Never Judge

Francesca was quite familiar with Selina Ramirez, she worked with Selina as one of Selina's models for SR Designs. She had found the woman to be kind but tough, very much like her who had been brought up in a mafia family like a princess. 

"Hello?" Selina's voice asked from the other end of the line.

"Hey Selina, I have the best business opportunity for you. But you have to come here now." Francesca said with her voice filled with urgency.

"Alright. Where are you?" Selina asked.

"Maharlika Hotel, rooftop." Francesca said right before dropping the call.

"What's with the dramatic cloak and dagger?" Katerina asked.

"Selina would never go here if she knew she was meeting you guys." Francesca said with a shrug. "I didn't lie. You guys are a walking business opportunity for her." Francesca teased.

"How are we…" Nicole asked before realizing what Francesca meant. Of course the sisters were a business opportunity to Selina, anything they wore would automatically be the trend, and on top of that they were the children of the richest families in the country, they could set Selina up with the best projects.

"She also wants to distribute Maureen Cordova's work internationally, so she won't be that mad at me." Francesca said with a laugh.

It took a while for Selina to arrive, the girls were already done having dinner and were happily sipping wine when Selina walked up to them.

"You lied, Francesca." Selina said with her arms crossed on her chest.

"No I didn't." Francesca said with a laugh.

"Selina, please join us." Katerina said with a smile as she pointed to the vacant seat next to her.

"Hi Adrianna." Selina said with a smile as she took a seat next to Katerina. "I heard you were close to the sisters, I didn't think you were this close." 

"She's like a sister to me." Ayanna said with a giggle, taking Selina by surprise. Her only interaction with Ayanna was when it came to business and Ayanna was always serious in their meetings.

"Yes, we're quite close." Adrianna said with a small smile. "Do you know everyone? Well let me introduce you, I'm sure you know Katerina, Natalia, Ayanna, and Francesca. That's Veronica, she's a designer slash architect, she's from the Abad family, and next to her is Nicole, she runs Saints Hospital."

Selina respectfully greeted the two women. She had met them once, at a party, but so much had happened back then that she wasn't sure if they remembered her.

"I'm sure you guessed that we invited you over for non-business related reasons." Katerina said as she calmly took a sip of her wine. Katerina was always calm and collected around others, and Selina was no exception.

"Yes, but I'm not exactly sure why." Selina said honestly.

"My brother is dating your friend and former lover." Katerina said quite coldly.

"Jen." Selina said with a sigh.

"So you don't deny it?" Katerina asked in a cold tone. "You were lovers."

Selina remained silent.

"Katerina, don't be so harsh." Adrianna said in a kinder tone.

"We weren't." Selina confessed.

"That's not what she's been telling everyone." Katerina told Selina in a nicer tone than earlier. "She told my brother that you led her on, that you made her think that she had a chance with you. According to her she loved you, gave up everything for you, and you played her." With every statement Kateirna could see Selina's reaction change. She didn't seem angry, she seemed sad.

"That's not true." Selina said, finally defending herself.

"Why did you let her get away with those lies then?" Francesca asked, she was concerned about Selina.

"I owe her." Selina confessed.

"Why? Because she saved your life or something?" Nicole asked.

"No." Selina said, shaking her head vigorously.

"Selina, my sister just wants to hear the truth. I think it's so that she, no, we could finally accept that my brother loves Jen and that he will eventually marry her." Natalia said in a tender and caring tone. She knew where her sister was coming from, but she didn't agree with Katerina's method. 

"I never led Jen on, but she wasted her best years on me. She gave up her dreams to follow me. So I owe her at least that." Selina said with a frown. "She confessed that she loved me romantically in our last year in highschool. She even kissed me to prove how she felt, but I rejected her. I told her I only saw her as a friend and that I liked guys and not girls. People on the streets hissed at me for being too closed minded."

"She wouldn't have followed you for so long if she didn't feel like she had a chance with you." Katerina accused, she wanted to hear the full story and she wasn't going to stop until she heard all of it.

"I think it was because when I moved to New York and she followed my parents paid for almost everything. The only thing her family had to do was pay for her tuition." Selina explained. "She would say things and act sweet. Sometimes I didn't correct her or stop her, but most times I would tell her. I would remind her that I only saw her as a friend and nothing more. I think it was that hesitation and that care by my parents that led her on. But I told her repeatedly that I didn't love her that way. That I loved her as my best friend, she was more like a sister to me. There were days that she didn't take it kindly, she would storm out of the room or shout or cry. It hurt me to think that I was causing her pain. She lost her best years chasing me, so not ruining her new found love is the least I can do."

"Do you think Jen could truly become serious about my brother?" Katerina asked Selina.

"Jen is a good person." Selina said with a determined look on her face.

"How can you say that about someone who has been going around and spreading false rumors about you?" Katerina asked angrily. "How can you be so kind to someone who has told the whole of society that you use people, she is ruining your image Selina." 

Everyone was shocked with Katerina's sudden outburst, they had heard the rumors but they didn't know that Jen had spread them. 

"Katerina." Selina didn't know what else to say, she was shocked to hear what Katerina had just said. "That's not the only rumor out there, there are others that are much worse."

"Which ones? The ones that say you sold your body to become a model? Or the ones that say you married some rich man in Europe to build your brand?" Katerina asked as she enumerated some of the rumors going around.

"They are just jealous competitors." Selina said, brushing away the rumors.

"No Selina. They were maliciously spread by one person." Katerina explained. "On top of that I know she isn't loyal to my brother." Katerina suddenly said making everyone on the table gasp in surprise.