Selene Ardent — Old Secrets Won't Stay Buried
The call came just after midnight.
The phone vibrated once across the desk, a low hum skidding over polished wood. Then again. Light bloomed against the surface, illuminating a name she knew too well.
Julian Cael.
Amara's husband.The man who had smiled as he signed her future away—one stroke of ink sealing everything she'd built.
Selene didn't answer at once.
Silence thickened, heavy enough to feel. She imagined the wait pressing down on the other end of the line. When she finally lifted the phone, her voice came out steady—unnaturally so.
"What do you want?"
A pause. Then a quiet laugh.
"You sound different," Julian said. "Stronger. I was beginning to worry."
Selene's fingers tightened around the device.
"I'm busy."
"That's new," he replied lightly. "You used to listen."
Used to.
The word left a sour taste behind. Outside the window, the city slept—unaware of how quickly power could shift hands.
"You called," she said. "Speak."
Another silence, longer this time.
"I heard you rejected the contract amendment," Julian said carefully. "That isn't like you, Amara."
Selene smiled then—slow, sharp, edged with frost.
"Get used to disappointment."
She ended the call before he could respond.
A soft creak sounded behind her.
Kieran stood in the doorway, coat half-buttoned, worry etched into every line of his face.
"Who was that?" he asked.
Selene turned. Her expression revealed nothing.
"A mistake," she said evenly. "One I won't repeat."
Kieran didn't speak.
As he watched her, a strange thought took shape—quiet and unsettling.
Maybe the woman I loved was only a version I created. A shape formed from hope, not truth.
The realization didn't frighten him.
It thrilled him.
Amara Solis — A Dangerous Man Starts Paying Attention
For days, Darius never let her out of his sight.
He didn't say it aloud. He didn't question her openly. But he noticed everything—the way she paused before speaking, the way she asked instead of commanded, the way her gaze lingered on people rather than cutting past them.
That evening, dinner passed in silence.
Across the long table, Amara barely touched her food. Darius watched as minutes stretched on, her plate untouched, her shoulders tight.
"You've been distracted," he said quietly.
Amara looked up. "Is that a problem?"
Selene would have dismissed the concern outright.
But Amara waited. Watched him. Let the silence breathe.
Darius set his fork down slowly.
"You don't look at this world the way you used to," he continued. "It's as if you're seeing it for the first time."
Her breath caught.
Was it truly that obvious?
"I almost lost myself," she said softly. "I don't want to do that again."
Something passed through Darius's eyes—not anger, but a deeper weight.
"You never lost yourself," he said. "You just stopped letting anyone see you."
Amara swallowed.
Footsteps sounded outside the room—fast, urgent—cutting through the moment. A guard appeared in the doorway, expression tight.
"Boss. We have a situation."
Darius rose immediately. "Speak."
"There's been a breach. Someone leaked internal movements. Only three people had access."
The room tilted.
Darius's gaze returned to her—searching, sharp, unreadable.
"Selene," he said slowly, "where were you earlier tonight?"
There was no accusation in his voice.
That made it worse.
Amara's fingers stiffened at her sides.
"I was here," she said truthfully. "With you."
Silence stretched between them. Darius didn't look away.
Somewhere deep in the shadows of that world, something old stirred awake.
Suspicion.