Chapter 6

The look on Cyrus' face turned a little ugly.

So had Selene been scheming against him—and to such an extent—from the moment she'd suddenly suggested marriage yesterday?

That meant she'd done it on purpose. She'd dragged him into this mess on purpose.

But why?

He had absolutely nothing to do with her. If anything, their only connection was that one time they'd run into each other at a bridal shop. And it was because of that encounter that David and Charlotte had ended up in bed together.

But if that really were the case, then Selene was just way too…

No, that didn't add up.

Cyrus had only known Selene for less than 24 hours, but it wasn't hard to see she was absolutely not the type to do something so ridiculous.

Just like Harrison had said, she wasn't that stupid. Would she really throw her lifetime's happiness away just to keep her grandfather breathing for a while longer? And on top of that, she'd chosen him of all people—a food delivery guy?

Thinking it through, everything suddenly clicked. So that was it…

Marrying Cyrus hadn't been about humoring Harrison at all. It was because Selene had taken a liking to the "unexpected variable" Cyrus represented—a wild card that would make her enemies hesitate.

Damn it!

Like grandfather, like granddaughter. They were both scheming circles around everyone.

Cyrus felt a chill run down his spine.

Seeing the turmoil on Cyrus' face, Harrison seized the chance to sweeten the deal. He said, "I won't make you work for nothing, of course. On top of what Selene already promised you, I'll personally pay you a bodyguard's fee of 100,000 dollars a month.

"And if your parents back home run into any trouble, whether it's medical bills or retirement funds, just say the word. The Moore family will cover it."

A hundred grand?

Cyrus' breath hitched for a second.

Adding in Selene's 50,000 dollars, that meant he'd make 150,000 dollars a month. That was an annual salary of 1.8 million dollars. How many years of hauling takeout would it take for him to ever earn that kind of money?

Could anyone say no to money?

Cyrus' mind went to Ruth Jameson, who desperately needed cash right now, too.

Still… having money only mattered if one was alive to spend it. The bloodshed in rich-family power struggles was no joke. They were just as brutal as any battlefield.

The difficulty level of being a kept man had just switched to hell mode.

The massive financial temptation clenched around Cyrus' heart like a fist. On top of that, Harrison's pleading eyes and deep worry made him feel even more conflicted.

Two opposing thoughts were waging war in Cyrus' head. In the end, what tipped the scales was that quick peck Selene had given him earlier.

He decided to take the bait. "Alright! Grandpa, I'll do it. But let's make this clear up front—I'm only responsible for staying by Selene's side and blocking whatever comes at her. I'm not getting involved in any other messy problems."

Harrison immediately broke into a wide smile. "Fantastic! Of course that's no problem. All I care about is that Selene stays safe. Thank you, Cyrus."

"Don't mention it." Cyrus forced a smile.

Then, Harrison added, "I don't want Selene finding out about any of this, though. She's much too stubborn. If she hears about this, she'll definitely think we're just using you. She'll resent it, and that will only make everything more tense and dangerous.

"So just treat this as our little secret. All you have to do is be her husband in name, show up when you're supposed to, and stay glued to her side when it's time to protect her. As for other storms that come, I'll handle them behind the scenes."

Cyrus almost laughed. He wanted to tell Harrison that Selene had probably already calculated all of this long before him. Why else would she have chosen to marry him in such a rush?

Still, he nodded solemnly. "Got it."

Only then did Harrison relax completely. He called out, "Albert, ask Selene to come here."

Selene soon walked out of the study. "Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

"Much better. It's all thanks to Cyrus." Harrison looked over at Cyrus, his eyes full of a warm, familial trust, like he was one of their own now.

Selene's heart skipped a beat. Something felt off.

Sure enough, Harrison said slowly, "Since the two of you have already gotten the marriage certificate, that makes you a proper married couple. And married couples should live together."

Selene and Cyrus both froze, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

Cyrus started to protest. "Grandpa, that's really not necessary. I already have a place of my own…"

Selene quickly chimed in, "Yeah, Grandpa. I'll sort out the living arrangements. You don't have to worry about it."

"What's there to sort out?" Harrison's face hardened as he feigned anger. "Have him move into your apartment today. There's more than enough space there. It's only right for a married couple to live together!"

He paused, then suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. "Otherwise, when am I ever going to have a great-grandchild?"

"Grandpa! What are you even talking about?" Selene's face flushed red in an instant, burning with embarrassment and indignation.

"It's settled." Harrison's tone made it clear there was no room for argument. "Cyrus, you're moving in with Selene today. Selene, take good care of him. He did save my life, after all."

With that, he closed his eyes to rest, making it clear that the discussion was over.

Selene looked at him, then at Cyrus, who wore an utterly innocent expression. She felt a fresh wave of irritation rise up inside her.

The only explanation she could think of was that Cyrus had mentioned living together to Harrison. Why else would the latter suddenly insist on it?

She ground her teeth and shot Cyrus a vicious glare.

He stared back, utterly baffled. What had he done? He hadn't said a word.

…

Cyrus followed Selene back to her luxury riverfront penthouse unit.

The place was so luxurious that it almost hurt to look at. Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the night skyline glittered like a sea of stars.

But the cold, minimalist decor and icy air Selene radiated made Cyrus incredibly uneasy. He had no idea what to do with himself.

"You're staying in the guest room," she said, her voice frosty. "Don't go into the master bedroom or the study without my permission. Keep quiet, and clean up after yourself. Other than that, do whatever you want."

With that, she walked straight into the master bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Cyrus stared at the closed door, then looked around at his vast, empty new home. He sighed helplessly.

"Well, since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it."

First, he needed to go pick up his stuff. And while he was at it, it was about time he settled the score with Charlotte.

He hailed a cab back to Maple Grove. The moment he reached the bottom of his building, a shrill, ear-splitting stream of curses stabbed straight into his eardrums.

"Cyrus Reed, you good-for-nothing bastard! Get your ass out here! You think you can just run off after taking advantage of me? Over my dead body! You'd better pay up today, or I'll rip your front door off its hinges and use it for firewood!"

Charlotte stood there with one hand on her hip and the other pointing up at the building, yelling at it like a shrew. Next to her stood a skinny punk with a baseball bat dangling from his hand and a nasty gleam in his eyes. He was Charlotte's worthless little brother, Harvey Cox.

A crowd of neighbors had already gathered around, peeking out from windows and stairwells to watch the show.

The second Charlotte spotted Cyrus, she charged straight at him. She screeched, "Look who finally crawled out of his hole. You're a spineless coward, Cyrus! You think you can just dump me? In your dreams!

"Do you know how many invitations I sent out for today's wedding and how much I paid in hotel deposits? All our friends and family already got the news, and you just call it off on a whim?

"Compensate me for the damage to my reputation and emotional well-being! You're not getting out of this for anything less than two hundred grand! Try anything funny, and you're not walking away unscathed!"

Harvey swung the bat in his hand, spittle flying as he stepped up menacingly. "You hear that, Cyrus? Be smart and hand over the money. I'm warning you—I don't have an issue swinging this bat any which way I like. I'll crack your skull wide open!"