Reclaiming Her Heart

Raymond took off first, throwing a quick side-eye as he rounded the corner.

Selena stayed put, said something to Ronald, and then gave him a "go ahead" gesture.

Ronald nodded, and they both headed out the other way.

Raymond's body went stiff. He only relaxed his lips after they were gone.

Selena and Ronald ditched Sky Gallery and found a chill café to hang out in.

Ronald twirled a spoon in his fingers while Selena gave him the lowdown on S.M Corporation.

"So, what do you think? You in?" Selena asked.

Ronald replied, "I've got a female artist under my wing, but she's signed with All Star Entertainment. She probably won't want to bail. Plus, she's got mad potential." Translation: Selena should try to snag this girl.

Ronald had a knack for turning newbies into A-listers. If he said she was promising, she was probably the next big thing.

"Alright, what's her name?"

"Sophia Turner."

After sealing the deal with Ronald, Selena tried calling Ann, but got no answer.

She frowned and dialed again.

Still no answer.

She jumped in her car and sped to Ann's place.

The door was cracked open, and she could hear Ann and Brody arguing inside.

"Ann, what's your deal? Just 'cause your boss said something, you're doubting me now?"

Brody's mom butted in, "If you really think my son did you dirty, then break up! We don't need you."

Ann looked torn and upset. She probably realized she was overreacting; it was just a spoon, after all. "Brody, I'm sorry," Ann said.

Brody sighed, feeling a bit guilty too. "Forget it, it's cool. Just don't do it again."

But Brody's mom wasn't done. "You're not even married yet, and you're already full of doubts. When you used to travel for work, did we ever accuse you of fooling around? My son has always trusted you!" Ann felt even worse hearing that.

She rubbed her forehead and kept apologizing. "It's my bad."

Selena didn't go in, but hearing all this made her fume.

She stood outside for a bit, listening to Brody's mom keep laying into Ann.

After a bit, Ann came out. She jumped when she saw Selena, quickly dragging her into a dark corner of the hallway.

"Ms. Fair, what are you doing here?"

Selena had a hunch that things with Ann and Brody were rocky, but it was clear Ann still had faith in him.

"Ann, last time I was in the elevator, I overheard Brody and his mom talking about you. Brody's got something going on with the daughter of Sunshine Real Estate Company. Her name's Jessica. I saw her with your fiancé at a party before." Ann felt a chill run down her spine, not wanting to believe it.

Selena pulled her out of the dark corner and into a convenience store at the entrance of the complex.

The store had just one table.

Selena grabbed two hot drinks and set them down in front of Ann. "I know this is tough. You've known him for seven years, but he's not being real with you. If you keep this up, you'll just get hurt more."

Ann held the hot drink, staring down at it. "Ms. Fair, maybe it was just for socializing."

"Okay, even if it was, their elevator chat showed zero respect for you," Selena said.

Ann looked down even more, gripping the cup tight. "That's just how she is. She's got a bad temper, but Brody's always been good to me. We've known each other for so long, and in the future, I'll be living with Brody, not his mom." Selena was at a loss for words. She admired Ann's work skills but didn't expect her to be so naive about love.

"A relationship that hasn't led to marriage in seven years has issues."

Selena couldn't help but keep trying to convince her, but Ann just smiled, "We weren't making much money before, and I was still young. Now we're both doing better, and after thinking it over, we decided to get married."

Ann pulled out her phone and saw Selena's missed calls, quickly apologizing. "I was putting Brody's little brother to bed, so I had my phone on silent and missed your calls. I'm sorry."

"He has a brother? I thought he was an only child?"

"I thought so too. It wasn't until last year that I found out. When Brody was in college, his family secretly had another kid. Now his mom's brought the kid to live with us. The kid's only seven and super noisy. When I'm home, my phone's usually on silent. I'm really sorry."

Selena felt more and more that something was off.

Ann had known Brody for seven years and only found out about his brother last year?