A hush fell over the private room. Feeling his mood dampen, Kian Hawthorne turned back to continue his conversation with Justin Sutton.
After a good while, Theodore Jennings returned alone. Selene Shaw wasn’t with him.
"Where’s Selene?" Kian asked.
"She said it was too stuffy and went out to the terrace for some fresh air," Theodore said, collapsing onto the sofa and pointing outside.
Kian looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Warm yellow lights illuminated the terrace, where Selene stood alone by the railing. The wind fluttered the hem of her dress, making her silhouette appear slender and fragile.
He remembered she had been in the hospital just yesterday, having barely recovered from a fever.
"I’ll go check on Selene," he said to Justin as he stood up. "Her fever just broke; she shouldn’t be out in the wind."
Justin nodded without pressing the matter. He knew about Kian and Selene’s past, and he knew there were lingering feelings between the two that neither had truly let go.
Kian pushed open the terrace door and walked slowly, step by step, toward her back.
A gust of wind surged forward, carrying the damp chill of early spring.
Kian stopped beside Selene. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the city’s nightscape that shimmered like a mirage.
The night breeze lifted her hair, the ends gently brushing against his arm, stirring an inexplicable sense of melancholy within him.
Kian took off his jacket and gently draped it over Selene’s shoulders.
"Did you know?" Selene said softly, gazing at the night view. "During those years I spent in Country A, I never dared to look at any news about Florian, terrified that I might see you in it."
Kian’s fingers twitched subconsciously on the railing.
"But somehow, news about you always managed to find its way to my ears." Selene turned her head away, hiding her face from Kian.
He stayed silent for a long moment before reaching out to grasp her arm.
"I’m sorry," he whispered close behind her ear. "I’m so sorry."
When her father was imprisoned back then, Kian’s father had not only refused to help but also acquired the Shaw family’s assets in the aftermath, causing Mr. Shaw to die of despair behind bars.
They had once promised to attend the same university, but right before the college entrance exams, she had suddenly gone abroad.
They were childhood sweethearts; she was his first love. After she left, his heart had never fluttered for anyone else.
Selene kept her head down, swallowing back her sobs. "I shouldn’t have come back."
"You should have. Selene, I will make it up to you. I’ll make amends for the mistakes my father made back then." Kian lowered his voice, his eyes dark with heavy gloom.
She turned around and buried her face in his chest, crying from sheer grievance.
He froze for a moment before gently raising his hand and patting her back helplessly.
"Selene, don’t do this. It’s not good for either of us."
Her trembling shoulders suddenly stopped. She pulled away from him and turned to head back inside.
He looked out at the distant city skyline and let out a heavy breath.
***
After the gathering ended, Kian drove Selene home.
She was an intellectual and magnanimous woman. As if the events on the terrace had never happened, she returned to her gentle and tranquil demeanor.
On the way back, they chatted about the recent economic climate, international affairs, and how the situations in The Arid Expanse were impacting oil prices and the stock market. They conversed eagerly, and her insights gave him plenty of inspiration.
These were topics Kian could never discuss with Leah Sinclair.
When the car pulled up to Selene’s apartment building, she smiled. "Thank you for bringing me back. Good night."
Selene stepped out of the car. Kian glanced at the paper bag resting on the backseat.
"Selene," he called out, stopping her just before she entered the building.
She paused and looked back at him.
"Here, take this." Kian held out the paper bag to her.
Selene was taken aback. "Isn’t this for your wife?"
Kian placed the paper bag on the ground. "If you like it, take it. If you don’t want it, just throw it away."
Having left the item behind, he turned and walked away.
Selene watched his retreating figure, then looked down at the velvet box inside.
After a long time, she picked up the paper bag.
***
Leah slept restlessly and woke up in the middle of the night for a glass of water.
Drinking the water only made her more wide awake, so she leaned against the headboard and scrolled through her phone.
Perhaps because the word "pearls" had been mentioned so much tonight, the social media algorithm was actually pushing quite a few pearl-related posts onto her feed.
Suddenly, one of the posts stung her eyes.
The pearl jewelry set that she had worn for less than half an hour was now resting against a woman’s fair neck. The photo didn’t show the face, but Leah knew exactly who it was.
The caption read: [Good night, my love.]
Leah regretted staying up and scrolling through her phone. If she hadn’t opened the app, she wouldn’t have had to stomach something so vile.
For a brief moment tonight, she had actually thought Kian had won the pearls at the auction to make up for the grievances she suffered at the old family estate that afternoon. She had even imagined he would tell her that she could wear the set to important events in the future, sparing her from having to endure anyone’s condescending looks.
Instead, he had only made her wear them in public to show off how much he doted on his wife, only to turn around and give them to his beloved mistress.
Leah jumped out of bed, yanked open the drawer, and pulled out the signed divorce agreement. She wanted nothing more than to march right over and force Kian to sign it.
But after hesitating for a long time, she put it back down.
The edges of the paper were crumpled from her tight grip, and she smoothed them out little by little.
She needed Kian to procure that new medication to save her uncle’s life. She locked the divorce agreement back inside the drawer.
Compared to her uncle’s life, her pride was nothing. Let everyone laugh at her all they wanted; she just needed her uncle to live a long and healthy life.
***
Josh Sterling and Phillip Pierce sat together, drinking. Neither of them tried to start a conversation, simply minding their own business. Josh was checking the US stock market trends, while Phillip scrolled through his phone.
"Damn," Phillip cursed suddenly, shoving his phone screen right into Josh’s face. "The jewelry you just dropped a fortune to win at the auction was casually handed off to a mistress by that scumbag."
Josh clearly saw the image on the screen. The pearls he had just won were resting quietly against a stranger’s collarbones. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Phillip continued to chatter endlessly, but Josh remained completely silent.
His phone rang, and he answered it.
"Mr. Sterling, this is Manager Li from the auction house. The collection you won tonight has ended up in the hands of another lady. How would you like us to handle this matter?"
"I will handle the rest."
He hung up and placed the phone on the table.
Phillip stared at him eagerly. "How are you going to handle it?"
Josh didn’t answer. He picked up his glass and took a slow sip.
"Say something!" Phillip reached over and shook his arm.
Josh glanced up at his childhood friend. "Theoretically, I could just send her a lawyer’s letter and demand she return it."
"Return it? A lawyer’s letter?" Phillip’s eyes lit up. "And then what?"
"But that’s not dramatic enough," Josh said, watching the liquid swirl in his glass. "I’m going to make sure everyone knows she took something that didn’t belong to her."
Phillip’s eyes gleamed. "When? Right now?"
"What’s the rush?" Josh shot him a look. "You have to wait for the right weather to call down lightning."
Phillip grabbed his phone and aggressively hit ’like’ on the post. "Hear that? The lightning bolt meant for you is already on its way."