Todos los capítulos de Heartlock “Millions are watching…but only one heart is real.: Capítulo 51 - Capítulo 60

Cassian held her gaze.The restaurant noise faded into the background.People continued talking around them.Glasses clinked.Music played softly through hidden speakers.Yet Selena barely noticed any of it.Because she knew this moment mattered.“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now.”The words remained suspended between them.For the first time all evening, Cassian seemed genuinely nervous.Not uncomfortable.Not uncertain.Just vulnerable.And somehow that affected her more than anything else.Selena leaned back slightly.A small smile touched her lips.“Then ask.”Cassian laughed softly.The sound carried relief.As though he’d been hoping she would make this easier for him.Unfortunately, she had no intention of helping.Not yet.He shook his head.“You know, a year ago, you would’ve interrogated me by now.”“A year ago, I had a lot more questions.”The answer carried no bitterness.Only truth.Cassian understood immediately.His smile faded into something sof

Selena barely slept that night.Not because she was worried.Because her mind refused to slow down.The conversation with the senior partners replayed again and again.The opportunity wasn’t just another promotion.It was a position within a national legal initiative that would allow her to help shape policy reform and advocate for victims of corporate misconduct.The role would come with influence.Responsibility.Recognition.And one major complication.It would require relocation.Not permanently.At least not at first.But for several months each year.Possibly longer if the program succeeded.The thought sat heavily in her mind.Not because she didn’t want it.Because she did.Very much.A few years ago she would have accepted immediately.No hesitation.No second thoughts.Now things were different.Not because she loved her career less.Because she had finally built a life she didn’t want to walk away from.The following evening, she met Cassian for dinner.The moment he saw he

Selena spent the entire night awake.The permanent position sat heavily in her mind.Every time she convinced herself she knew the answer, doubt appeared.Every time she leaned toward one choice, she immediately saw the benefits of the other.The opportunity was everything she had worked for.Years of studying.Years of difficult cases.Years of proving herself.Now it was finally here.Yet when she imagined accepting it, another thought always followed.Cassian.Home.The life she had spent so long rebuilding.The problem wasn’t choosing between a good future and a bad one.The problem was choosing between two good futures.And somehow that felt harder.The next morning, Selena buried herself in work.Usually that helped.Today it didn’t.Every document reminded her of the offer.Every meeting reminded her of the opportunity.Even lunch proved impossible.By mid-afternoon she gave up pretending she could concentrate.Instead, she stepped outside.The city bustled around her.Traffic

Cassian had faced television audiences.He had faced investigators.He had faced public backlash after HeartLock collapsed.He had even faced Bianca during an argument.Nothing compared to Selena's mother."You're nervous."Nova sounded far too pleased.Cassian looked up from his coffee."I'm not nervous.""You've checked your shirt collar six times.""Seven," Ethan corrected.Nova pointed triumphantly."See?"Cassian immediately regretted agreeing to meet them before dinner.The three of them occupied a corner table inside a café downtown.Bianca arrived several minutes late carrying an iced coffee.She took one look at Cassian.Then burst out laughing."Oh, he's terrified.""I'm not terrified.""You absolutely are."Cassian sighed.Nobody supported him.Not even slightly.The worst part?They weren't entirely wrong.He wasn't terrified.But he was nervous.Because this mattered.Meeting Selena's parents wasn't some casual social event.It meant something.The realization carried wei

knew his mother was planning something.The realization arrived the moment she called him the following morning."Mum.""Cassian."The suspicious cheerfulness in her voice immediately put him on guard."What do you want?"The woman sounded offended."What kind of greeting is that?""The correct one."His father laughed somewhere in the background.That was never reassuring.Not when both of them sounded amused.Cassian leaned back in his chair.The morning sunlight filtered through his apartment windows.A half-finished cup of coffee sat nearby.He suddenly missed the peaceful five minutes before this phone call.His mother sighed dramatically."Fine."The word carried absolutely no sincerity."We want to meet Selena."There it was.The real reason.Cassian smiled despite himself."I figured.""Good.""You've never been subtle.""I don't know what you're talking about."His father laughed again.This time even louder.Cassian shook his head.The conversation continued for several minu