Chapter 25 Selene #2
“Hello, New York. My name is Cory, staff writer and editor for Scribe Magazine. I’m here today for a short, rare interview with my boss, CEO, and owner of Scribe Magazine, Holt Capuleti.
Plus, a special guest who has managed to capture the eyes, ears, and hearts of our fellow New Yorkers.
” Cory smiles for the camera before shifting to Holt and me. “Welcome, Mr. Capuleti and Ms. Walker.”
“Please.” Holt gestures toward Cory and chuckles. “For this interview, you can call me Holt, Cory.”
Cory laughs, relaxing a bit. “Okay.”
“You can call me Selene.” I press my hand to my chest. “And thank you for having me.”
“Of course.” Cory’s grin widens. He glances down at his phone before looking back up.
“Now we’ve established that, I guess we should start with what everyone wants to know about: the story of you two.
You and Selene have been quite the topic of conversation this fall and winter.
I understand most of the conversation has been surrounded by your legal battle with Rome Montgomery, and I won’t get into that, with it still being an open case.
But let’s talk about the night of the auction at the Omni Plaza Hotel instead.
Was that the first time you and Selene had met? ”
I nervously glance at Holt. He removes his arm from around my back and rests his hand back on my leg. His fingers gently press into my flesh while his gaze rises to meet mine. I fall in love with him even more.
Finally, he tears his eyes from mine and looks back at Cory. “No. Selene and I have been in the same friendship group for years. She’s my sister’s best friend.”
“Wow.” Cory blinks. “So, if you two have been friends for years, what made you want to bid on Selene? Since winning meant you won a date with her, were you concerned you were crossing from friendzone territory into dangerous, uncharted waters?”
“The expected answer would be yes.” Holt smiles, leaning forward and resting his elbow on his leg. He massages his chin in thought. “But, no, I wasn’t concerned.”
“Oh?”
“The truth is, I’ve been secretly pining after Selene for years. I guess I saw an opportunity and took it.”
Cory nods, then shifts his attention toward me. “What about you, Selene? What was going through your mind when you were up on that stage and you realized your best friend’s brother was the winning bidder? Did you feel the same way about Holt as he had always done for you?”
I want to melt into a puddle. My hands are clammy and my neck prickles with anxiety. I focus on Holt’s hand on my leg, anchoring me to my reality. I ignore the camera, the bright lights, and look directly at Cory.
“If I’m honest, no,” I say quietly, quickly wincing when Holt looks at me.
I place my hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I never thought of him as anything more until he’d taken me on the date he won.
I will say, he didn’t have to do much for me to fall for him, though.
I guess some things are always directly in front of us, but sometimes we’re too blind to see them. ”
“I love that,” Cory says.
“I do think, even if I hadn’t felt those feelings for him on that first date, he wouldn’t have given up. If anyone knows Holt”—I gesture toward Cory—“which you do, you’ll know he’s very ambitious. He was just as ambitious in pursuing me than he is with his career.”
“I agree.” Cory nods, then turns his attention to Holt. “You are a very ambitious man, Holt. Would you attribute that to your father, our former mayor of New York City?”
A heavy, obvious pause settles in the silence. Sensing the shift, I nervously shift my eyes to Treena, where she’s sitting against the far wall. She hasn’t moved, and there’s no expression on her face. She’s simply waiting.
I squeeze Holt’s hand, reminding him I’m still here, urging him to answer Cory’s question.
“Um.” Holt clears his throat. “Not entirely. I owe a lot of my drive to my mother.”
Cory’s shoulders drop as he offers him a sympathetic frown. “Your mother passed away when you were young, correct?”
Chills slither their way down my arms. This interview has taken an unexpected turn, and I want to stop it.
I want to pull Holt back, but I can’t. Not when the cameras are rolling and everyone’s eyes are on him.
I bite the tip of my tongue, hoping Holt’s answer will be short and to the point.
But knowing how haunted Holt remains over his mother’s death, I’m afraid he won’t be.
“Murdered, yes,” Holt answers.
“I’ll admit, I read a few articles covering the story when I was considering working here,” Cory tells him. “I’m so sorry for her passing. I don’t know if this helps, but I’m hoping that knowing the ones who committed this heinous crime were caught has given you and your family a sense of justice.”
Holt’s grip on my knee tightens.
I open my mouth to speak, to stop this before Holt has another chance to continue this conversation, but he’s too quick.
“I don’t believe they caught the killers.”
The air is sucked out of the room.
“You don’t?” Cory’s eyes widen.
“No. I never have,” Holt declares. “I was there the night she was killed. I remember everything I heard and saw that night, and I haven’t given up in my search. I’ll never give up.”
Cory’s face pales, and he gulps. His eyes nervously dart between Holt and me.
I give him a subtle shake of the head, hoping he understands what message I’m trying to send him. Shift the topic. My stomach turns, thinking about how this is going to be posted out to the public later. Bile rises in my throat, but I force it down.
“I don’t doubt your vigilance and commitment,” Cory says before looking down at his phone.
“Speaking of commitment, Scribe Magazine’s annual masquerade ball was originally set for this weekend.
” Cory eyes us both before continuing. “Considering how you started the annual masquerade ball when you announced your anonymous column, and with everything going on regarding that, is it still on?”
“Of course it is. The annual masquerade ball has become a corner stone for the magazine. Recent events won’t change that.”
“Right.” Cory’s mouth twitches with a tiny smile. “Normally, all of New York’s top celebrities and personalities would be there. Is it safe to say you two will be attending together, officially?”
Holt glances over his shoulder, wink at me in a way that makes me fucking weak in the knees. I’m grateful for Cory’s swift shift in topic, lightening the mood. I can even sense the tension dissolving from Treena across the room.
“Is that a serious question, Cory?” Holt muses, returning to his usual lightheartedness. “Selene is it for me. She’s the only one you’ll ever see me walking beside.”
Cory coughs into a closed fist, hiding his smile.
“Are you okay?” I ask Cory, unable to drop my smile.
“Yeah.” He nods. “It’s just strange hearing my boss talk this way.”
“What?” I nudge Holt’s shoulder with mine. “You mean he doesn’t always talk like this?”
“No.” Cory shakes his head and laughs. “No, he doesn’t.”
I hum in amusement, still unable to wipe the grin from my face. My cheeks are sore, but seeing the difference in Holt makes my heart flutter with excitement. I still can’t ignore my instinct to second guess everything, but the instant I even get close to letting that show, Holt pulls me right back.
He quickly turns my way before whispering in my ear, “I love you, Wallflower.”
Goosebumps spread across my skin, and for the rest of the interview, I don’t let my smile drop. How can I when Holt Capuleti basically just announced to the entire world that he’s in love with me?