Selena took a deep breath and closed her umbrella, placing it on the metallic basket by the coffee shop’s entrance. Dusting off the rain drops that had fallen on the bordeaux coat she wore, she looked around, easily detecting the man waving at her.

Crossing the coffee shop, at that time of day and due to the sudden bad weather, relatively empty, she approached John who stood up, politely waiting for her to sit down.

“Good evening. I John Donovan. I guess this the first time we speak face to face, isn’t it? Although I can’t shake off the feeling I know you very well. Sarah is always talking about her beloved little sister,” he added with a seductive smile and Selena undid the buttons of her coat to make herself more comfortable.

“Sarah always talks a lot about you too,” she simply declared and John seemed surprised.

“Really? I can’t hardly imagine what she may have to say about me …”

“My sister thinks you’re a very capable scientist, someone that will probably be considerably famous, in the future,” she replied, facing him, and John smiled clearly pleased with her answer. “I guess she admires you a lot, in that regard.”

“In that regard only, I suppose …” he added with a depressed expression and Selena couldn’t help finding him a more or less attractive man. Tall, well built, dressed up with good taste and elegance, his features were nothing to throw away. His brown hair had a few shiny gold strands mixed in it. His honey-color eyes were big and expressive. And, as if what nature had granted him weren’t enough, John knew better than anyone she’d ever met how to take absolute advantage of all his good traits. His smiles, the way he looked at her, his expressions, even the way he moved his hands. There was nothing that could be pointed out as less gracious or attractive. But, of course, he couldn’t be compared with Alexis … or Aaran for that matter. In any case, who could ever be compared with people like them?

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, watching her attentively, and Selena realized she’d been smiling.

“Ah, no. I was just thinking that you’re exactly like my sister described you,” she easily lied and the waitress approached them with a small notepad and a pen on her hands.

“Good evening. My name is Jane and I'll be serving you today. What can I get you?”

“Hum, coffee for me.” John replied and turned his attention towards the girl.

“Ah, I’m fine, thank you,”

“Oh, come on. I’m sure there’s something you’d like to have,” he complained with a fake pout, and Selena sighed. Sure she could have insisted in her denial, but she didn’t feel like having one of those stupid discussions, where he’d insist back endlessly, as it would surely be the case.

“Then, peach juice,” she decided, choosing the first thing her eyes fell on as she looked towards the glass counter, and the waitress took note of their requests.

“Will that be all?”

“For now, yes,” John replied, giving her one of his captivating smiles as she left. “But really. It’s amazing. Even if I didn’t know any better, anyone could immediately see that you’re sisters,” he observed in a friendly tone and Selena noticed the brown briefcase placed on the other side of the table.

“Are those the documents you mentioned?”

“Ah, yes, of course. I can only imagine how much this means to the both of you,” he sighed as he reached for the briefcase, and Selena couldn’t help feeling surprised when he simple handed it to her. “I told Sarah that I would help her, but she’s endlessly stubborn about accepting other people’s help,” he complained while Selena opened the case. “I guess it’s better this way. At least I won’t have to listen to her complain and accuse me of sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Selena took some of the papers out and quickly red a few lines. Maybe she’d been wrong, she thought. Maybe there were no motives for suspicion. Those papers looked like the real deal, at least enough to convince her doubtful mind, and her hands shook as she saw the medical reports from the times when her sister had been committed.

“These! Aren’t these supposed to be confidential?” she asked, accusingly, and John leaned back when the waitress returned, bringing their drinks.

“Yes. I don’t really know how your aunt got those reports. And yes, because they’re confidential they’ll probably be removed from the process the instant they’re presented. However, by then it would be too late. The judge will have already learned of their existence, and even if he’s not allowed to take them into account, they will certainly influence him as he determines Sarah’s competence,” he told her taking a sip of his hot coffee.

“This … is not fair!”

“Fair has nothing to do with it, in cases like this. Facts are facts, whether they belong to the present or to the past, whether Sarah can, or cannot be blamed for them.”

Selena felt a knot squeeze her throat and pressed her lips together to hide her weakness from him. There, in those pieces of paper, were compiled all the possible failures or darker moments of Sarah’s life. For a moment she almost shredded them all to unreadable pieces … if only that would solve anything.

“Everything’s going to be all right,” John assured her in a confident tone and Selena raised her head to face him. “I still haven’t played all my cards. And the same way they were able to gather this file on your sister, I can also gather a similar one about your aunt, or about her lawyer if he keeps insisting in including confidential documents to support his case. I can even try to sway the judge in charge of your case,” he calmly stated and Selena couldn’t help shudder. Because his soft, captivating expression had disappeared, and the face of the man sitting across from her was the face of a scheming, cold man.

Sarah had told her before, about how rich and influential John really was. But to think that it meant he’d be able to manipulate the justice system to that extent … And yet, giving it another thought, what did it matter? As long as it was in her favor …

“Don’t worry and drink your juice,” he insisted, again the perfect gentleman, and Selena sighed, obeying him. Now, here is someone who's a much bigger liar than I am, she thought tilting her cup, pouring all the juice down her throat so she could be done with it once and for all. She wanted to return to Alexis’ home as soon as possible. She didn’t even want to imagine the ruckus they would make if someone were to find out she’d left the house on her own.

“Even if my sister is stubborn, even if she doesn’t want your help … I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this.” She put down the cup to gather all the papers back inside the briefcase.

“I see you’re a rather straightforward young girl,” he observed and Selena sighed, closing the case.

“As long as I’m able to stay by my sister’s side, I couldn’t care less about the means to achieve it,” she declared with absolute certainty and a light dizzy spell forced her to blink so she could focus.

“I’m glad. It would seem we think alike. I’m sure we’ll understand each other perfectly well, in the future.”

Selena felt as a wave of nausea washed over her and held her head in her hands since it wouldn’t stop spinning. Her uncertain gaze fell on the empty glass in front of her. The juice? She forced herself to turn towards the counter and saw Jane, the waitress, cringe with a guilty, worried expression. Ah … so he’d convinced the young woman to drug her juice, she concluded. Money, probably. Or some kind of threat. And suddenly, even as the drug left her progressively weaker, her mind was suddenly clear and free of any doubts.

“What are you laughing at?” she heard him ask, his voice sounding tense and indignant, and Selena placed her all too heavy head on the table, in hopes that that would be enough to stop the world from spinning around her.

“Because … I’ve just realized … I’m glad I came …” she muttered, her tongue heavy, refusing to obey her.

“What do you mean?” He sounded annoyed now and Selena smiled.

“Even if I hadn’t … come … someone would have gone… for her … But she’d have fought them back … and they'd probably have hurt her … and locked her up … Like this … I’ve just taken her place …”

“And this makes you happy? To be captured instead of her?”

Selena laughed again as her eyes closed.

“You’re such … an idiot … If you lock her up … who’ll be able … to stop Alexis …?”

John was petrified in his chair, staring at the unconscious girl in front of him. Stop Alexis?! What the hell was she talking about? Alexis would have to deal with Farran. As for him, all he had to do was take Selena with him. Sarah would certainly follow her to the end of the Earth if needed be, of that he was certain. And then Farran would finally get his hands on Alexis and would make him disappear forever. And tomorrow everything would be different, and there would be only him. And Sarah would have no choice but to turn to him in order to keep Selena.