stepped out.
It was him.
Royce Sterling.
He was even more handsome than in photos, with an innate sense of dominance that made my heart race.
I immediately adjusted my dress and walked toward him, swaying my hips.
"Royce!" I called out in what I thought was my sweetest, most seductive voice.
He was on the phone. When he heard my voice, he just frowned slightly and didn't even look at me, trying to walk past.
How could I let him go?
I immediately stepped forward, blocking his path, my body almost touching his arm.
"Royce, it's me, Taisia Kateson." I looked up at him, batting my eyelashes.
He finally hung up the phone, and those deep eyes landed on me.
That look was as cold as if he were looking at a lifeless object.
He stepped back, putting distance between us, as if I carried some kind of virus.
"I remember," he said, his voice even colder than his gaze. "The screaming woman."
My smile froze on my face.
"I... I just wanted to talk to you." I forced myself to stay calm. "I think we're the same kind of people. Selena doesn't deserve you at all. She's just a cold, emotionless monster!"
"I'm waiting for someone." He completely ignored what I said, his tone showing impatience.
"Waiting for who? Selena? Don't let her fool you! She doesn't care about you at all! All she loves is money and power! I'm the one who truly loves you! Royce, just give me a chance, I'll do anything for you!"
As I spoke, I tried to grab his arm.
"Get away."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like an ice-cold blade, making me shudder.
The way he looked at me was full of undisguised disgust and contempt.
"Fiancée? No... that's impossible! You're not even engaged!"
"We will be soon." He looked at me coldly, like watching a clown.
I completely lost it. I lunged forward, grabbing his sleeve tightly, crying hysterically, "Why her! What does she have that I don't! I can give you everything! I can..."
"Let go."
His patience had finally run out.
He jerked his arm away, shaking me off. In my high heels, I lost my balance and stumbled backward several steps, nearly falling.
"The difference between you and her?" He looked down at me from above, his lips curving into a cruel smile. "The difference is, she's the heir to Hart Group, priceless."
He paused, his gaze piercing right through me.
"And you," he said, "are worthless."
After saying this, his cold expression suddenly changed.
That ice-cold barrier melted instantly, transforming into a kind of gentle warmth with a smile that I'd never seen before.
His gaze moved past me, toward somewhere behind me.
"She's here."
I stiffly turned around.
A black car was slowly pulling up at the company entrance.
The car door opened, and a foot in black high heels stepped out first.
Then Selena emerged from the car.
Today she wore a simple white silk blouse and black pants, with that light gray cashmere shawl I'd seen before draped over her shoulders.
She wore no makeup, yet she was ten thousand times more radiant than me, all dressed up like a clown.
She looked like a queen surveying her domain.