The morning after Nixus' public attack on me felt oddly quiet. In the aftermath of the gala, I expected something more—more outrage, more tension, but it was like the city had taken a collective breath and exhaled, as if the drama that had unfolded was just another chapter in the saga of Nixus Salvatore's ruthless games. I could already hear the whispers around me, feel the eyes of the press and our competitors on my every move. They were hungry for more, waiting for the next step in this very public power struggle.
But what I didn't expect was the return of someone who could change everything. Someone who would make this all feel like child's play in comparison.
I was sitting in my office, reviewing the details of the fallout from Nixus' public humiliation of me at the gala when Sarah walked in, her expression unreadable.
"You're going to want to see this," she said, holding up her phone. There was a glint in her eyes, a mix of concern and curiosity. I knew something was off.
"What is it?" I asked, glancing up from my desk.
She didn't respond, just handed me her phone. The headline of a tabloid magazine screamed at me:
"Malia Brown: Scorned Ex-Wife Seeks Revenge on Ex-Husband's Empire"
My stomach tightened. My pulse quickened. The article was filled with insinuations, half-truths, and bold claims that could be traced back to only one source: Selene.
"Selene?" I muttered under my breath, disgusted. "She's done it."
"I'm afraid so," Sarah said quietly, watching my face for any sign of reaction. "There's no question she's behind it. No one else could have had that kind of access to the tabloids."
I felt my blood boil. After everything that had happened, after all the games Nixus had played with me, now Selene was back, throwing more fuel onto the fire. I had known her presence was lurking somewhere in the shadows, but I didn't expect her to be so bold. The idea of her slithering back into Nixus' life—into his mind—made my skin crawl. But she always knew how to play the game. She was, after all, his first love, his "white moonlight," the one he could never forget, no matter how many years passed.
I didn't need Sarah to tell me how this would play out. Selene knew how to twist things. She always had. And now, she was making her move.
Nixus had been at the center of my thoughts for weeks, but it wasn't until I received an unexpected phone call from him that I realized just how much of an impact Selene's reappearance would have.
I didn't recognize the number, but when I answered, there was no mistaking the voice on the other end. The deep, smooth tone sent a shiver down my spine.
"Malia," he said, his voice cool, controlled. "We need to talk."
I hesitated. The old part of me—the part that had once hoped for a different outcome, a different life—wanted to listen. To hear him out. But the woman I had become—the woman who had fought so hard to rise above him—knew better than to fall into the same trap.
"I'm not interested in talking to you, Nixus," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, but I knew he could hear the coldness in my tone.
There was a long pause, and then a soft laugh, as if he found my resistance amusing. "You always were a stubborn one," he said, his voice filled with that familiar arrogance. "But I think you'll want to hear what I have to say. It's about Selene."
The name hung in the air like a fog, heavy and suffocating. I could feel my heart rate pick up, and I cursed myself for letting him get under my skin.
"What does Selene have to do with anything?" I asked, my voice tight, guarded.
"She's concerned, Malia," Nixus said, his voice dripping with insincerity. "She's worried about you. About your intentions. She's always had your best interests at heart, you know."
I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. The audacity. The manipulation. It was classic Nixus, using Selene's name to twist the knife deeper. I had seen him play these games too many times to be fooled by his words. But what struck me more than anything was the sickening realization that he was still caught in her orbit.
"You're lying," I shot back, trying to keep my composure. "You and Selene are the same. You always have been."
Nixus didn't flinch. "Maybe," he said slowly, as if savoring the moment. "But she's not the one trying to ruin my life, is she? Not like you."
My jaw clenched. The audacity of him, to even suggest such a thing. I wasn't the one who'd walked away when everything had crumbled around us. I wasn't the one who'd turned my back on the person who had loved him—who had been there for him when no one else was. But I wouldn't let him twist this conversation into something it wasn't.
"I'm not trying to ruin your life, Nixus," I said, my voice quieter now, but full of certainty. "But I won't stand by while you destroy everything I've built."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. I could hear his breath, steady and deliberate. Finally, he spoke, and when he did, it was with a cold edge that made my skin crawl.
"Be careful, Malia," he warned. "You're playing a dangerous game. And you don't want to end up losing more than you've already lost."
The call ended abruptly, and I was left staring at the screen, my hand gripping the phone tightly, my mind racing.
That night, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being pulled in two different directions. On one hand, I had my business, my reputation, and my company. On the other, I had Nixus, the man who had broken me, who had never really cared about me, and who now seemed determined to destroy me.
But it wasn't just him anymore. It was Selene. The moment I had heard her name, I knew she was no mere specter of the past. She was a force—one that could unravel everything I had worked for. And I wasn't sure I was ready for the storm she was about to bring.
The next morning, I walked into the office with a weight on my shoulders, the knowledge of what was coming hanging over me like a dark cloud. It didn't take long before I saw the first whispers of Selene's influence. A well-placed tabloid story. A planted rumor. And then, the subtle shift in the tone of the media.
The headline wasn't the only thing that made my blood run cold. It was the whispers I overheard as I passed through the lobby.
"Malia Brown... seeking revenge... on Nixus Salvatore."
It was as if Selene had planted the seeds of doubt, and now the world was watering them. The implications were clear. She was trying to paint me as some vengeful woman, a bitter ex-wife who couldn't let go of her past.
But she didn't know me. She didn't know how much I had changed, how much I had learned. I wasn't the naive woman I had been when I'd first married Nixus. I wasn't desperate for his approval anymore. I was Malia Brown—CEO of my own company, a force in my own right.
And I wouldn't let her tear me down.
That afternoon, as I sat at my desk, a message flashed across my screen. It was from an anonymous source—a name I didn't recognize. I clicked it open, half-expecting another smear campaign, another attempt to twist the truth.
But what I read made my blood run cold.
"Selene's influence over Nixus is stronger than ever. Malia has become a liability. Watch out—she will stop at nothing to destroy you."
The message was signed, "A Friend."
The truth hit me like a freight train: Selene wasn't just playing a game. She was out for blood. And she was willing to do anything to take me down.
The walls around me seemed to close in. Nixus and Selene had always been a dangerous combination, but now, with her back in the picture, things were escalating faster than I had ever anticipated.
But I wouldn't let them win. Not like this.
I wasn't just fighting for my company anymore. I was fighting for my future.
And I would make sure they knew it.