Blood Ties and Billionaire Lies

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Selena

“Selena!” she shrieked, not even a hello. “The charity gala is mandatory for interns!”

I groaned. “Ugh… the gala.”

“Yes, the gala!” she repeated, almost breathless. “It’s tonight. And guess who didn’t check their email?”

She had a point. The gala was supposedly a big deal. Interns rarely got invitations. This year? “Interns included,” the invite had said. Shocking.

At first, I’d thought it was a mistake.

But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense this was my chance. A golden ticket. The kind of night where you could network, dazzle, and maybe just maybe secure your future.

“You know what?” I said, sitting up straighter. “I’m in. I can't wait for this gala.”

There was a pause.

“Wait...you? Miss ‘this is just a corporate circus’? Miss ‘I’d rather eat my degree than schmooze with old rich men?”

“I know what I said,” I laughed. “But this is different. The elites will be there. The CEO. We make the right impression we might not be interns for long.”

Alia paused. Then, screamed so loud I dropped the phone.

I’ve been waiting my whole life for this!” she shouted. And then she hung up.

Still confused by her emotional explosion, I shook my head, laughing under my breath as i stood. My first day as an intern at Roth Enterprise felt like slipping into a perfectly tailored grey suit that didn’t belong to me. Cold, structured, suffocating. The kind of place where everyone speaks in buzzwords and looks like they were printed from the same blueprint.

I was fresh out of uni, armed with a paper degree and big dreams, walking into a skyscraper that could swallow me whole. My older sister Cassandra had been here for five years, buried somewhere in Marketing. Still, despite all that time, she'd never met the CEO.

A car horn blared outside.

It was Alia.

“You didn’t think I’d let you go shopping alone, did you?” she grinned. “Hop in we’ve got glam to do.”

The mall was an hour away. First stop: mani-pedis and massages. Pure bliss. For a moment, I forgot about the pressure, the politics, and Cassandra’s tantrum.

“This,” Alia purred, lounging in the chair, “is the life.”

But then came the hard part dress shopping. Gowns glimmered under the boutique lights, but our wallets were weeping.

“We are so broke,” Alia whispered, staring at a price tag like it insulted her.

“You dragged me here!” I snapped. “We could’ve worn what we had.”

“And stay broke forever?” she scoffed. “No way. What about asking Cassandra for money?”

“No.”

“But.....”

“No, Alia.”

She frowned. “Weird. You’re her sister.”

“Let’s just go,” I muttered.

When i got home, I headed straight for the mailbox. Inside was a sleek envelope my invitation. Cassandra’s was there too.

I knocked on her door and handed it to her.

She stared at the card like it was mocking her.

“Wait.” Her eyes narrowed. “You got invited?”

“Yeah,” I replied casually. “All interns were. It’s a company gala.”

The shift in her expression was instant shock, followed by something colder.

“Selena, I’ve worked my ass off for five years to get into this room. And they’re just handing invites to interns now?”

“It’s for charity, Cass,” I said, trying to calm her down. “Everyone’s included.”

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door in my face.

Typical Cassandra always the star, always the storm. She had the looks, the wardrobe, the attitude. The perfect older sister. But tonight? Tonight, she had no idea I was about to steal the spotlight.

Later that night, I tried to shake the day off with a hot shower. It was quiet until I heard a knock at the front door.

“I got it!” Cassandra shouted.

Emma.

Her best friend since sophomore year, and the only person as obsessed with Roth Enterprise as Cassandra.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Cassandra said.

“I rushed here the moment I got the invite,” Emma gushed. “The elites are gonna be there. Our time to shine, Cass!”

“But did you see?” Cassandra whispered. “The invite said interns included.”

“I did.” Emma raised a brow. “Honestly? Bet one of them’s sleeping with the CEO.”

Cassandra laughed bitterly. “You might be onto something.”

“I mean, why else would interns be invited? Maybe he’s bringing her to show her off.”

Emma paused. “You don’t think it’s… Selena, do you?”

Cassandra scoffed. “No way. She hates dressing up. She’ll probably wear some boring old outfit. I might actually have to lend her something.”

They laughed.

I listened.

Then I walked away.

Back in my room, my phone rang again. Alia.

“What are we doing about your gown?” she asked.

I sighed. “I’ll wear something from my closet.”

“That’s depressing. What about the box your grandma left you?”

My chest tightened. “I can’t. Not yet.”

“Selena,” she said gently. “She gave you that for a reason.”

I hesitated. Then walked to my wardrobe and pulled it out.

The old box. Tied with a fading ribbon. On top, a photo of us. She'd always say I'd wear this one day, when i was ready.

I lifted the lid and gasped.

Inside was the gown. Royal blue, laced with stones. Elegant, bold, unforgettable.

The gown my grandmother wore the night she was named Lady of Ashworth. The same night my grandfather proposed.

Alia’s voice was soft. “That’s the one. Wear it. Who knows you might meet your own prince charming.”

I smiled.

Maybe I would.

When I finally arrived at the gala, everything stopped. The building shimmered with gold and glass. Crystal chandeliers dripped light like rain. Champagne flowed like water.

The elites were here. Power, money, status coiled into tailored suits and whispered conversations.

And me? I stepped into the room like I belonged.

For a second, everything became stilled.

I felt it—eyes on me. A flicker of something that didn’t belong in a room full of champagne smiles and designer masks.

In a far corner, near the staircase draped in white roses, stood a man in black. Still. Unblinking. Watching me like he knew something I didn’t.

I blinked.

He was gone.

I laughed it off, brushing a hand over my dress. Just nerves. Right?

But something in my chest whispered no.

What I didn’t know was that tonight…

Someone had already decided my fate.

And I had just walked straight into it.

But what I didn’t know was that tonight… this room would change everything.

Forever.