Selene's POV
The champagne glass slips from my hand.
I watch it fall in slow motion, spinning through the air, sparkling under the crystal lights. It hits the floor and explodes into a thousand pieces. Just like my life is about to.
"Selene?" Ryan's voice sounds far away. "Baby, are you okay?"
I can't answer. I'm staring at my phone, hidden behind my white roses. The text message glows on the screen:
"Check the security footage from Ryan's office. Last Tuesday. 9 PM. I'm sorry. - A Friend"
My hands shake. Last Tuesday, Ryan said he was working late. He told me not to wait up. I made him dinner anyway and left it in his office.
What was he really doing?
"Selene!" Ryan grabs my arm, his smile tight. "Everyone's watching."
I look up. Two hundred guests stare at us. My parents sit at the front table. My mother's face shows disappointment like always. She never thought I was good enough. Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not perfect like my younger sister Vivienne.
Vivienne. She's standing by the champagne tower in her red dress. Red. To my engagement party. She's smiling at me with that smile she's had since we were kids. The one that says she knows something I don't.
My stomach hurts.
"I need to use the bathroom," I whisper.
Ryan's fingers dig into my arm. "Now? We're about to cut the cake."
"Let go of me." I pull away and walk fast toward the exit. My dress feels too tight. I can't breathe.
Behind me, I hear the microphone screech. Ryan's voice booms across the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention please!"
I stop. Something in his voice makes my skin crawl. I turn around slowly.
Ryan stands on the small stage, holding the microphone. He's smiling. But it's not the smile he gives me when we're alone. It's his business smile. The fake one.
"Thank you all for coming tonight," he says. The crowd claps. "I have an announcement to make."
My heart pounds. This isn't part of the plan. We already announced our engagement last month. What is he doing?
"Selene, come up here, baby."
Everyone turns to look at me. I feel frozen. My feet won't move.
"Come on, don't be shy!" Ryan laughs. A few people chuckle.
I force myself to walk back toward the stage. Each step feels wrong. My brain is screaming at me to run. But I can't. Not in front of everyone. Not in front of my parents who already think I'm a failure.
I climb the two steps to the stage. Ryan puts his arm around my waist. His hand is cold through my dress.
"I know we're here to celebrate," Ryan says into the microphone. "But I have to be honest with everyone. With myself."
What?
"The truth is..." Ryan pauses. He looks at me. His eyes are empty. "I can't marry Selene."
The room goes completely silent.
I can't hear anything except my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
"What?" I whisper.
Ryan speaks louder, into the microphone. "I'm in love with someone else."
The room explodes with gasps and whispers. I try to step away but Ryan holds me tight.
"Ryan, what are you—"
"I'm in love with Vivienne."
No.
No no no no no.
My sister walks onto the stage. She's not smiling anymore. She looks serious. Sad, even. But her eyes... her eyes are shining with victory.
She takes Ryan's other hand.
"I'm sorry, Selene," Vivienne says softly. "We didn't mean for it to happen. But we can't fight true love."
The room spins. I'm going to be sick.
"That's not all," Ryan continues. He nods to someone in the back. The huge screens around the ballroom light up. Documents appear. Bank statements. Transfer records. My company name—Moonlight Events—is on every page.
"For months, Selene has been stealing from her own company," Ryan says. His voice sounds sad but I can see the corner of his mouth twitching. He's enjoying this. "She's been moving money into secret accounts. Vivienne and I discovered it two weeks ago. We wanted to handle it privately, but... we can't let it continue."
"That's not true!" I shout. My voice cracks. "Those are fake! I never—"
"Enough, Selene." My father's voice cuts through the room. He stands up from his table. My mother stands too. They both look at me with disgust.
"You've embarrassed this family enough," my father says coldly. "We gave you that company. And this is how you repay us?"
"Dad, no! I didn't steal anything! Ryan is lying!"
But nobody is listening. Security guards appear at the edges of the stage. Where did they come from?
Ryan leans close to my ear. His breath is hot. "Should've read the paperwork more carefully, baby," he whispers so only I can hear. "The company was transferred to my name three months ago. You signed it yourself. Remember? I told you it was just tax documents."
Horror floods through me. I did sign papers. Stacks of them. Ryan said they were boring legal stuff for the business. I trusted him.
"Oh, and your apartment?" Ryan continues quietly. "Also mine now. Your car? Mine. Your bank accounts? Frozen pending investigation. You have nothing, Selene. You are nothing."
The security guards grab my arms.
"Wait!" I scream. "Please! Someone help me!"
But guests are pulling out their phones, recording everything. My mother has turned away. My father is shaking his head. And Vivienne... Vivienne is crying pretty tears while holding Ryan's hand.
They drag me off the stage. My heel breaks. I stumble but they keep pulling me toward the exit.
As the doors open, I hear Ryan's voice one last time:
"I'd like to propose a toast—to my real future wife, Vivienne!"
The crowd cheers.
The rain hits my face as they throw me outside. The doors slam shut behind me.
I collapse on the wet concrete. My white dress soaks through immediately. People walking by stare at me but no one stops.
I lost everything in ten minutes.
My company. My fiancé. My family. My home. My reputation.
I have nothing.
I am nothing.
I pull out my phone with shaking hands. The screen is cracked from where I dropped it. One new message:
"I warned you. But don't worry. This is just the beginning. - A Friend"
My blood runs cold.
The beginning? What does that mean?
Then I notice something else. Below that message is another one. From a number I don't recognize. It came through five minutes ago while I was on stage.
I open it.
"Aria. I found you again. But this time, I might be too late. He's already made his move. RUN. - K"
Aria? Who is Aria?
Who is K?
And run from what?
Thunder crashes above me. I look up at the dark sky.
That's when I see him.
A man stands across the street in the shadows. Tall. Wearing a long black coat. I can't see his face clearly. But I can see his eyes.
They're glowing silver in the darkness.
He takes one step toward me.
Then the street lights flicker and go out.
When they come back on three seconds later, he's gone.
But I can still feel him watching me.
And somehow, I know my life just became much more dangerous than losing everything to Ryan and Vivienne.
Something worse is coming.
Something I don't understand.
And that man with silver eyes... he knows what it is.