While gnawing on his dinner quietly, Zane held an iPad, skimming through the heated comments beneath the article regarding EMT's stock plummeting. Selina was being dragged into the mud as well.
For what he did to Hudson, he would have loved to do it repeatedly if not something unwanted within him stopped him.
As for the anniversary, it meant nothing to him, and he didn't mind staying cold towards Selina. He refused to be manipulated after everything that had happened.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching briskly into his suite towards him.
"How's it going?" Zane asked Damien, who had just entered. He twirled his fork through the pasta, calmly.
"I've admitted Hudson to the hospital as you requested. Selina was almost arrested," Damien reported, noticing the calculated calm behind his boss's expression. He paused, his tone deepening. "If the Everetts push harder when things start to crumble for them, I worry she might be forced to tell the truth."
Zane brought a bite to his mouth, chewing slowly while he calculated the situation; his assistant was right, especially about Leah, who was unwavering, protective, and fierce in guarding the family's assets.
If not for a certain, he wanted to take more than he had earlier.
"What should I do then?" he muttered lazily.
Damien frowned. "We can't let a single threat near you. What do you want me to do, boss?"
"Selina isn't that impulsive. Her love for her father will keep her cautious," he said firmly.
"So, about the assets?" Zane asked.
"It's done," Damien replied evenly. Hudson's assets had been sent through secured accounts. On paper, a routine consolidation. No one will suspect."
"Good. Donate the rest to any charity event."
"Understood, sir," Damien nodded, handing over a folder. "So far, I've gathered the information you requested. It's exactly as he claimed that day."
Zane took the folders, flipping one open and scanning the stark, promising figures staring back. He knew what effort it took him to get this from Hudson.
And giving in was simple because of Selina, his precious daughter.
He closed the folder with a flick, tossing it casually beside the other.
"Proceed with the next plan."
"Understood, sir."
He reached for a glass of water, sipping slowly. He settled the cup back down, savoring the delicious taste of her cooking, and couldn't deny how much he craved it.
He grasped his fork again and turned to dismiss Damien when the landline in his suite rang sharply.
Damien glanced at his boss. "Who's calling? Do you have a visitor?" he asked, suspecting it could be from the reception.
"Check it out."
Damien nodded and rushed to the phone, the sharp ring piercing the quiet. He lifted the handset.
Before he could speak, a voice came through. "Master Zane!"
"This is Damien speaking," Damien replied, recognizing the housekeeper's voice. "What's the matter?"
"I called home, Ms Selina hasn't returned."
"I thought you were with her," Damien muttered, turning to face Zane.
"I was at the park, but I didn't know when she left my side. I...I think Ms Selina is missing. I can't find her," Eloise's voice cracked with fear. "Can you deliver this to Master Zane? He should help find her."
"I will,"
The call ended.
Damien placed the landline on its stand.
"Something's wrong. Ms Selina hasn't returned. She's missing too."
Slicing through his steak, Zane said nonchalantly, "She's not a child. She'll find her way home."
Damien shifted uneasily, sensing his boss's indifference towards his madam.
Damien couldn't say a word when he met Zane's deep, unyielding, and expressionless amber eyes, telling him silently to leave since his work for the day was over.
But he had to reason with his boss.
"Boss, the city's been dangerous lately. We need her safety." Damien forced his words, hoping Zane would reconsider this time. Yes, he was in a hurry to get rid of his madam, but now he believed there was another motive beneath.
Zane shouldn't bother himself with matters related to her, though it wouldn't be wise if she got hurt either.
He glanced at his wristwatch, seeing that it was past ten at night.
"Should I find her and bring her home?" Damien asked, waiting for a command.
.....
Leaving the hospital, Selina stumbled into a quiet bar like a lost puppy, swallowing another shot in one sharp gulp. The alcohol burned fiercely on her tongue, causing her face to twist in discomfort.
With her other hand, she rubbed an egg-shaped ice pack against her swollen cheek, her eyes fixed blankly on the glowing phone screen resting on the counter.
Selina went numb the instant she read through the heartless messages from her bosses, who had just fired her. Social media tore her down with their assumptions after the leaked incident at the hospital.
[How could you be so heartless? If you have a clear conscience, don't come near the restaurant again.]
[The customers don't want you around anymore.]
[You're fired!]
Reading those unjust messages tightened Selina's chest. She had lost her source of income, which had helped her pay her bills and support herself while struggling for the past nine years.
Her current situation, compounded by the scandal, frightened her. She couldn't imagine how many people viewed her as a vicious person. The thought of being haunted and spit on made her whole body weak.
"Why am I suffering this way again? I've been struggling for years, working hard to earn enough money to live a carefree life. But now my world is turned upside down because of that snobby, cold fox," she murmured, her voice strained with frustration.
Selina lowered her head, and tears finally slipped from her eyes. Even though no one was in the bar except for the owner, she felt too embarrassed to let the woman see her vulnerability.
She tightened her grip around the glass as if she wanted to crush it into pieces, disregarding how much the shards could hurt her. Her shoulders sagged under the weight of rejection and isolation that engulfed her.
"It's fine, Selina. You can overcome this situation just as you once did and start living normally. The news will linger, but not forever, because you're innocent," she told herself, forcing a hopeful smile onto her lips.
She dropped the egg-shaped ice pack on the counter the moment she felt relieved from the stinging pain.
"Argh… my head hurts terribly," Selina winced, pressing a hand to her throbbing head. "I might pass out with everything happening at once."
"Did you get dumped? You look so heartbroken," the bar owner asked, eyeing the bitter, turbulent expression on Selina's face.
Selina jerked upright, flustered, glancing sideways to see if the woman was talking to her. Her hands flew to her chest. "Do I look like someone who's been dumped?"
The owner shrugged. "Of course you do. Most young people who come here are nursing broken hearts—cheated on or abandoned."
Selina let out a short, ridiculous chuckle. "Maybe that's the case…loving someone who doesn't care about you."
She sighed.
"But this time, I'm going to become better for myself and let them see that I'm truly not a good-for-nothing daughter or a rebuffed wife. I will live for myself, knowing I can do better without their validation. One day, they'll regret treating me poorly." Selina's declaration rang with fragile resolve as she tipped the glass back, gulping down another shot.
The liquor burned all the way down, twisting her face with raw anguish.
She hiccupped.
"How will you make them regret it?" The voice came from beside her—deep, warm, velvet-soft, yet faintly strained.
Selina turned, her drunken gaze unfocused at first. The figure beside her blurred, then slowly came into view.
A stranger.
She frowned deeply.
"Who are you, young man?" she asked with a slur. "Are you here to drink too?"
The man settled onto the stool beside her, his eyes flicking to the bottle clenched in her hand.
His expression hardened.
"You shouldn't be in this state," he said quietly. "If you want, I can take you to wherever you wish to go."
His gentle gaze met hers, and for a fleeting moment, something raw flickered across his gray eyes. It felt intense.
Selina scoffed, her head tipping back lazily.
"I wonder where that could be," she mumbled, exhaustion weighing down every syllable.