Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Two months later.

“Selena Bruce, you've made a very big mistake by crossing me. You think my leniency towards your actions can make you behave so brazenly right?” Darian asked in a dangerous voice, his cold gaze at me held unrestrained anger, and I flinched.

“I…I swear I didn't do anything, Darian, I don't know what you're talking ab…” 

“The Zion Project, are you saying you have nothing to do with the data leaking to my rival?” He interrupted me in a sharp voice, and I reached out to hold his hand.

“No I didn't…” 

Thud!

I fell to the ground with a loud thud as Darian shrugged my hands off forcefully, and tears brimmed in my eyes from the pain.

‘Why is he doing this to me, why is he so angry?’ I thought.

Darian watched me on the floor not bothering to help me stand up, while Stephanie stood behind him with a smug smile on her lips and a provocative look on her face. 

“Da…Darian please, don't do this to me, not in my current condition,” I pleaded with him in a weak voice. 

“I promise you I did nothing wrong, I don't even know anything about the Zion project, and also I just found out that…that night at the Bay Harbour, it was…”

“Don't go too far Selena, Darian is already merciful enough to you already,” Stephanie interrupted me, her expression towards me fierce. 

I ignored her, looking straight at Darian, he turned his back to me and brought out his phone to make a call. Stephanie came closer to me, lifted my jaw and then whispered to me. 

“Do you think Darian will believe you even if you reveal the truth about what happened that night at Bay Harbour, keep dreaming Selena, besides, Darian already thinks that I'm the woman he was with that night,” I looked at Stephanie with surprise at her revelation.

Suddenly she gripped my hands tightly and screamed, then she fell to the ground holding her leg. 

“Ahhh, Selena why would you do that? I just wanted to help you stand up.” Stephanie said with her face squeezed in pain. 

Sniff sniff. 

I watched Stephanie acting like I pushed her, when she was actually the one who hurt me with her grip. 

“I didn't push you, Stephanie,” I defended, but Darian’s hardened face already conveyed that he didn’t believe me. 

“Enough!” He yelled then he walked towards Stephanie. He lifted her and carried her in princess style. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I saw them.

 Seven years of loving him only to be treated less than a stone, I could never compare to Stephanie who has Darian at her beck and call. After all, they were childhood sweethearts and I'm just the adopted daughter of the Johnson family unworthy of his love.

“She's acting, Darian, I didn't push her,” I said, refusing to back down. Stephanie always frames me for what I didn't do, but this time I won't just sit by and watch her succeed. I stood up from the ground and kept my stance. 

“Darian I think I slipped, Selena didn't push me,” Stephanie said in a low voice with her lips trembling. 

“Selena, I wonder why you've become like this, you used to be a good girl and now you've changed a lot,” Darian said, his tone filled with disappointment.

He took Stephanie back into the family villa, there was no one at home so it was just the three of us. I walked slowly behind them, thinking about what could have made Darian blame me for his plans leaking. This is the first time he has held a conversation with me and it's to reprimand and accuse me of something I didn't do. I don't have access to his office so how could I have even seen anything about the project?

 When I entered the family villa, I saw Darian massaging Stephanie’s ankle.

‘So much for being a germaphobe,’ I thought as I noticed how close they were. 

Darian stood up and walked towards me and I slowly backed away in fear as he got closer.

“Don't think that this will be over soon Selena, all evidence is pointing towards you, tell the truth now and also your reason for doing it. If I find out that you're the mastermind after investigating, even Grandma will not be able to save you,” He said in a menacing tone. 

With that he turned to go upstairs into his study, leaving Stephanie and me in the living room.

 The unshed tears in my eyes finally fell as I watched him climb the stairs, his gait as handsome and strong as ever. I thought of how pathetic I must look to even admire him after the way he accused me without hearing me out. 

“What a very foolish girl you are Selena,” I turned to look at Stephanie. Her innocent facade was now gone and she looked like the evil person that she is.

“Do you have anything to do with this? With him blaming me?” I asked only to receive a sarcastic laugh in return.

“Haha, so what if I did, your time here is not long anyway, you don't know what will happen next that will make Darian throw you out of the house for good,” She mocked and I shook my head frantically. 

“He…he won't do that to me,” I retorted. 

“Just watch Selena, I'll make sure I collect Darian from you, he has me in his heart, he always had until you came here,” Stephanie's expression made me feel nauseous. 

“I'll go and tell him right now that I was the one he was with that night at Bay Harbour,” I said. Stephanie’s face contorted into anger, she walked up to me and tried to slap me but I quickly caught her hand. 

“Don't think that I'm afraid of you Stephanie, the only person I care about is Darian, I don't mind beating you up if you don't behave,” 

Her expression made me satisfied, my threat to her worked. She jerked her hand from mine and stomped her foot. 

“Well, he won't believe you anyway, especially not now that he thinks you sabotaged his project.” 

I ignored Stephanie and walked towards my room. She couldn't stand being ignored and turned to follow me. I climbed the stairs, thinking of what to do to clear my name when suddenly someone pulled my hair from behind. 

“Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you,” Stephanie said as she yanked my hair hard. The force made me miss my step and then I tumbled and fell down the stairs. 

Stephanie also missed her step due to the force and fell alongside me. She screamed, and I felt my stomach hit the side of the steps. 

Tears rolled down my face, my face contorted in pain as I clutched my abdomen. I could hear footsteps coming down the staircase in a hurry.

“What happened?” Darian's voice rang out. He reached out to carry Stephanie who was unconscious already. 

“My baby, please save my baby,” I said as I raised my arm to reach out to him. Darian didn't look at me as he ran outside with Stephanie in his arms. 

I felt another sharp pain but this time it came from my heart,

he chose her over me. Again

“Dar…Darian,” I whispered as I slowly lost consciousness.