~ At Mr. M's Private Villa ~

Mr. M was leisurely hanging out in the pool area when he received a call from his accomplice. He picked his phone up and answered it.

He was in a good mood right now because everything was going according to his plan. He was just waiting for another piece of good news.

This call was what he was waiting for.

Mr. M: "What's the update?"

He asked the person on the other line directly as soon as the call got connected.

Accomplice: "It didn't go as we planned. Selene Anderson looked like she matured a lot in just one night."

Mr. M raised his eyebrow after hearing that.

Mr. M: "What do you mean? What happened during the board meeting?"

Accomplice: "Selene Anderson unexpectedly attended the meeting. She impressed the board members as well as the other directors because of her overwhelming confidence and boldness."

Mr. M let out a soft chuckle. He didn't expect that Selene would be capable of doing that.

Mr. M: "How did she do that?"

Accomplice: "She spoke to us frankly. She blatantly talked about people who were trying to remove her from her current position as the CEO. In connection to that, she proposed something to everyone."

Mr. M: "Oh, really. That's interesting. What is it?"

Accomplice: "She will be managing a project. In one month, she will make it successful. If it fails then she will step down from her CEO position."

Mr. M burst into a peal of laughter. He was amused by Selene's bravery and overwhelming confidence. Making a project successful in one month? Could she really do that?

Mr. M: "Hmm, alright! We will see what a little mouse can do in one month. Just continue reporting to me. I will give you instructions again if I need you to do something."

Accomplice: "Okay. I got it."

After talking to his accomplice, Mr. M left his house to meet Samantha. He just felt like seeing her right now since he was in a good mood.

*****

~ Chou Residence ~

Meanwhile, Renz just arrived at Chou Family Mansion. He felt exhausted and stressed because of work.

He was slowly solving the issue in the company. Aside from the company's concern, his mind was occupied by Selene, wondering if she was just doing fine.

He was anxious because of the cold treatment he was receiving from Selene. He felt like she was trying to distance herself from him.

Renz looked absentminded when Grandpa Ivan called him.

"Renz! Come here, grandson. Let's talk. There's something I wanna tell you!" Grandpa Ivan said, feeling excited.

Renz snapped out of his deep thought when he heard his grandfather's voice. He walked over to join his grandfather in the living room. He sat down beside him.

"What is it, grandpa?"

"It's about Selene."

Renz became interested in the mention of Selene's name. He focused his attention on his grandpa.

"I forgot to tell you that some directors and board members asked for an emergency meeting, trying to appoint a new CEO and remove Selene."

"What?! Grandpa, why did you forget to tell me this very important issue!"

Grandpa Ivan chuckled while patting Renz's back.

"I knew you were busy with the Star Corp so I didn't tell you sooner and I forgot. Besides, I will not let it happen. But due to their demands, I just agreed to hold the meeting. I was planning to handle it for Selene. But do you know what?"

Grandpa Ivan paused for a moment, giving Renz suspense.

"What happened in the meeting?" Renz asked his grandpa curiously.

"Hmm! I didn't intervene, grandson! Selene handled it very well. I'm so proud of her. She matured a lot. She was like a strong independent woman as she talked to the directors and board members with so much confidence."

"So you don't have to worry, Renz. Selene impressed everyone. However, she proposed to them that if her project would fail then she would step down from her CEO position willingly. But I believe she will succeed with the project." Grandpa Ivan reassured Renz.

Renz had mixed emotions after hearing those things from his grandfather. He was not able to do something for Selene so he felt useless.

He stood up right away as he decided to see and meet Selene right now.

"Grandpa, I have to go. I want to see her."

"Okay, grandson. Selene needs you! Cheer her up. I know she felt upset since people were trying to scheme against her right after Elysa passed away."

"I understand, grandpa."

After talking to his grandfather, Renz went out to see Selene. He didn't expect that he would see Eros aka Gabriel and a little boy upon arriving at the mansion.

"Gab… why are you here?" Renz asked Eros.

Eros fell silent for a moment. Renz didn't know that he'd been staying at Selene's house even though Grandma Elysa was gone.

"Oh, I just visited Selene," Eros lied.

Sach raised his eyebrow while looking at Eros suspiciously. He wondered why Eros lied and why did the newcomer call him Gab instead of Eros.

Eros met Sach's gaze, signaling him not to mention anything to Renz. As if Sach understood him, the young boy didn't say a word. He just stayed quiet while darting his gaze back and forth between Renz and Eros.

"And who is this cute little young boy? Is he your brother?" Renz asked, looking at the boy with his friendly smile.

"Uncle. He is my uncle!" Sach was the one who answered Renz.

Both men were taken aback when the young boy had spoken.

Eros just smiled awkwardly after he recovered.

"I brought a kid here. I hope you don't mind, Renz. I thought having a kid around Selene would help her cheer up."

Renz just nodded his head with a smile. He appreciated Eros's efforts in comforting Selene. He might be jealous of him sometimes but he felt grateful to him because he was supporting Selene. He was a true friend.

"Are you here to see Selene? She's upstairs, taking a shower," Eros informed Renz.

"Yes, I came to see here. I heard from my grandpa that something happened in the company. I just wanna check on Selene."

Eros nodded his head. Then he thought he should confront Renz now while Selene was not yet around.

"Renz, can we talk outside? Just the two of us."

Renz was rendered speechless for a moment. Eros looked serious when he said that. Renz could only nod his head in agreement.

Eros turned to Sach. "You stay here and watch movies. I will just talk to him. By the way, his name is Renz. He is Selene's fiancee. You can also call him Uncle Renz."

Sach bobbed his head and smiled at Renz before greeting him.

"Hello, Uncle Renz! Nice meeting you! I'm Sach!"

Renz patted Sach's head and said, "Nice meeting you too, Sach."

After a while, Renz and Eros proceeded to the balcony.

"What do you wanna talk about, Gab?"

Eros looked straight into Renz's eyes and asked him directly.

"What's going on between you and Micaela? Do you like her?"

Renz was caught off guard by that question. He didn't know what to say. He was utterly astounded.

'Did Gabriel know what happened between me and Micaela? Did Micaela tell him? Did he mention this to Selene?' Renz had become anxious because of these thoughts.

"Renz, I want you to be honest with me! I don't want Selene to get hurt. She is my friend."

Eros sighed inwardly. Because of Sienna's words, here he was trying to do his cupid role to fulfill his mission for Selene's sake.

"Did you say something to Selene?" Renz asked Eros, breaking his silence.

"No, I didn't," Eros promptly responded.

Renz exhaled deeply before answering Eros.

"Gabriel, believe me or not. Nothing is going on between Micaela and me. I am trying my best to avoid her."

Eros didn't say a word. He just watched Renz, assessing his expression.

"But I will be honest with you…" Renz didn't know how he would explain this to Eros but he had to do it.

"Something happened to me and Micaela during my Bachelor Party. At that time, I didn't know that she was Selene's best friend."

Eros frowned when he heard. He didn't know whether he should be glad or not. Renz finally admitted that something happened between them.

"Gab, I didn't plan this to happen. My friends invited a group of ladies to that party. Micaela was one of them. I got drunk. And eventually, something happened between me and her."

"It was a mistake! I can't tell this to Selene. But believe me, I regretted it! I am not cheating on her. I don't want to hurt her either so I kept my silence."

"I am afraid that Selene will hate me once she learns about this. Gab, I don't want to lose her."

Eros clenched his fist tightly. He failed to control himself as he suddenly punched Renz on his face.