The New Star

"He did what to you on the stairs?"

Noa froze. A half-eaten slice of pepperoni pizza stayed in the air, inches away from her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock against the white clay face mask drying on her skin.

Selene groaned, burying her face into a giant velvet pillow on the rug of Noa’s living room. "Keep your voice down."

"I don't care about being quiet! Selene, are you losing your mind?" Noa dropped the pizza back into the box. “Cassian Vale? The man who has treated you like a total ghost for years, put his actual hand inside your dress?"

"And then he kissed me," Selene’s voice was muffled by the soft pillow. She lifted her head, her hair looking messy and wild. "Twice, Noa. Once against his car that night, and then again a week ago right in front of my new office doors. A real, deep kiss."

Noa sat in total silence. “And then for the past seven days, since the office kiss… nothing?”

"Total silence," Selene sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "He went right back to acting like I am a piece of furniture in the house. It’s like he broke his quiet rule just to mess with my head, and then went right back to ignoring me."

Noa shook her head, letting out a loud breath. "That is crazy behavior. He realized you were finally leaving, and his huge ego could not handle losing control over you." Noa paused, her piercing green eyes looking closely at her best friend's face. "But that is not the only thing making you upset. What else?"

Selene felt her throat dry up. This was the secret she could barely admit to herself.

"My body is so stupid, Noa," Selene whispered, squeezing the fabric of her grey sweatpants. "When he held me tight against that car... I didn't push him away. My body went completely warm and wet, in seconds. He felt it with his hands, Noa. He knows.”

Noa stared at her for a moment. Then, a knowing smile started to spread across her face, making her mask crack at the edges.

"Oh, honey," Noa laughed gently. "Your body is not stupid. Let us be completely real, it has been ages since you got laid, you’ve been living without any affection. Of course your body went into overdrive the moment a hot guy put his hands on you, even if that guy is a massive asshole."

Selene blinked, and then a suddenly she laughed loudly. She picked up a small decoration from the floor and threw it at Noa's face. "Shut up! I am being serious."

"I am being serious too!" Noa laughed, catching it. "It is pure biology, El. Besides, you are free now, the divorce papers are signed. You just have to wait out these six months for the public announcement. But privately? You can date whoever you want. Go find a nice, hot guy who’ll actually treat you right.”

Selene smiled softly, feeling her anxiety finally start to loosen. "Speaking of moving on... I actually have some good news. Well, big news."

Noa’s eyes lit up instantly. "Ooh, tell me. I need something good to hear after all this drama."

"Marcus recommended me to a client. Daniel Sterling's secretary emailed me right before I left the office today."

Noa gasped so hard that a piece of her dried face mask fell right onto her lap. "Daniel Sterling? The billionaire gallery owner? The guy you’ve been trying to get a meeting with for months?!"

"The very same," Selene said, a real feeling of pride in her voice. "He wants Vellum Creative to handle his massive new gallery launch. His secretary had to change our morning meeting because he had to fly out of the city, but it is officially locked in for next week Monday."

Noa grabbed Selene’s shoulders and shook her with pure excitement. "Oh my god, El! That is huge! Forget about Cassian. This is exactly what you need to make your company famous. Now, drink your wine and let us finish this pizza."

On Sunday night, the weekend of peace came to an end.

Selene drove back to the massive house she still shared with Cassian. Her mind was clear, and completely focused on the big meeting tomorrow morning. She walked through the front door, expecting the house to be silent as usual.

But as she reached inside, she noticed light coming from Cassian’s private study.

The door was open just a little bit, and Cassian was sitting behind his desk. His black tie was loosened around his neck, and a glass of alcohol was resting near his hand. As the sound of Selene's shoes made noise on the floor, he lifted his head.

His eyes locked right onto hers, He had that same unreadable expression from a week ago.

"You're back," he murmured. His deep voice echoed in the quiet hallway.

He did not stand up from his chair, or move toward her. He just sat there, watching her move. His eyes raked her body in a way that made Selene's skin feel hot.

Selene didn’t say anything, she just gave him a short nod to show she heard him. Keeping her head down, she walked down the hallway to her bedroom.

~~•~~

Monday morning arrived, and Selene felt like a completely different person. She stood in front of her mirror, wearing a perfectly tailored white suit. Today was about her dream, her business, and her future.

She arrived at the corporate building of the Sterling Gallery. Her small team from Vellum Creative walked right behind her, carrying big boards with design ideas.

A polite secretary gave her a warm smile. "Mrs. Vale? Mr. Sterling is expecting you. Please follow me."

Hearing the name Mrs. Vale made Selene’s stomach twist uncomfortably. It was a reminder that to the rest of the world, she was still tied to Cassian. She forced herself to stay calm and professional as the secretary opened the doors to the main office.

Selene stepped into the room, ready to shake hands and give her business presentation. But the moment her eyes landed on the man standing by the windows, she stopped moving for a second.

The pictures in the news did not do Daniel Sterling justice at all.

He turned around to face her, and he was breathtakingly handsome. He was tall, with a strong, athletic body that made his gray suit look perfect. His skin was a beautiful smooth dark tone, and he had a very neat, clean buzz cut. He had a sharp jawline and the striking energy of a man in his absolute prime at thirty years old.

As his eyes met hers, a warm, bright smile spread across his face.

"Mrs. Vale," Daniel said, walking across the room toward her, extending his hand. "It is an absolute pleasure to finally have you here. Marcus has not stopped talking about how amazing you are."

Selene reached out and took his hand. Her heart did a totally different kind of jump than it usually did with Cassian, this time, it was from pure admiration.