Chapter 6

• Selina’s POV
• I froze in place. Never in her wildest dreams had I expected Maddox to show up here.
• He walked straight toward us, not even sparing a glance at my disheveled appearance, and viciously grabbed Fiona's wrist that still held the wine glass.
• "Ah!" Fiona screamed at the top of her lungs, as if her bones were being crushed. The pain forced her to drop the glass, which shattered on the floor.
• "Who gave you the courage?"Maddox’s voice was terrifyingly low; each word seemed to hurt her.
• His eyes looked at her like she was a dirty piece of trash, filled with undisguised disgust and a cold killing intent.
• Maddox let go of her hand, pointed his chin toward her, and ordered the bodyguard behind him, "Inform HR, Fiona Rivera is immediately fired for serious violation of company ethics and physically attacking a colleague. She will never work in this industry again."
• "Yes, sir!"
• Fiona stared at him in disbelief, never expecting her actions would enrage him this much.
• But she knew Maddox’s word was final, unchangeable.
• Her resentful gaze darted to me, and at the same moment, Maddox’s eyes turned on me too.
• His gaze swept over my torn shirt collar, then settled on the light jacket draped around me, the one that belonged to Willis.
• In an instant, his gaze even darkened, more dangerous.
• Without any warning, Maddox suddenly reached out, his movements rough, precise, and almost predatory, grabbing the jacket on me forcefully.
• "Mr. Torres..." Willis exclaimed, trying to stop him.
• But Maddox didn’t spare him a glance. With one violent tug, he ripped the thin jacket, along with Willis’ warmth and kindness, away from me.
• I was exposed at once.
• The wet white shirt clung to my skin, clearly outlining the contours of my underwear and body. The humiliation from Fiona’s earlier act still stung, and now Maddox, in an even harsher way, laid bare my vulnerability in front of everyone.
• In a swift motion, he pulled me into his chest. My nose hit his broad frame, and the overwhelming scent of him instantly enveloped me.
• Maddox lowered his head, his chin nearly brushing my hair.
• His warm breath brushed against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
• His lips were almost against my ear when he asked, his tone deceptively intimate, "Why didn’t you tell me about the party?"
• I felt everyone gasp, their eyes filled with curiosity and envy. But only I felt the chill in my heart.
• This was not the intimacy they thought it was. His earlier intervention and now this shielding were not to protect me, but merely to protect the reputation of his Torres family!
• I pushed Maddox away, leaning against the wall for support. Just as I was about to respond to his question, Lily, who had been observing everything, couldn't help but speak up.
• "Selina, Mr. Torres... what’s your relationship with him?"
• Maddox's gaze briefly landed on Lily's face, as cold as ice, but his tone was low and seductive.
• "Selina is important to me. Do you need me to explain?"
• At his words, silence fell instantly.
• And my heart sank once again.
• Important to him, yes. Without me, how else could Maddox have secured his current standing?
• "Sorry, everyone," Maddox straightened, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the crowd, a faint cold smile on his lips. "Selina still has work to do. I’ll take her away first. Tonight’s expenses are on me. Enjoy yourselves."
• I broke free from his hold and quickly walked to Willis.
• Maddox stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on me, displeasure and danger flickering within them.
• I could feel his gaze stabbing into my back, almost suffocating me.
• Bending down, I carefully picked up the wine-stained jacket from the floor.
• Willis’ kindness should not be trampled like this.
• I signed clearly: Willis, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. Thank you for your jacket. I'll clean it and return it to you.
• "No need to trouble yourself, I'll wash it myself." Willis took the jacket from me, our hands brushing. His palm was warm and calm, as if she carried the kind of energy that could calm me.
• When his eyes met mine, they were filled with genuine concern.
• "There's something else... I need your help."
• "Our news agency has been following a special report about integrating deaf-mute children in education. The colleague who was supposed to interpret fell ill, and I was asked to take over. But you know, my sign language isn’t strong enough to handle the technical terms or the children’s expressions. Can you help me with this? It will probably take this weekend, two days."
• Looking at his sincere yet slightly embarrassed eyes, and remembering how he had just stood up for me without hesitation, I didn’t think twice.
• I signed clearly: No problem, I'm willing to help. Just tell me the time and place.
• Willis’s face lit up with relief, and he immediately pulled out his phone. "That’s great! Thank you so much, Selina! I’ll send the details to your email right away!"
• For the first time that night, a genuine smile rose on my face.
• "Selina." Maddox’s cold voice came from behind, already impatient and a warning, like a bucket of ice water poured over me.
• The smile vanished instantly. After giving Willis one last nod, I turned and walked toward Maddox.
• The so-called "unfinished work" was just an excuse, just like the phrase "important person."
• Maddox drove me back home, the car pulling into the villa’s garage.
• Not a word was spoken between us. I didn’t know how he had found my whereabouts, but I understood his reason for doing it.
• Once I had figured out Maddox’s attitude toward me, nothing else mattered anymore.
• The room was silent.
• Leaning against the door, I felt exhaustion wash over me like a tide. But I knew there was one thing I had to do.
• I walked into the bathroom and locked the door.
• The sound of rushing water filled the room, and the steamy heat spread, blurring the mirror.
• I took out the phone hidden in a waterproof bag, the cold metal making my fingertips tremble.
• Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the time on the screen: 22:59.
• One more minute.
• I turned on the voice changer, my fingertip hovering over the redial button, silently counting down with the ticking of the seconds.
• 23:00:00.
• My fingertip pressed down.
• After three rings, the call was answered.
• "You are... very punctual. Every night at eleven, more accurate than my alarm clock."