Scarred Seductress

Uninvited

Marina shot to her feet as her eyes caught the slightest glimpse of Selene by the door.

Her heart sank.

“Can I come in?” Selene asked, a polite smile plastered across her lips.

The woman before her tore her eyes away, saying nothing. Selene walked in quietly.

“I don’t remember calling for you, Selene… why are you here?” Marina snapped, suddenly shaking down to her toes.

Selene smiled.

“I was going to report the progress of the mission you assigned me over the phone, but I figured I needed to talk to you about an entirely different issue, so I decided to stop by in person,” Selene answered, confident and calm.

Marina scoffed.

“What a joke.”

“I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have—”

“Don’t come showing up at my doorstep unannounced, Selene… if I don’t call for you, then I probably have no need for you…”

“But ma’am, about Dylan—”

“Have I made myself clear?” Marina barked, cutting Selene off.

Selene pressed a reluctant nod. Marina hissed and looked away, faking annoyance, when beneath her countenance lay fear, urgency, and stress—that Selene might have heard even one word of what they had just discussed.

“I guess I’ll take my leave then,” Selene mouthed, turning quietly, about to walk away when Marina’s mother spoke.

“You don’t have to leave, Miss Selene… I mean, you’re already here, aren’t you?”

Selene’s feet faltered to a stop, and she forced a small smile.

“Come on in already… it’s almost lunchtime. What do you say we have lunch together?”

Marina’s eyes darted to her mother desperately, silently demanding to understand what she was doing. No doubt a sneaky woman like Selene must have heard everything they had said.

“Really, ma’am?”

She nodded quickly, ushering Selene into the suite and toward the dining area.

Marina hissed, sank into her chair, and grabbed her phone from the table, typing a quick text to her mother. The woman’s phone beeped, drawing both her eyes—and Selene’s—to it.

“Take a seat, Selene…” she guided.

Selene sat quietly as the woman walked to the table beside Marina, picked up her phone, and read the message.

What do you think you’re doing, Mom?

She lifted her eyes to Marina, noticing her panic.

Shaking her head, she typed a response.

So you were not going to try to find out if she heard something she shouldn’t have? You were just going to let her leave the walls of this mansion without even trying to find out?

Marina received the text and gulped, typing back with shaky hands.

I don’t know, Mom… I’m so scared… if she did hear something, then it’s only a matter of time before Damien and his father find out. They’ll kill me, Mom…

The woman shook her head and briefly caught Selene’s eyes. She flashed her a smile, then returned her attention to her phone.

You have to calm down and let your mother handle it, Marina… no doubt someone is going to die if she truly did hear something—but it won’t be you.

Marina’s eyes widened, and soon relief spread across her face.

Her mother smiled proudly, turned off her phone, and placed it down.

“So tell me, Selene… what’s so important that you had to come uninvited to find my daughter?”

Selene smiled, her thoughts running back to the report tucked inside her purse, her heart crashing wildly against her stomach. She had come to the Morettis’ to tell Marina she would be out of town for the next few days.

“Is something the matter?” the woman pressed.

Selene shook her head, chuckling lightly to mask the worry twisting her face.

“Everything is totally fine… it’s just about—” her eyes shifted to Marina.

Marina rolled her eyes. “Forget it if it’s about Dylan,” she rumbled.

Selene nodded quietly, certain within herself that something was no doubt wrong. She had just walked in seconds after the woman pulled the door open, only to see mother and daughter frozen in horror. The fact that Marina had less concern for a scheme she’d personally come to assign Selene to could only mean one thing—something far bigger and more serious was on her plate now.

“So… when did you arrive? Without Marina’s permission, how did you get past security?” the woman asked.

Selene smiled.

Marina hissed angrily. “They know she runs errands for me, Mom… of course they would never dare stop her.”

Selene nodded.

“Oh,” Marina’s mother choked. “So when exactly did you get here? I mean, how long did you wait out there… were you ever going to come inside or—”

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about, ma’am…”

“Worry?” Marina shuddered, shooting to her feet and exchanging a brief glance with her mother—a silent confirmation that Selene was to be eliminated.

“There’s absolutely no reason to worry, Selene… or do you think there is?”

Selene let out a hollow laugh. “Of course not, ma’am…”

Marina scoffed bitterly.

Selene watched her nod once, and her mother exhaled, turning to her with an assuring smile.

“Make yourself comfortable, Selene… I’ll go ask the servants to come serve lunch.”

She flashed another hideous smile and proceeded toward the door, exiting the suite entirely.

Selene’s gaze dropped to the floor as her pulse spiked with panic. No doubt they were going to kill her if she didn’t come up with a plan to get away—and fast. Whatever they were hiding, survival mattered more than uncovering it.

“So about Dylan…” Marina began, slipping into an entirely different conversation as if she wasn’t planning murder behind her smile.

“Did it succeed?”

Selene chuckled dryly. “Not really, ma’am…”

Marina raised a brow, her face twisting with annoyance.

“Why not?”

“Because I… because I…”

“What, Selene? I am highly disappointed in you. Why exactly did you fail?” Marina snapped.

Selene lowered her gaze just as the door clicked open—Damien walking in with his guards.

Marina shot to her feet, delight blooming across her face.

“Honey…” she cooed.

Damien’s eyes landed on Selene briefly before tearing away. He ignored Marina completely and headed for the stairs.

Marina forced a smile, shrugged off the embarrassment burning her cheeks, and asked again,

“So what exactly happened with Dylan… why did he—”

“I’m sorry. I had no choice but to call the night off after I found out I had a child growing inside of me,” Selene cooed, breaking into sudden sobs.

Marina’s eyes snapped wide.

Damien’s feet froze mid-step, his head whipping around as his gaze snapped back to Selene.