LOGINIt was Monday morning.
The elevator doors opened to the executive floor of Laurent Entertainment.
Selene stepped out with her tablet tucked beneath one arm as several employees greeted her.
“Good morning, Director.” She acknowledged them with a nod before walking toward her office.
Only… She stopped seeing several of her employees were inside.
Boxes were stacked neatly across the floor while others carefully packed away the books, awards, and framed certificates that had decorated her office for years.
Her brows furrowed.
“What is going on?”
The room immediately fell silent.
The employees exchanged nervous glances before one of them quickly lowered his head.
“Director… we were instructed to clear the office.”
“By whom?”
Before anyone could answer, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Miss Selene.”
She turned.
It was her father’s executive assistant.
“Chairman Laurent would like to see you.”
…
Selene went to her father’s office without delay. Demanding for an answer.
Her father looked unusually calm seeing her.
He gestured toward the chair in front of him.
“Sit.”
However, she just stared at him and remained standing. “I’d rather know why my office is being emptied.”
The chairman sighed. “This morning, Richard and I came to an agreement.”
Selene suddenly had a bad feeling.
“We believe it’s time for you and Lucien to spend more time together.”
Her expression hardened.
“So? What does that have to do with emptying my office?”
“You’ll be transferred.”
“Transferred?” She asked, confused.
“You’ll assume the position of Chief of Staff at Voss Holdings.” His father said, his voice laced with seriousness.
For several seconds, Selene simply stared at him. Thinking she must have misheard him.
“You’re assigning me to move to Voss?”
“It’s temporary.”
“No.” She said, the veins in her neck showing.
“It isn’t a request, Selene.”
Her fingers tightened around the tablet she was holding.
“What about my division? Who do you think is capable of replacing me?”
“I’ve already appointed your replacement.”
All of a sudden, the office door suddenly opened.
“Father?” A gentle, syrupy voice drifted into the room.
Selene didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was.
Yvonne Laurent. Her younger half-sister. She stepped inside, wearing a graceful smile.
“Sister.”
“I heard the news.”
“I’ll do my best to manage the department.”
Selene looked at her quietly, then at her father.
Then… She smiled.
Of course. She would dote on his mistress daughter. I can only imagine how happy they were when they heard about my vacant position.
They really are capable.
She laughed inside her head.
“Are you serious, father? You really chose her among all possible candidates?” Selene said in a mocking tone.
Selene could see in her peripheral vision, how Yvonne’s face twisted at her words.
“Selene, this is…”
“I’ve managed that division for years, father.” Selene cut him off. “It carries responsibilities beyond what most people imagine.”
She removed a business card from her handbag and placed it neatly on the desk.
“But I know there is probably nothing I can do now.” She said, then turned to Yvonne who was still keeping up her facade.
“If you ever find yourself overwhelmed… You know how to reach me. I’ll gladly explain anything you fail to understand.”
Yvonne’s smile faltered. “Sister… I know I still have a lot to learn.”
“That’s true.” Selene answered without hesitation.
“But don’t worry. I’m sure Father wouldn’t entrust the company to someone incapable.”
The office became eerily quiet.
Yvonne then bit her lip. “I’ll work hard…”
“I hope so.” Selene replied.
But then… Yvonne suddenly started wiping her eyes as fake tears dripped.
Seeing her youngest daughter crying, Chairman Laurent’s expression immediately darkened.
“That’s enough, Selene.” His voice was stern. “Yvonne is your sister. You don’t have to make things difficult for her.”
Selene chuckled softly. One devoid of warmth.
“Difficult?” She looked at her father. “I merely wished her well. ”
Chairman Laurent slammed his palm against the desk.
“You!”
Selene smirked seeing her father so worked up. If the roles were reversed he’d probably not even bat an eye of her crying.
“I sincerely wish both of you the best.” Her eyes shifted toward Yvonne. “I only hope the position isn’t more than what you can handle. After all…” She paused. Looking at her sister with a condescending look. “It would be unfortunate if years of work unraveled because of inexperience.”
“Selene!” Her father’s voice thundered through the room.
But she was already walking toward the door. Not bothering to look back.
The moment she stepped outside, the victorious smile on her face disappeared.
Her fingers slowly curled into a fist.
For the first time in a long while…
She truly felt angry.
However, thinking about it.
With what happened yesterday. She can only connect the dots and think of only one person capable of doing this.
“Lucien…” she muttered venomously.
He must be laughing right now.
Lucien walked toward them, immediately reaching for Selene’s wrist and pulling her to his side.Once she was safely beside him, he turned to Alessandro with a dangerous smile that would make anyone cower. Cole who was watching them wanted to quickly intervene, he knew that look from Lucien far too well. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Andro. I hope your trip overseas helped clear your head?” Lucien said in a well meaning tone, but the message clearly had a double meaning to it.Selene noticed Alessandro’s hand tightening into a fist.Oh, no.She could already sense trouble brewing, and knowing these two, she wouldn’t be surprised if the meeting ended with someone getting punched.“It did,” Alessandro replied, surprisingly composed. “And I’ve finally managed to set my priorities straight.”The corners of his lips slowly curled into a smile.“I left rather abruptly, and because of that, I lost someone very important to me.” His gaze shifted toward Selene, lingering on her meaningfully
Selene glanced at the location Feliz had sent her.Just seeing the name of the venue was enough to make her hands tighten around the steering wheel.It was one of the hotels owned by the De Luca family.Of course. The De Lucas were exactly the kind of old-money family who owned properties like this without giving them a second thought.The moment Selene stepped out of her car, a concierge approached her.“Good evening, ma’am. Please follow me.”Selene gave a small nod and followed him inside. She had no idea where she was being led, but she had a pretty good idea of who she would find waiting for her.“He’s waiting for you inside, ma’am,” the concierge informed her as they stopped in front of one of the hotel’s most exclusive private dining rooms.After opening the door for her, he politely excused himself.Selene was left standing outside, staring at the slightly ajar door
“Miss Selene?”A knock came from the already-open office door, but Selene’s gaze remained fixed on the large glass window in front of her.She had been staring outside for nearly an hour since arriving at the office, her thoughts seemingly miles away from the paperwork scattered across her desk.The coffee Feliz had brought her earlier remained untouched beside her laptop. It had already gone cold, yet Selene hadn’t even bothered to take a sip.“Miss Selene?”Feliz knocked again, this time a little louder.It was only then that Selene finally snapped out of her thoughts. She blinked, slowly turning her head toward the door with an almost blank expression.“What is it?” she asked, her voice unusually solemn.Feliz hesitated.She had only started working under Selene two months ago, having previously served Yvonne. In that short amount of time, however, she had already come to appreciate her new employer.Unlike Yvonne, Selene never made her feel inferior because of her position. She wa
Selene was stunned for a moment, before she finally regained her composure.“Lucien!” Selene shouted, taking her hand back.Lucien immediately burst into laughter, relishing the embarrassed look on his wife’s face.“Good to know I still have that effect on you.”“Can you quit playing around? You know I hate the stench of that smell.” Selene grumbled, trying to appear serious, but her face that turned red like a tomato only made her look more cute in Lucien’s eyes.“All right, all right. I’m going.” Lucien finally gave his teasing a rest. He leaned down and stole another kiss on her before straightening. “Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.”“I’ll try my best to survive the next ten minutes.” Selene shot back.“Such a cruel wife.” Lucien shook his head in mock disappointment before wandering toward the bathroom, loosening his belt as he went.Selene turned back to her paperwork, determined to finish reviewing the documents before going to bed.Unfortunately, her concentration laste
It had been a whole year since Selene gave Lucien another chance, and sometimes, even now, she still found herself wondering how things had gotten to this point.Things between them weren’t perfect, of course. There were still moments when his stubbornness tested her patience, and his shameless teasing occasionally made her question whether she had married a grown man or an overgrown child.But she wouldn’t trade any of it.Their parents had finally learned to stay out of their marriage, leaving them to navigate their relationship on their own. Selene had also returned to her rightful position at Laurent Media, determined to prove that she was more than just the daughter of a wealthy businessman.For the first time in a long while, she felt as though she was living a life she had chosen for herself.And perhaps the most surprising part of it all was that she was happy.Genuinely happy.Even if she would rather swallow a handful of nails than admit just how hopelessly in love she had b
“Seriously, I still can’t believe you girls gave in to his tricks so easily,” Brandon grumbled as he watched Sofia inspect another designer handbag. “He offered to pay for your shopping, and suddenly, all your loyalty to Selene disappeared.”Mia, who was browsing through a collection of sunglasses, rolled her eyes at him.“Oh, please. Don’t act like you don’t understand what we’re doing.”“Then enlighten me,” Brandon muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve all been bribed.”“Bribed?” Sofia repeated, turning toward him with an offended expression. “Excuse you! We’re doing this for Selene’s sake.”Brandon stared at her. “By buying things that you can clearly buy yourselves?”He looked at Mia, hoping she would at least have a reasonable ex







