Chapter 3: "Betrayal"

Selena's Pov.

"…Selena?"

"Miss Selena?"

Snapping, I looked at the female employee standing before me. "Sorry, what did you say again?"

She pointed to the stack of folders on my desk. "The marketing director wants to know when the president will sign the document he showed him last Friday." After hesitating, she brushed her nape and said, "I know we can't rush Sir Dwaine. But if he delays it any longer, we will lose a large amount of money. That's what the director wants to say."

"About that," I tapped the folders and gave the employee a reassuring smile. "Tell the director not to worry. I'll contact the president and make sure he'll sign it."

But the moment she left, the smile I tried to maintain has collapsed.

Weaving a sigh, I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

Last night, after Maxwell dropped me at my place, which is still a mystery until now, the first thing I did was to call Dwaine.

However, since last night, he hasn't answered my phone call.

"It's not going through."

 Raking my hair, I redialed his number for the thirtieth time.

"The number you dialed is not in service. Please leave a message after this tone."

It's been a whole day since I lost touch with Dwaine. And that alone made me more anxious.

I sent him countless texts. I explained to him that nothing happened between Maxwell and me. I also reassured him that we still had a chance to save the Mercian without Maxwell's help.

But it's no avail.

About to give up, I stood up and decided to find Dwaine myself.

Right at that moment, someone called in my phone.

It was him.

Not wasting any seconds, I quickly picked it up.

"Dwaine, you answered! Where are you? I'll go there. I thought of something that would-"

["Selena."]

His voice, sounding heavy and empty, made me cease.

I frowned. "Why are you speaking like that? You're making me worry."

[“…”]

Silence.

"Dwaine?"

["You trust me, right?"]

His question was strange.

But even so, "Of course, I trust you," I answered without hesitation.

……..

Third Person Pov.

["You trust me, right?"]

It was a simple question.

"Of course, I trust you."

And a simple answer.

Yet, Selena never knew that this was where the betrayal started as well as the deal that is bound to change her life.

After Dwaine asked Selena that question, he suddenly ended the call.

Making Selena find it suspicious.

'Is it because he's mad because he lost from the bet? Or Is it because we failed to secure a deal with Maxwell?' Somehow, Selena's consciousness tells her that it's neither of the two.

"Secretary Moore," called Sir Turner, snapping Selena from the present. "The chairman asked you to come in."

'Well, let's finish this first. Then find Dwaine and let him know that I already thought of a plan that might save us from the crisis.' With that in mind, Selena went inside the Chairman's office. There, she saw him standing near the transparent window, staring at the view of the clear city.

"You called for me, Sir."

"It's been a while, Miss Moore," his voice was still as calm as before.

Lifting her head, she looked at him, who was now staring back at her with a gentle smile. A kind of smile that would appease anyone who sees it.

At least, not Selena.

The man's name was Pierson Scoth—the head of the Scoth group and Dwaine's father.

"I called you here to praise you, Miss Moore," he said, slightly catching Selena off guard.

'That's too random.' She thought.

Pulling his chair and sitting down gently, Pierson chuckled. "I heard from my son that you made a big achievement for the company. I must praise you for that."

Selena subtly smiled. "I'm afraid I can't catch up, Sir. May I ask what I did to deserve your praise?"

"That's odd." Pierson cocked his head, looking confused. "You and my son have a close relationship. Don't tell me, Dwaine didn't tell you about it?"

As if he understood Selena's silence, Pierson nodded and stood up.

"That's quite sad," he whispered with a sad tone.

When Selena is about to ask what it is, Pierson has already started his sentimental speech.

"I remember the day I first saw you. A smart child with a promising future that waits for her. That's my first impression. And you didn't fail to reach my expectations. You're unique and smart. It's not a lie to say you're par with my son."

"You also became the best aid for Dwaine. That's why I'm glad I made the right decision to give you the company's sponsor and scholarship that supported your studies and your loans. You must be thankful for it. After all, you won't be here if it's not for our generosity."

'Now, is that a compliment?' Selena scoffed in her mind. 'Of course not. It's a thinly veiled warning. A way to remind me of my low standing in this company. And his way of warning me to stay away from his son. So he really called me to say those words.'

Pierson's tone lowered as he added, "However, every good thing in this world has a price. To pay for our generosity, you need to do something."

Hiding her hands behind her back as she clenched them, Selena spoke, "I understand. Don't worry, I'll do my best to become more good secretary to your-"

"Maybe that's what Dwaine also thought of when he decided to sell you to Maxwell in exchange for saving the Mercian."

“…”

His words that stopped her from speaking, those sentences... Selena heard it well.

Even so, she wants to doubt it. 'I must've heard it wrong. Yeah, I'm just hallucinating.'

And after a long silence, she plastered a smile. "I…I think I'm a little bit tired. I would want to excuse myself, Sir."

She turned around, but his words stopped Selena in her tracks.

"You're not dense, Miss Moore. I told you, you're smart. You already grasp what I mean by my words. It's been a day since my son started to ignore you. You must already sense something wrong."

"I don't know what tricks you did to make the CEO of Zuiqe want you. But thanks to it, Dwaine secured a contract today with Maxwell by selling you out. Now, Mercian is out of crisis thanks to you."

Slowly, her hands clutched the hem of her skirt.

"You're lying." Facing Pierson, she said, "That's absurd. There's no way Dwaine would sell me out."

Pierson's brows slightly raised at her statement.

Heaving an air, she sharply said, "If you're saying this just to make sure to make me stay away from your son, sorry, I won't. But don't worry, I won't have any romantic feelings for him. I'll make sure to stay at his side as his secretary."

Strangely, while she said those words, she was reminded of something.

"Selena."

It was his voice.

"Do you trust me?"

His empty and heavy tone keeps bothering her.

But she decided to ignore it.

Her hands clenched. "So, You don't need to tell such a lie. If Dwaine hears this, he'll be disappointed."

"Ha…" a laugh left Pierson. "If you don't want to believe me, look it for yourself."

A black folder was tossed onto the table.

"See it yourself on how my son decided to abandon you."

No matter how many times she ordered herself not to open it, her own hands already betrayed her.

It was indeed a collaboration contract between Zuiqe and Mercian.

As she read through it, her eyes suddenly froze on the last page. Her hands trembled as she whispered to herself, "In exchange for a collaboration with Mercian, Maxwell Lawson wants Selena Moore. And... And..."

As if a barb wrapped on her throat, making breathing hard, she gazed at Dwaine's name on the contract.

'And to save the company, Dwaine, he…'

'He and the chairman signed it without my permission.'

'Dwaine has sold me out to Maxwell Lawson.'

Selena's mind was in turmoil, and the chaos had left her feeling numb and empty.

"I need to see Dwaine. This can't be true," she muttered, shaking her head slowly. Grabbing the folder, she marched towards the door and saw Dwaine's figure outside.

Despite the weight that felt like it was crushing her throat, Selena summoned the courage to look at his face and forced a smile. "This is just a prank, right?"

However, Dwaine's cold expression made it clear that it was not a prank.

Seeing the evident pain in Selena's eyes, he lowered his gaze and flatly pressed his lips.

"One year," he said, clenching his hands. "Just bear it for one year."

A ringing silence hangs in the space.

Feet voluntary taking a step back, her face paled.

"You really sold me out," her voice rough and thick. "The reason why you keep asking me if I trust you, and the reason why you ignored me, It was because you're guilty. Because you," her voice trembled, "Out of people, dared to sell me out to a man."

Selena's words struck Dwaine hard.

Still, Dwaine stepped closer and held her shoulder. His gaze was full of eagerness.

"Only four people knew that contract, including you. So, I hope you'll keep it a secret."

Flabbergasted, Selena laughs hollowly. "What?"

Dwaine's grip on her shoulder tightened. "I had no choice, Selena. I did all of this for the sake of Mercian and our future. That's why I didn't sell you. I just let Maxwell borrow you for a while."

His words only made Selena feel worse.

"For the sake of the company," she muttered.

After falling into silence, a downturned smile showed on Selena's lips. "You're right. You need to save the company. I mustn't blame you, Dwaine. I-I forgot my place, I'm sorry. I'm just a lowly secretary whose opinion doesn't matter. A loyal dog who will do anything her master wants, right?"

"Selena! What are you spouting?" Dwaine lifted his hands and caressed Selena's cheeks. He shook his head. "I don't know why Maxwell wants you. But I'm sure for one thing," He smiled with reassurance. "I'll take you back from him. I promise. After all, you trust me."

 "What for?" Selena said, pulling her shoulder away from him. "You don't need to take me back."

Dwaine felt a prickling stab as he watched Selena move away from him. Slowly, he looked into her eyes, which were full of hatred he was afraid to see.

"What...did you say?" he slowly asked.

"I said you don't need to take me back. Because the moment I leave the company is when our ties end."

His gaze didn't leave her as a frown creased on him. Soon, a sneering smile left his lips.

"You'll end ties with who?" his cold voice prevailed.

Selena looked down and took out a pen from her blazer's pocket.

She shot him a glance.

"I only need to sign this, right?"

"Selena."

Ignoring his voice, Selena opened the folder and signed the contract.

"Here." Pushing the contract towards him, she smiled again and sarcastically exclaimed, "Congratulations, Sir Dwaine Scoth. You finally saved the Mercian. I wish you success."

She bowed for the last time.

"If you have nothing to say, I'll leave now."

But before she could go, Dwaine firmly grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going? Selena, we're not-"

"Let go of me!"

Selena tore her arm away from him.

Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut about the deal, as per your order, sir."

She lowly chuckled.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice in the beginning."

Without sparing him an ounce of glance, Selena left.

………

In the dark early night, as the stars and moon tucked themselves with blankets of clouds, street lamps shined the whole city with bright lights.

Amid the loud, busy street, Selena paved herself from the people. But as her vision started to blur her surroundings, her pace started to slow and soon stopped.

Biting her quivering lips, she tried to walk forward. But no matter how much she wanted to gather herself, tears uncontrollably left her eyes.

She wished it was a dream. A short nightmare that would vanish once she woke up. However, the pain she's having now is too painful to be called a dream. 

"I had no choice, Selena. I did all of this for the sake of Mercian and our future. That's why I didn't sell you. I just let Maxwell borrow you for a while."

His words were like a brick that countlessly hit her, slowly shredding her body into a million pieces.

 It was he who sold her out with a mere piece of paper—her friend she trusted the most and the man she unconditionally gave her love for years.

"Out of people, why?"

A quiet sob escaped her.

"Dwaine, why did you sell me out to Maxwell? Why?"

Defeated, Selena covered her face with her shaking, cold hands as she let out all the tears she had been keeping.

……..

After crying for a long time, Selena found herself in a daze while sitting on a bench near a small park.

The loud and busy street is now rested in silence. Few cars passed, and trees on the roadside swayed as the chilly midnight breeze blew. As the cold air settled on her skin, a grumbling sound from her stomach was heard next. Perhaps it was because she burned a lot of calories due to crying for hours, which made her hungry. Or maybe it was because of the savory smell that lingers in the air from the tent bar across the street.

Subconsciously, her feet had already led her in front of the see-through tent. The muffled voices from the customers could be heard from the outside while the strong, smoky smell of the grilling barbecue entered her nose.

"What do you want, miss?" Asked by the stall owner the moment Selena entered inside.

"I want-" pausing, she cleared her throat and continued with her hoarse voice, "Give me two bottles of beer and a plate of barbecue, please."

....

Footsteps echoed down the parking basement of Zuiqe's building. As the owner of the footsteps came closer, Trey— who noticed his boss's presence, quickly had his posture straightened. Tugging his glass up to his nose, he glanced at Maxwell. On his boss's chiseled face, shown a dark circle under his sharp eyes. A thing that even added up to Maxwell's intimidating aura.

"Good evening, Sir," Trey cautiously greeted him and immediately opened the back door for Maxwell.

"How's the talk with director Yoo?" Maxwell asked while he loosened his tie.

Trey glanced at him through the car's mirror and handed him a folder.

"The talk went smoothly. Also, director Yoo gave this as evidence against Chief Wright."

"Mmm." After his short, insincere response, the car met with silence except for the faint sound of the radio and the flipping sound of paper.

"How's about the situation with her?" Maxwell asked after closing the folder.

Briefly glancing at him and gazing back on the road, Trey replied, "Based on the report, after Dwaine signed the contract, he went straight to Mercian. Miss Moore is also still at his company. And the chance that she's aware of the contract is one hundred percent."

"So, it's happening," after Maxwell uttered those words, a faint smirk played on his mouth.

The black rover car slowly stopped at the red light. Not even a half minute had passed; Trey's following words caught Maxwell's attention.

"Speaking of Miss Moore, isn't that her?"

Following where Trey's gaze was pointed, Maxwell looked at the familiar silhouette of a woman.

It was Selena Moore.

The woman he just bought today.