Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past
1257 Words
Rain splattered against the tall windows of the Hart mansion as Selena watched the storm brew outside. The house was quieter than usual—too quiet. Clara’s absence had left a hollow echo behind, but not one Selena missed.
She wrapped her arms around herself and exhaled slowly.
Her revenge had only begun.
The board had placed Clara under investigation. With mounting evidence and the threat of public scandal looming, Joanna had stepped down from her chairwoman duties “temporarily,” citing health reasons. In truth, it was a coward’s retreat.
Selena, on the other hand, had been asked to step in as interim director. A poetic twist—one she hadn’t expected so soon.
But with power came enemies.
And Selena knew Clara wasn’t gone.
She was lurking.
—
Selena stood in the Hart Foundation's glass-walled office on Monday morning, watching the staff bustle below. For the first time, people looked at her with respect—not pity. Their eyes no longer whispered, There goes the forgotten one.
Now they saw someone to fear.
She was no longer invisible.
“Miss Hart,” said her assistant, Maya, stepping into her office. “There’s a man in the lobby asking to speak with you. He says his name is Elijah Blake.”
Selena’s blood ran cold.
“Elijah?”
“Yes, ma’am. Should I send him away?”
Selena hesitated, then shook her head. “No. Bring him in.”
Elijah Blake. Marcus’s best friend. And her ex-fiancé’s confidant. If he was here, it wasn’t for pleasantries.
The door opened minutes later, and Elijah walked in, rain still clinging to his shoulders. He had the same arrogant swagger, but his eyes… they looked haunted.
“Selena,” he greeted softly.
She didn’t stand.
“Elijah. I’m surprised you’re brave enough to show your face.”
He winced. “I deserved that.”
She closed her laptop and looked at him squarely. “Why are you here?”
“I need to talk to you,” he said, stepping closer. “About Marcus.”
Her jaw clenched. “That name is banned here.”
“I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”
Selena studied him. His face looked thinner than she remembered, his eyes shadowed. Marcus’s betrayal had cost her everything… and Elijah had known. He had to have known.
“Five minutes,” she said.
Elijah took the seat across from her and leaned forward. “Marcus is spiraling. After you exposed Clara, his real estate deals started crumbling. She was laundering some of his investments through the Foundation.”
Selena’s mouth tightened. “So she dragged my name, took my place, and helped him profit from it.”
“Yes,” Elijah admitted. “And now that she’s gone, Marcus is panicking. He thinks you’re coming after him next.”
“Shouldn’t he be worried?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Elijah’s lips twitched into a grim smile. “He should. But that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why?”
Elijah looked her dead in the eyes. “Because Marcus isn’t just dangerous anymore—he’s desperate. And desperate men do stupid things.”
Selena’s pulse quickened. “Like what?”
“He thinks you’re going to ruin him. And he’s planning to get ahead of it.”
Selena’s stomach dropped.
“Are you saying he wants to hurt me?”
“I’m saying,” Elijah said slowly, “he’s talking to people who don’t play fair. The kind of people who make people disappear.”
Silence filled the office.
“Why are you warning me?” she asked.
“Because… I made a mistake,” he said quietly. “I stood by when Clara and Marcus planned what they did. I didn’t stop it. I didn’t stop him when he talked about ending you.”
Selena’s breath caught.
So it was true.
They hadn’t just tried to destroy her reputation.
They had wanted her gone.
“You could’ve stopped them,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“You watched them kill me,” she said, voice trembling. “You let them bury me and pretended nothing happened.”
Elijah’s face twisted in shame. “I was a coward. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m giving you a warning.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “Get out.”
He stood without argument.
But at the door, he paused. “Selena… if you need anything. If it gets bad… call me. I won’t turn away again.”
She didn’t answer.
After he left, she closed her eyes and let the pain wash over her.
---
That night, Selena walked through the old part of the city, her coat wrapped tight around her body. She wasn’t sure why she came here—maybe to remember who she had been before everything broke.
The bookstore still sat at the corner, its faded blue awning waving in the wind. She stepped inside, breathing in the scent of old paper and ink. The owner, Mrs. Doyle, looked up from behind the counter.
“Selena,” she smiled, surprised. “It’s been years.”
“Too long,” Selena murmured.
“You used to come in every Saturday with that old journal. Writing dreams, you said.”
Selena smiled faintly. “Dreams turn to ash.”
Mrs. Doyle tilted her head. “And ashes grow roses, love. Don't forget that.”
Selena wandered through the aisles until she reached the poetry section. Her fingers brushed a worn copy of The Phoenix and the Flame. She opened it—and tucked inside was a note. Handwritten.
It read:
We all wear masks,
but only some are brave enough to take them off.
—N
Noah.
Her breath hitched.
He had left her a message here? How long ago?
She clutched the book to her chest.
She wasn’t alone.
—
The next morning, Selena visited her mother.
Joanna Hart lay in bed, her once-sharp eyes dulled by medication and stress. Her hair, usually perfectly styled, now hung in tired wisps. The woman who had favored Clara all her life looked nothing like the proud matriarch she once was.
“You look well,” Joanna rasped.
“Better than you,” Selena said honestly.
Joanna’s lips twisted. “So, the prodigal daughter becomes the heir.”
Selena didn’t smile. “No. Just the last one standing.”
A long silence fell between them.
Joanna finally spoke. “I don’t regret choosing Clara. She was easier. You… reminded me of your father.”
Selena swallowed thickly. “He was kind.”
“He was weak.”
Selena shook her head. “You mistook kindness for weakness. Just like you mistook loyalty for inconvenience.”
Joanna closed her eyes. “And you? What do you want, Selena?”
“Justice,” she said softly. “For the little girl you ignored. For the daughter you let rot in the shadows. And for the woman who died because you were too blind to see betrayal.”
Joanna didn’t speak.
Selena rose to her feet.
“I’m not here for revenge anymore. I’m here to build something better. Something without your poison.”
She turned and walked away.
Joanna didn’t stop her.
Not this time.
—
Back in her room, Selena opened her laptop.
There was a new email waiting.
From an anonymous address.
Subject line: Be careful where you dig. Graves are often shallow.
Her hand stilled on the mouse.
The war had just begun.
And she was ready.
- Writer
