The Game of Betrayal

CHAPTER 2

Even during dinner, Serena couldn’t shake off her irritation. Her husband had stayed behind in Italy and had only sent his men back to the Philippines. For what? As far as she knew, he always took his right-hand man, Allain, with him wherever he went. But why had he sent him back along with the others this time? And that bastard had decided to stay in Italy alone—then he wouldn’t be coming home until next week? That's bullshit!

Her annoyance flared. She didn’t even finish her dinner and instead headed straight up to the master bedroom.

The moment she stepped inside, she grabbed her phone and dialed her best friend, Harley, a fellow model like her.

“Yes, my dear Serena?” Harley answered in her usual dramatic tone.

“Let’s go clubbing tonight.”

Harley let out a playful laugh. “Bad timing, my dear. I’m with my boyfriend right now. We’re at his private resort.”

Serena just rolled her eyes. Without another word, she ended the call in frustration.

She let out a deep sigh and sat on her bed, scrolling through the contact list on her phone. Her finger stopped when she reached the number of her gay manager. She was about to call him when, suddenly, he called first.

“Serena, darling,” he greeted dramatically the moment she answered. “There is an offer for you to endorse a new brand of cosmetics in a short TV commercial, just a one-minute video. Their offer is ten million.”

“Alright, I’ll take it,” she agreed without a second thought.

“But darling… you’ll be working with a male actor in the commercial. Is that okay with you?”

She hesitated for a moment. “Why? What kind of commercial?”

“They have provided a sample script. I will send it to your email so you can review.”

“Alright.”

Her manager immediately forwarded the script to her email. It turned out the commercial was for a dual promotion—one for a restaurant and the other for cosmetics. The concept was simple: the woman would apply makeup within 30 seconds and then have lunch at a fancy restaurant with a man playing the role of her boyfriend.

Serena hesitated, debating whether to accept the offer or first find out who her male co-star would be. The truth was, she didn’t want any issues with her husband, Cyrus. She always made sure to avoid controversy with any of her colleagues.

Even though she was a model, no one knew she was already married. And it was better that way. If people ever found out—and worse, if her husband was photographed with his mistresses—it would only ruin her career.

She used to admire Cyrus, having fallen for him at first sight when her father introduced them. But now, all that admiration has faded. His betrayals had stripped away any respect he had for her as his wife.

“Alright, I will accept the offer,” she said after spending a few minutes staring at the script.

In the end, she decided to text her manager to confirm that she was accepting the offer. Her manager was pleased with her decision and said they would meet tomorrow for the contract signing.

She had actually planned to invite her manager to go clubbing, but it seemed they were busy. Besides, her manager was quite strict whenever they were together—she wasn’t allowed to drink too much or dance with customers at the club, especially when there were a lot of men around. Her manager was cautious, worried that she might be photographed and end up in a scandal if the pictures spread.

So instead of going to a nightclub, she simply stepped out of her bedroom and headed to the wine cellar. She grabbed a bottle of expensive wine before making her way to the mansion’s wide terrace to drink there.

However, when she arrived at the terrace, she found several of her husband’s men drinking and chatting. But the moment they saw her, they immediately stopped, nudged each other, and hastily stood up, scrambling to grab their drinks before quickly leaving.

“You, stay here,” she quickly ordered, stopping the last man who had just stood up from the sofa—none other than Allain Chester, her husband's right-hand man.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her questioningly.

“Stay, Mr. Chester. I want to talk to you.”

So, instead of following his companions, Allain chose to stay behind. However, rather than sitting back down on the sofa, he opted to remain standing, waiting for her to speak.

Serena poured some wine into a glass, gently swirling it before bringing it to her nose to inhale its rich aroma. After taking a small sip, she finally spoke.

“You, Mr. Chester, tell me—what exactly does your boss do when you’re not here at the mansion?” she asked, looking up at him. “I want to know.”

“Business, Madamé,” he answered simply, standing straight with his gaze fixed downward.

“Business? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Madamé.”

Serena smirked at his response—the kind of smirk that revealed her frustration, knowing she had been fed yet another lie. But she forced herself to hold back and simply smiled instead.

“Business, huh.”She nodded, took another sip of her wine, and swirled it again. “How loyal are you to Cyrus?” she asked.

“I am prepared to die just to serve him with loyalty and honesty, Madamé,” Allain answered confidently.

Hearing this, Serena couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh. “Is that so? You’re ready to die?”

“Yes, Madamé,” Allain replied, his expression remaining blank as he stood tall.

“What if I just buy your loyalty instead?" she offered with a smirk. “Be loyal to me instead of Cyrus.”

Allain didn't answer.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you, Mr. Chester.”

“You’re my boss’s wife. My loyalty to him is the same as my loyalty to you—because you’re his wife,” he replied.

Serena rolled her eyes, feeling a fresh wave of irritation. She shot Allain a sharp glare, but he wasn’t even looking at her. His gaze remained fixed downward, though his head wasn’t bowed.

She stared at him. Only then did she notice how handsome he actually was—tall, well-built, and undeniably attractive. In fact, he was far better-looking and hotter than most of the models she knew.

Allain had been her husband's right-hand man for a long time. Even before they were married, he had already been working for him and would accompany him wherever he went. That’s why it was strange this time that he had been sent home right away.

Now, she couldn’t help but wonder—could it be that her husband had gotten someone pregnant? Maybe he had stayed behind in another country to take care of the woman he had impregnated.

The thought of it made Serena's chest tighten in anger. That bastard!

But she just hoped it wasn’t like that.

“Where did you say you were from again, Mr. Chester?” she asked him again. “I mean, where were you before you became Cyrus's subordinate? Tell me how you ended up as his right-hand man. I want to know.”

“We've known each other since then, Madamé. My late father used to work for his father as his underboss,” he answered.

“Oh, so you've been Cyrus’s servant since way back?” She chuckled. “Poor you. You're incredibly handsome, yet you're just his lackey. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you hadn’t become his subordinate?”

“No, Madamé.”

Serena raised an eyebrow. “So how old are you?”

“Thirty, Madamé.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, Madamé.”

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“No, Madamé.”

“Oh, so you're pure and innocent, huh?” She chuckled again. “You and your boss are complete opposites, then. He's a womanizer, while you haven't even had a girlfriend. But why? Why have you never had one? Don't tell me you're gay?”

“No, Madamé. I am indeed a heterosexual male,” he responded confidently.

“Then why haven't you had a girlfriend?”

“It's not something I think about, Madamé.”

“Oh, really? So you have no plans to have a wife?”

Allain fell silent and his expression remained blank as his gaze stayed fixed on the floor.

“Answer me when I'm asking, Mr. Allain Chester.”

“For now, I'm not yet ready to have a wife, Madamé,” he replied.

“Because you'd rather be a slave to your unfaithful boss first, is that it?”

Allain fell silent again and did not respond.

Serena just smirked and downed the rest of her wine before pouring another glass. ”Come here, drink with me, Mr. Chester,” she invited him.

“I'm sorry but I can't drink with you, Madamé,” he refused.

Serena abruptly stopped pouring, raised an eyebrow, and lifted her gaze to him. “Are you refusing my offer?”

Allain didn’t respond but remained standing in place.

So Serena filled the wine glass to the brim, stood up, and stepped in front of him.

“Drink this, Mr. Chester. I’m ordering you,” she said, handing him the full glass of wine.

Allain glanced at the glass, hesitating as if unwilling to take it. But in the end, he had no choice but to accept it and drink it in one go.

Serena smirked. “Good boy,” she whispered, gently stroking Allain's cheek before returning to the sofa. “Stay right there. Keep me company until I finish drinking.”

Allain obeyed her command and remained in place, not moving from where he stood.

Serena just smirked and continued drinking. Eventually, the alcohol took its toll, and she decided to return to her bedroom to sleep. But as she stood up from the sofa, her vision suddenly spun, and she nearly collapsed—if not for the strong arms that swiftly caught her by the waist.

As she lifted her gaze, Allain’s strikingly handsome face came into view.

Their eyes met.

Serena swallowed.

She found herself staring at Allain's handsome face, and suddenly, her sister’s words from earlier replayed in her mind—telling her not to drown in sorrow because, in the end, she would be the only one suffering while her husband enjoyed himself elsewhere.

“Allain Chester . . .” she murmured, her hand coming up to softly touch his cheek. “Wanna have s*x with me tonight?” she boldly asked, her words flowing freely from her lips fueled by the effects of alcohol.

Allain seemed taken aback by what he heard. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face, but he quickly averted his gaze and carefully released her waist.

“I'm really sorry, Madamé. I'll take my leave now. Have a good night,” he said abruptly, not waiting for her response and hurrying away without a single backward glance.

“Tsk. What a jerk. No different from his cheater boss.” She just rolled her eyes.

Frustrated, she brought the wine bottle straight to her lips and drank deeply, downing every last drop. As the alcohol fully took over, she collapsed onto the sofa, completely intoxicated.