Chapter 5: Shadows from the Past
The hum of the luxury car engine carrying them through the streets of Manhattan felt muffled by the silence inside the cabin. Scarlett leaned back in her seat, letting her head rest against the cold window glass. Outside, the lights of New York blurred into streaks, just like her feelings at that moment. Her heart was still pounding from the audition earlier, the lingering tremor after she had poured all of Elara's emotions in front of Arthur Vance.
She glanced at Julian from the corner of her eye. The man sat upright, his fingers tapping against his knee in an irregular rhythm. Julian had not said a single word since they left the theater building. This silence no longer felt insulting as it usually did, but instead carried a subtle tension that made the hairs on the back of Scarlett's neck stand on end.
Julian himself felt as if his entire world had just been shaken by a small tectonic quake. Scarlett's performance on stage earlier was not merely acting. It was the stripping bare of a soul. He had seen a sincerity so pure that it made him ashamed of himself for ever thinking of her as nothing more than an attention seeker. But that was not the only thing disturbing his mind.
Inside his suit pocket, Julian's phone felt as heavy as lead. A short message haunted his lock screen.
"I saw your new girl at the audition location earlier, Julian. Very sweet. See you at the party tomorrow. – S."
S. Selena Harrington.
One name that could tear down the ice walls Julian had built over the years. Julian closed his eyes for a moment, trying to push away the fragments of memory that suddenly rushed in: Selena's laughter in Paris, their fierce argument in a TriBeCa apartment, and the suffocating silence when they decided to part ways five years ago. They had been New York's golden couple, the crown prince of the Caldwell family and the princess of the Harrington empire. Five years together, building dreams on red carpets, until the difference in principles between Julian's desire for marriage and Selena's pursuit of an international career destroyed everything.
The world believed they had simply drifted apart, because the breakup was never officially announced. And now, Selena had returned, just as a girl from Carmel began to stir the darkest corner of his heart.
"How did it go?" Victoria's voice greeted them as soon as the grand mahogany doors opened. The older woman stood in the hall, her face glowing with curiosity she could not hide.
Scarlett offered a small smile as she slipped off her high heels that had begun to torture her feet. "I'm not sure, Madam. Arthur Vance isn't the type to give compliments easily. But... I gave it everything."
"She was incredible, Grandma," Julian said suddenly. His voice was low, almost like a whisper meant only for himself.
Victoria froze. She studied her grandson carefully, noticing a different glint in Julian's blue eyes, something softer, more human. Julian quickly looked away when he realized her gaze, then headed up the stairs without another word.
"What is wrong with him?" Victoria asked Scarlett, her tone laced with playful curiosity.
"I'm not sure either, Madam. Maybe he's just tired of dealing with an amateur actress like me all day," Scarlett answered honestly, though she felt there was something much bigger Julian was hiding behind those broad shoulders.
That night, in his spacious room, Julian sat at his dark teak desk. He did not turn on the lights, letting only the moonlight slip through the curtains. In front of him, he stared at an old photograph he had taken from the deepest drawer. A woman with sharp, elegant, commanding beauty.
Selena Harrington. She was the definition of queen energy. Coming from the second wealthiest family in New York, Selena never asked for attention, she possessed it naturally. Her intelligence was as sharp as her beauty, and her ambition rose as high as the skyscrapers owned by her father.
Julian let out a long breath. He could still feel the remnants of his love for Selena, an old love deeply rooted, filled with memories and unresolved pain. Yet every time he thought of Selena, the image of Scarlett crying under the spotlight earlier overlapped it.
Scarlett was an honest warmth, something Julian had never found in this industry full of pretenses. Scarlett was a new risk that began to disturb his balance.
"Damn," Julian muttered softly, gripping the photo in his hand. "Why now, Selena?"
The next night, New York seemed to dress itself more beautifully for an elite charity gala held at The Plaza. Victoria insisted that Scarlett attend, and Ben and Kyle were once again tasked with ensuring Scarlett looked like part of Manhattan's aristocracy.
The ballroom was filled with the scent of expensive perfume, the clinking of champagne glasses, and light conversations about stocks and film projects. Scarlett stood beside Victoria, feeling slightly out of place but still trying to keep her chin lifted. Julian stood on the other side, wearing a black tuxedo that made him look ten times more intimidating.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifted. A strange silence spread from the entrance, as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the space.
A woman stepped inside.
She wore a blood-red velvet gown that embraced her figure perfectly. Every step radiated absolute dominance. Her black hair was styled neatly, highlighting her slender neck and diamond earrings that sparkled almost painfully. It was Selena Harrington.
All eyes turned to her. Victoria stiffened, her fingers tightening around her clutch. Julian... he seemed frozen. The glass in his hand trembled slightly before he set it down on the nearest table.
Selena walked straight through the crowd as if the people around her were nothing more than lifeless decorations. She stopped right in front of Julian.
"It's been a long time, Julian," Selena's voice was smooth, sharp, and filled with a familiarity that made Scarlett's heart drop.
Julian looked at Selena in silence for a long moment. Complex emotions danced in his eyes, longing, anger, and unease blending into one. "Selena. I thought you were still in London."
"New York always has a way of pulling me back," Selena smiled faintly, then her gaze shifted toward Scarlett standing not far away.
Selena assessed Scarlett from head to toe with a single glance that made Scarlett feel exposed and small. Selena's smile did not fade, but there was a clear superiority in it, a wordless message that she was the rightful owner of this room.
"And who is this sweet girl? Is this... your new 'project,' Julian?" Selena asked, her voice carrying a tone of insult wrapped in perfect politeness.
Scarlett felt her stomach twist. She wanted to step back, but somehow she sensed a solid presence beside her. Julian had moved, standing close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
"This is Scarlett Aurora Whitmore," Julian said, his voice now firmer, colder. "And she is not anyone's project. She is a future star you should watch out for, Selena."
Selena let out a soft laugh, a sound like shattering crystal. "A future star? We will see how long a small-town light can survive under the pressure of Manhattan."
Selena stepped forward, leaning closer to Julian's ear, but her eyes remained fixed on Scarlett. "Don't forget, Julian. We still have unfinished business. You know exactly where to find me."
She then turned away, leaving behind the heavy, intoxicating scent of lily perfume. Scarlett watched Selena's retreating figure, realizing something painful: she had just stepped into a battlefield she had never expected.
Her new world was no longer just about acting. It was about survival among an old love that had not faded and a new love beginning to bloom in the middle of a storm.
Julian looked at Scarlett, his eyes filled with unspoken chaos. He realized one thing: Selena's return would shatter the fragile balance he had just begun to build with Scarlett. And the most terrifying part was that he did not know which side he would save if everything went up in flames.