Chapter 6
868 Words
Selene leaned against the elevator wall, watching as the numbers climbed higher and higher.
The ride home was always the same—quiet, sterile, detached. The kind of silence that came with living in one of the most expensive buildings in the city.
The Veyne family owned the penthouse suite of the Callisto Towers, an ultra-exclusive, glass-walled masterpiece overlooking the city skyline. It was the kind of place where the wealthy lived discreetly—away from the chaos, away from prying eyes.
Selene hated it.
Not the view. Not the luxury. Just the emptiness of it all.
The elevator dinged softly as it reached the top floor. She stepped out into the private entrance hall, her shoes barely making a sound against the pristine marble flooring.
The air smelled faintly of fresh roses and expensive candles. A maid had probably been through. Not that they ever stuck around.
Her family valued privacy over everything else.
She tossed her bag onto the sleek black couch and made her way to the open kitchen. The floor-to-ceiling windows bathed everything in golden afternoon light, the city stretching endlessly below.
At the kitchen island, Camilla Veyne was sipping her usual post-afternoon tea, flipping through a tablet with the calm precision of a woman who never rushed anything.
Her mother didn’t look up when she spoke.
“Late again.”
Selene grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Only by five minutes.”
Camilla swiped to the next page. “Five minutes is still late.”
Selene sighed. Right. Because in this house, being anything less than perfect was unacceptable.
“School?” Camilla asked, though it was more of a formality than an actual question.
Selene shrugged. “Same as always.”
That was a lie.
Liam had been watching her more than usual. And Leo… Leo had kept looking at her like he was trying to figure something out.
But she wasn’t about to tell her mother any of that.
Camilla finally looked at her. Her eyes were sharp, assessing. “You look tired.”
Selene swallowed. “I slept fine.”
Another lie.
She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was changing.
And whatever it was, she had a sinking feeling that it had already started.
---
Later that evening, she sat on the rooftop terrace, the city glittering below.
Her father, Victor Veyne, was sitting across from her, a glass of whiskey in hand.
Unlike her mother, Victor wasn’t the type to waste words.
He simply studied her for a moment before saying, “Something’s on your mind.”
Selene stared at her reflection in the glass table. “Not really.”
Victor tilted his head slightly, unconvinced. “You were never good at lying.”
Selene smirked. “You sure? I think I’ve gotten better.”
He chuckled, low and thoughtful. “Maybe.”
Silence stretched between them. Not uncomfortable. Just… measured.
Finally, he said, “You know we’d support you, no matter what.”
Selene blinked. “That’s… random.”
Victor took a slow sip of his drink. “Not really.”
Selene exhaled sharply.
Her family had always been private, but there was something about the way her father said things—like he knew more than he was letting on.
"Selene"
Selene looked up, realizing her father had stood up and was walking inside.
He stopped and turned slightly "Follow me".
-----
As Selene sat in her father's study, she didn't know what to think. Her mind was literally like a jigsaw puzzle that she couldn't arrange properly.
Something was going on. Something she couldn't quite put a name to.
She didn't quite understand it either. Everything seemed fairly normal. Yet she still felt uneasy.
Thud
Selene snapped out of it to see her father staring at the mahogany box he had placed on the table.
He had a blank face but she could read a lot from his eyes. Sadness, relief, anger and was that hope?
And when he finally opened the box and turned it to her, she was surprised.
In it sat a pure black ear stud. It seemed to glitter under the lights and gave off this feeling....
It was soothing.....
Selene looked up "I didn't know you were into jewelery, dad. It's beautiful"
He looked at her deeply " It's for you."
Selene was stunned for a moment. Her dad....was acting out of character. It wasn't her birthday or any special event. He rarely gave gifts on normal days.
"I know you have questions. Frankly so do I." He sighed as he leaned back.
"I don't under-"
"Just take it. Wear it at all times"
Selene was getting even more confused "Why?"
He was being awfully serious about a stud earring.
Her father just smiled at her. "Just do it. Take it as a good luck charm"
----
Selene didn't have a clue as to what just happened in her dad's study. He was unbearably cryptic.
As she walked back to her room she examined the stud earring in her palm.
Well, it's pretty anyways, she thought, as she put it on.
She didn't however know of the red light that flashed across her eyes.
- Writer
