"Oh…my head hurts," Selina groaned, pressing her hand on her forehead, which throbbed sharply from the tension.
Her eyes flutter open only for the ray of sunlight to harshly hit her face through the window, barely open by the silk curtain.
She winced and turned quickly to the other side, clutching the sheet loosely against her body.
"Where am I? Why does my head hurt this much?" She mumbled, disoriented as she struggled to recall what had happened the previous night.
Her eyes were darting across the spacious, familiar room. "I only took two shots, yet it makes it difficult to remember? I shouldn't be drinking then."
Right now, she was more concerned about how to deal with his revenge and her current situation in public. She had to do something before Zane would harm her and her father again.
Staying locked in this game of enemies would only drain her—she needed leverage, not chaos. Running from city to city, dodging him at every corner, constantly looking over her shoulder… disrupting the comfy, peaceful vacation life she had craved.
The rare calm she hadn't yet tasted.
It would be exhausting. Dangerous.
She shook her head slightly.
She wouldn't let herself be trapped in that loop. She needed control—a way to stay one step ahead.
After lingering in silence for a long while, trying to ground herself, Selina walked up to her spacious study.
She sank into the chair and put on her nerdy glasses.
"I can't be at ease with him sparring, Dad. He's unpredictable," she whispered as she opened her mini laptop on the polished desk before her. She was still concerned and anxious about her father's reasons for harming Zane since the Everett family had everything and lived in full.
She clicked across the keyboard, typing Zane's name as she needed clarity for this unsettling conflict.
Selina's gaze locked on the glowing screen as she logged into the internet. The results flooded her screen—countless reports of heartbreaking accidents, crimes, and scandals, which still didn't link to him.
"Am I becoming a detective or what? The worst, I don't even know when it happened or where." She mumbled, reading with intense attention.
She scrolled through the articles and sites. Still found nothing.
But the deeper she dug, the less she found, as usual. She never failed to check through his interviews, which barely lasted twenty-four hours.
No photos. No records.
She knew the surname, Kaius, wasn't actually his.
Her brows narrowed in frustration.
"What kind of man is this invisible, even though he's now a tycoon? It's been years now; he should at least mention something about himself." She groaned, logging out of the internet.
"Then I can only wait for Dad's recovery since there's no other way to know about it. I know he must've kept this a secret from Everett, too." She logged out of the internet until she stumbled upon her emails.
Her thoughts struck on the necessary thing she needed most to escape this snare.
"I have lost my job. I need to find one to regain stability in my life. At least to support myself without relying on anyone if I must leave this marriage." She clicked into an email thread.
She froze, staring at her worst nightmare. Her CV applications to renowned fashion houses had been rejected, all because of the rumours. This had been her twentieth rejection so far in a year.
This was a path of pursuing the passion she had been craving. To change her unpleasant life and status.
She clenched her jaw tight, scrolling into another company's website that caught her attention—IRIS LUXE. She copied her CV and resume and pasted them into the company's recruitment platform, which was still open for professional, unique designers.
Setting everything up to post, she hovered the cursor over the apply icon, feeling a wave of hesitation wash over her, knowing the scandal was still fresh. They hadn't even sent a reply to her previous application, and the thought of being rejected coldly for reapplying because of the scandal cut deep.
Frustrated, Selina clicked out of the mailbox and leaned back against the chair cushion.
"How would I survive now, with no one willing to offer me even a chance? I have to do something about it," she said with determination, not ready to let it ruin her life like before.
Her life would become dull without work, without that monthly buzz on her phone that brought her excitement.
One of the biggest flexes.
Suddenly, Selina's face turned sour when something important weighed in her chest. Since she left the hospital yesterday, she wasn't certain if the surgery went successfully or not because she couldn't set foot in the hospital again to avoid drama from Leah and Clarissa.
"How will I know about this?" She mumbled, thinking of a way to find out without being caught in trouble.
Pondering that, Selina reached for her phone nearby as she clicked into the call log. She just hoped Clarissa would say a word to her without sounding bitter.
She tapped her sister's number, and it rang several times before it eventually picked up on the other end.
There was no word immediately from her.
"Good morning, Clarissa," Selina spoke first, trying to sound polite.
"Good morning, sis," Clarissa answered softly before her tone shifted. "I thought you had run away since you managed to escape the authorities. Funny enough, you still dare to call me."
A frown settled on Selina's face at the tantrum Clarissa was about to display.
"We can address that once Father wakes up. What matters most to me right now is his condition. How is he doing? Was the surgery successful?"
"It went well. But Dad is in a comatose state. They're not sure when he'll be awake." Clarissa explained, her voice heavy with fear and then cracked with sobs.
Silence fell momentarily from Selina as her chest tightened. She forced herself not to be taken aback by the video of how miserable their father looked.
Still, she swallowed hard and struggled not to let bitterness overwhelm her at Zane's vicious act against the one she cherished and wanted to protect in return.
"I'm scared, Selina. What happened to Dad? Did you do this to him?"
Selina let out a long sigh, holding herself back. She couldn't break because it wasn't time for that. "It's up to you to believe me or not."
"I don't believe you."
Selina gave a slow nod. "Nothing will happen to him. He's a strong man and will recover soon. Don't stress about it, and take care of yourself and him."
"You don't tell me what to do." Clarissa rebuked. "My mother and I will take good care of him. You should try to keep your distance."
"Don't be delusional; I'll listen to that." Selina countered, her tone calm. "Since there's nothing to say, I'm hanging up."
"Grandfather," Clarissa said quickly. "He wants to see you."
Selina's brows narrowed, perplexed. "What for?"
"Why do you sound so anxious? Scared, already?"
Selina scoffed, hearing her sister's taunt. "Why should I?"
"Anyway, no one can keep him waiting. You'd better come, or you'll regret it."
"If he wants to see me for something important, I'll send the address to you," Selina replied firmly.
Then Selina ended the call sharply before Clarissa could say a word.
Selina stared at the phone for a moment, wondering what meeting her ex-grandfather wanted her presence for.
Just then, Selina felt her phone buzzing in her hands. She tapped into the new message, reading the brief, crisp context with disbelief shadowing her features.
The Everett is planning to merge IRIS LUXE.
"What is this? Why would they?" She muttered in disbelief, wondering what her family was planning. "But who sent me this?"
Her perplexed eyes darted across the room, noticing there was no one close.
"Could this be from Dad's assistant? Why didn't Clarissa tell me about it? I can't believe this." She muttered, feeling the urge to approach Everett about this sudden, ridiculous decision.
She remembered her father's warning clearly not to let her ex-grandfather or anyone in the family take control of IRIS LUXE. Not only that, but she must protect it at all costs.
But she couldn't let her desperation take the lead; otherwise, they would take advantage of it. Only wait for them to reply to her text.
Quietly, her thumbs move across the keyboard, typing the address to her sister.
Once her stomach grumbled loudly, Selina rose and dashed from the room with thick stockings that subtly shielded her feet from the cool tiles. She closed the door behind her with a soft click.
Descending the polished staircase, wavering but careful, she scanned the mansion for him. No one is in the living room. He must've left—as usual. After all, she mostly lived alone in this luxury house.