Chapter12—The Deal
1178 Words
Selena didn't sleep.
Not after Marcus's warning.
Not after learning Cassandra was back in the city.
And definitely not after hearing the word hunting.
The word refused to leave her mind.
It followed her through the night.
Through breakfast.
Through every moment she spent watching Aria.
Because there was only one person Selena cared about enough to fear losing.
Her daughter.
Aria sat at the kitchen table eating pancakes while humming to herself.
Completely unaware.
Completely innocent.
Selena found herself watching her more than usual.
Every smile.
Every laugh.
Every movement.
As though reassurance could somehow keep danger away.
"Mommy?"
Selena blinked.
"Yes?"
Aria pointed toward the window.
"Why do you keep looking outside?"
The question caught her off guard.
Children noticed everything.
Even the things adults tried to hide.
"I'm not."
Aria gave her a look.
A very skeptical look.
Then returned to her breakfast.
Selena almost smiled.
Almost.
Her phone buzzed.
The screen lit up with a familiar name.
Adrian.
Again.
She stared at it.
Ignored it.
The phone stopped ringing.
Then immediately buzzed with a text.
Please. Five minutes.
Selena sighed.
A minute later another message arrived.
This isn't about us anymore.
Her stomach tightened.
Because that was the problem.
It wasn't.
Not anymore.
This was bigger.
And she knew it.
Another message appeared.
If someone is targeting Aria, we need to compare what we know.
Selena stared at the screen.
Then slowly closed her eyes.
For five years she had survived by keeping Adrian out.
Away.
At a distance.
Now circumstances were forcing him back into her life.
And she hated it.
Because part of her knew he was right.
An hour later Selena walked into a private conference room inside Laurent Luxe headquarters.
The room was empty except for one man.
Adrian.
The moment he stood, silence settled between them.
Heavy.
Awkward.
Unfamiliar.
The last time they'd sat across from one another without fighting felt like a lifetime ago.
Neither spoke immediately.
Neither seemed to know how.
Finally Selena sat.
Adrian remained standing for another second before taking the chair opposite her.
For a moment they simply looked at one another.
Studying.
Measuring.
Searching.
Five years had changed them both.
Adrian looked older.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like someone carrying a weight too heavy to put down.
And Selena knew she probably looked the same.
"Thank you for coming."
His voice broke the silence.
Selena folded her arms.
"Don't thank me yet."
A faint smile appeared.
Then disappeared.
Neither found anything amusing.
Another silence stretched.
This one less hostile.
More uncertain.
Adrian finally spoke again.
"I'm sorry."
Selena froze.
The words weren't what she expected.
Not immediately.
Not like that.
Simple.
Quiet.
Sincere.
Adrian looked directly at her.
No arrogance.
No pride.
No excuses.
Just regret.
"I'm sorry for what happened."
The confession hit harder than she wanted.
"I know that doesn't change anything."
His voice remained calm.
"I know it doesn't erase what you went through."
Selena swallowed.
Hard.
Because part of her had imagined this moment.
Imagined him apologizing.
Imagined him begging.
Imagined him suffering.
Yet now that it was happening, satisfaction never came.
Only sadness.
"You abandoned me."
The words came out softer than intended.
Adrian flinched.
The reaction was immediate.
Visible.
Painful.
Selena noticed.
So did he.
His jaw tightened.
"I know."
"No."
Her voice hardened.
"You don't."
Years of hurt pushed through the cracks.
"You didn't stand there while hundreds of people stared."
His eyes dropped.
"You didn't hear them laughing."
Silence.
"You didn't spend five years wondering why you weren't enough."
Adrian looked shattered.
But Selena continued.
Because the truth deserved to exist.
"You weren't there."
The room went silent.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Finally Adrian nodded.
Slowly.
Accepting every word.
Every accusation.
Every wound.
"You're right."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I wasn't."
The honesty surprised her.
No defense.
No argument.
No justification.
Just acceptance.
For some reason that hurt more.
Eventually business replaced emotion.
Because it had to.
Adrian opened a folder.
"We need to compare everything."
Selena nodded.
Professional.
Controlled.
Safe.
Much safer than discussing feelings.
Together they spread documents across the table.
Photographs.
Financial records.
Phone logs.
Witness statements.
The growing mountain of evidence painted an ugly picture.
One neither wanted to ignore.
"Cassandra paid the wedding planner."
Selena pointed toward the transfer.
"And airport personnel."
Adrian nodded.
"Security too."
She frowned.
"Why would she do that?"
"That's what I'm trying to understand."
Neither liked the answer.
Because there wasn't one.
Not yet.
The deeper they dug, the stranger things became.
Every clue led toward Cassandra.
Yet somehow it still felt incomplete.
As though someone was missing from the equation.
Selena reached for another file.
Her hand brushed Adrian's.
Both froze.
The contact lasted less than a second.
Yet awareness instantly flooded the room.
Selena pulled back first.
Adrian looked away.
Neither acknowledged it.
Neither trusted themselves enough to.
Two hours later they had covered every piece of evidence.
Every witness.
Every payment.
Every contradiction.
And one terrifying realization.
Neither had been the primary target.
Aria was.
Selena leaned back.
Exhausted.
"Why her?"
Adrian's expression darkened.
"I don't know."
The answer frustrated both of them.
Because children weren't supposed to become pawns.
Especially not innocent children.
Selena rubbed her temples.
"We're missing something."
"We are."
Adrian agreed immediately.
Neither argued.
Because it was obvious.
A puzzle piece remained hidden.
And whoever held it was controlling the game.
The realization made Selena uneasy.
Very uneasy.
Her phone suddenly buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
Unknown number.
Immediately she declined it.
The phone buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
Five calls.
Back to back.
The room grew tense.
Adrian noticed.
"Who is it?"
"I don't know."
The calls stopped.
A second later a text arrived.
No message.
Just an attachment.
Selena frowned.
Then opened it.
The color drained from her face.
Instantly.
Adrian noticed.
"Selena?"
She couldn't answer.
Her hand trembled.
The phone nearly slipped from her fingers.
A terrible feeling settled in her stomach.
Cold.
Heavy.
Wrong.
"Selena."
Adrian stood.
"What is it?"
Slowly she turned the screen toward him.
The moment he saw the image, his expression changed.
Completely.
The photograph showed Aria.
Taken that morning.
Outside school.
Smiling.
Holding her backpack.
Completely unaware she was being watched.
The angle was wrong.
Too distant.
Too hidden.
Someone had taken the picture secretly.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Fear filled the room.
Raw.
Immediate.
Real.
Then Adrian noticed something else.
The timestamp.
His stomach dropped.
The photograph had been taken less than three hours ago.
Meaning whoever sent it wasn't showing them an old picture.
They were sending a message.
A warning.
Or a threat.
The phone buzzed again.
Another text.
This time there were words.
Just six of them.
Six words that made Selena's blood run cold.
I told you to disappear.
The room fell silent.
Adrian looked at Selena.
Selena looked at Adrian.
And for the first time since the wedding, neither saw an enemy.
They saw the same terrifying truth.
Someone was watching their daughter.
And that someone was getting closer.
- Writer
