"Don't you want to greet your 'boyfriend'?"
Selene looked at the door with horror. This was it. They had partly fulfilled their side of the bargain. Now, the situation demanded that she do her part too.
But she wasn't ready yet. Maybe she never would be.
What kind of person was Matthias again?
Rumors made him sound like a god. So perfect in intellect, appearance, and principles. Born from the prestigious Viterville family, he was destined to be extraordinary. Blessed with talent and potential, he inherited his family's business empire so young yet thrived in it.
Many people trembled just hearing his name from the opposing side.
She had never been close enough to be in the same world as him. When she heard about his achievements, it felt like hearing about a man from a different realm. Yet right now, she was the hope for such a person.
Fred and Kevin described him as a hopeless romantic. A man who had fallen from grace.
He was so pitiful. His heart shattered, and now he was not so different from a mental patient.
She must have been an amazing person, his deceased girlfriend, to make such a man grieve her so madly.
"I still don't know her name…" Selene looked at the door. Her mumble received no response as the men stepped toward the door.
The commotion was getting nearer. She could hear voices arguing.
"Let go of me! I need to talk to him!" a hoarse male voice shouted.
"Young master, you must not! You must go back to your bed!" an older man intercepted.
There were crashing sounds, followed by shocked gasps.
"Young master, you're bleeding!"
Selene hurried to the door. Fred and Kevin had already opened the door.
The sight before her was… chaotic, to say the least.
The once neat and artistic hallway had turned into a mess. The paintings were still there, but the vases and some of the ornaments displayed were broken. On the carpet, hundreds of shattered glass pieces glinted with sharp edges.
The carpet was soft to walk on… there was no way anything could have shattered here.
He must have thrown them hard against the wall.
Selene's chest tightened.
This was her reality now. Her fate was tied to the man who caused this mess.
Near the wall, a man stood barefoot.
Her gaze moved upward. Loose pajamas hung messily on his frame. Up to a face that looked more like a corpse than a living human.
It only took her a second to register who he was.
Her "boyfriend."
Matthias Viterville.
He looked no more than skin and bones. His blue eyes were bloodshot, and he staggered where he stood, struggling to stay upright. His ragged breath carried a hint of… exhaustion.
Such a great man, standing above thousands of people, only defeated by so few… becoming like this?
He searched for something. When he saw Fred and Kevin, he was about to unleash his fury—but his gaze shifted.
And suddenly, his eyes found Selene's.
His eyes widened on his pale face.
And the noise around them just… disappeared.
Fred, Kevin, the butler, the people trying to restrain him, none of it mattered now.
Selene looked into his blue eyes. Deep, like the ocean. She could feel the intensity of his emotions. The shock, disbelief, longing… and fear.
They locked eyes for what felt like forever.
Her vision blurred as tears welled up. She didn't know why. But the moment felt so heart-wrenching.
She had never seen such a fragile gaze.
So much in love… and so lost.
Before her tears could fall, Matthias staggered toward her. His hand reached out, as if to wipe her tears. He didn't even care about the glass digging into his feet.
But what happened next made Selene's heart drop.
Matthias, as determined as he was, was still just a man who was weak and starved for far too long. The episode had drained what little strength he had left.
His hand was only inches away from her face.
He collapsed just before reaching her.
Kevin and Fred quickly caught him. Matthias slumped against their shoulders.
"Quick, get the stretcher," Kevin shouted to the doctors.
_____
Half an hour later, Matthias lay on his bed. Fluid dripped steadily from the IV beside him. His face was still ashen, but slightly better than before.
It was a terrifying experience for Selene, yet everyone else reacted as if this kind of thing was normal. They even looked relieved as if today's episode had ended quickly.
Just how much worse had it been before, for them to stay this calm after something like this unfolded?
Kevin was pulled aside by the doctor, speaking in hushed tones in the corner. Fred had gone to the balcony, already on a phone call. The butler and cleaners had tidied the hallway.
Everyone worked so efficiently.
Only Selene didn't know her role.
She was supposed to make things better. But what should she even do in a situation like this? The contract didn't include step-by-step instructions like some kind of tutorial.
Somehow, they expected her presence alone to magically improve his condition.
Fred finished his call and returned to her side.
"Miss Selene, I've already made the preparations. Your room will be in the opposite wing. We will drive you home so you can gather your belongings and say goodbye to your parents for a while. We don't know how long you'll need to stay here for it to work." He glanced at Matthias's peaceful face, then searched for Kevin and sighed when he saw him still arguing with the doctor.
He didn't even ask where her car was. It seemed they already knew how bad her family's condition had become.
"I was hoping Kevin could drive you, but he's busy. I'll be heading back to the office—I can drop you off on the way."
"There's no need. I can take the bus," Selene said quietly.
Her car had been pawned, and the driver at home served only her father. Besides, she didn't want her family to know about this arrangement. A conspicuous car outside her house would raise too many questions.
"The bus will take too long. We wouldn't want him waking up before you return. The doctor said the sedative will only last around three hours. You saw him earlier, didn't you? We wouldn't want that happening twice a day."
She hesitated.
There was another reason she wanted to avoid going with Fred.
She had met Fred first, made a deal on the spot with him, even. But Kevin was the one she interacted with more. Kevin showed his displeasure openly. But Fred… he was like calm water.
No one could see how deep it went.
He hid everything behind his smile.
That made him more terrifying.
To think she would spend half an hour alone with him, in a car, from this remote villa to her home… it felt suffocating.
But Fred was right.
Matthias had seen her face.
Even if he had been in a frenzied state, no one could guarantee he wouldn't remember—or wake up searching for her.
She had to get back fast.
Minutes later, Selene sat in the back seat of the car. Beside her, Fred was already on another call.
This time, she could clearly hear the way he argued with people.
He didn't shout. He didn't even raise his voice.
If anything, he became more quiet.
But that quietness carried pressure. It's suffocating and heavy. It sent a chill down her spine. Whoever was on the other end… Selene could only hope they were doing fine.
A strange thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Was he doing this on purpose?
To intimidate her?
The call ended as quickly as the other side gave in.
Fred let out a light chuckle, then turned to her. "I'm sorry. There's just so much to adjust at work with Matthias gone for more than half a year." He gave her that signature gentle smile.
Selene nodded. "No problem. I should be the one apologizing for inconveniencing you. You must be in a hurry to get back."
"No. You're the one helping us. If you hadn't been there earlier, no one knew how many art pieces he would have destroyed."
"Why not just strip the place bare? Or move him somewhere more suitable?" Even without much knowledge of art, she could tell the decorations were expensive.
"We did move him once. But he insisted on staying. And we can't change anything. Even the smallest change would set him off. He said… his girlfriend might not remember it if we altered anything."
Fred sighed.
It must be exhausting, taking care of someone like that.
Selene almost forgot…
This was her problem too now.
"What kind of person was his late girlfriend like?" she asked before she could stop herself.
This time, Fred looked slightly flustered. As if the question had caught him off guard. He frowned, it was as if he was trying to solve the world's hardest puzzle.
It only made her more curious.
But then his gaze turned cold.
Selene froze. Looked like she had just stepped on a landmine.