Chapter 4 True Love Was Rare

Like most girls, she also loathed being dumped by an ex-boyfriend who got into a relationship with her old enemy. “Why would Joseph be with Jennifer? He could pick any girl. Why her?” Selene angrily murmured to herself. The fact that she was still thinking about that whole ordeal showed that she still held a grudge against Jennifer for all her actions against her during college. Jennifer and Joseph getting together, however, filled Selene with resentment. It was something that continued to boil within her. Selene could also admit to herself that she loathed Jennifer not only because of what she had done to her during their college years but also because of envy. Jennifer had always had a strong and warm family to rely on when she came across difficulties in her life. This led her to act unscrupulously. While Selene was her father’s happiness and joy, that was the only thing she had. Since she was very young, she had seen her drunken father hold the photo of her mom against his chest, looking sad and helpless. She knew that her father was too weak to always support her unconditionally. She needed to learn to depend only on herself. Several days later, when Joseph came to find her and tried to explain something, she simply asked him to leave without giving him a second chance. She would not forgive him. They had been planning a future together, and she had honestly waited for Joseph to be back for a long time. But Joseph’s actions made her look like a complete joke and hurt her more than she cared to admit. During those four years in which they had been apart, she lived by herself and remained loyal to him. Even though she had met someone else who was handsome and rich, she turned him down. Not even going to the nightclub to enjoy herself, she acted like an abstinent monk while waiting for his return. But, unexpectedly, he betrayed her without any warning. Selene found it too difficult to face reality, and she became depressed and even had trouble sleeping at night. Right after that, however, she came across her future husband, Clint Denovan. That was not their first encounter, as Clint Denovan had been a customer of her clothing store for the past two years. He usually came to the store once a month to have them make custom-made suits for himself. However, Selene and Clint were not even acquaintances, as Selene was not good at dealing directly with customers, so she left that to the store assistant. She mainly dealt with displaying clothing styles and taking measurements. Clint was also not good at small talk. Every time he came to the store, he would choose fabrics and clothing styles, then leave. So, for a long time, all Selene had learned was that his name was Mr. Denovan and not much else. Mr. Denovan was not the most handsome man she had ever seen, but he was the one with the most distinctive temperament. Wearing just a simple shirt or suit, he looked smart and charming. She could guess that he must be an elite in his industry. She had seen the car he drove, which was luxurious, but since he always came to her store for his suits, she didn’t think that he was a billionaire. But he was one of them. He cared little for renowned luxury brands but enjoyed pursuing minor special brands. After all, he was a man that really stood out from the crowd. No matter who he was, he and Selene hardly interacted with each other. He was just one of her customers. That was all. But something occurred two after Selene’s encounter with Jennifer and Joseph. It was the day that Clint was to come to the store to collect his suits. But he himself did not appear, and a new young guy came for it. The man was much more talkative than Clint. He talked a lot with Selene, and Selene knew that his customer, Clint Denovan, was the man’s boss. When he left, he gave her his business card. Selene casually took it and glanced that he was from the SSGB company where Joseph worked. Out of curiosity, she searched for information about the company on the Internet and found that the founder of the big company was none other than Clint Denovan. As far as she knew, the man was a golden bachelor. Selene was surprised. Oh, the irony! It was a small world. Joseph’s new girlfriend was her old enemy, and Selene’s regular customer was Joseph’s boss. Selene felt like she was on fire with zeal about this new finding. She had not interacted much with Clint over the two years in which he had been her regular customer. She did not think she was attractive to men due to her coldness, so she never showed her hospitality to them. Men are different from women. Men don’t usually decline women’s advances. Selene thought. Joseph, being a utilitarian, never really loved Jennifer. He just took what he needed from her. In the world, true love was rare. “Go to hell, true love,” Selene murmured. In her opinion, the quest to find true love was a bane. Her mother deserted her and her father to follow her true love; her father stayed single and became an alcoholic out of sorrow. He considered her mother his true love. What she wanted to do was to take revenge on Joseph and Jennifer. Selene thought: I could take my revenge on Joseph by being with Clint Denovan. But she pushed this idea away as soon as it came. But it came back, niggling her in the back of her mind. She confirmed again mentally that Clint Denovan was not the man with whom she could make friends. They belonged to completely different social circles. Selene knew there was a great social distance between her and Clint. The thought that being with Clint could be the perfect opportunity to take revenge popped back into her mind.