Page 7

“Why don’t you ever stay with me at night, Kellen?” she said in a low voice. “You already took me that night, so why are you so far away now?”
Kellen watched as Selene shook off the silk robe she had been wearing. It fell over her shoulder. Her n**e figure was on full show, with her exposed breasts rising and falling in anticipation. She was definitely every man’s wet fantasy. But the image made Kellen cringe within. In his mind, he started to compare Selene’s proud features to Lena’s curving ones again. He clenched his teeth because he was unhappy.
He added, “Selene, I was drunk that night.”  “We decided to stay friends after that.”
Selene almost yelled in anger, “I don’t understand because you said you needed some time.”  “Why the hell do you still want that cheating bitch?”
“Stop being silly. I’m not missing anyone,” Kellen said as he turned aside to straighten his coat. His thoughts shouted that he was a huge giant lie. He yelled out Lena’s name in the heat of love that night because he thought of her. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to get over his unfaithful wife; it wasn’t like he hadn’t attempted to find something to do with his body when Lena’s actual face was revealed. But up until now, he had been doing really poorly. He could only think about Lena, the woman he wanted, and then he would back off every time he attempted to be close to Selene. No matter how hard she tried to change his mind, he didn’t like the notion of sleeping with Selene.
Because of this, Selene and his business stayed restricted to that one night of drinking. Selene had told Kellen that she wanted to start a relationship with him, but he had asked for some time. And now the media was following them. It was hot and happening—the breaking news that a famous supermodel and a business magnet were having an affair while the business magnet’s wife vanished from the picture.
He didn’t care what people said about him. He was so angry that he was still allowing his cheating, backstabbing wife to dominate him.
“Hey, I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll talk to your dad when I get back from Velden.” Kellen sprang up when Selene finally backed off a little. “I have to go now; my flight is very early in the morning.”
He moved across the living area to the front doors, ready to leave her flat. But Selene beckoned him from behind in a panic, though she sounded a little calmer now. Kellen was glad to see her wearing her silk robe again as he looked back.
“He’s going to Velden on a tour too, you know.”
“Then tell him to call me when he gets there so we can have a meeting or something.”
Selene probably looked at him. “Please call me every day.”
Kellen nodded yes, and when Selene moved up to him and got on her tiptoes to give him a sweet kiss, he didn’t stop her, but he did step back politely as the kiss was going to get more serious. After that, he quickly left her house. He pressed two fingers to his temple and climbed into his automobile. The vein under his fingertips throbbed, which meant that a headache was coming on.
Jason, who was in charge of his security crew and often drove him about, had gone on a long trip. The moron has been acting sad for no reason for a time now. His strange behavior started the night Lena departed, which is strange. Kellen was so angry that he wanted to terminate the idiot who was probably on the side of that cheating, lying lady. He had just sent him on a long vacation, but he went right away like Kellen had the plague in his house and needed to get away from it as soon as possible.
Now, he knew that he hadn’t driven his own automobile in a long time. He didn’t recruit anyone to take Jason’s place, though, either temporarily or permanently. He just wanted to be alone himself as often as he could.
He made the mistake of looking up at Selene’s apartment window while pushing the car out to the street. He saw her standing behind the glass. The robe had slipped down one of her shoulders, and he could see the top of her b****t.
Now show the whole world, huh?
He still remembered the nights he had spent with Selene before he took over Zeyracorp. They both knew that their relationship would start and finish in bed, which was precisely how he wanted it. Selene pushed him to start dating, and he did, but like all of his prior relationships, he stopped it quickly. Selene was still a wonderful friend, but they were only friends and nothing more. But until Lena came along, it was simple to spend time with her, whether it was in bed or as a friend. But it seemed like it was impossible to get back that way anymore, no matter how hard he tried.
After Lena, he was wrecked.
Lena…  Lena…  Lena!
He was so angry with himself that he smacked the steering wheel hard, which made the car slip a bit out of control and shriek when he clutched the wheel again. How long would it take for him to get her out of his brain and heart?
Velden.
The city was really gloomy right now since the sky was cloudy and there was no moon.
As always, Lena had an indifferent evening. She leaned against the window frame and stared out at the darkening sky. She felt the same way inside. She could feel herself fading away in the thick, dark stuff of never-ending anguish that now covered much of her heart.
She jumped as a warm hand brushed her cheek, and only then did she realize she had been sobbing.
Damien frowned and walked up to Lena. “What is this?” he said. “You’re crying again. It’s not worth it to cry over your husband, who is a fool, and refusing to get back up again won’t bring back what you’ve lost.”
Lena turned away from Damien, muffling a sob and looking for something she couldn’t see in the dark. “You’re right, Damien. There’s nothing that can bring back what we’ve lost.”
Damien had never lost a kid before, but from where he was now, seeing Lena’s pain when she woke up in the hospital, he could tell that it was definitely worse than being choked to death. He saw her getting more and more depressed every day for months. He was the one who stood by her bed and listened to her cry for death in a fit of rage. But he was glad to see her calm down after a few days. He loved to think that his friendship might help her get out of the deepest pit. He was on the edge of his seat, hoping that she would discover something in that place that would help her get her act together and move on from the past.
“You need to move on,” he said, putting a soothing hand on her shoulder. “I know you can’t forget the past or let go of everything that happened but don’t let it destroy you. Don’t destroy yourself, Lena.”
“Sometimes…” Lena let out a weak breath, and her chest hurt as it always did. “Sometimes I think it would have been better if you hadn’t saved me. I would have been with my child somewhere, and it wouldn’t hurt like this.” She held her heart over her shawl, which was thick wool that hid her thin frame and pale skin. The deep, scarlet color of the fabric made her neck stand out.
When she said it, Damien felt his chest clench. And for the millionth time, he wanted to meet her spouse so he could kill him with his bare hands. But no matter how he felt inside, he always kept it all up for Lena’s sake.
“But Lena, I don’t get it. How could it have been better for my store?” he said to lighten the mood. “After all, my stores are doing great now that I saved you and made you my business partner.”