The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Analise
I freeze mid-step, unable to breathe for a moment.
I would recognize that build, that silhouette anywhere. Even with his back turned to me, there's no mistaking the broad shoulders, the midnight black hair, the way he stands with such quiet command of the space around him.
My fingers curl into my palms, nails biting into my skin. After all these years, just the sight of him stirs something within me. He feels familiar… and yet… he seems more like a stranger to me now.
It doesn’t seem like he’s changed much. Sebastian Blackwood stands tall and imposing in a tailored black suit that seems to absorb the light around him. Every line of his body speaks of power restrained. I'm not close enough to see his piercing blue eyes, but I remember them—cold and beautiful.
The woman beside him giggles as she slides her hand around his arm. She leans toward him, blonde hair touching his suit. For a reason I cannot understand, I feel bile rising up in my throat.
‘OURS!’ It’s that voice inside my head again. The voice that comes and goes whenever it wants to, almost as if it has a mind of its own.
‘Shut up!’ I scream at that voice as I close my eyes, fighting the surge of jealousy that feels too wild, too raw, too... ‘animal.’
My heart pounds with a possessiveness that makes no sense. I have no claim on Sebastian. Apart from that forbidden kiss that we shared ONCE, there was nothing else between us.
When I open my eyes again, I force myself to breathe.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
The voice fades, but the ache remains.
Growing up, Sebastian was always there in the shadows, watchful. After my father married his mother, making us step-siblings by an accident of paperwork and vows, he kept his distance. He’s never close, yet never far. But whenever jackass dates try to take advantage of me, Sebastian appeared like a thunderstorm, darkness rolling off him in waves. They never bothered me again. Whenever I fell asleep studying in the library, I'd wake to find his jacket draped over my shoulders. And yet, he rarely spoke to me. He protected me without explanation. He didn’t need me to thank him either. That’s just the way between us.
But then he left. No explanations. No warnings. No proper goodbyes. And I learned to stand on my own, even though I felt naked without his protection.
I take a half-step forward before I can stop myself. I was about to call out his name, when I hear someone speak behind me.
"Well, well. I can’t believe you’re still pining after my big brother.” I don’t have to turn around to guess who that voice belongs to .
I take a deep breath, composing myself, willing my face to look stoic.
I turn around. Lorraine, my stepsister, stands with one hip cocked, arms crossed over her chest. Her jet-black hair is pulled back in its usual severe bun, not a strand out of place. Her green eyes gleam with malice in the dim light.
"I wasn't pining," I say, the lie tasting bitter. "I was just surprised to see him. It's been years."
She laughs, the sound sharp as broken glass. "Sure. That's why you were standing here looking like a lost puppy." She steps closer, her expensive perfume invading my space. "You know, he's kind of a big deal now. Young CEO of Blackwood Enterprises. Made Forbes' 30 Under 30 last year. Not that you'd know, working your little day job.”
I ball my hands into fists, but I say nothing. She’s taunting me so I would lose control. After all these years, she still hasn’t changed.
"That woman with him? Probably a supermodel. Or a famous actress." Lorraine taps one manicured finger against her chin, pretending to think. "Maybe an heiress to some multi-million-dollar company. We tend to travel in the same circles, you know. The elite." Her smile twists. "At least those of us who weren’t considered a disgrace to our families.”
The word lands like a slap on my face. Disgrace. Disinherited. The legal term for what my father did to me, stripping away my birthright, my name, my place in the world.
One signature on a document, and suddenly Analise Emerald Lander-McGregor—heir to the Lander-McGregor Luxury Empire—became just Analise Lander. Practically a nobody.
"Don't you have somewhere to be, Lorraine?" I ask, my voice steadier than I feel. "Someone else to torment, perhaps?"
"Aww, did I hit a nerve?" She leans closer, her voice dropping to a poisonous whisper. "You're nothing to him, you know. You were just an annoying responsibility because he was thankful that your father took us in. But other than that, you were nothing but a pain in our asses. You don’t know how relieved we all were when Dad kicked you out.”
I want to scream at her. Actually, I want to do more. I want to slap her or pull her by the hair as I drag her down the steps. I want to put her in her place. Because while Sebastian’s father was as rich as my father, Lorraine’s father had nothing to his name. So, if Lorraine is experiencing the elite life now, it’s because my father—my own flesh and blood—adopted her and gave her the life that’s supposed to be MINE!
But right now, it’s me who has nothing to my name. I lost everything when my father disowned me because I chose to fight for the man I love. So, how can I fight off Lorraine and put her in her place?
So, I just sigh and say, “Are you done, Lorraine? Because I have places I have to be.”
"Places to be?" She laughs again. "Like where? Back to your sad little apartment? To sketch more jewelry designs that'll never see the light of day?" She gestures to the restaurant behind us, where I'd been having dinner with Tyler Lewis just moments before spotting Sebastian. "Or are you here to beg for a job as a waitress in that apartment?”
‘The nerve of this woman!’
I refuse to give her the satisfaction. She has no right to trample on me like this. "Actually," I say, the words rising from some place of defiance I didn't know I still had, "I was just finalizing the details of my new position."
Something flickers across Lorraine's face—surprise, maybe even a hint of alarm. "What position?"
"That’s actually none of your business. But you know I’m good at designing jewelry. I will always find a job at the right places, even if Dad is making sure none of the reputable jewelry firms will ever hire me." I step around her, done with this conversation. "Enjoy your evening, Lorraine."
She grabs my arm, her nails digging in. "Listen to me, Analise. You're nothing but a nobody now. You don't belong in our world anymore! And I’m pretty sure that once Daddy finds out about your new job, he’ll make sure you’ll get fired from it sooner than you can design your first piece!”
I give her a sarcastic smile. “I seriously doubt that.” I look down at her hand on my arm, then back to her face. "Let go."
For a moment, I feel something stir inside me, something wild and dangerous. My vision sharpens, the night suddenly clearer, sounds more distinct. Lorraine's heartbeat pounds in my ears—too fast, indicating that she’s afraid.
She drops my arm like it's burning her. For a moment, she looks startled, as if she doesn’t recognize who I am.
"Whatever," she says, but her voice wavers. “Just stay the fuck away from us!”
She stalks away, heels clicking on the pavement, but the victory feels hollow. Her words echo in my head, and I know that she has a point. ‘I’m practically a nobody now.’
I was born the daughter of Peter McGregor, heiress to wealth and privilege. Now I'm disinherited, cast out, stripped of everything that once defined me. The only thing I have left is my talent—the designs that flow from my hands, the visions that fill my head.
I take a deep breath, letting the air clear my mind. At the entrance, the limousine has disappeared, taking Sebastian and his beautiful companion with it. I turn away from the spot where they vanished, squaring my shoulders as I walk back toward the restaurant.
Tyler looks up as I approach our table, his sandy blonde hair falling across his forehead. He looks uncomfortable and worried.
"I thought you might have left," he says, smiling at me ruefully.
"No." I meet his gaze directly. "I just needed a moment."
He nods, not pushing for an explanation. That's one thing I like about Tyler—he knows when to give space.
The image of Sebastian and the blonde flashes through my mind. Then Lorraine's sneering face.
She is right. I am nothing but a nobody now…
But not for long.
If I accept Tyler’s offer, I’ll lose Moonstruck. But then again, I’ve lost everything else. And Moonstruck may be a small price to pay for me to get back on my feet and make something of the talent that I inherited from my mother. If I can’t inherit Luxe Emerald for now, maybe I can create my own name.
I straighten my face, looking at Tyler’s eyes. "Okay," I say, my voice steady. "I'll do it. I'll be your head designer."
Relief and excitement cross Tyler's face. "You won't regret this, Analise. We're going to create something amazing together."
As he raises his glass in a toast, I feel something settle inside me.
A sense of purpose. A sense of direction.
A beginning of something new.