Chapter 4 Enemies of My Enemy

Selena stood at the corner of 7th and Harrow, dressed in black as instructed. A long coat cinched at the waist, scarf wound tight around her neck, and sunglasses hiding the storm brewing in her eyes.

She checked her phone. 2:57 PM.

Her heart beat a little faster-not out of fear, but calculation. If this was a trap, she'd be ready.

Then again, no one in the city had reason to look for a missing bride when the headlines claimed she ran away from her own wedding in disgrace.

Lucas and Vanessa weren't hunting her. Not yet.

That would change soon.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, scanning the street. A coffee truck rumbled nearby. Commuters rushed past, indifferent. Then, a man appeared beside her, as if he'd always been standing there.

"Selena Moore," he said quietly. "Or should I say... the ghost bride?"

She turned her head slightly. He was tall, clean-cut, wearing a leather jacket and jeans. Mid-thirties. Sharp eyes, like a man who noticed everything but said little.

"Who are you?" she asked, not looking directly at him.

"Someone who used to believe in Lucas Blackwell. Until he bankrupted my company and framed me for fraud."

Selena's breath hitched. "He did that to you?"

He nodded. "Three years ago. I lost everything-my name, my investors, my family's respect. He walked away untouched."

She looked down. "He stole my family's empire. And now he's trying to kill me for what's left."

A silence stretched between them, broken only by the sound of snow crunching underfoot.

Finally, he extended a hand. "Name's Jaxon Vale. I want in."

Selena studied his face. He looked dangerous-but not dishonest.

"Why now?" she asked.

"Because for the first time, he's vulnerable," Jaxon said. "The media is circling. He's got that fake heartbroken act going, but insiders are asking questions. And you... you showing up again would ruin his clean-boy image."

"I didn't come back for image," she said. "I came back to end him."

Jaxon smiled faintly. "Then we're on the same page."

---

They found a quiet café in the industrial district. The kind of place with no cameras and no chance of running into someone from the upper class.

Selena slid her laptop across the table and opened the files she'd compiled.

"Here's everything I pulled-proof of Lucas's shell companies, falsified earnings, offshore accounts. And Vanessa's brand? A lie built on fake PR and stolen endorsements."

Jaxon scrolled through the data, his eyes narrowing. "This is good. But it's not enough."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lucas doesn't just win by outsmarting people. He wins by making them look crazy. Or unstable. If you go public with this now, he'll flip it. Say you're bitter. Say you're mentally ill and scorned."

Selena's jaw clenched. "So what do you suggest?"

"You don't bring him down. You make him implode."

He leaned forward, voice low and certain.

"We don't go after his company. We go after his control. His image. His allies. One by one, we unravel everything that makes him untouchable. Then, when he's weak and exposed... we destroy him with the truth."

It was like cold water down her spine. Strategic. Ruthless.

It was exactly what she needed.

"And Vanessa?" she asked.

Jaxon smirked. "Vanessa Clark will do most of the work for us. Trust me."

---

Later that night, Selena returned to her hotel room, her mind spinning with new plans. She'd given Jaxon copies of the evidence and agreed to meet again the next day.

But as she entered her room, she stopped cold.

Something was wrong.

The curtains were closed-she'd left them half-open. And her laptop screen, which she always shut off, was glowing faintly in the dark.

She stepped back and reached into her coat pocket. Her fingers wrapped around the small pepper spray keychain she'd carried for years.

With careful steps, she moved toward the bed and grabbed the lamp.

Then-someone stepped out from the shadows behind the door.

"Selena, wait!"

She spun, swinging the lamp-but froze mid-swing.

It was him.

Noah Easton.

Her ex-fiancé before Lucas. The one who vanished without explanation two years ago.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she whispered, heart in her throat.

He raised his hands. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"You broke my heart. Then disappeared. Now you break into my room?" she hissed. "Give me one reason not to scream."

"Because I know the truth about Lucas," he said. "And I came back to protect you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're two years too late for that."

"I tried to warn you back then. But Lucas had already gotten to you," Noah said, stepping closer. "He paid people to frame me. He made it look like I was cheating, stealing, everything he knew would turn you against me."

Selena's hands trembled.

She remembered the tabloid headlines, the bank alerts, the tears. She remembered confronting Noah-and him saying nothing. Walking away.

Because he thought she'd never believe him.

"You let me think you were a monster."

"I was protecting you," he said. "I thought staying away would keep you safe. Until I saw the headlines. You disappearing on your wedding day? I knew something had happened."

Selena stared at him for a long moment, unsure if she wanted to scream or cry.

"You're too late," she said finally. "I already have someone helping me. Someone who believes in revenge, not rescue."

Noah's jaw tightened. "Then you'll need both. Because Lucas isn't just dangerous-he's connected. If you try to take him down without backup, he'll bury you again."

She turned away from him, breathing hard.

"You still don't get it," she whispered. "I'm not the girl who needs saving anymore."

And she meant it.

---

Outside, snow coated the window ledge like ash.

Inside, Selena stared at the two men who suddenly reappeared in her life-Jaxon, the strategist with scars he didn't speak about, and Noah, the ghost of a love she once mourned.

Both wanted to help.

Both had motives she couldn't fully trust.

But she wasn't looking for saviors.

She was building an army.

And when she was done, the empire Lucas Blackwell stole would burn from the inside out.

To be continued...