Ch. 68
"Raze?"
Selene froze.
Her gaze dropped instinctively to the uniform—black vest, crisp white polo, Hotel 888 insignia neatly pinned.
Raze tilted his head, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips as if being caught like this amused him more than it should.
"Ah," he said lightly. "Looks like I got caught."
"Caught?" Selene blinked once, steadying herself. "I wasn't even looking for you."
Her eyes flicked back to the uniform. Then to his face.
"But... you work here?" Her tone stayed calm, but curiosity slipped through.
She genuinely hadn't expected this. Of all places.
Never in her life did she imagine the red-haired, drum-playing, walking red flag would be serving drinks at an elite gala.
Isn't he one of the Ryvers? Even if he's an illegitimate son... he shouldn't be doing this right? The thought lingered quietly.
"Part-time," Raze replied easily.
"A few hours. Nothing serious." Then he grinned. "Why—first time seeing a handsome waiter?"
Selene arched a brow.
"Don't flatter yourself," she said flatly. "And stop joking. I'm not as dumb as you think."
Raze laughed under his breath, clearly entertained. He straightened, hands slipping into his pockets.
"Well," he said, tone suddenly matter-of-fact, "you're actually the reason I took this job."
"What? Why am I suddenly involved in your life choices?" Selene frowned.
"Guess," he teased.
She crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"I'm not a fortune teller. And I don't have time for this." She stepped past him, angling toward the restroom.
"I'll be going now."
She didn't bother asking more. It wasn't her habit to pry into other people's lives—especially not his.
Raze didn't stop her.
He simply watched as she walked away, the crowd swallowing her presence inch by inch.
His expression softened, unreadable.
"Beautiful as always," he murmured, eyes lingering on the hallway where she disappeared.
He was about to turn back to his duties when a presence made him pause.
Not far from where he stood, a man was leaning casually against one of the pillars near the bar. He was dressed sharply—clearly not part of the staff. A glass of wine rested in his hand, untouched for a while now.
His gaze wasn't on Raze.
It was on the direction Selene had gone.
The man's eyes lingered, calculating, before shifting briefly toward Raze's uniform. Just a glance—but deliberate. Enough to make Raze's jaw tighten.
No words were exchanged.
The man took a slow sip of his drink, then turned and blended back into the crowd as if he had never stopped to watch in the first place.
Raze exhaled quietly.
"What the fuck is he looking at?"
Selene stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her makeup was still intact, but she retouched it anyway—slow, deliberate strokes meant to calm her nerves.
She had only taken a restroom break to escape the weight of too many eyes, even if just for a moment.
She just hadn't expected to run into Raze. And definitely not as a part-time waiter.
There was nothing wrong with working part-time. She'd done it herself once—back when she was still Yuna, long before she ever became a CEO. Back then, she worked simply to secure investments, to build something from nothing.
Money was everything. Without it, you couldn't move. You couldn't breathe.
She sighed softly, nostalgia creeping in. She had been at the top once—and she hadn't hated her life. That was why she didn't resent her fate now.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the restroom door opened.
Two women walked in.
One wore a silver-blue gown, the other a white dress. Their conversation died the moment they noticed Selene.
"Did you see her eyes? They're kind of creepy—oh!?" the one in white gasped.
"Tsk." The woman in silver-blue rolled her eyes irritably and walked straight to the mirror, blatantly ignoring Selene's presence.
Selene did the same, calmly continuing to retouch her makeup.
She recognized the one with a brunette hair. She's one of the girls who had once accused her of looking down on scholarship students back when Selene was new to the university. She never understood where the hostility came from—but she no longer cared.
Then Selene noticed it.
A bruise, partially hidden beneath concealer on the side of the girl's neck. The skin was red, with faint scratches. The marks looked like finger impressions—almost as if someone had grabbed her forcefully.
But there was something else.
A thin, sharp line. As if something pointed had grazed her skin.
Selene's gaze traveled unconsciously—from the bruise, to the girl's face.
Their eyes met.
The brunette girl raised an eyebrow sharply.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped.
Selene straightened. She closed her compact gracefully and masked her expression.
"Nothing," she replied simply.
"Nothing?" The girl scoffed. "Do you think I'm stupid? What—are you pitying me now because I look like this?!"
Selene stiffened, caught off guard by the sudden outburst.
"I said nothing," she replied evenly. "And I meant it."
"No!" The girl's voice cracked. "This—this is exactly why I hate you! Damn it! And of all people, it had to be you I ran into after what happened to me!"
She pointed accusingly at Selene.
The other girl rushed out of the cubicle, not even washing her hands, and grabbed her friend's arm.
"Lizzy—stop!"
"I won't!" Lizzy shouted. "Everything I said is true! She's a whore! After what she did to Caleb, she's just going to twist the story!"
She broke down, sobbing.
Selene's confusion turned sharp and defensive.
"Do you have a problem with me?" she asked calmly.
Both girls froze and looked at her.
Lizzy glared as if she wanted to tear Selene apart.
"Yes! Are you blind, or do you just not care? Don't give us that look like you don't belong here. Ever since you transferred to the university, everything has gone wrong! Everything that happened to us—it's because of you! If you hadn't shown up, Caleb wouldn't be like this!"
She collapsed into tears again.
The other girl hugged her tightly, whispering her name. Selene clenched her jaw.
She was confused. Annoyed. And dangerously close to losing her patience.
If this was one of those dramatic novel moments, she was already sick of it.
She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay composed.
"Can you stop crying and explain what's going on?" Selene said firmly. "Why am I being dragged into your problems? I don't even know you. And I'm sure I've never had any kind of relationship with either of you."
"You really don't have any idea what you've done?" the girl in the silver gown asked.
"I don't," Selene said, shaking her head slowly, genuine confusion written on her face.
"Ha! Unbelievable!" The brunette scoffed, straightening up despite the tears still streaming down her beautiful eyes.
"Wasn't it you who spread the rumor that Caleb rejected Liana?!"
Rejected who? Me? Spreading something like that? Selene thought, completely thrown off.
"I never did that," Selene replied calmly. "And I'm pretty sure I'm not the kind of person who spreads gossip like whatever you've been hearing."
"Oh, really?" The girl laughed bitterly. "Now you're pretending you don't know anything?"
She suddenly lunged forward as if to grab Selene's arm—but Selene instinctively stepped back.
"Can we talk without hurting each other?" Selene said, raising her hands slightly in a placating gesture. Her tone was measured, persuasive—almost like she was negotiating with a client.
"If this can be discussed properly, why not do it calmly?"