7/2
Chapter 75
He looked away first. Not in shame. Not In defeat. Just… resignation
I straightened my posture. Forced my tone to settle. “I’ll handle it on my own. Again.”
I turned and left his office, not because I wanted to but because it stayed, I might ask him to fight harder.
And I couldn’t take another moment of hoping he would.
Third Person
The tea shop Chloe selected was strategically neutral–just close enough to Titanfang territory to avoid suspicion, just far enough that no one of consequence was likely to walk in.
Inside, everything was soft upholstery and muted pastels. A place designed for secret conversations.
Carla arrived first. She had chosen the corner booth furthest from the door, one hand curled around a porcelain teacup she had no interest in sipping from. She smoothed her skirt, straightened her spine, and tried not to look out of place.
Chloe arrived ten minutes late, of course. Radiant in a bone–colored coat and cream–toned heels, she stepped through the door like she’d owned the place.
“Darjeeling?” she asked, sitting down without invitation.
Carla nodded stiffly. “You said this would be quick.”
“It is.” Chloe set her clutch down and crossed her legs. “So, did you do it?”
Carla’s lips curved, a little proud, a little nervous. “The report was intercepted before it reached the council, but I leaked an alternate version. Enough to raise eyebrows. And the press ran with it. She’s officially in the hot seat.”
Chloe’s smile was all teeth. “Perfect.”
A flash drive, thin and sleek, slid across the table between them. Chloe tucked it into her bag without looking.
“You’re sure it can’t be traced back to me?”
“I used a ghost terminal. Wiped the logs. It’ll look she made the edits herself.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They didn’t need to; the plan had worked. The public now saw Emily as sloppy, impulsive, unprepared. Exactly what Chloe needed.
Chloe took a slow sip of her tea, then set the cup down with deliberate care.
“I’m not doing this just for fun, you know,” she said, her voice lighter than her expression. “I gave up everything I was supposed to have. For what? So my stepsister could wear Titanfang colors and play Luna?”
Carla didn’t answer.
“She was supposed to marry that old Alpha her father picked out,” Chloe continued, swirling the tea in her cup. “A pathetic, gray -haired has–been with a crooked nose and an ego twice the size of his territory. That was her fate. And I would’ve pitied her.”
Her smile widened.
“But now she’s with Logan. And that I can’t forgive, He was mine, should be mine now.”
Carla’s eyes darted toward the window. “You really think he’d still choose you?”
Chloe didn’t blink. “He already did. Once. And he will again.”
There it was the core of it. Beneath all the elegance and diplomacy, Chloe’s certainty was absolute. Mating well been part of her plan, Logan had once been part of that plan.
1/2
70
+25 BONUS
And no matter how many headlines featured Emily’s name, Chloe believed the spotlight belonged to her.
Carla, for her part, had her own reasons. She had no illusions abou becoming anyone’s Luna. But she did know how to make herself useful.
“I did what you asked,” she said. “Don’t forget our agreement.”
Chloe leaned forward and let her voice drop between them. “I haven’t. If this keeps up, I’ll have my mother call off the wedding arrangements. You’ll be free of that miserable deal, and I’ll be exactly where I belong.”
They both sat back, pleased with how things were turning out.
“Let’s see how long Emily lasts without Logan’s protection.”
