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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Data de publicação:
2026-05-31 20:02:13SELENE’s POV
The elevator doors closed behind me with a soft mechanism click. By the time I reached the penthouse, the gala still clung to me in fragments I didn’t ask for. Most investors trying to pitch their businesses to me, foreign executives pitching for partnership deals, casual glances I ignored. When I stepped inside, the space was already prepared the way I liked it, everything in its place. I undressed, and had a quick hot bath before slipping into a green silk night dress. I grabbed a bottle of my favorite wine from the bar and poured some in a glass as I walked toward the window. The city stretched out below in endless gold and shadow, alive but distant. From this height, everything looked smaller than it really was. My mind drifted back to Adrian. I felt his eyes as they followed me everywhere throughout the gala night. How Celeste clung unto him as if marking her territory. I swerved the glass in my hand as the dark liquid in it danced beautifully in the glass. I took a sip from the glass and exhaled slowly. I turned away from the window and walked deeper into the room to pick up my tablet on the desk, a notification lit it up as I opened it. BREAKING: SELENE ARDEN DOMINATES MARKET ENTRY, ACQUIRES STAKE IN TWO MAJOR LAURENT SUPPLIERS The headline was as expected. I had already started moving pieces before stepping into that ballroom. Arden Corporation was already tightening its hold across multiple supply networks. Blackthorn Holdings was complete on paper, Riverton Maritime was next in motion. I scrolled through acquisition updates and reports, letting figures replace thought. “Laurent Group supply dependency increased exposure by 18% after Blackthorn shift.” I felt good. I read further, “Riverton Maritime projected acquisition window: 10–14 days.” Clean timelines made everything easier to control. I leaned back slightly and close the tablet. I stood up and walked back to the window. Rain still splattered against the windows, thunder roared in the sky. This was the same night as then, the night I disappeared into the dark ocean, while the city barely noticed. I turned away from the window and walked into the dressing room. A full-length mirror stood against the wall, I stopped in front of it. Selene Arden looked back at me, not Serena Vale, not the woman who stands in the kitchen, not the wife who waited at tables, not the woman who was never enough. Different structure, a face rebuilt in another country by tens of experienced surgeons. Four years of reconstruction, correction, and reinforcement. A voice coach once told me: “You must stop sounding like someone who apologizes before speaking.” A therapist in Switzerland told me: “You don’t miss him. You miss who you were trying to be for him.” Leonard told me: “Become untouchable, then decide what you want to feel.” I pressed two fingers lightly against the glass, feeling its coldness. This is how I should be. Cold. I walked back and picked up the tablet again, I scrolled through acquisition confirmations. Riverton Maritime approval was still pending final signatures. A subtle smile flashed across my face as I stared at the tablet for a second longer. “Good,” I muttered. By this time tomorrow, a major disrupting news would have hit Laurent Group. That mattered more than tonight. I was about to close the file when a flicker interrupted my thoughts. Adrian’s voice at the gala didn’t come back clearly, but the way he said “Have we met before?” did. My grip tightened slightly on the tablet, then I closed it sharply. I exhaled quietly. “Do not lose focus,” I said to myself quietly. “That’s not acceptable.” I walked back to the window again, apparently I kept returning here without deciding to. Outside, the city kept moving without any interruption. I stood there for a moment, staring into blank space and not thinking about anything in particular. I closed my eyes briefly, and for a second, a fragment slipped through—Heavy rain downpour, wind and a feeling of falling forward too fast. My breath stopped slightly as I opened my eyes immediately. “No.” I stepped back from the glass, harder than necessary. Then the memory disappeared instantly, like it had been forced out. I steadied my breathing and turned away from the window. As I walked back into the dim room, one thought stayed longer than intended. Despite my new identity and face structure, Adrian Laurent hadn’t looked at me like a stranger.I pondered on the thought for a few seconds before I shrugged it off. Adrian had been in the elite circle for years. Even though Leonard Arden is in a higher league than his, he may surely knows that Leonard has a daughter or maybe he’s trying to take a hit closer to save his company since Arden Corporation has partnered with three of Laurent Holdings biggest competitors already. Yes, that explains it. I walked toward the bed in the room and lied on it face up. The softness of the bed compressed my thoughts. But still, as the night settled deeper around me, one truth I refused to name properly began pressing quietly against everything I had built. I don’t know yet if it was a memory… Or something worse pretending to be one.
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