Chapter 42 The Vanished Sketches
Selene’s POV
The moment I heard Linda’s voice inside the restroom, my footsteps stopped instantly.
At first, I had no intention of listening.
I was already exhausted from her endless schemes and bitter attitude toward me. Every time she looked at me lately, it felt as though she wished I would disappear from Moonveil Group entirely.
But then I heard my name.
Soft.
Cold.
Filled with resentment.
My hearing had always been sharper than ordinary wolves, so even though her voice was lowered deliberately, every single word still reached me clearly.
“Ms. Ashford, don’t worry,” Linda whispered with confidence. “Everything has already been arranged. This time, Selene will definitely be removed from Moonveil Group.”
My eyes narrowed immediately.
Ms. Ashford.
So it really was Winnie.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I remained standing quietly outside the restroom entrance, my expression calm while my mind moved rapidly.
These women truly never learned.
One was obsessed with Lucian.
The other hated seeing me anywhere near him.
And now they had decided to work together against me.
Honestly, it was almost amusing.
Did they truly think they could trap me so easily?
If only they understood who they were actually provoking.
I wasn’t some powerless Omega they could humiliate whenever they pleased.
I was the Alpha of Bloodfang Pack.
The only reason they still dared challenge me was because they had absolutely no idea who I truly was.
A faint smile curved my lips.
If they wanted to play games, then fine.
I would let them play.
Quietly, I stepped away before either woman noticed my presence and returned to work as though I had heard nothing at all.
Over the next week, something strange happened.
Peace.
Winnie stopped appearing at Moonveil Group entirely.
Even Linda suddenly became unusually quiet.
No sarcastic comments.
No deliberate attempts to embarrass me.
No endless tasks thrown onto my desk.
Nothing.
Anyone else might have believed they had finally backed down.
I didn’t.
Women like Linda and Winnie never surrendered quietly.
If they suddenly became calm, it only meant they were preparing something bigger.
And honestly—
I was curious to see what it would be.
A week later, the CEO of Lady Couture’s parent company arrived personally in Anshire for the collaboration meeting.
Brian Carlos.
As the official lead for the project, it naturally became my responsibility to receive him at the airport.
Before leaving the office, I carefully reviewed every prepared document one last time.
Presentation summaries.
Meeting schedules.
Partnership reports.
Design plans.
Everything was complete.
Perfectly organized.
Satisfied, I stood and headed toward the elevator.
Just as I reached it, the doors began sliding shut.
“Hold the elevator!” I called quickly.
Before the doors completely closed, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and stopped them.
The elevator reopened immediately.
I stepped forward—
and froze.
Lucian stood there.
Tall.
Composed.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that only emphasized his cold elegance even more.
His dark eyes rested on me calmly.
“Aren’t you coming in?” he asked evenly.
“Oh… right,” I replied before stepping inside. “Thanks.”
Lucian entered after me, and the elevator doors slid shut again.
Suddenly, the small space felt strangely quiet.
Ever since that kiss…
being around him no longer felt natural.
And I hated that feeling.
Lucian slipped one hand casually into his pocket before speaking.
“I’m coming to the airport with you.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“You don’t need to,” I said honestly. “I can handle it myself.”
After all, he was the future Alpha of Moonveil Pack.
The leader of one of the Four Great Packs.
Someone constantly buried beneath endless business responsibilities.
Why would he personally bother picking someone up from the airport?
Lucian glanced toward me briefly.
“Brian Carlos is an old friend of mine,” he explained calmly. “It would be disrespectful not to receive him personally.”
His reasoning sounded reasonable enough.
Still, something about it felt unusual.
But I didn’t press further.
The elevator soon reached the underground parking level.
Lucian led the way toward a black Rolls-Royce parked nearby.
The luxury vehicle stood out immediately even among the expensive cars surrounding it.
He opened the passenger door for me personally.
I blinked slightly in surprise again.
“Thank you,” I said before getting inside.
Lucian walked around the other side smoothly before starting the engine.
As the car pulled away from Moonveil Group, silence settled between us for several minutes.
Then Lucian finally spoke.
“How are the preparations?”
I turned slightly toward him.
“For the meeting?”
He nodded once.
“Everything’s ready,” I answered confidently.
And it was true.
I had prepared every detail carefully.
Still…
deep inside, I had a strange feeling.
A feeling that today would not pass peacefully.
Something was coming.
I could feel it clearly.
Almost an hour later, we arrived at the airport.
I checked the time on my phone.
Brian’s flight would land in approximately ten minutes.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” I told Lucian. “I’m going to the restroom.”
He nodded lightly.
Inside the restroom, I immediately pulled out my phone and typed a quick message.
“How is everything?”
The response came back almost instantly.
“All according to plan.”
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
Perfect.
Everything was progressing exactly as expected.
I slipped my phone away and returned to the arrival hall just as passengers from Brian’s flight began emerging.
Brian Carlos was impossible to miss.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with blond hair, blue eyes, and striking features, he looked more like a celebrity than the CEO of an international luxury brand.
The moment he spotted Lucian, his expression brightened.
“Lucian!” he greeted warmly before pulling him into a brief hug. “Long time no see.”
Lucian returned the greeting calmly, though as always, his expression remained composed and reserved.
I stepped forward politely.
“Mr. Carlos,” I greeted him fluently in Fostrauean, “welcome to Anshire.”
Brian’s eyes immediately lit up with interest.
“And who is this beautiful lady?” he asked with an easy smile.
Lucian glanced briefly toward me before introducing me calmly.
“This is Selene Nightbane. She’s in charge of the Lady Couture collaboration project.”
Brian immediately extended his hand warmly.
“Ms. Nightbane,” he said with obvious admiration, “you’re absolutely stunning. Have we met somewhere before?”
For a brief second, my heart skipped.
Careful.
Very careful.
Years ago, my grandfather brought me to a gathering in Fostrau where I briefly met Brian.
Thankfully, I had been much younger back then.
Still—
if he recognized me now, things could become troublesome.
I shook his hand calmly and smiled politely.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Carlos,” I replied smoothly. “Perhaps I simply resemble someone you’ve seen before.”
Brian studied me for another second before laughing lightly.
“Maybe.”
Thankfully, he didn’t continue questioning me.
Together, we escorted Brian and his assistant back to Moonveil Group.
At exactly two in the afternoon, the official collaboration meeting began.
The conference room was already fully prepared when we entered.
Linda.
Catalina.
Thalia.
Several executives.
Everyone was already seated and waiting.
Lucian naturally took his position at the head of the table while Brian sat beside him.
I walked calmly to the front of the room and began my presentation.
This time, instead of speaking Estragan, I deliberately chose fluent Fostrauean throughout the meeting.
The effect was immediate.
Brian looked increasingly impressed the longer I spoke.
Even the foreign representatives beside him exchanged approving looks repeatedly.
I explained every aspect of the collaboration smoothly and confidently.
Budgets.
Production timelines.
Market positioning.
Luxury branding strategies.
Every section flowed naturally into the next.
Not once did I hesitate.
Not once did I need notes.
By the time I finished, applause filled the conference room immediately.
Even Lucian clapped quietly.
I noticed Linda’s expression instantly afterward.
She smiled.
But the jealousy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
I smiled faintly in return.
Then continued calmly.
“Next,” I said, “let’s review the design concepts prepared for this phase of the collaboration.”
I reached confidently toward the folder beside me and pulled out the prepared sketches.
But the second the pages appeared—
The entire conference room changed.
Gasps filled the air instantly.
Confusion spread across every face.
My gaze dropped toward the papers in my hands.
And my expression froze completely.
Every single page was blank.