Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Disguised as a Bar Hostess

“Selena, how could you leave without saying goodbye?”

Keith held his head in his hands and sat down on the ground.

“What are you doing here?”

A male voice echoed. Keith looked up, his eyes now blurred with tears. The man standing in front of him frowned deeply and sternly said:

"You took a woman back to your lodging last night. I heard about it from the driver. Did she swindle all your money and run away?"

Keith immediately retorted:

"No, she didn't swindle me! But she left, without saying goodbye. At least... huff... at least she could have told me where she was going. She's just a fragile woman, so beautiful, there's no doubt countless dangers waiting for her out there. No, I have to find Selena!"

Without finishing his words, Keith stood up and rushed out of the house, wanting to head to the riverbank from last night to find her, but the man quickly restrained him.

"Get a hold of yourself!"

Keith struggled against the man's grip and shouted:

"Let me go! I have to find my lily of the valley, Selena."

At that moment, the only thing on Keith’s mind was the cold, aloof image of Selena, entirely ignoring any sense of self-worth.

William, watching his brother stubbornly obsess over a girl, felt humiliated. Ultimately, it was because he had pampered his brother too much, allowing him to become so naive.

"I'm warning you. If you dare go after that woman and continue spending money on her, I’ll use force to throw her in jail."

Panicking, Keith grabbed his brother's hand and pleaded:

"Please don’t do that. Selena has already suffered so much. She... she promised she’d pay me back."

William frowned and delivered his final warning:

"I won’t pursue the lost money, but you won’t use this as an excuse to see her again. You’re the youngest of the Sterling family. Don’t be so blinded and foolish; it’s easy for people to take advantage of you, you know that?"

Keith lowered his head, saying nothing. He knew his brother meant what he said, and if he didn’t back down now, it was likely that his brother would seek out Selena and make things difficult for her.

William didn’t continue scolding his brother. Instead, he suddenly asked:

"That woman’s name is Selena?"

Keith nodded, and William’s brow furrowed deeply.

Was it just a coincidence? After all, that despicable woman was already dead.

A vivid image of carnal pleasure from a dream flashed through William’s mind. It had been about a month after his plain-looking wife had disappeared, and one night, he dreamt of her entangled with him. The indescribable pleasure from that dream was something he had never experienced, not even with his first love or any other woman.

Shaking off the foolish thoughts, William dragged his idiotic brother back to the main house. If they left him in a rented room any longer, someone would sell him off for money sooner or later.

...

On the other side, after leaving Keith’s place, Selena returned to the house she had bought for her mother and brother. She handed the money she had extracted from that gullible boy over to Wyatt for spending money. She didn’t need that small sum; her real goal was to train her ex-brother-in-law into being so infatuated with her that he would obey her like a loyal dog.

Perhaps one day, he might be one of the tools she used to tear down the Sterling family.

That evening, dressed in a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her stunning curves and a long black fur coat, Selena hailed a cab straight to the bar that Balthazar Winchester frequented.

Her mere appearance stirred a commotion. Even though she wore dark glasses, they couldn’t conceal her extraordinary beauty. A few men even began inching closer to introduce themselves.

Uninterested in dealing with these foul-smelling men, Selena feigned fear. Immediately, a group of so-called heroes appeared to protect her, sparking a brawl to block the men from approaching. Selena remained calm, making her way to the bartender.

"I need to see the person who runs this bar."

This bar not only had hostesses but also offered prostitution services. The person Selena wanted to meet was the madam who controlled it all.

The bartender, clearly stunned by Selena’s beauty, especially up close, felt an overwhelming allure that seemed to draw him into an endless abyss.

"I’d like to meet the madam or the pimp in charge." Selena patiently repeated herself.

Startled back to his senses, the bartender stammered:

"Sorry, ma’am, but our manager can’t just meet customers at random."

Selena removed her dark glasses, and her captivating almond-shaped eyes immediately ensnared his mind. Swallowing hard, the bartender unconsciously replied:

"If I take a picture of you and send it to the manager, maybe she’ll agree to meet you."

Selena nodded.

"Go ahead."

The bartender snapped a few photos of Selena, then excitedly sent them off. As expected, it wasn’t long before a response came back, confirming that the madam wanted to meet her.

Rising from her seat, Selena followed the bartender to a room. He opened the door for her, revealing an interior clouded with cigarette smoke, causing her to wrinkle her nose in displeasure.

"My, oh my, what an angel. So beautiful, it takes one’s breath away."

A woman’s voice rang out. As the smoke cleared, Selena could make out the figure in the room.

The woman was in her early forties, heavily made-up, and her body far from toned—sagging, if anything.

She approached Selena, raising a hand to stroke her face, looking her up and down as if appraising merchandise.

Selena frowned in discomfort and said:

"I’m not your merchandise. I’m here to make a deal."

She then pulled a thick stack of money from her bag and continued:

"Here’s two hundred thousand in front of you. I want to pose as one of your bar’s hostesses and serve drinks in Balthazar’s room."

Madame, upon hearing Selena's request, appeared quite surprised but quickly nodded as though she understood something.

"Mr. Winchester is a prominent figure in the country, and for just two hundred thousand, you want me to bring you to him? This price is a bit too low."

She continued to caress Selena's face, her eyes gleaming with greed.