Never Judge

"Selina. . ." Cedric began to say, but he realized he was at a loss for words. He had no idea how to comfort the woman. It was clear that she had been through a lot, not just with Jen but now it was with Louisse too.

"It's alright, Cedric." Selina said with a sigh over the phone. "What I've been through is quite hard to grasp. I guess you could say I was confused and lost and I had no idea what I wanted."

"Was this after Jen left?" Cedric asked Selina. He knew that the pair parted ways on bad terms and at that point Selina had already been doubting herself.

"Yes." Selina admitted in an embarrassed tone.

"You don't need to explain." Cedric said with a frown as he looked at the phone, staring blankly at the inanimate object on the table. 

"I want to." Selina said to Cedric's surprise.

"Are you sure? I'm sure it was quite traumatic for you." Cedric said, worried about how Selina was holding up. 

"I need to talk about it." Selina said. "I need someone to hear my story too." 

Cedric and the others waited as Selina gathered her courage. They knew it was a big deal for her to speak of her traumatic experiences, they had seen it first hand when she spoke about Jen.

No matter how many years had passed since Jen's death, Selina still hurt, and Cedric believed that she would take even longer to heal.

Luckily, Eric had recommended her to an incredible psychiatrist, someone he had gone to school with and someone who specialized in abusive relationships. 

In the past year they had seen a huge improvement in Selina's mood and it now worried Cedric that bringing Louisse up would push her steps back.

"Back when Jen left, I was vulnerable." Selina finally said over the phone after taking a deep breath. "I was confused and I sought comfort wherever I could."

"Did she trick you?" Dave asked in a worried tone. Cedric knew that he treated Selina like a sister since Helios, Selina's twin brother, was his best friend.

"No, well I'm not sure." Selina said in a sad tone over the phone. "I was confused and lost and I thought going with Louisse would be the best option for me. She offered not only to be my companion but to model for me as well."

"And you agreed?" Dave asked, protectively.

Cedric waved a hand at Dave, signaling him to calm down. He knew it was a personal matter for the assistant, but his distress was doing Selina no good, it would only stress her out as well.

"Of course I did, Dave!" Selina practically shouted over the phone. "My heart was shattered, I may have not loved Jen the way she wanted me to love her but she was my best friend. How would you feel if my brother just abandoned you out of nowhere?" Selina asked.

Dave closed his mouth as soon as he heard Selina's question, she was right. She might not have been romantically involved with Jen, but she loved her best friend and her best friend had just left her at that point..

"It's alright, Selina." Cedric said in a calming tone. "We understand." He said as he glared at his assistant.

"I'm sorry, I lost my cool." Dave said, apologizing to her over the phone. "You know how worried I get. Your brother would have my head if I let anything happen to you." He confessed.

"I doubt my brother could hurt you." Selina said with a laugh as she recovered. "Your family is way more powerful than ours and with Cedric on your side you are practically untouchable." Selina admitted.

"If he acts like an idiot I won't side with him." Cedric teased. "Dave has a long way to go, don't worry, he will learn." He added as he eyed his assistant who was now just laughing at the conversation.

"I'm sorry to bring this up Selina, but we need to know. What exactly did Louisse do?" Ian said, bringing the conversation back on topic.

Cedric watched as Dave glared at Ian, clearly not happy that Ian was bringing Selina's past back up to the surface. 

"Honestly, it depends who you ask." Selina explained, her voice full of doubt, worrying Cedric. "Some people would say that it was my fault for letting Louisse trick me, but I swear she took advantage of my situation."

"This is a safe place, Selina." Dave suddenly said, reassuring the woman at the other end of the call. "I promise we won't tell Helios or Alexi if you don't want them to know."

"I will tell them, eventually." Selina said in a sad tone.

"Until then, we will keep your secret." Cedric reassured her.

Cedric and the others heard Selina take a deep breath at the other end of the call. He watched as Dave shook his head, unable to take Selina's story sober, as he grabbed the bottle of wine and a glass and poured himself a drink.

He looked at Dave and raised a questioning eyebrow, normally Cedric didn't appreciate his assistants drinking on the job, but tonight was a different case for Dave.

"I need this." Dave said, sensing Cedric's question. 

"I didn't stop you." Cedric said with a shrug as his assistant finished the wine in his glass. 

"Okay, I'm ready." Selina finally said over the phone.

"Go on." Cedric urged.

"Louisse and I worked well at first, I even thought for a time that Jen was right, maybe I did like girls and I was just stopping myself." Selina confessed. "Then as the relationship progressed things turned toxic. When Louisse told me she loved me and I couldn't say it back she began blaming me, telling me that I hated her."

"What happened after?" Dave asked as he leaned closer to the phone.

"She began forcing me to do things, physical things." Selina said in a hesitant tone. "She would tell me that since I didn't love her she should at least let her touch me and I should touch her back." At this point Cedric could hear Selina's voice shaking, clearly the woman was on the verge of tears.

"I let her, Dave!" Selina suddenly shouted. "Not only did she do those things to me, but she also took photos and videos, telling me that if I really liked her I would let her do those things. I was so scared of someone leaving me again I let her."

"Did she. . ." Dave began to ask, unable to continue his sentence.

"Did she what?" Selina asked in a clear voice over the phone.

Dave poured himself another glass and drank it in one gulp, Cedric said nothing as he watched his assistant gather his courage. 

"Did she use those photos against you?" Dave finally asked, holding his breath as they waited anxiously for Selina's answer.

"Of course she did." Selina said, making Dave punch the table.

"Dave, calm down." Selina scolded over the phone. "Don't you think it's unbecoming to act like some hot tempered rich kid in front of your boss?" 

"Sorry." Dave mumbled as he drank another glass of wine. 

"What happened, Selina?" Cedric asked. "After I mean."

"She still has the photos, that's why I've never spoken up." Selina admitted, soliciting a frown from Dave. "And it isn't just me." 

"What do you mean?" Cedric asked.

"There are dozens of us all over the world. She prays on the vulnerable, male and female alike." Selina told them, shocking the men in the room.