[chapter 17. Late-night talk]
Suggestion: read chapter 11 before reading this chapter
"God, fuck Big Bitch," Selena cursed belligerently. She became angered thinking about him. Hayate frowned at her choice of words. Why was his moon upset?
"I meant the great almighty his highness, big boss Rafael Sullivan," she deadpanned. Her words earned a hearty chuckle.
"Oh, my moon. You first refer to a karambit as a strawberry and then to the most dangerous man as a big bitch. I admire your sense of naming. How innovative," his sarcastic words did not reach her ears as she righteously nodded. "I'm a creative person," she admitted. He gave her a blank stare as she replied with a cheeky grin.
"Arrogant."
"Nah, self-confident."
"Narcissistic."
"But on a serious note. Please, if you ever have kids, don't name them. Ever. Let a stranger decide it but not you," he said, earning a punch from her as he dodged it again. Her playful mood died.
"I need to tell you something."
When Selena told him about the night and how she ended up working for Big Boss, she predicted two reactions. He'd storm away in rage or feel deceived since she hadn't told him sooner.
But what did Hayate do?
He laughed.
Hayate laughed, clutching his stomach and rolling on the floor. "Gosh, you are so stupid," and tears of laughter rolled down his face. "Stupid Tsuki," he laughed aloud. (Japanese: Tsuki- moon)
Selena crossed her arms and glared daggers at him, sending shivers down his spine. He sat up straighter. Did he find her misery amusing? How did they become best friends in the first place? What a prick, ugh.
His booming laughter rumbled deep within his chest, causing her cheeks to flush. She wanted to drown in her humiliation. She was occasionally stupid.
"It is your fault," she hissed, pointing at him. "You told me that Crescent Club would have those people with eagle tattoos. Who knew it was a trap? A thought plan of Sullivan," she hyperventilated as he laughed at her reddened face.
Her round face appeared fuller, with puffed cheeks; she looked like a hamster. Selena may be cute, but he would never admit it. He didn't want to boost her already inflated ego.
"Right, it was my fault," he agreed, irritating her even more. She now appeared to be an unreasonable person. And he was well aware of this. "You are a manipulator," she sneered. "Can't help you are rubbing on me," he winked, causing her to shake her head.
"Oh, my," Hayate exclaimed, taking a breath from all the laughter. He wiped a tear from his cheek as he sat on the carpeted floor. "Well, tomorrow I'll tell you that Ghenisgh Khan is still alive, and will you believe me?" Selena frowned as he spoke.
He enjoyed bullying her. But she'd bite back.
Selena jumped out of bed; her fingers curled into a fist directed at his jaw. He slipped his leg under her calf and pulled her down as she landed on her side. "Ouch," she said, feigning a whimper.
"It doesn't work on me, Tsuki."
Her fist clenched, aimed at his face, and he jerked back, catching her fist before it hit his nose and twisting it, pinning her hand on the floor. "You need practice," he said flatly.
Selena averted her gaze from him. His laughter died as he let go of his grip.
She sat up, ignoring the shame permeating every cell in her body. She rubbed her aching wrists. "I am skilled. I could still take a dozen people. Don't forget that I killed eight people in one night," she countered, ignoring his gaze.
"Because they were intoxicated and pretty vulnerable," Hayate reasoned. She bit her lower lip as she couldn't respond.
"You would have been dead if it had been a skilled assassin or a hitman," he sighed. "If not injured, very badly," he added. Even though Selena was slacking off, he knew it would be difficult to kill her. "When was the last time you seriously practiced?" His eyes bore a hole through her conciseness.
"Four months," she mumbled. She needed a break, okay? It was not that she was lazy. Maybe, but let's ignore that.
"You're starting to train again," he asserted.
"Apart from the training provided by Rafael Sullivan. We don't know what he's up to yet," he remarked, his gaze fixed on the word and curses on the tip of her tongue, ready to be uttered. Selena sighed and slumped on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"All right," she said quietly. Hayate was correct. His words carried concern. She was ignoring the training because she had found solace in the orphanage. No murders, just helping Beth clean rooms, cook for small children, and teach them new words. She relished the brief respite. She seemed to be living a 'normal' life for the first time.
But Selena knew she wasn't cut out for a 'normal' humane life.
Her fingertips were powerful enough to shake the world and unleash chaos. Some people survive the chaos and grow as a result. And some people thrive in chaos because it is all they have ever known. Unfortunately for Selena and her enemies, it was the latter.
Selena was a whirlwind. And she needed the power to stay in this beautiful chaos.
She wanted power.
No, she fucking needed it.
She desired power to flow through her veins rather than blood. Power was electrifying. Power provided a higher high than any other drug she had tried. Everything paled in comparison to that euphoria.
The sense of being superior to everyone.
Hayate looked at her with concern. Only if he could protect her, his fist clenched. He and big brother could shield her, but only to a point. She was able to defend herself. Yet, she needs to be more capable. More powerful. More circumspect. More astute.
More than ever before, after all, people were looking for her. People- who would drag her back to the hellhole?
Selena was not allowed to take a break, as callous as it may sound. She had to be on guard whenever she left the house; she couldn't go outside without a gun tucked inside her belt or a dagger in her jacket. It was a sad reality but harsh truth.
"Wow, you even have floor heating?" he remarked, savoring the plush carpet. "You're a rich-rich." He could sleep on the floor and be perfectly content.
"Says the one who owns three high-end resorts and a sizable portion of real estate stocks," she snapped, rolling his eyes. "You have enough profit that you don't need to work for your entire life."
"And anyway, Mariano is that wealthy, not me," she sat on the bed, crossing her legs.
Hayate raised an eyebrow in response to her words. So, she hasn't accepted her biological family.
"You know they care about you, right?" His words perplexed Selena. She fixed her gaze on him as he cracked a joke.
"They do Hayate because they believe I am the sweet little girl they have always desired. They would not hesitate to abandon me once they discovered my reality, as they did years ago."
Selena fixed her gaze on him. "Why should I let them in only to suffer when they leave? Just because I am numb to pain does not mean that people can continue to hurt me."
Hayate bit the inside of his cheeks. He knew where she came from; the trust that people had broken years before still hurt like hell.
"Do you remember Carl?" she asked, making him wince. She could see the fear behind his curved eyes gradually giving way to pure rage.
He couldn't help himself. Hayate clenched his fist. Carl, like Selena, was the one who bought him. Carl was the one who destroyed their lives. The man was among those who made their skin crawl. He brought nightmares with him.
----
The six-year-old lay isolated in a dark room. The screams and cries for help had subsided. The girl curled up in the fetal position in the corner closest to the high window. It was the space nearest to any source of light and warmth.
Her cracked lips had a dried streak of blood on the corner of her mouth. Her head still throbbed from the last hit. The girl could hardly open her eyes. Her muscles ached on the cold floor, but she was too drained to move.
Many people would assume they would have tortured her, hit her, or threatened to break her. But no three days of hunger had broken her spirit and caused her to succumb to their evil deeds as she bit into the warm food.
"Here," the man said as he handed her a glass of warm milk. In her eyes, he appeared to be an angel for a split second. He had brought her a change of clothes too.
"You can address me as Carl. I'll look after you from now on, kiddo," he smiled as he watched her drink the milk. She was too hungry to notice the glint in his eyes as she nodded to his words.
His hand gently patted her head as he watched her drink the milk quietly. "Do you want more?" he cooed as she innocently looked at him. Her green eyes glowed with trepidation. She was still hungry. Nonetheless, she didn't know how to express it.
She slowly nodded her head. "I'll take you to the main kitchen. Where will there be only two of us." he chuckled. He extended his hand, and the girl looked at him.
He appears to be a good guy. The girl blinked. The man had to feed and treat her well after she was locked up in the room.
She could put her trust in him. Right? The little girl slid her hands into his.
----
Selena shut her eyes. Ignore Selena, as you always do. Don't let those memories ruin your life. She had to remind herself.
"Carl works for Harrington," Selena explained, forcing a smile.
Declan Harrington. The golden boy was a good member of high society. The elite group appeared to be godlike, spotless, and pristine. But no one knew the price they paid to maintain a clean image.
Selena would gradually uncover the truth about the elite group and their families. A tangled web that she will unravel.
"First and foremost," she hummed, "I need to get closer to Declan."
"Is that the reason you're toying with him?" Hayate grinned. He had infiltrated the Mariano Estate, and they had an entire night to talk because they both hated sleeping.
"Is that why you're playing with his feelings?" They never claimed to be good guys. He didn't judge Selena's manipulative ways because they were part of who she was, and he accepted all her flaws.
"Stalker much?"
"Big brother, orders," Hayate sighed. "He is overprotective, and that makes sense. He loves you," Selena glowed at his words.
"Who doesn't love me?" Selena smirked smugly, flicking her hair with an air of arrogance that she called self-confidence.
"I don't," Hayate smiled. "I hate you, moon."
"I hate you too, messenger," she poked out her tongue.
----
A man emerged from the steamy water slowly. The private bath was lit up with purple and red neon lights. The intricate art of a massive eagle inked on his back covered the entire skin.
The man turned slowly, his body covered in scars, his protruding stomach a sign that he had lost touch with his work. Water glistened on gray hair. The man had grown older.
"Carl," hissed an elderly man.
"Carl. The boss is expecting you. Harrington requires your return," the old man's face became solemn as his voice became harsher.
The inked man wiped his brow as he turned to the aged man with a taunting smirk. "What kind of mess do I have to clean?"
"Liam."
Carl burst out laughing. "Gosh, that fucker is back to screw all the five families."
~~~~
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