Chapter 3

Marion leaned beside the wine cellar, twirling a glass of liquor.

Margaret walked into the room and halted when her eyes found Marion. She pouted in anger and flounced towards him. She picked up the bottle of liquor and threw it to the ground. The glass cup stopped halfway to Marion as he frowned at the shattered bottle, he diverted his angry face to Margaret.

“What’s this, Mom?” he leered.

“What do you think you’re doing to yourself, Marion, you’re killing yourself!” Margaret stamped her feet on the floor, tears bloomed in her eyes as she glared at Marion.

Ever since the disastrous wedding, Marion has ended up as the shadow of himself. All he does is drink and cringe at an obscure world.

As a result of what he did to Selene, his father took the family company from him and handed it over to his cousin's brother.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!” Margaret spat at his face.

“Why should I be?” Marion shrugged nonchalantly. “You and Dad should be the ones ashamed.” He gulped down the liquor remaining in the glass.

“How dare you say that? You should be lucky I stopped Harold from disowning you,” Margaret raved. Marion rolled his eyes, ignoring her.

“Get yourself together, Marion, please. Win your father’s love again and take the company from that homeless gold digger.” Margaret’s eyes softened as she spoke. She trudged closer to Marion and held his shoulder.

“I heard Selene has recovered, get married to her and get back the company,” she whispered.

Marion scoffed and brushed off her hand, he gave her a cold stare and walked off.

He sauntered across the house and reached for his car.

“Hey, cousin.” the last irritating voice Marion wanted to hear echoed behind him. He clenched his fist and seethed in anger.

“Cousin?” Carlos called again, mockery was laced in his tone.

“Can you stop calling me that?” Marion turned sharply and snapped.

Carlos raised his hands in mock defense.

“Yes, Boss,” Carlos mocked, a long whirl of laughter followed his snide remark. Marion frowned deeply, wishing he could rip the little man into pieces. Carlos’s wild laughter slowly died into a giggle.

“Don’t forget I’m the boss here,” Carlos muttered, his brows furrowed in pride.

“What do you want?” Marion snapped.

“Have you forgotten how you used to disregard me?” Carlos blabbered on.

“Get to the fucking point!” Marion roared furiously.

He was tired of listening to Carlos’s ‘do you remember’ stories.

Carlos was made CEO the week he left Selene, and ever since then, the quiet Carlos they knew transformed into a disrespectful Boss. He not only acts as a boss in the office but also at home.

Marion always wondered why his father still retained his position even after witnessing the carefree life he lived.

“I have a pool party to attend today so I don’t think I will go to the conference,” Carlos said, playing with the gold cuffs on his wrist.

“Are you crazy? You know how important that conference is, huh?” Marion eyed him irritated.

“I know, I know, that’s why I’m telling you about it,” Carlos waved his hands.

“What do you want?” Marion asked, getting a glimpse of where he was heading.

“Well…uhm..uh…” Carlos stuttered and avoided Marion’s glare, embarrassed.

“I want you to represent me,” he blurted out. Marion shot his head back in confusion.

Is he crazy? Why will Carlos want him to represent a crumbling company, is Carlos pulling his taunts again?

“I promise it’s just for tonight,” Carlos quickly added before Marion could protest.

“I won’t do it,” Marion replied.

“Look, I’m your Boss and you must obey me!” Carlos waved his clenched fist at Marion, frowning and glaring. Marion slipped his hands into his pant pocket, maintaining a cold blank look.

“Marion…”

“I told you I won’t do it, have you gone deaf?” Marion snapped. He swerved around and shuffled towards his car.

“If you don’t then I will…” Carlos muttered, smirking mischievously.

Marion slowly turned, his eyes dimmed.

“You wouldn’t dare!” he sneered.

“Watch me.” Carlos turned around and walked towards the house.

“Wait!” Marion called and Carlos halted.

“I’ll do it,” Marion relented and a dark triumphant smile spread across Carlos’s face.

~~~~~

Selene’s lips turned up in disgust as Victoria applied more rogues to her cheeks.

“Isn’t that enough?” Selene sighed, frustrated.

“No, it’s not. I haven’t even started, you need smoky make-up,” Victoria replied. Selene faced her with a sharp glare.

“I’ve been sitting here for more than an hour!”

“It’s worth it, sweetie, you’re going to represent the mighty Starlight group of company. Do you know what that means?” Victoria replied.

“I wonder what you will make me wear on the day I’ll be officially made the CEO,” Selene muttered.

“Leave that for another day, you should know what I’m capable of doing.”

“I’m nervous,” Selene shuddered. She wondered what it feels like to be amid legendary tycoons, businessmen, and women, she was already feeling like an ant before giants.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, you will blow up their heads with your smoky beauty,” Victoria said.

“You’re getting it all wrong!” Selene admonished with an eye roll.

A sharp knock on the door ended their squabble.

“Who could that be?” Selene asked, eyeing Victoria suspiciously.

“Ah! The make-up artist is here,” Victoria said, shuffling towards the door.

“Make-up artist?” Selene widened her eyes.

“I can’t get the type of make-up that I want on your face, so I called for an artist. Don’t worry you’ll like her,” Victoria stuck out her tongue at awed Selene and reached for the knob.

“How long will this shit take?”

“Uhm…about an hour or two,” Victoria replied and pulled open the door.

Selene exclaimed dejectedly, cursing Victoria under her breath.

It took an hour before Selene was done with her make-up. Her jaws dropped as she stared at the beauty staring back at her.

“Is—is this me?” she gasped.

Victoria paid off the artist and snorted loudly.

“I thought you never wanted it,” Victoria grimaced.

“Well… I love it,” Selene shrugged, blushing embarrassingly.

“Don’t blush too much, it might ruin your make-up,” Victoria teased her. Selene chuckled, got up, and pulled out her coat.

Selene exhaled slowly as she slipped on the coat and strode out of the house gracefully. When they got to the car, Selene turned with worry smeared on her face.

“What?” Victoria asked.

“I’m nervous, I…I” Selene stammered and picked her nails nervously.

“Hey, you’ll be fine, okay?” Victoria coaxed her gently.

Selene nodded, inhaled, exhaled, and got into the car.

Throughout the ride to the conference venue, her stomach churned with nervousness and anxiety.

Immediately the door was opened, and the paparazzi crowded over her, taking pictures and asking questions, especially concerning her marriage with Marion.

The three bodyguards her father entrusted to her were able to whisk her into the large conference hall.

Selene felt her confidence restored as she walked past dignitaries she never imagined meeting in her whole life.

As she walked and waved at ‘not really’ familiar faces, her eyes landed on a figure and her feet stopped dead. There before her was Marion. He was dressed in an expensive tuxedo, his ever-handsome face had a rogue smile as he chatted with a female business associate.

Selene’s lips suddenly became parched and her heart wouldn’t stop thumping loudly, it felt like he was the only one existing in the hall.

He was talking leisurely with another woman? Is she the woman he claimed he loved, or is she the one he left her for?

Different angry questions bounced across her swelling head, sharp pain laced in her eyes as she stared at him.

His head swerved in her direction and their eyes locked. They stood face to face with each other separated by only a few feet. Marion’s face radiated surprise, his smile dropped and his eyes held emotions that only he could alter. What was she doing here?

He glanced at the stream of confused faces that stared at them and strode gracefully toward Selene.

“Miss Selene Sinclair, I never thought I’d meet you again. Especially in this manner,” he muttered the last sentence in a low tone. He stretched forth his hands, beaming in smiles.

Selene glanced at the hand and then at his face. She was mused at how easy he felt around her.

“Nice to meet you too,” Selene replied and clasped her pygmy hands into his.

“It is time to announce the winner of the top-ranking CEO of the year!” A voice boomed through the speakers and into their conscience, they pulled apart and Marion nodded at her before walking up to the lady he was in a conversation with.

Selene’s eyes surreptitiously followed every move they made and every action that played out between them. Selene’s lips curved up in disgust when the auburn-haired woman wrapped her hands around Marion’s arms, she muttered something to him and his blossomed lips stretched into a smile, though, Selene figured out that it never reached his eyes.

“The winner of the CEO of the year is Doreen Sinclair!” Thunderous ovations filled the hall. Marion remained blank, he knew that the Sinclair Group of company would win the position again.

“Dad?” she whispered dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that after all the saga, Doreen still managed to win the CEO of the year award just like he did the previous year.

“We call for the princess of the Sinclair group of company, Miss Selene Sinclair.” Tears filled Selene’s eyes as she walked up to the podium to collect the award. She wished her father was present.

Marion slipped out of the hall and shuffled into a balcony, he twirled a glass of wine and gulped the content. The award should have been his! He gritted his teeth and flung the cup against the wall and it shattered.

He exhaled deeply and smiled wryly.

“Not like I care about the company, anyway.”

Back in the hall, Selene shook hands she had never imagined coming in contact with. Associates swarm around her whispering congratulatory messages which she simply replies with a smile.

“Congratulations!” the auburn-haired woman who had earlier been with Marion said behind her. Selene spun around and stared at her chubby face.

“Congratulations,” the woman repeated and stretched a glass of wine towards Selene.

“Thank you,” Selene muttered and took the glass.

The woman silently watched her drink up the wine.

“You like it, right?” she asked.

“It tastes great,” Selene replied, chuckling nervously.

“I produce wines and that is one of my products,” she nodded towards the glass.

“This is amazing. I love it,” Selene stretched a fake grin across her face. She didn’t feel comfortable talking with Marion’s woman.

“By the way, I’m Lizzie Diego.”

“Nice to meet you,” Selene quickly responded.

Lizzie gave her a side hug, took the glass, and disappeared into the crowd.

Selene glanced around the hall for Marion but couldn’t spot him, she shrugged and turned to receive more compliments.

Minutes later, she suddenly felt the urge to urinate. Selene excused herself from the bevy of chattering ladies. She shuffled into the corridor that led to the female restroom. The urge came again, threatening to burst her bladder. She increased her pace as she ran along the long corridor.

“Get the car, Jonathan!” he heard a familiar stern voice.

Her legs propelled her to a corner where she hid.

“Everything seems to be working against you, don’t you think? Ever since you left Selene you’ve practically lost everything, including your dad’s company,” Jonathan opined.

Selene widened her eyes in shock as she heard the revelation. The urge to urinate suddenly disappeared.

“It’s none of your business, get the car!” Marion snapped.

“Don’t you think you should find a way to win her back?”

“Fucking mind your business!” Marion roared furiously. Jonathan mumbled inaudibly and scrambled away for the car.

Marion turned to walk away but spotted Selene crouched behind a wall. His lips paled as he stared at her.

“Miss Selene?” he called out.

Selene jumped as Marion’s intimidating eyes pierced into her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for the restroom,” Selene said and swerved around quickly.

Large, rough hands gripped her wrist and her breathing seized.

“Can we talk?” Marion whispered.

“We have nothing to talk about, Marion, let go of me!” she shrieked. His grip loosened up and she snatched her hands away.

“We need to talk…”

“We have nothing to talk about!” she snapped, cutting him off. Marion swallowed hard.

“I heard that you’re taking over your dad’s company soon, perhaps, you may win the award next year too, congratulations anyway.”

Selene arched her brows surprised at how he found out, she had only told Victoria. She was sure that Victoria hadn’t told anyone else.

“Lauren told you, that little snitch!” Selene balled her fist.

“It doesn’t matter, what matters now is that you’re becoming a CEO soon, a billionaire,” Marion chuckled and stuck his hands into his pant pocket.

Selene felt irritated by standing close to him. After everything that happened, he behaved like they were meeting for the first time, perfect acting.

“I hate you! I hate everyone! Why did you leave me, why couldn’t you love me?” she ranted and placed her hands on Marion’s cheeks. Marion stared at her bewildered.

“You left me for that ugly girl? She isn’t better than me. After everything we shared and planned together, you threw it all away within minutes. I hate you, I hate everyone here, I will destroy everything and everyone!” she shook her fist at him, heaving heavily. With a mad dash, she headed for the door that led to the conference hall.

His eyes popped out as she reached for the doorknob and in a fast rush, he grabbed her and pushed her away from the door, she fell, hitting her head hard on the wall.

Marion rushed over to her and squatted beside her. He swept her up in a bridal style, staring calmly at her fluttering lashes that were threatening to shut.

“Are you an angel?” she muttered and her eyes slammed shut.