Suspicion

POV: Selina

I sat on the plush, oversized couch in the private lounge, a glass of what was probably the most expensive champagne I had ever tasted resting in my hand. The bubbles danced upward, mirroring the unease churning in my chest. Felix was seated next to me, his trademark charming smile on display as he regaled his friends with stories about their latest vacation. Laughter flowed around the room, but I felt like I was encased in glass, listening from a distance, completely outside of it all.

I gazed at him, trying to reconcile the man I knew with the one who seemed to be playing house. He lavished me with gifts, took me on extravagant trips, and spoiled me with money, almost as if he were trying to keep me occupied. But deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. With each mention of my job offer from Martin's, his demeanor would shift, transforming from charming to thunderous. How could he be so lovely one moment and so furious the next?

“You've got to stop thinking about that place,” he’d snapped the last time. “You think I’m just giving you all this for you to go wander off? You should feel grateful, Selina.”

Grateful. The word echoed unsettlingly in my mind. Did his kindness mean that he cared, or was it some twisted love language I didn’t understand? It wasn’t just the gifts; it was how he scolded me whenever I so much as mentioned other men. It was suffocating.

Lost in my thoughts, I nearly missed Maria entering the room, her expression a mask of professionalism that faltered when our eyes met. I had grown close to Maria, the housekeeper who seemed to bridge the opulence of Felix's world and the grounded reality of my life.

“Maria!” I called out, a sense of urgency rising within me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, ma’am?” Maria approached hesitantly.

“What’s Felix like with his ex-girlfriends?” I wasn’t sure why the question felt so vital. Maybe I was hoping Maria would shed some light on this strange situation I found myself in, but the look in her eyes, a flicker of fear sent chills down my spine.

“I… I wouldn’t know, ma’am. I’m new here,” she replied quickly, turning her gaze elsewhere. “I just know that they stopped coming to visit after a while.”

I pushed my luck. “But why? What usually happens? Did they…” The implication hung thick in the air.

“Rumors,” Maria said firmly, trying to shake off the shadow that settled between us. “Just rumors. I’m sure you’re fine.” Too quickly, she slipped away, disappearing into the kitchen.

But I was unsettled. Why had Maria looked so scared? It didn’t sit right with me at all. It felt more and more like I was an outsider being carefully managed. Hesitant, I followed her into the kitchen, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Maria, wait!”

As soon as I stepped inside, I spotted the young woman hastily shoveling ingredients into a pot. “What’s the hurry?” I asked, crossing my arms. “I thought we could talk.”

Maria kept her back turned, avoiding my gaze. “Busy, ma'am. I really can’t.”

“Busy?” I said, frustration boiling up in my throat. “I thought we were friends! Why do you keep pushing me away?”

She sighed, her face a mix of desperation and frustration. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I really don’t know anything about my master’s past relationships. Just that… just that his other girlfriends disappeared.”

“Disappeared? What do you mean? Did they run off?” I pressed, my voice rising.

“It’s just a rumor,” Maria replied again, but she sounded less sure this time. “People talk, you know? They say he has a lot of enemies, and that’s why he’s protective of you.”

“Protective?” My voice dropped to an incredulous whisper. “Or possessive?”

Finally turning to face me, Maria said, “Please, you must listen to him. You must do what he says.”

I shook my head, anger mixing with anxiety. “I can’t just ignore this, Maria! Something is not right!”

The younger woman shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the door as if expecting Felix to return at any moment. “You really don’t want to know,” she muttered, almost as if rehearsing a line. “It’s better…”

“Better? Better for whom?” I shot back, my hands trembling slightly. “Why are you so eager to protect him? What’s the truth?”

“I don’t know!” Maria exclaimed, her voice rising in agitation. “I just work here! I can’t get into trouble!”

I felt my stomach twist at her refusal to offer any semblance of clarity. “I thought you were my friend! Why are you running away from this?”

“Selina, please. He’s…” Maria paused mid-sentence before shaking her head again, the exhaustion on her face palpable. “You’ve got to trust me. Don’t make it harder than it is.”

Trust. The word cut through me like a dagger. Did Felix expect me to trust him blindly? Was I that naive?

Suddenly, something flickered in Maria’s eyes that caught me off-guard: fear. Genuine fear at the mention of Felix’s past. The young woman darted back toward the kitchen, claiming she needed to check on something. But I noticed how she kept glancing over her shoulder, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Maria!” I called out, dread creeping up my spine. “Why are you acting like this? What are you scared of?”

The kitchen door swung shut behind Maria with a resounding thud before I could pry more answers. Left standing alone, my heart raced. Something felt very wrong. I thought of everything I’d ever learned about Felix. Chilling uncertainty surged through me, a fear that the lavish lifestyle he offered might come at a cost I didn’t fully understand.

I recalled Simon's warning: to run far away from Felix. Disappearances, accidents, and hidden truths surged through my mind like whispers of the dark. I remembered Simon, who had once been my best friend, distancing himself after revealing that information to me and pleading with me to get away from Felix.

“How could I be so daft?” I asked myself, recalling how Simon had suddenly stopped speaking to me and how he’d been transferred without warning. The thought ignited an urge to scream, layered with feelings of being used and foolish. How could he do this to me? What could he possibly gain from all this?

As I stood there, my eyes darting to the security cameras in the corners of the ceiling, paranoia settled into my bones. Felix had said they were just formalities, but why had Maria run away at the mere mention of his ex-girlfriends? What kind of power did he wield?

Was Felix the man he claimed to be, or was this all part of an elaborate mask? Could he be the one who had broken into my apartment, stalking me? Would I find myself on that list of disappeared friends?

With my heart beating wildly, I decided I needed to confront Felix. I wasn’t sure how I would approach him, but I had to know the truth. I had to peel back the layers to reach the heart of the man I had thought I loved.

It would have been so easy to walk away if I hadn’t fallen in love with him. Some might think I was just flirting with him because of his wealth and status. But I genuinely loved him; that's why I felt so heartbroken and disappointed. Could I be mistaken? Could all of this be one silly misunderstanding?

My mind surged with questions that had no answers, bordering on hysteria as I considered my life might be in danger. Unraveling this mystery may be what it takes to save me from disappearing like all the other girls, or worse.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I contemplated it all. Goosebumps prickled over my skin as I sat alone in the sitting room, wondering why a man with his class and reputation would choose a common, poor girl like me to love.

The more I thought about it, the more I suspected he was hiding his true identity. I resolved to confront him about it when he returned from work today. I would demand answers and find out if he was indeed the one who had broken into my house the other day when I had found him wandering around my shared apartment with my friend.

As the door swung open and Felix stepped into the lounge, that charming smile on his face, I knew it was time to confront the man behind the facade. I didn’t know what I might discover, what secrets lay hidden beneath his surface. But more than anything, I had to ask myself if I was really ready to hear the truth.