"Ahh…" Hudson cried out, pain twisting his face as fear filled his eyes. He looked down at his abdomen, now pierced by a cruel bullet.
Selina locked her terrified eyes on her father, bleeding on the floor. "Father!" she called out, scrambling to his side.
She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, her other hand trembling as she pressed it against his wound to stop the bleeding. "Don't move. You'll be fine," her voice wavered, barely holding itself together.
"Why are you panicking?" Hudson rasped, his voice thin and broken. His sad eyes met his daughter's desperate ones. "You don't have to cry, dear. Just leave before he changes his mind. Try to live well." Pain weighed down each word as he tried to endure the agony coursing through him.
"I told you not to move! Stop talking! You're only making it worse!" Selina sniffled, a whimper escaping her lips.
Hudson nodded sheepishly.
"Please don't close your eyes. Just hold on. I'll find a way to get us out. I'll beg him to take you to a hospital." Selina uttered with a crack of hope, blending in her pain.
Hudson sighed sadly, seeing how desperate his daughter was. He didn't respond, only tightening his grip around her hand. He was ready to die, as long as she lived, and with this, the guilt in his heart could finally be buried.
Selina turned quickly toward Zane, who stood with his back to her. "Mr. Zane, please save him! He can't die like this. I'm begging you!"
Zane didn't spare her a glance while he gave him command in a steady voice. "Take him away and get him buried,"
"Yes, boss," Damien answered. Two men stepped forward and began dragging Hudson's body away, despite Selina's frantic resistance.
"No!" she screamed, yanking at their arms. "Please, don't bury him! He's still alive! Take him to the hospital!"
Selina fought against their grip, but she was too fragile, too broken. All she could do was watch helplessly as her father was dragged away.
"Please don't do this!" she cried until her voice cracked, but her fight drained the moment he was out of sight.
The men released her.
Only her devastated sobs lingered in the silence.
Zane hated nuisance people, and Selina wasn't proving any different right now. He turned to face her, and when her teary gaze met his fury, she pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to stay silent. She didn't want to provoke him or get hurt in this suffocating atmosphere, but soft sobs still slipped through.
He let out a disdainful snort at her audacity to keep begging for that murderer's life. Her unwavering loyalty toward Hudson only fueled the fire that had been burning inside him for decades.
"How touching. Your devotion to your father is admirable," he sneered, voice laced with contempt. "Be at ease. You'll be joining him soon enough, after enduring a suffering akin to hell."
Selina swallowed hard, a cold shiver running down her spine.
Desperately, he wanted to be the one behind her suffering and savoring every moment of her agony until she met a miserable end. But for psychological reasons of his, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He turned away, reaching into his coat and pulled out a cigar. With a flick of his silver lighter, a small flame bloomed, casting a glow across his face as he brought it to the tip. He inhaled deeply, exhaling a curl of smoke that wrapped around him like a ghostly shroud.
He needed his mind to stay clear, unclouded by the weight of her silent sobs wrapping around him like a fog. His impatient gaze dropped to the Patek Philippe watch fastened around his firm, veined wrist. He wondered when his guests would finally arrive.
He was impatient to get rid of her.
Selina scratched nervously at her palm, Zane's ominous words pressing down on her chest like a weight she couldn't lift. There was no escape. She was trapped by Zane, by his men, by the unknown hell waiting for her in this old basement filled with ghostly furniture draped in cotton cloth.
Her eyes lingered on the open entrance. It mocked her with freedom just out of reach.
She kept her eyes fixed on the entrance, watching the slow passage of time stretch before her. Eventually, one of Zane's men at the door rushed inside.
The guard leaned in and whispered something to Zane that she couldn't catch.
After a brief exchange, the guard retreated, and Selina watched as Zane pulled a black mask over his face, concealing his features. Only his cold, piercing eyes remained visible, amplifying the menace that clung to him.
Her heart skipped a beat, unsettled by his sudden, enigmatic transformation. Before long, a strange man in a black suit stepped into the base, nine others trailing behind him.
As they drew closer, the frontman moved with casual arrogance and lowered himself onto an empty sofa across from Zane. He took the very seat Zane had occupied moments ago, directly facing Selina, who remained standing.
She studied the man more closely now and saw a long scar slashed from his left brow to his right cheek, twisting his features into something cruel. He appeared scary, causing a cold shiver to creep through her bones.
With an unsettling smile tugging at his lips, the man said, "I can see my tardiness has disturbed your precious time."
"I do not mind," Zane replied flatly, "as long as I have something to dispose of in your den."
The man seemed mildly impressed. "I was afraid you might've changed your mind and sold the girl to another bidder."
Zane adjusted his glasses, his demeanor laced with steely resolve. "You're the perfect person, I believe, who can treat her the way I want."
Selina remained silent, each word between them crumbling her slowly into despair.
Is Mr. Zane selling me off? Her eyes widened in shock, her heart thundering with panic, especially when she noticed the glint of displeasure flickering in his eyes as he looked at her.
"She looks innocent and young. Her curves are appealing, which I find amusing. However." He mused, his gaze trailing over her features again as his tone shifted to one of distaste. "She is unattractive, and I'd likely become a laughingstock if I kept her by my side."
Zane was not surprised by the comment. After all, who would want such an ugly swan trailing behind him? Regardless, she had to be given away.
"She may lack allure," Zane countered, turning to Selina and locking eyes with her indignant gaze, "but she'll be useful to you in whatever way you desire. Perhaps you can keep her hidden from the world as a forbidden gem."
The scarred man nodded in agreement with his anonymous seller's words. "Let's see how useful she can be. Though I'm not looking to pay a high price."
Without warning, Zane took Selina by the hand as she searched his eyes one last time, hoping for a flicker of mercy but finding none.
Zane led her closer until they stood face-to-face with the scarred figure. "I'm giving her to you for free."
Free? The word struck her dignity like a slap. It was brutal, final, and unforgivable.
The scarred man raised a brow, clearly amused. "I hope you won't come to regret this," he said firmly, as if needing to confirm what he'd just heard.
Regret it? Why should I? Zane's expression remained expressionless.
"Our business is over. Take her with you," Zane said dismissively while he shoved Selina toward the scarred man.
Selina stumbled into the scarred man's embrace despite her efforts to dodge it. She struggled to break free from his eerie hold, which felt like a cage, but his grip around her waist was unyielding.
The fact that the man she once loved now wanted her and her family to face a cruel fate hurt her deeply, like a blade thrusting into her heart. But, she would never accept herself being sold.
Selina refused this fate he planned for her.
"Let's go, little girl," the scarred man said with a chilly smile on his lips. His fingers caressed Selina's skin.