Chapter 150 Someone Is Watching

Chapter 150 Someone Is Watching
Selene’s POV

“Alright, but what about Jason?” Arya asked, refusing to let me escape the subject so easily. She leaned across the table, studying my face as though the answer was already written there. “Jason is completely devoted to you, yet you still don’t like him that way. If Jason suddenly fell in love with another woman tomorrow, would it bother you this much?”

“Jason?” The question caught me off guard, and I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head. “Of course not. Jason and I are just friends. Whoever he chooses to like has nothing to do with me.”

The answer came so naturally that I did not even need to think about it.

Arya’s lips curved into a knowing smile. She had clearly been waiting for exactly that response. “Exactly. That’s my point.”

I frowned at her. “What point?”

“Selene, think about what you just said.” Arya placed her glass on the table and leaned closer. “Jason cares about you deeply, but the thought of him loving another woman doesn’t make you angry. It doesn’t hurt you, and you don’t feel threatened by it because you only see him as a friend. But the moment Teressa enters the conversation, you become upset.”

My fingers tightened slightly around my glass.

Arya noticed, of course.

She knew me too well.

“Every werewolf dreams about finding their destined mate,” she continued. “Most wolves spend years hoping the Moon Goddess will lead them to the person tied to them by the Red Thread. Yet you keep saying you don’t care about any of that. You keep telling yourself fate doesn’t matter to you. Fine. Maybe it doesn’t. But if Lucian truly meant nothing to you, why does Teressa matter so much?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came.

That irritated me even more.

Arya’s smile widened. “You see?”

“See what?”

“You’ve already fallen for Lucian.”

The words landed harder than I expected.

For a few seconds, I stared into the red wine in my glass, watching the liquid move gently while my thoughts became anything but calm.

Had I really fallen for him?

Images flashed through my mind without permission. Lucian standing in front of me during the warehouse explosion. His arms wrapping around my body as he protected me from the blast. His pale face on the hospital bed. His teasing smile after I discovered he had only pretended to be unconscious. The way he had held my hand. The flowers. The Ferris wheel. The stars above us. His promise that Teressa belonged to his past.

Then came the memory I wanted most to forget.

His lips against mine.

His arms around me.

And that name slipping from his mouth.

Teressa.

I rubbed my temples, suddenly exhausted by the battle happening inside my own head.

“Is that so?” I muttered.

Arya raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”

I sighed. “Can you stop bringing him up?”

Seeing how frustrated I had become, Arya finally took pity on me. A soft laugh escaped her, but she did not continue teasing. Instead, she leaned back and smoothly changed the subject.

“Fine. I’ll leave your complicated love life alone for tonight.” She picked up her glass. “Tomorrow night’s charity auction. You’re going, right? You are the boss of the company, after all.”

That was a much safer subject.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I replied with a nod.

Joe Studio was hosting the charity event. Originally, I had not planned to attend. I already had enough to deal with in Fostrau, especially after everything surrounding the Frost and Flame crisis and the warehouse explosion. The last thing I wanted was another crowded event filled with people smiling politely while secretly studying everyone around them.

Now, however, the auction suddenly seemed like a good idea.

Anything was better than sitting alone in my hotel room thinking about Lucian and Teressa.

Since I was already in Fostrau, I might as well attend. A busy evening could give my mind something else to focus on.

Arya lifted her glass with satisfaction. “Great, then. Cheers!”

I raised mine and lightly touched it against hers, grateful that, at least for the moment, Lucian was no longer the subject of our conversation.

Hannah’s POV

I had barely left Winnie’s room when an unexpected sight stopped me in my tracks.

Selene was standing alone near the entrance of the hotel.

I immediately stepped backward and hid around a nearby corner before she could notice me.

My eyes narrowed as I watched her from a distance.

Winnie had just told me that Selene and Lucian were both staying in this hotel. That alone had made my blood boil. Selene had already taken enough from me, and somehow she still managed to remain close to powerful people as though nothing she had done mattered.

But why was she standing outside alone at this hour?

It was already late.

Lucian was nowhere around.

I pressed myself farther into the shadows and continued watching.

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Could she be meeting another man behind Lucian’s back?

My interest sharpened immediately.

If that were true, then perhaps I had just stumbled upon something far more useful than anything Winnie and I had discussed earlier.

A short while later, a white Maserati pulled up in front of the hotel.

Selene walked toward it without hesitation and climbed into the passenger seat.

From where I stood, I could not clearly see the driver. The angle and darkness blocked my view, no matter how hard I tried to identify the person inside.

Still, my instincts screamed that something suspicious was happening.

Why would Selene secretly leave the hotel this late?

Where was she going?

And who had come to pick her up?

A bitter smile slowly spread across my face.

Maybe the perfect Selene was not so perfect after all.

If she was sneaking out to meet another man while staying in the same hotel as Lucian, then I wanted proof.

The Maserati began to move.

I quickly stepped toward the road and flagged down a taxi.

“Follow that car,” I told the driver as soon as I got inside.

The taxi pulled away, keeping enough distance behind the white Maserati that we would not easily be noticed. I watched the vehicle ahead the entire time, afraid that losing sight of it for even a few seconds would ruin my chance.

Eventually, the Maserati stopped outside a bar.

My suspicion deepened.

A bar?

At this hour?

I paid the taxi fare and got out. Before entering, I pulled my hat lower over my face. The last thing I needed was Selene recognizing me before I discovered what she was doing.

If I caught her with another man, everything would change.

Lucian would finally see what kind of woman she truly was.

More importantly, I would have something powerful enough to destroy the reputation Selene protected so carefully.

That worthless Omega had ruined my life.

My career had collapsed. My image had been destroyed. Adrian had left me. People who once admired me now looked at me with disgust, and I had been forced to lower myself before men like Dominic just to find another opportunity.

In my heart, every road led back to Selene.

I wanted her to suffer for it.

I entered the bar and carefully searched through the crowd until I finally spotted her in a dimly lit corner.

My steps slowed.

She was not with a man.

She was sitting with a woman.

Disappointment struck first, but it quickly turned into curiosity because the woman across from Selene looked strangely familiar.

I remained hidden and studied her face.

Where had I seen her before?

Then recognition struck me.

Arya.

My eyes widened.

That woman was Arya, the head of Joe Studio.

During Moonveil Group’s plagiarism scandal, Arya had publicly supported Selene. Her testimony had helped expose Madison Larry and turn the situation against Diamondstone Jewels.

At the time, I had never thought much about how the two women knew each other.

Now, seeing them sitting together so casually, I realized their relationship was much closer than I had imagined.

My confusion deepened.

Selene was supposed to be a lowly Omega from Firstband, a place hardly anyone important cared about.

So how did someone with her background know Arya?

Joe Studio was internationally recognized. Arya had status, influence, and connections that ordinary people could only dream of having.

Yet here she was, drinking with Selene in the middle of the night.

They were not behaving like distant acquaintances either.

They laughed together. They spoke comfortably. There was an ease between them that could only come from genuine closeness.

Something about this did not feel right.

Selene had too many connections for someone who was supposedly insignificant.

I moved carefully through the bar, staying far enough away to avoid attracting their attention but close enough to hear pieces of their conversation.

Most of their words were impossible to make out over the surrounding noise. Then one detail reached me clearly enough to make my eyes brighten.

Selene was attending Joe Studio’s charity auction tomorrow night.

A charity auction.

My mind immediately began working.

I quietly pulled out my phone and sent Winnie a message.

Ms. Lowell, Selene will be attending Joe Studio’s charity auction tomorrow.

Her reply came almost immediately.

That’s the perfect chance to take her down. Be ready.

I stared at those words as satisfaction slowly replaced my earlier disappointment.

Winnie and I were thinking exactly the same thing.

Perhaps I had not caught Selene secretly meeting another man tonight, but I had found something even more useful.

Tomorrow night would give us our opportunity.

If Selene dared to appear at that charity auction, she would not be walking away unscathed.

Selene’s POV

After several drinks, the tension inside me finally began to loosen, but so did my ability to think clearly.

When I reached for another glass, Arya quickly stopped me.

“That’s enough.”

I frowned at her hand.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re already tipsy.” She moved the glass farther away before I could argue. “Come crash at my place tonight.”

“Mm.”

I rubbed my temples as a wave of drowsiness passed through me. The wine had done exactly what I wanted. My thoughts were no longer racing wildly around Lucian, although my head now felt slightly heavy.

I pushed myself up from the seat.

Arya stood with me, keeping close as we made our way toward the exit.

The bar seemed brighter now than when we had arrived, or perhaps that was simply the alcohol affecting me. I focused on walking steadily beside Arya.

Then something at the edge of my vision caught my attention.

A figure disappeared through the crowd.

I stopped for half a second and frowned.

Hannah?

The glimpse had been brief, but the person looked strangely familiar.

I turned my head, trying to find her again, but there were too many people between us.

“Was it just a coincidence that she was here?” I murmured, puzzled.

I could not be sure I had actually seen Hannah, and in my current state, chasing after a shadow made little sense. I pushed the thought aside and left with Arya.

I spent the night at her place.

By the time I finally opened my eyes the next morning, sunlight was already filling the room. I blinked sleepily and reached for my phone.

It was nearly noon.

I groaned softly and rubbed my forehead. Thankfully, the headache was mild, but I still felt groggy from drinking so late.

When I sat up, I noticed a note on the nightstand beside me.

Arya’s handwriting covered the page.

I went ahead to prepare for the charity gala. There’s breakfast in the kitchen, just heat it. I also sent you the launch plans for Joe Studio’s next season. Check your email when you have time. See you tonight.

I read the note twice, and the tired expression on my face slowly softened into a smile.

No matter how complicated everything else in my life became, there was one thing I never had to question.

Arya was the best friend I could ask for.