CHAPTER 27 - WICKED SEDUCTION

Perhaps, it’s time that I should no longer put my happiness in the hands of another person. Were my emotions one-sided? If that was the case, I couldn’t see any reason to hold on to him when he easily abandoned me!
I tossed and turned in bed, and I realized one thing; I could be mourning and sobbing over my loss, but life had to go on, and I had to do my best in the future! Sooner or later, I would be able to forget that someone whose name was Liam Salcedo managed to break my heart into a million pieces! Sooner or later, he would regret not choosing me! When I had enough of my drama, I got up from my bed and walked towards the vanity mirror.
It only lasted for a couple of minutes! The strength to accept the truth and manage my expectations or handle my emotions well only lasted for a few seconds! In front of the vanity mirror, I saw the weaker side of Selena Montes! Like any other girl who was dumped and replaced, I cried in front of my mirror, and I looked so pathetic!
I immediately wiped the tears and tried to compose myself; however, it was hard to stop them from rolling down my cheeks. To stop them forcefully, I walked towards the bathroom and took a cold shower.
Day after day, night after night, I waited for him to return, but he never showed up. Even his shadow failed to appear, so I concluded it was probably the best that we would never see each other again.
As the days passed by, my aunt noticed the changes in my mood. My father also voiced his concern, and he was also worried. I tried to find happiness again, but it was just hard, so I allowed myself some time to withstand the pain.
“Hey, dear. Why are you doing this to yourself?” My aunt asked when she caught me daydreaming again.
“He's gone...and he may be gone for good,” I whispered, and she furrowed her brows.
“I thought he didn’t mean that much to you,” she stated.
"Yes, but things happened, and I fell in love with him,” I replied, and she just shrugged off her shoulders. I was accustomed to being blunt, but with the latest happening, I gradually turned into a bumbling idiot, and I hated myself for the transformation.
“Didn’t you tell him to leave you?”
“No, Aunt! I would never say such a thing when he meant the world to me!”
“I’m sorry, Selena darling, but that’s a little perplexing!”
“It is perplexing,” I echoed with her recent remark. When I had enough food to last me a day inside my safety sanctuary, I bid goodbye to my aunt.
“Try to join me here during lunch, dear. It’s lonely to eat alone,” she said.
“I will try to do that, Aunt,” I replied, but it was never a promise.
With heavy footsteps, I returned to my room and changed into sleeping pajamas. I had no problems with my enormous bed before I met him, but my room felt so empty since he was gone, and I was lonely. Every day, I missed him, and I longed desperately for his presence.
When my eyes saw the phone lying on the side table, I was almost tempted to contact him through a phone call. However, I realized that it would only embarrass me during the process, so I decided to turn off my phone. It was the only way to protect myself from being humiliated and dragging my father’s name into the mud.
“Lee…,” I called his name as soon as I woke up, and when I recalled how tragic my dream was, I took the courage to smile and beat the day as usual. After all, I was not Selena Montes for nothing!
Since we belonged in the same circle, receiving an invitation from a common friend couldn't be avoided. At first, I was hesitant to accept it because I was worried that Katherine Hamilton would also be there. It’s a common friend from the University, and knowing the identity of Katherine’s father, I was convinced she was also invited.
While considering my best option, whether to attend or ignore it, I accept the invitation. Although there was a chance that Katherine would be there, there was also a possibility she wouldn’t be there. After all, she’s probably busy with Liam Salcedo.
It took me a lot of courage to prepare for the trip since Layla asked me to spend the night with them. She had not mentioned anything extravagant, and she said it was just a simple gathering with selected people from our batch. She used to be a journalist, but she switched jobs for some unknown reasons.
When I arrived at my destination, I was informed it was a night of swimming with the girls. Since I wasn’t aware there would be swimming involved, I didn’t bring any swimwear with me, but Layla was kind enough to give me her extra swimwear.
“Just the two of us?” I asked her.
“Not really! You just arrived early,” she replied. “So, how have you been, Selena? I heard from Katherine that you have a shipping company, but of course, I didn’t believe her.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s a liar! Have you forgotten how she lied about her parents?”
“It’s in the past, Layla, and I’m sure she had no choice back then, especially when some of your friends kept on bullying her. Anyway, let’s focus on tonight’s activity. Are you sure it’s only night swimming?” I doubted Layla planned something that would surprise everyone later.
“One of our friends is getting married, so that’s why I’m setting up this gathering,” Layla replied.
“You arranged for a stripper,” I murmured, and the darn woman just smiled at me. Layla acted as if it wasn’t a big deal!
“Who’s getting married?” I inquired even if I had a hint. Was it Katherine Hamilton and Liam Salcedo?
“Later. For now, let’s enjoy the pool by ourselves,” Layla suggested, and we immediately changed into our swimwear. “Amazing,” she muttered while staring at me.
“Are you into girls?” I asked, and Layla burst into laughter. “No, seriously, are you into girls?”
“No! Of course not! How can you say such a thing when in fact, the strippers are on their way!”
“Seriously? I was kidding about the stripper! Anyway, you also look great. It’s just a shame that you couldn’t seduce that guy,” I stated after staring at her for a couple of seconds. To sum it short, she was the pinnacle of beauty, as well as innocent and seductive all at the same time!
“Oh please, stop reminding me about that loser!”
After Layla instructed her housekeeper to inform her guests about our whereabouts, we sprinted towards the pool, and I was the first person to plunge into the water. Layla followed, and we screamed in pleasure when we were both in the water.
“You should visit me sometime,” I told her.
“I think I should,” she replied, and she grinned when her housekeeper came with a bottle of liquor. “Just a bottle,” she added.
For a moment, I was worried. Layla was a heavy drinker, and she had drugs in the past. “No drugs?” I questioned her, and for a second, she was speechless!
“Oh, the drug thing, you know, it wasn’t me, Selena. It was Katherine Hamilton, and she just hid it in my bag. I explained my side before, but nobody cared to listen.”
“I’m so sorry, but are you? It’s Katherine? She looks innocent,” I said.
“On the surface, but deep inside, she was the meanest human being I had the misfortune to meet. You probably haven’t heard this one, but his fiance dumped her when she was busted about having several men at a time,” Layla continued.
As I listened to Layla speaking, I couldn’t picture Katherine Hamilton as someone vile and nasty. Although the woman appeared to be rude, I believed it was caused by a trauma during her childhood…just like mine! “Maybe she didn’t use drugs,” I said.
“I don’t know. Anyway, we shouldn’t discuss that horrible woman! We should talk about ourselves. Are you in a relationship right now?”
I was stunned at the sudden shift of the topic, and I didn’t feel like sharing something private with Layla. There was some reservation left in me, especially when she used to work in a press. What if she was fishing for information to ruin my father or me?
“Selena? Did you hear me?”
“Of course, but I just don’t know how to respond to your inquiry.’
“So, do you have a boyfriend now?”
“Nope, I am single,” I replied.
“Perfect! My cousin is looking for a wife,” she announced.
“A wife?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t have a girlfriend, so he asked me to introduce him to one of my friends,” Layla said excitedly.
“And that’s the reason why you asked me to be here,” I concluded, and when she nodded, I felt betrayed. “You tricked me into coming here,” I added, and Layla immediately asked for my forgiveness. Being disappointed at my friend’s action, I grabbed the bottle of tequila and gulped it.
“Hey, stop it!” Layla screamed while trying to take away the bottle. “Take it easy,” she said.
The thought of passing out before we could enjoy the remainder of the evening made me nervous, but I was so furious to give a damn about it. I was about to confront Layla for lying to me, but her housekeeper came, and the woman looked nervous. I glanced at Layla, and she mimicked the woman’s expression.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“They’re here.”
“Alright,” Layla said while trying to get out of the water to meet them.
When I was left alone in the pool, my gut feeling told me to get out of the water and return to the guest room allocated for my overnight stay. I was too preoccupied with my thoughts on my way back to the guest room that I failed to see someone lurking in the shadows.
When someone blocked my path, my eyes widened in fear, and for a moment, I was unable to move from where I was standing and just stared at the man with a menacing expression on his face.
"You've had too much to drink!" He took notice and dropped his head towards my lips, where he sniffed the air.
“Get away from me, Lee!”
“We need to talk,” he declared.
“Too late for that, darling,” I told him, but he didn’t like my recent remark and frowned at me. “Please, Lee, just leave me alone.”
I took a few steps before I turned around to check whether he had followed me, and I was pleased to see that he had not. What on earth has happened? Why did she appear in Layla’s house? Could it be that he came together with Katherine Hamilton? If that was the case, there was no reason for me to stay!
“Selena, wait!”
I was stunned when he suddenly stopped me from closing the door, and when he entered without being invited, I became speechless! I just stared at him and didn’t know what to say! His presence alone was enough to render me speechless, so how much more when he came inside my accommodation?
"We need to have a conversation." The guy muttered something and then walked into the room without asking my permission.
My eyes most likely deceived me into thinking that he didn't follow after all. "Then let's discuss!"
“Who am I in your life, Selena?”