Chapter 24: A Soccer Team
The Irony of Timing
“Caspian, why don’t you request a transfer back to Tofral? That way, we wouldn’t have to live apart.”
Selene had asked this once, back when passion still burned between them—when they had christened every corner of their home with their relentless lovemaking.
Back then, she had naively believed that Caspian had fallen for her, just as she had fallen for him.
But time had a cruel way of revealing the truth.
She eventually realized that men like Caspian could separate sex from emotions with terrifying ease.
Love—or the lack of it—had nothing to do with whether a man took a woman to bed.
At the time, Caspian had been adamant about not transferring back.
Not long after, Selene had stumbled upon something revealing—Lyra had been interviewing for a job in Stotta, planning to settle there permanently.
No wonder Caspian never wanted to leave.
Now, with Lyra sent back to Tofral for work, she would likely be staying for a while.
And suddenly…
Caspian had changed his mind.
How convenient.
Selene’s lips curled into a smooth, knowing smile.
A man like Caspian deserved a woman like Lyra—cunning, manipulative, and just as calculating as he was.
If they wanted to be together, so be it.
The world could certainly use fewer of their melodramatic games.
Morning After Regrets?
The next morning, Selene woke up not in her bed, but in the guest room at the club.
Caspian, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be found.
She lay there for a moment, her thoughts a jumbled mess, before finally dragging herself out of bed.
Just as she was about to splash cold water on her face, Orion sauntered in, grinning like a cat that had raided the cream jar.
His mischievous gaze swept over her with clear amusement.
“You had a good night, huh?” he teased.
Selene shot him a glare, but chose to ignore the remark.
Instead, she asked, “When did Caspian leave?”
“Around three in the morning,” Orion replied nonchalantly.
Selene frowned. “That early?”
“Yeah. The poor kitchen lady had a hell of a night because of him.”
That caught Selene off guard.
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Orion blinked, momentarily thrown off. “He woke her up in the middle of the night to make soup for you. You seriously don’t remember?”
Selene stared at him, completely bewildered. “Soup?”
She vaguely recalled a dream—one where she was hungry, and someone had patiently fed her warm soup.
So it had been Caspian after all.
And that other dream—the one where gentle hands bathed her with a warm sponge and massaged away her exhaustion—
Had that been real, too?
Caspian had shown her tenderness, which was rare.
A Reminder She Didn’t Need
Orion leaned against the doorframe, watching her expression shift.
“You know,” he mused aloud, “I think Mr. Vale actually cares about you.”
Selene scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You think so? Then you need professional help.”
Orion pouted dramatically. “And you need to see an OB-GYN. With a physique like his, I bet he’s got Olympic-level stamina. One night with him, and you might end up with an entire soccer team of kids.”
A shiver ran down Selene’s spine—but not at the ridiculous thought of mini-Caspians running around.
No, it was something far more unsettling.
She had forgotten to take the pill after their last time together.
Shit.
Normally, she was meticulous about it. But last night had been… chaotic.
First, they had ended up in a hotel on a whim.
Then, she had fallen asleep too quickly afterward.
Was her luck really that bad?
Her Phone—And His Control
“What’s on your mind?” Orion’s playful voice broke her thoughts. “Still lost in last night?”
Selene shook herself out of her trance. “Honestly, even all your boyfriends put together wouldn’t stand a chance against Caspian.”
With that, she reached for her phone, ready to leave—only to find it switched off.
Her brows furrowed.
Weird.
It had been fully charged yesterday.
A suspicion crept into her mind.
Caspian.
That control-freak bastard must have done something to it.
The moment she powered it back up, the screen flashed 51% battery.
She scoffed. “Unbelievable.”
Her WhatsApp flooded with missed calls and unread messages—most likely important work matters she had completely missed out on.
Selene gritted her teeth. What a jerk.
One Last Goodbye
Orion, ever the instigator, smirked. “Yeah, yeah. He’s in the military, alright? If he’s so great, you should probably enjoy a few more rounds with him while you still can. After all, you’re planning on divorcing him soon enough, right?”
At the door, Selene paused.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile.
She turned slightly, her voice calm but sharp as a blade.
“That was actually our break-up sex last night. And you know what?”
She chuckled, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
“It was pretty damn great.”
