Her eyes didn’t leave Alice’s face.
“I know everything I did was wrong, and there is no justification for it. And that it’s something I never should’ve done.”
Alice finally looked up. Her eyes held a complicated light. She didn’t glare. But there wasn’t warmth there either.
They had grown up together.
Selene was like her little sister. Even after they grew up, Alice still saw her that way.
She had always been strict, but she protected Selene when they were kids, doted on her when they were teenagers.
And now? It was still hard to accept what happened.
Alice didn’t speak. She just looked.
Isaac stayed silent too. He wasn’t going to interfere.
The silence dragged for a few seconds before Selene slowly stood up.
“I didn’t come here expecting forgiveness,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to say this. I’ll take my leave now.”
She turned, and walked out the door.
Isaac glanced at Alice. Her face had returned to its usual neutral expression, but he could tell her emotions weren’t calm.
Emily reached out and placed a hand over Alice’s. Just a light squeeze.
Professor Catherine let out a lazy hum. “I was half expecting someone to throw a glass.”
“No point in breaking furniture,” Alice replied, standing up. “It wouldn’t solve anything.”
Isaac followed her to the hallway. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“If you ever want to talk—”
“I know.”
She cut him off, and walked toward her room without saying anything else.
“You can also tell me if you want me to break her nose again.”
Alice’s feet froze. She turned around to look at his smirking face.
“…seriously?”
“Yup. My hands have been itching these days. I’ll be happy to put them to use for you.”
Seeing his smile, the corners of her lips rose unconsciously.
She shook her head, and returned to her room, her steps lighter than before.
…
Akaza Ruin, Fortified City 89
Selene adjusted her collar as she sat inside the private room.
Her legs were crossed neatly.
She was waiting to meet a couple of businessmen. Nothing major. Just a potential discussion about investment in a small sweet shop project based in the Akaza Ruin Stronghold.
It was normal to get approached by small businesses hoping to collaborate.
Usually, she wouldn’t handle it personally, but since she was planning to step down from her position, she needed to get used to this type of workload.
A polite knock came.
“Enter,” she said.
The door opened and two men walked in. Selene’s eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t recognize either of them.
That was strange
She knew every executive, manager, and assistant in the company she was visiting today. She had studied the employee list just yesterday.
These men were not on it.
She reached under the table slowly, pressing a small, hidden switch designed to alert her guards. The light beneath the table flickered once to confirm the signal had been sent.
She waited. Five seconds. Ten.
No one came.
Her hand stilled.
One of the men, a tall man with sharp features, smiled.
“Please don’t panic,” he said calmly. “I didn’t kill your guards. They’re alive. Just sleeping for now. I only did that as I didn’t want anyone to disturb our meeting.”
Selene’s heart beat faster, but her expression didn’t change.
She folded her hands on the table. “Who are you?”
The man bowed slightly. “Godric. Just Godric.”
Selene glanced at the second man—or woman. It was hard to tell due to the robe. He hadn’t said a word since entering.
Her attention snapped back to Godric.
“What do you want?”
“To help you,” he said simply.
“Help?” she repeated.
“Yes. We’ve heard about your unfortunate situation with the Calloway Conglomerate. You are losing the battle for the chairman seat.
“It must be difficult. Especially after all you did to build it up. I believe we can offer you a path forward.”
Selene didn’t answer immediately.
She leaned back slightly, measuring him.
Her mind was working fast, even as she kept her expression neutral.
The guards outside weren’t amateurs.
Her strongest guard was Champion-level. Level 41, to be exact.
Strong enough to stand against most threats in the city.
Yet here she was, isolated. Her guards were defeated. That could only mean one thing.
’He is Champion rank, maybe higher than Level 45.’
Her eyes flicked toward Godric again.
He didn’t look like any of the registered Champion-ranked awakeners in Fortified City 89.
Selene had memorized details of every major awakeners. There were around fifty Champions in the city. Three hundred total across all the human controlled fortified cities.
Which meant—
’He’s not on record. A hidden champion?’
That shouldn’t be possible.
The resources needed to raise someone to Champion level were enormous.
Not just money, but specific catalysts, rare training environments, battle experience. Doing it under the radar was nearly impossible.
Godric leaned forward as he sat across from her.
Selene kept her breathing steady.
She was listening, but only because moving now would be dangerous.
“So what exactly are you offering?” she asked.
“You help us,” Godric said smoothly. “And we help you return to the top. Back in power. Back where you belong.”
Selene raised an eyebrow. “And how would you do that?”
“You’ve got the brains, the image, and the influence. We’ve got the means. We can be your shadow, and your hidden blade. Together, we can help you hold the Calloway Conglomerate in your palms.”
Selene smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s a bold claim.”
“It is, but I believe we can do it.”
Selene tilted her head.
She was only playing along until her reinforcements came.
As for the chairman position, she had given up on it.
Normally, she would never think of doing that, but when her father said he wished he was dead rather than see Selene what she had become, Selene was shaken to the core.
It made her realize how disgusting she has become.
After that conversation with her father, nothing else mattered more than fixing things with Alice, her family.
But these people didn’t know that.
They thought she wanted power back.
“Your dreams are big. I’ll give you that. But what will be your first step. Surely, you have a plan to put things into motion?”
“You just need to get kidnapped.” He smiled.
Selene froze.
She hadn’t misheard. The words were casual, dropped like they meant nothing. But the implications were chilling.
“Excuse me?”
“Of course, it’s just a temporary arrangement. You’ll be treated well, and no real harm will come to you. Think of it as a calculated sacrifice. A step back to leap forward.”
“And how would my kidnapping help ’our’ goal?”
“We will shift the blame on Isaac Hargraves. Just the fact you were kidnapped after meeting him would jeopardize his position, since you two already have enmity between yourselves and it could mean Isaac had a hand in your kidnapping.
“We will twist the narrative by saying he is trying to take over Calloway Conglomerate through Alice, and that’s why he got you kidnapped to eliminate you.
“Then, Alice, who is supported by him, will fall out of favour and her chances of becoming the chairman will plummet.”
Selene remained calm on the outside, but a cold dread had started to rise in her chest.
Her hand trembled slightly beneath the table. She tried to control her breathing.
Where were the reinforcements?
Before she could speak again, her vision blurred.
She blinked.
Then again.
Godric’s face swam in her vision. She reached up, touching her forehead. Her fingers felt numb.
Godric smiled.
“We look forward to your cooperation.”
Selene opened her mouth but no words came out. Her tongue felt thick. Her body wasn’t responding.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll wake up soon. Just somewhere else.”
Selene’s consciousness slipped, and the last thing she saw was Godric’s faint smile as everything turned black.