Reclaiming Her Heart

Raymond knew she was into it, but he didn't wanna push it too far. So, when she shoved him away again, he backed off right away.

Selena leaned against the cabinet, making her chest pop out more, her breathing getting heavier.

She shot him a look, like she was warning him, but her eyes were sparkling too much to be serious.

She slammed the door shut, putting some space between them.

Now, she was outside, and Raymond was stuck inside.

She hurried off, still feeling the heat from their moment.

Once she got in the car, goosebumps finally showed up on her arm-leftover from his teasing.

Inside, Raymond flopped back on the couch and grabbed his phone. There was a message from Alex from last night: [First, let her know what you've done for her. Don't be dumb and hide it all. Then, try to fix her problems as much as you can. Women get moved easily. When you're helping her, don't act like you want something back. Show her you just wanna be good to her, no strings attached. Finally, get her used to your touch, make her comfortable with it.] Alex had thrown in a few smug emojis too.

Alex: [Women are emotional. Even if she doesn't love anyone, she'll be touched by your help. She won't be able to shut you out, and you can use that to get closer. Once there's more physical contact, she'll start to care about you. Women's bodies stay in the moment longer than men's, you know. Guys only get those few seconds, but a woman's body can stay in it.]

Raymond had thought Alex was full of it at first, but now he was starting to buy it.

'Cause after he told Selena about the shares, when he kissed her just now, she didn't fight back as hard.

He sat on the couch, lost in thought, and couldn't help but text Alex: [But she's got someone else in her heart.]

Alex: [Then you gotta get rid of that guy completely. She's been married to you for three years, and that dude doesn't seem like a Caterlington, Austin, or Richard. Either something went down between them back then, which is your chance to swoop in, or if that guy really comes back, you're screwed.]

Just thinking about it made Raymond feel pissed.

If some guy who'd been MIA could steal Selena's heart the moment he showed up, then Raymond would be a total loser as her ex-husband.

He stared at his phone, going over Alex's advice again and again.

He had to win Selena back, and fast.

Otherwise, if that guy really showed up, Raymond couldn't promise he wouldn't lose his mind.

Selena rolled into the office and checked the buzz online. Aria was getting roasted, while Sophia's rep was back on track. People were even hitting up S.M Corporation's Twitter to apologize, which made her grin.

"Ann, did you get in touch with the director? Is Aria still playing the second female lead?" Selena asked.

Ann replied, "Yeah, I talked to them. Aria's out, and the original actress is back in. Sophia just left, and the production team is treating her way better now."

Industry folks were sharp. Everyone could see this was a showdown between S.M Corporation and the White Family. Since the White Family didn't step up, it showed S.M Corporation had some serious backing, and anyone signed with them, like Sophia, had support too.

Before, the production team let Aria push Sophia around, thinking she had no clout. Now, with S.M Corporation stepping in, Sophia's rep was back, and no one dared mess with her.

S.M Corporation had already taken down All Star Entertainment, and now they had the White Family on mute. What was up with this company?

Since Selena had already made a Twitter account and said she was the CEO of S.M Corporation, people started guessing about her identity.

But no matter how much the internet sleuths tried, they couldn't figure it out.

The only thing they were sure of was that Selena was supposedly ugly and overweight.

Selena had nailed this round, so she pushed her team to lock in supporting roles for the next project.

She worked overtime until 7 PM.

Since Ann had been feeling off lately, Selena didn't make her drive her home and let her leave early instead.

That night, Selena drove herself home. After grinding all afternoon, she hadn't eaten much. Passing by Silver Bay University, she parked and grabbed some pasta from a street vendor, planning to eat it in her car.

The street vendors around Silver Bay University were a hit. There was even a whole street dedicated to snacks on campus.

Back when Selena was a student here, she loved the pasta from these vendors.

Just as she turned a corner, she heard footsteps behind her, and then someone hugged her from behind.

She froze, ready to chuck the pasta at whoever it was, when a man's voice spoke up. "After all this time, your taste still hasn't changed."

The paper bowl slipped from her hand and hit the ground. She stopped dead, too scared to turn around.