Chapter 5

Selene made that gesture only to drag my attention to it, clearly provoking me. 

I didn’t waste time before striding forward and grabbing it from her neck.

The jewelry grazed her skin, but the pain was fleeting, barely present as I also felt it. 

However, Selene’s scream shook the walls and she fell, grabbing her neck. “It hurts! I can’t breathe! Kyle, please help!”

Kyle caught her before her body touched the floor, his eyes turning dark as he gave me a murderous look. “You must be out of your mind! How dare you hurt her in my presence!?”

I scoffed, returned my jewelry to the box, and turned to leave, planning to ignore her staged acting. 

But Kyle was soon in front of me, blocking my path. “It’s just a stupid jewelry. This is childish!”

“Aria, I only intended to borrow it because I found it beautiful,” Selene sobbed, still holding her neck. “Can you please stop hurting me because I’m weak? Please stop taking advantage of my situation. I know you hate me now, and I apologize for everything. I’m so grateful to you for saving my life. We’re not enemies.”

Shaking my head, I clicked my tongue at her bad acting. 

At first, I thought Selene was someone special and that was why Kyle had used and betrayed me for her. 

Thinking about it now, the two actually deserved each other. 

One was manipulative, and the other was cunning and heartless. 

“Aria, apologize to her,” Kyle commanded, his anger obviously getting stronger, seeing Selene’s pitiful state. “Be grateful that hurting you will affect her. I would have killed you right now.”

I sighed, playing with the jewelry box. “An apology. If grabbing the jewelry from her neck deserves an apology, what about using me selfishly and draining my life force?”

I looked up and stared at him. “Don’t push your luck, Kyle. I can just kill myself so everyone will rest.”

Kyle stared at me with hatred, but he didn’t say another thing. 

Pushing past him, I grabbed my bag from the floor and left the place without turning back. 

The Villa was located at the outskirts of the town, and finding a cab here was impossible. 

I didn’t mind trekking the long distance. 

My wolf was gone. My body was weak, but I didn’t pause for a second to rest. 

When I reached inside town, I stopped a cab that took me to my old studio apartment. 

The place wasn’t so appealing despite the hefty amount of rent. I’d once regarded it as the worst place in the world. But right now, it’s the best compared to Kyle’s Villa. 

Everything was the same as I’d left it except that they’d packed dust. 

Suddenly, three months felt like I’d been gone for three years. 

By the evening, I went back to the bar where Kyle had picked me up that night. 

Music boomed in the background, the dim lights changing colors every second. 

I showed my ID to the security who let me in despite the look of suspicion in their eyes. 

Nightingale Bar was famous among the elites of the city. It was the most expensive, and also the place where the morally deprived rogues hung out and the less decent Alphas. 

I was wrong, thinking Kyle was different.

I headed straight to the manager’s office, the most corrupt of all.

When Gunter saw me, he literally sprang up from his chair, his eyes popping from their sockets. “I must be dreaming. Isn’t this my precious little puppy, who decided to run on her first day at work? What are you doing here, you thief!?”

He slapped the desk after his last words, his yell dimming the music outside. 

I remained composed amidst his outburst. 

Gunter pointed a finger at me. “I heard a rumor that you followed one of the clients, is it true? Wait, did you vanish into thin air, because I couldn’t find you anywhere! How the hell did you even do that? Who were you with?”

“And the contract… the contract!” He continued, his voice getting louder. “You failed to fulfill your end of the contract, so you must pay double! No triple! Or even better, spend the rest of your life working for me and attracting rich clients!”

I remained calm, standing in the same spot as he yelled, banged his fists on the desk, and kicked the chair back. 

“You! You!” His fingers trembled, clearly having exhausted his energy. “If you weren’t so beautiful and young, I would have ordered those rogues to finish you! Now go away and continue working before I lose it.”

However, I didn’t walk away. 

Gunter collapsed on his chair, gasping for breath, patting his chest rapidly. 

Pulling out the chair across from his desk, I sat down. 

“What are you doing?” He glared at me. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Or do you want me to change my mind?”

“Gunter, I have something for you,” I stated calmly, watching his expression turn from anger to curiosity. “How about I pay you back ten times? Even better, I’ll double it to a hundred times.”

Gunter’s brows furrowed as if weighing my words. “Don’t pull my legs. Even if you work your entire life, you will never make that kind of money. Such a ridiculous offer. Did you hit your head somewhere?”

I chortled. “I’ll pay you two hundred times.”

His eyes widened. “Little puppy, stop speaking gibberish. Well, if you have money like that, why did you come back here? Giving me two billion dollars is unbelievable.”

“I will give it to you if you do one thing for me,” I said, keeping my tone light but serious. “Help me find Draco Mayer’s location.”