"Does he have to be there?" Selina grumbled as she got into the passenger's seat of the brother's car. "Why can't it be just me, you, and Katerina? Katerina is such a nice person, I can't believe she's related to Alexander Sebastian."
Helios laughed at his sister's complaints. In front of their parents Selina was all smiles and nods as she said she was excited to go shopping with the Sebastian siblings.
"Are you sure we are thinking about the same Katerina Sebastian?" Helios teased.
"Why? Do you know another Katerina?" Selina asked quite coldly.
"Katerina is known for being even crueler and tougher than Alexi." Helios said in a serious tone as he drove out of the gate. "She's the best lawyer in the country and she always has way too many bodyguards. My guess is it's because of her boyfriend."
"Eric Chan? Oh right, he's part of that Chan family, I guess he has to make sure their relationship isn't leaked either." Selina said to her brother.
"Katerina Sebastian normally doesn't like people." Helios explained to his sister. "I found it quite interesting that she likes you. I guess you left quite an impression on her when we first met them."
"I did meet her in New York as well when I was at Julliard." Selena said slowly as she recalled her life back in New York.
Six years ago
"Selina shut the damn alarm." Jen Pelaez, her best friend, shouted from the other bed.
Selina simply laughed and turned it off. It was like this every morning, her alarm would go off and Jen would get mad.
"No one forced you to follow me here to New York." Selina teased as she got out of bed to prepare her breakfast.
"I told you I would stay with you till you changed your mind." Jen mumbled as she kept her eyes closed. "Have you changed your mind yet?" Jen asked.
"No Jen, I still like guys." Selina said, rolling her eyes. "I told you, go back home, study there, you don't have to be in New York with me." Selina said in a more serious tone.
"Nah, education here is better. So I'm here for me too, not just you." Jen said. "What's your schedule today?" Jen asked Selina.
"Well, I'm going over to a shoot today." Since arriving Selina had managed to get several modeling projects, she enjoyed them.
"Mmmm. Wear an extra layer, it's cold outside." Jen said lovingly towards Selina. She always felt uncomfortable when Jen spoke this way. She had long told Jen that she wasn't interested and yet Jen didn't stop following her around.
She took a quick shower, fixed herself and headed out to her shoot.
She was early at the studio, her agent happily greeted her and led her to the dressing room.
"They're just finishing some student shoot in the studio, we'll call you when it's your turn." Her agent said as she left Selina to prepare herself.
In the past two years, Selina realized that acting wasn't her true calling. She enjoyed fashion and modeling and wanted to pursue a career in that direction. She had somewhat made up her mind, her only hesitation being, Jen.
Jen had already moved to America to join her, she had changed her choice of a university and was enjoying her life here. Of course it helped a lot that the Ramirez family and Selina paid for everything except Jen's tuition.
Selina enjoyed Jen's company most of the time, they were best friends after all. It just made her extremely uncomfortable how Jen would frequently profess her love for Selina in public, Selina of course couldn't blatantly reject it since the last time she did that, bystanders shamed her for being traditional and closed minded.
"Ugh, I don't even understand why I have to do this shoot." Selina heard a familiar voice say in her local language. She was suddenly pulled back from her thoughts as she looked at the newcomers in the room.
"Oh, hello. I know you." The woman said as she looked closely at Selina.
Selina also couldn't shake the feeling that she had met this woman before.
"Ah! I know who you are!" The woman said. "You're Selina Ramirez! I met you with my brother two years ago. It was a brief meeting, but I wouldn't forget a girl like you." The woman said with a grin.
And then it hit Selina, how could she forget such a presence, she should have known that very few women could control a room like this one. "Miss Sebastian." Selina greeted respectfully.
"Please call me Katerina. Why are you here?" Katerina asked as she moved closer to Selina.
"Oh, Katerina, I work part time as a model, I have a shoot today." Selina said happily.
"I thought you wanted to be an actress?" Katerina asked, Selina was surprised that the woman before her had recalled their quick conversation over two years ago.
"I do. Well I did. I'm not sure anymore. I'm studying at Julliard, I got accepted into my dream school, but I feel like my dreams have changed." Selina admitted.
"Well it happens." Katerina said with a smile.
"Why are you here Katerina?" Selina asked, last she recalled, daughters of political families did not involve themselves in the entertainment industries. They could be patrons, but they couldn't act or walk the runway themselves, it was simply not the way things were done.
"Oh, this magazine wanted to do a feature on some promising students and I was one of the lucky few." Katerina said with a shrug.
"That would be an understatement." Her companion said with a giggle.
"Well it's no big deal, we do things like these at home with dad all the time, and well now with Alexi." Katerina said, rolling her eyes.
"Ah, Alexi." One of the girls who was with Katerina said with a sigh.
"I really don't understand what's with you guys and my brother. He's nothing special, but you all keep lining up in front of him." Katerina complained. "Be more like Selina here, she isn't crazy about my older brother." Katerina said as she smiled proudly at Selina.
Selina felt herself blush at the attention Katerina had given. It wasn't true that she didn't have a crush on Alexander Sebastian, almost all women had a crush on him. It just so happened that Katerina had warned her not to fall for his charms, it was the only reason she had the right sense to reject the engagement plans back then.
"I'm not unlike them." Selina admitted.
"Yeah, but you have a better head on you. My brother's charms didn't sway you one bit and you weren't driven into insanity by being engaged to him. You deserve better than my brother." Katerina said with a nod.
"What? She rejected the Sebastian family's proposal?" One of the girls said in surprise. "Who in the Capital could best Alexander Sebastian? She can barely find anyone better."
"Girl, you shouldn't have listened to Katerina, you should have jumped on the proposal and run away with it. So what what if he has a mistress every week after you're married, at least you will have the title of Mrs. Sebastian." Another girl scolded.
"Hmph, you are all immature." Katerina said. "There are men better than my brother. His main assets are his looks and his family name, both of which can be easily found in others."
"Like who?" One of her companions asked.
"The other five princes, Miguel Chan, Ramon Abad, Raymund Laurence, and the Reyes Heir. Each of the four are far better than my brother, none of them would have a mistress." Katerina said as she crossed her arms.
"Miss Katerina, of the four at least three are already untouchable." Selina said with a sigh as she shook her head. "Everyone in the proper circle knows that Miguel Chan is already engaged, Raymund Laurence is suspected to like men so he is out of the options, and the Reyes Heir, no one has seen him in years, is he even still alive? I also wouldn't be surprised if Ramon Abad was looking to court you, I mean, like must marry like right? As for myself I could never measure up to anyone like them." Selina said humbly.
Katerina smiled at Selina. "I like you. You're smart. But I do believe you're meant for someone better than my brother, riches don't make a man."
Selina blushed at the compliment.
"Well, I have to go. I have to rush to class." Katerina said as she checked her watch. "Here, my number. I never change it, contact me if you need anything." Katerina handed her a business card surprising everyone else.
Katerina said goodbye as she and her group left the dressing room.
"Selina, are you ready?" Her agent asked as she knocked.
"Yup." Selina said as she walked into the studio.