Selene froze, her heart hammering, as Lucien’s cold voice sliced through the room.

“You must choose,” he said, eyes dark as obsidian.

She swallowed hard, trembling. “Choose… w-what do you mean?”

Lucien’s lips curved lazily into a smirk as he leaned back in his chair. “In my world, betrayal doesn’t go unpunished. Let it slide, and someone else will stab you with an even sharper knife.”

Selene shivered. “Why are you telling me this?”she was clearly aware of what he wanted her to do but she didn’t want to acknowledge it.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and amused. “I knew you had fire… but I had no idea you were this dumb.”

Jason groaned, straining against the grip of the guards. “Lucien! You’d it have the fucking right to insult my sister! Only I have that right!”

Lucien’s eyes flicked to him lazily. “If you’ve forgotten, remember this: you sold her. And anyone who goes in and out of Red District has no ties to the past. In other words, Selene seizes to be your sister.”

”I… I didn’t know…” Jason’s face paled as regret struck. “I… I’m sorry… I really am…”

Selene’s rage wavered, replaced by shock. She had never seen Jason so broken. For a moment, confusion replaced her anger, “If he was going to be this broken, why had he sold me in the first place?”

Lucien took a deliberate sip of whiskey, then stood, he took the dagger from the tray and twirled it. With slow deliberate steps, he stood behind Selene and trailed the sharp blade against her neck, causing a thin line of blood to seep out.

Selene shivered.

“Don’t you dare hurt my sister!” Jason yelled as he tried to break free from the grip of Lucien’s men but his lean frame didn’t help.

Lucien leaned closer, his lips brushing her neck, tasting the wound he had made. “Delicious.”

Jason shouted, struggling harder. “Let her go, you monster!”

Lucien clicked his tongue. “Noisy.”

The bald-headed man beside Jason struck, blood spattering the marbled floor. Selene screamed, clutching her shoulder as the pain shot through her.

“Fine,” Lucien said, unfazed. “You’ll pay back the million-dollar I used to purchase her. That’s if you can even afford it.”

Jason’s head dropped, bloodied teeth clenched in self-recrimination.

Lucien fixed his attention on Selene. “Three seconds. Either you kill him yourself, or I will.” He twirled the dagger in his hand before tossing it onto the tray. He approached Selene, grasping her hands firmly, lifting them over the weapon as if they were already complicit.

“No!” Selene shook her head violently, tears spilling. “I won’t—no!”

“Oh?”

Selene’s knees shook. “No… he’s still my brother! Please, I’ll do anything else! Please, just don’t kill him!”

Lucien’s smile was cold. “Sweet… but you belong to me already. So it is expected that you do whatever I want in the first place.” Lazily, he took the gun and cocked it before aiming it at Jason. Selene’s heart pounded. Instinctively, she darted in front of him.

A gunshot ripped through the room. Pain exploded in her shoulder. She gasped, clutching herself as blood spread across her blouse.

“Selene!” Jason screamed her name, attempting to rush to her side.

Lucien’s gaze sharpened. “Interesting,” he muttered. She would even take a bullet for the one who betrayed her.

He motioned for the men to release Jason. He bolted to Selene’s side, scolding her through sobs and pain. “Why would you do that? After everything I did?”

Selene managed a weak smile through clenched teeth. “You’re my brother.”

Lucien’s men separated Jason from Selene while Lucien carried her effortlessly. “We’ll deal with him later. Doctor, now.”

⸻

The doctor, Cole, arrived within minutes—a young man with tousled brown hair. He froze at the sight of Selene. “She’s… new,” he murmured under his breath.

Lucien, wiping blood from his hands, rolled his eyes. “Don’t just stare, Cole. Get to work.”

Cole chuckled nervously as he approached. “I know he’s a weirdo,” he said, glancing at Lucien, “but shooting the new girl on her first day might be a bit much. He did take good care of the last one… before heart failure got her.”

Selene’s eyes widened, pain flickering across her face. She thought bitterly, “He killed people for fun… and yet, somehow, he cares?”

Ignoring her, Lucien stepped out, leaving Cole to work.

Cole carefully extracted the bullet from her shoulder. The sharp squelch made Selene gasp. “Fuck! Didn’t you give me anesthesia?”

Cole shrugged at the rubber bullet. “It’s surface-level. Lucky you. Major tissue wasn’t hit.”

Selene clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as he dressed the wound. “So… what you said about the last girl… was it true? I thought he killed people based on his mood.”

Cole packed his instruments. “What do you think? Rumors are rumors for a reason. He doesn’t kill without purpose… but you’ll understand him in time.”

Selene raised an incredulous brow. “Answering a question with a question. Rude.”

Cole chuckled. “And you’re a fighter. I like that. You really have no idea of how long Luchy has been looking for you. Dude almost sank an entire continent before he found you.”

Just then, Lucien reentered the room, freshly changed. His eyes narrowed as he caught Cole muttering, “Luchy.”

“Who the fuck is Luchy?” he growled.

Selene, despite pain and tension and new information that Lucien had been searching for her, laughed softly. Lucien froze, staring at her. His gaze was sharp, questioning. Selene cleared her throat, averting her eyes.

Cole stammered, “I… I have work to do,” and scurried out.

Lucien’s voice was a low growl. “You’re the most selfless and dumb person I’ve ever seen. Risking your life for your brother who sold you?”

Selene sat up, shoulder aching, glaring. “So what? I won’t kill my family just because he betrayed me! I value life! And don’t forget, you’re part of the reason he sold me!”

Lucien’s dark gaze bore into her. He walked closer, leaning down to meet her height. “Do you really think he sold you for your ‘parents’ sake?”

Selene swallowed, breath hitching. “What… what do you mean?”

He said nothing. Instead, his eyes drifted down to her exposed chest, darkening. “I’ll kill anyone who saw this,” he murmured.

Selene blinked, anger and incredulity rising. “You… you’re the one who dressed me like this and dragged me out there! If anyone needs killing, it should be you!”

Lucien’s stare didn’t waver. “And yet…” His gaze lingered, voice low as he pinch her buds through the dress, “my presence turned you on… even after getting shot?”

Selene’s face burned crimson.

He smirked, silent, letting the tension hang heavy in the air. Her heart pounded, a mix of defiance, pain, and something she didn’t want to admit—heat, betraying her anger.

A distant clatter echoed from the hallway outside. Lucien’s eyes flicked toward the sound. His expression hardened.

Selene, still gripping her shoulder, tensed.

The moment stretched, heavy with unspoken threats and dangerous desire.

And then Lucien leaned closer again, whispering just above her ear:

“You still have no idea what’s coming, Selene.”

Her stomach dropped.

The door clicked. Someone was coming.

Her pulse raced. The storm wasn’t over… and she had no idea how much deeper it would get.