The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

ANALISE.
"Hello, Analise," Lorraine says smoothly, a slight smile playing at the corners of her perfectly painted lips. “We finally meet.”
My knees start to go weak, and I think I forgot to breathe.
Lorraine McGregor—my stepsister, the girl who tormented me in my younger years, the one who now runs my mother’s company—sits at my dinner table looking more comfortable in my house than I ever was.
The room feels suddenly airless. Strange. Toxic.
‘What the hell is she doing here? What if he tells Tyler who I really am?’
The room tilts slightly. I lean on the wall beside me for support. "How—how…" I whisper. I can hardly find the words. The room feels too small, too hot. "When exactly did you two discover you were... cousins?" I ask, the last word sticking in my throat.
They all fall quiet, turning to Tyler, as if he’s the one designated to answer.
"Recently," Tyler says. "Just very recently. Isn't it remarkable?"
My fingers dig into the doorframe. "I don’t think remarkable is the appropriate word.”
Tyler's brow furrows at my tone, but he continues with forced enthusiasm. "Lorraine and I met at that charity gala two months ago—you remember, the one you couldn't attend because you were rushing through the Mystique collection?" He doesn't wait for my confirmation. "We got talking about family backgrounds, and it turns out her biological father, James Preston, is my mother's second cousin."
Lorraine nods, dabbing her lips with her napkin. "What a small world it is. I never expected to find blood relatives at a random gala."
“It’s amazing indeed!” Vivian says excitedly. Then she raises her chin as she turns to me, her expression turning from elated to antagonistic. “Analise, do you know that Lorraine is the CEO of Luxe Emerald? And she’s Peter McGregor’s daughter!”
Peter McGregor. My father’s name lands like a bomb in the room.
‘If only they knew.’
“Can you believe it? We're related to actual business royalty!" Tanya chimes in, practically vibrating with excitement.
Vivian beams with pride. "Just look at Lorraine. She’s brilliant. Just like Tyler, who built TL Glam Studio from the ground up with his own sweat and hard work." She touches Lorraine's hand affectionately. "You and Tyler are two of a kind.”
I want to laugh. Or scream. Or both. TL Glam Studio is successful now because of the designs I created.
“What a coincidence,” I manage, each word feeling like glass in my mouth. “You are related, and you belong to the same industry.”
"The universe really does work in mysterious ways," Lorraine says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Lorraine has been telling us about her incredible journey," Tyler continues. "From being adopted by the McGregors to climbing the ranks at Luxe Emerald. Did you know she started in their mailroom a few years ago?”
Another lie. Lorraine never worked in any mailroom. Even if my father wanted her to start low, there’s no way Steph would allow her daughter to start lower than a junior manager in the company. The company my mother intended to leave for me.
"No. I would never have guessed,” I say, my voice laced with sarcasm.
Vivian leans forward. "And now she's the youngest female CEO in the industry! Such an inspiration." She turns to me with a tight smile. "Analise would learn so much from you.”
Ha! That’s a lie, too. Lorraine can't even sketch a straight line to save her life.
Lorraine takes a deliberate sip of wine. "Oh, I don't know if Analise would find my work interesting. Luxe Emerald operates at a... different level than what she's used to."
The insult is so smooth, so perfectly delivered, that no one else at the table even notices. But I feel it like a slap.
"Actually, I'm very familiar with Luxe Emerald's work. My—" I begin, but Tyler cuts me off.
"Analise comes from more humble beginnings," he interrupts, shooting me a warning look. "But she's talented in her own right."
I stare at him, stunned by his casual dismissal. Does he find my background embarrassing? Is he ashamed of me?
"That's what makes her perspective so valuable to our team," he adds, as if throwing me a bone.
An uncomfortable silence settles over the dining room. Tanya fidgets with her napkin, clearly sensing tension but unable to identify its source. Vivian fills the void by refilling wine glasses that don’t need refilling.
"There's actually more news," Tyler announces suddenly. His eyes dart to Lorraine, who gives him a small nod of permission. "Lorraine is expecting."
The words land like lead in my stomach. My hand moves automatically to my own belly, where our child—Tyler's child—grows unknown to him.
"What?” I ask. “Does… does Father—I mean, does your father know?”
"It's... complicated," Lorraine replies, her voice dropping to a softer register. Her eyes fill with calculated tears. "The father doesn't want anything to do with the baby."
Tanya gasps. "How awful!"
"What a bastard!" Vivian curses, reaching across to squeeze Lorraine's hand. “Don’t worry, dear. We’re family now. You can always count on us. We’ll get through this together.”
"My father..." Lorraine continues, a single perfect tear sliding down her cheek, "He’s very traditional. And if he finds out that I got pregnant out of wedlock, he will never forgive me. And besides, he wanted me to marry one of the sons of his business colleague." She looks directly at me, her expression a masterpiece of vulnerability. "Surely you understand what it's like. Right, Analise?”
I heave a deep breath. She knows exactly who I am. This isn't a coincidence or a strange twist of fate—this is calculated, deliberate. But why? What game is she playing?
Before I can respond, Vivian laughs lightly. "Oh, I doubt Analise would understand something like that. After all, you came from such an ordinary family, didn't you, dear? Do you even have family?"
Her words are casual, thoughtless—the kind of subtle jab I've grown accustomed to over the years. Usually, I let them slide. Not tonight.
"I do have family," I say, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside me. "But I don't like them very much." I look directly at Lorraine. "My sister, for example, is a lying, pretentious bitch who wants to take everything that belongs to me."
The table goes silent. Tyler's fork clatters against his plate.
"Analise!" he hisses.
"What?" I ask innocently. "I'm just sharing my family experience, since we're all being so open tonight."
Lorraine's expression doesn't change, but I notice her knuckles whitening around her wine stem. "Families can be so complicated," she says smoothly. "I'm lucky to have found this new branch of relatives who are so welcoming."
Tyler clears his throat. "Speaking of welcoming, there's something else we need to discuss." He looks at me, his expression a mix of determination and something else I can't quite read. "Lorraine's pregnancy is high-risk. She needs constant monitoring, especially in these early months."
“And?” I raise a brow, holding my breath.
"She has no one to take care of her," he continues. "Her closest friends are traveling, and she can't risk having her condition exposed to the press or her father."
"What are you saying, Tyler?" I ask, though I already know.
"Lorraine will be staying with us for a while," he announces, as if it's already been decided and I don’t even have a say. "Just until she's through the first trimester and things stabilize."
The room spins around me. My stepsister—the woman who made my adolescence hell, who now sits in my mother's chair at Luxe Emerald, who somehow manipulated her way into my husband's good graces—will be living in my home.
‘Fuck. This is not happening.’