Chapter 32

Selene's Pov

I swirled the wine in my glass, staring out at the Berlin skyline as the city lights flickered against the darkness. The restaurant was quiet, save for the murmur of distant conversations and the clinking of silverware. It had been a long day, filled with meetings and business discussions I had little patience for. I sighed, tapping my manicured nails against the table, already bored.

Then my phone buzzed.

Cassandra.

I picked up, arching a brow. “You better not be calling me for something useless.”

There was a pause. Too long of a pause. My grip tightened around my glass.

“Selene, I...” She hesitated, her voice unusually cautious. “I thought you should hear this from me before anyone else.”

I sat up straighter. “Spit it out.”

Another pause. Then, finally, “Roman got married.”

The world around me stilled.

For a moment, I thought I misheard her. My mind scrambled to make sense of the words, but they were foreign, impossible. Roman? Married? No. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Not without me.

My fingers tightened around my wine glass, the pressure unbearable, and before I could stop myself, it shattered in my hand.

A sharp sting cut through my palm, but I barely felt it. My breath turned ragged as I forced out, “To who?”

Cassandra exhaled, likely hearing the danger in my tone. “Some woman named Avah. My friend’s sister works at Rome International...they all got an email with her picture after an incident.”

“An incident?” My voice was sharp, demanding.

“She showed up at his office. The security treated her like trash because they didn’t know who she was. Then Roman showed up, lost his mind, and fired them on the spot. He even sent out her picture so no one ever disrespects her again.”

My lips curled in disgust. “He sent out a picture of his wife?” I spat the word like it was poison. “Since when does Roman care about anyone that much?”

Cassandra laughed, though it was cautious. “Guess she must be special.”

Special.

I shot to my feet, the chair scraping against the floor. My heart slammed against my ribs, rage coursing through me like a storm I couldn’t control. How dare he? How dare he marry someone beneath us? Some nobody who wasn’t even in our class, our world.

I gritted my teeth, my nails digging into my palm until I felt another sharp sting. I looked down. My perfectly manicured nail had snapped.

Perfect.

A fitting representation of how my world had just been shattered.

But this wasn’t over.

“Book me a flight,” I said, my voice eerily calm.

Cassandra hesitated. “Selene, maybe you should take a moment to...”

“Now!” I snapped, fury crackling through my tone.

She didn’t argue this time.

No one took what was mine.

Not without consequences.

**********

Avah's pov

After stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a plush towel and walked to the closet. Roman had his own towel slung around his waist, but his gaze never left me, tracking my every movement like he expected me to vanish into thin air. It wasn’t unsettling, if anything, the intensity made my skin tingle.

Despite the fact that we dressed separately, there was a tension in the air, a silent awareness between us. I could feel his presence even when he wasn’t touching me, and I wasn’t sure how to process that yet.

Once we were both ready, we headed to the dining room. The scent of seared steak filled the air, making my stomach growl. I reached for my plate, but before I could, Roman took it from me without a word. I watched as he carefully cut my steak into small, bite-sized pieces, then handed the plate back to me.

It was such a small thing, so insignificant, yet my heart skipped a beat. The day had started well, only to spiral into something chaotic and exhausting. But after the shower, after this, after him. I felt better, lighter even.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Roman spoke up. "The Lex Corp deal is still up in the air," he admitted, his deep voice laced with frustration. "We’ve been in talks, but ever since Jameson's scandal, everything has been at a standstill. No one from their side is willing to make a move until a new representative steps in."

I chewed thoughtfully, watching the way his brows knitted together. "That sounds frustrating. Is there any indication of who might take over?"

He exhaled, shaking his head. "Not yet. But if they don’t sort it out soon, we’ll have to reconsider if it’s even worth the effort. A delay like this costs us more than just time."

I nodded, understanding the weight of the situation. Business wasn’t my area of expertise, but I could tell it wasn’t just about contracts. It was about trust, reputation, and strategy. Roman didn’t just want to win; he wanted to ensure every move was calculated to perfection.

His fingers drummed lightly against the table before he looked at me again, his expression softening. "Enough about that. How are you feeling now?"

I swallowed the piece of steak I was chewing and met his gaze. "Better. Today was… a lot. But I’m okay."

His lips pressed into a firm line before he nodded. "Good. Because I meant it when I said I won’t let anything like that happen again."

The conviction in his voice sent warmth curling through my chest. He was serious. He always was when it came to me. And even though I still felt a twinge of guilt over what had happened to his employees, I couldn’t deny that it was their actions that had led to their downfall, not mine.

I took another bite, letting the warmth of the meal and the moment settle over me. For now, this was enough.