Chapter 265
Author’s pov
“And how exactly did we leave the venue?” Luna Regina asked, her tone smooth but edged with steel.
“Through a window,” Molly answered easily.
“And do you recall the last thing you said to me?” Luna Regina continued, voice now tinged with challenge.
“Let me think Molly frowned, performing an exaggerated version of deep thought. “I’m sorry, but that night was chaotic. I can’t remember every word I said p>
Zaria leaned forward with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Try to remember,” she said sweetly. “It’s like passing a final round on a game show. Get it right, win the prize p>
Molly chuckled nervously, the first crack in her polished confidence showing. Her fingers twitched slightly on the edge of her glass, a subtle sign of tension.
Around the table, a few sidelong glances were exchanged. Alpha Sebastian’s expression remained unreadable, but his eyes had sharpened.
Molly’s confident mask wavered.
After a beat, she offered, “I believe I told you to walk carefully, and that we’d meet again someday p>
Luna Regina’s expression turned to stone. “Wrong,” she said with finality. “You’re not the one I’m looking for p>
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the soft clink of cutlery had stopped.
Molly still refused to yield. “It is me! I admit I might’ve forgotten my exact words, but the situation was tense. You can’t write me off over one mistaken detail p>
Her voice rose just enough to sound defensive rather than persuasive. Her eyes darted between the faces at the table, searching for someone to back her up.
But no one spoke. Not even Georgina.
Whatever goodwill Luna Regina had felt toward her earlier evaporated in an instant.
Her tone hardened.
“Molly, let me be clear. I knew you weren’t the one the moment you showed up.
Now I’m sure of it.
The woman who helped me was focused, in control, and she didn’t care what anyone thought p>
She didn’t raise her voice, but her words hit like a slap. Cold. Sharp. Final.
Molly opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Her lips parted in silent protest, but her mind seemed to stall. She blinked quickly, as if trying to reset the moment.
A flush crept up her neck, blotching her carefully applied makeup.
Georgina, sensing the icy temperature, stood abruptly. She tugged Molly up by the arm in one fluid motion.
“Please don’t be upset, Luna Regina,” she said quickly, her social instincts kicking in. “This is entirely my fault. We should be going p>
Without waiting for approval, she all but dragged Molly from the dining room.
Molly stumbled slightly in her heels as Georgina hurried her along, her eyes wide with disbelief, still clinging to the idea that this couldn’t possibly be happening.
As the doors closed behind them, silence fell over the table like a velvet curtain.
Then Zaria, never one to let awkwardness linger, broke it.
“Okay, but seriously, what did the girl in the green dress actually say to you?
Molly’s guess wasn’t that far off p>
Luna Regina’s lips curved in a secretive smile. “The reason I ask that question is because no one could possibly guess the correct answer p>
Even Alpha Sebastian raised an eyebrow. York, previously detached, now looked vaguely intrigued.
Alpha Yardley leaned forward. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What was it p>
Luna Regina held the moment just long enough to be theatrical.
“She said she paused, scanning the faces around the table.”’Move it, lady. No time for chitchat p>
There was a beat of stunned silence.
Then laughter erupted.
“No imposter would ever guess that,” Zaria said, wiping a tear from her eye. “That’s iconic p>
“It was chaos,” Luna Regina said, her tone softening. “But she stayed calm and acted fast. She got me and another woman out first. When I asked for her name, she just waved me off. No drama, no fuss. Just… action p>
Alpha Yardley nodded. “Remarkable. She didn’t know your identity, yet she showed respect and instinctively prioritized your safety. That’s not something you see often anymore p>
“And apparently she’s drop-dead gorgeous, too,” Zaria added with a sly grin in Sebastian’s direction. “Sebas, does that pique your interest p>
“My heart already belongs to my girlfriend,” Alpha Sebastian replied coolly. “I have nothing left to offer p>
His comment should’ve ended the matter, but Luna Regina’s temper flared.”What’s so special about this Cecilia, anyway p>
The mood in the room shifted in an instant.
Alpha Sebastian’s gaze sharpened. “She doesn’t need your approval, Mother. Mine is sufficient p>
Luna Regina’s fingers tightened subtly around her wine glass.
Alpha Yardley and others remained wisely silent.
After a pause,Luna Regina exhaled. “Fine. Bring her home sometime soon so I can see what all the fuss is about p>
Sebastian arched an eyebrow. “You mean, like meeting the parents p>
“You’ve already told the world she’s your girlfriend,” Luna Regina pointed out. “Surely a dinner with family isn’t too much to ask p>
Sebastian considered. “I’ll ask if she’s comfortable with that p>
Luna Regina bristled, but said nothing. As if any woman wouldn’t leap at the chance to meet the Blacks.
Dinner ended with a tension that just wouldn’t go away. It lingered like something unspoken.
Later, in the quiet of the study, Alpha Yardley and Sebastian spoke in low voices behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, across town, Cecilia curled up on her couch, half-watching a low-budget thriller on TV. The screen flickered in the dark as the clock neared ten.
Her eyelids grew heavy with sleep.
Then a sharp ding cut through the quiet.
She blinked, stretching, and reached for her phone lazily.
Not Instagram. Not Snapchat.
A text.
She tapped to open it and froze.
The image on the screen made her breath catch. Her fingers went numb.
She dropped the phone with a gasp.
“Ahhh p>