The True Luna's Forbidden Temptation - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Analise.
“How long are you going to make me wait, Analise? I’ve had enough of your childish games!” my father’s voice blasts through my phone. “Stop this nonsense and come home! You’re kidding yourself if you think you can survive this world on your own.”
It’s been three years since I moved out of my father’s mansion. Three years since I lived as an ordinary university student. Three years since I started living a different identity, leaving everything behind so I could forget…
I sigh. "I’m doing well, Dad. I graduate next month, and with distinction, no less. I already have job offers from the top jewelry brands in the country.”
“What did you say? You’re going to work as a designer for other companies, when we own Luxe Emerald? The last time I checked, we are still the number one luxury jewelry brand in the country!”
“Dad, I want to work for other companies first. Learn what our competitors are doing. I want to start from the bottom up.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with your average friends. You have forgotten that you are not just anybody. You are my daughter. And whatever you do, I will never accept your boyfriend into my family!”
“Gees, Dad. You haven’t even met the guy yet,” I protest.
“I already know everything there is to know about him. He didn’t come from a decent family. His mother worked as a stripper to make ends meet when his father left them!”
I freeze in my place. “Y-you had him investigated?”
“Of course! I had to know every person who would attempt to get their hands on what’s mine.”
This is just so typical of him!
“Tyler may not be wealthy, but he’s ambitious and kind. He will make something of himself.”
He scoffs. “Why will you sit around and wait for him to ‘make something of himself’, when you have plenty of suitors who came from wealthy families?”
Just as I thought. He wants me to come home so he can use me as a bargaining chip!
I bite back my anger, trying to stay composed. “I love him, Dad,” I say, moving past a rack of elegant blouses. “He takes good care of me.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?” His laugh grates in my ear, hollow and cruel. “When he doesn’t even have the means to provide for himself?”
“He’s responsible. Ambitious. You can’t fault a man for wanting to working his way up,” I insist. I believe every word I said. Tyler is more than what my father reduces him to. He has to be.
“A pretty story,” my father replies. “But a foolish one. I won’t let you waste your life on some fantasy of love. I need you to marry someone who will give you the same life that I gave you—maybe even better.”
“I’m capable on my own, Father. I don’t need a man to do things for me.”
He cuts me off, a precise incision. “Your duty is to wed someone who can elevate McGregor Capitals. Break up with that loser. Go on dates with the men I’ve chosen.”
Tears pool in my eyes, but I bite them back. How can my father not even consider my feelings? It makes me wonder if he married my mother, not because he loved her, but because she owned Luxe Emerald. “I’ll never break up with him,” I say, steeling my voice.
There is a moment of silence. Then I hear my father curse. “Damn it, Analise Emerald McGregor! You dare defy me for that boy!?”
I swallow hard. “I… I love him, Father. And you’re so wrong about him.”
“Then you are no longer my daughter. From now on, I forbid you to come home. And I forbid you to use the McGregor name ever again.” Then the line goes dead.
I stand alone, surrounded by silken whispers and shimmering lights. My eyes sting with tears, but I won’t let them fall. Not here. Not where people can see me.
A warm hand slips into mine. “Analise?” Elise looks at me, her eyes filled with concern. “You okay, girl?”
“I’m fine,” I lie. It tastes bitter.
“What did your dad say?” she presses. I don’t fool her. I never could.
“That I’m not his daughter anymore.” My voice cracks.
“Wh-what? Why?”
I shrug. “Because I won’t break up with Tyler.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Elise pulls me into a hug, and finally, I let the tears come. “I’m so sorry,” she says, brushing my hair back. “I hope he’s worth it.”
I pull away, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “Love is worth it. Tyler will prove himself someday. I don’t need the McGregor mansion or the McGregor gold. We’ll be alright.”
“What about Luxe Emerald?” she asks, her face full of weariness.
I shrug. “My father cannot deprive me of something he doesn’t own. That’s my mother’s company. She left it for me. And someday, I will be capable of taking it back.”
I pick up the blouse I was eyeing earlier and head to the counter. Retail therapy. Maybe it will numb the pain. I give the cashier my platinum credit card, and she swipes it. Once. Twice.
Her lips curve into a plastic smile. “I’m sorry, miss. Your card was declined.” The words hang in the air like a taunt.
I hand her my ATM card. “Oh. Try this one,” I say.
But it’s the same results. Declined.
Panic rises in my chest.
‘My father really doesn’t waste time, does he?’
“Forget it,” I mutter, letting the fabric fall from my hands. I don’t wait for Elise as I walk out, my pride dragging behind me like a torn train. I feel exposed, raw. Stripped of everything.
“It’s going to be okay,” Elise assures me, catching up.
I nod. “Yeah. I have a job. I can take another one. I’m going to be just fine.”
“Well, the upside is… you no longer need to deceive Tyler.” I arch an eyebrow at her, and she chuckles. “For three years, you’ve been telling Tyler that you’re just a regular girl who had to struggle to make ends meet, and he likely assumes you don’t have any family. Now, there’s no need to fabricate anything. It’s all… true now.”
I laugh humorlessly. But deep inside, I wonder,‘Can I really make it on my own?’
We start walking again, my thoughts a whirlwind of defiance and doubt. But beneath it all, a sliver of resolve. I’ve just sacrificed everything for Tyler.
‘He’d better be worth it.’
I storm ahead of Elise, pushing through crowds, pushing past shame. My father can’t win. He won’t.
“Analise!” I hear someone call me.
“Oh, come on! Give me a break!” I groan.
I would recognize that voice anywhere. I spin around to face the source.
“Tanya,” I say, cold and distant.
“Don’t you think you’re shopping a little above your means?” she sneers. She looks down at my empty hands. “Can’t afford anything in those stores, can you?”
I chew on my lip. Since Tyler and I began dating, his sister and mother have never approved of me. They believe Tyler shouldn’t be in a serious relationship at this time, viewing me as a hindrance to his success. They also think I’m not suitable for Tyler due to my lack of wealth and family background.
“Tanya, come on. We’re not doing this right now,” I tell her.
She ignores what I just said. Instead, her eyes flicker to my neck, to the necklace that rests against my skin. It’s a Luxe Emerald iconic piece. A gift my mother left for me. “Wait. Is that a real Luxe Emerald?” she asks, smirking.
“Of course, it’s real.” I frown.
“Ha! Looks fake to me.”
The accusation cuts deep. I touch the necklace, remembering my mother. This was one of the very first designs she created for Luxe Emerald.
“It’s authentic!” Elise snaps, defending me, but her anger only makes Tanya’s grin grow wider.
“If it’s original, I’m sure you’ve got a receipt for it, right?” she taunts.
I say nothing. I am so tempted to tell her who I really am, to put her in her place. But then I remember that my father just disowned me, cut off my cards and probably froze all my bank accounts. So, technically, I have just become what Tanya is accusing me of—a nobody.
“If you only knew—” Elise begins, but I hold up a hand, stopping her. I catch her eye and shake my head.
“Just like I thought. All show, no substance. Fake!” Tanya’s words drip with venom. “Tyler deserves someone who can make a name for herself. And most importantly, he deserves to be more than just a substitute!”
“Substitute?” I echo.
“Didn’t you just break up with your boyfriend before you started dating my brother?”
“What are you talking about?”
She frowns. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. Your boyfriend had just left you. You were heartbroken when you met Tyler. He couldn’t resist being a knight in shining armor to the desperate little princess.”
Does she mean that I was devastated when Sebastian left? And Tyler felt he was a rebound relationship?
“Don’t say things you know nothing about, Tanya.”
“Oh, I know more than you think. My brother got drunk one day, and said he thought you were just using him to forget someone in your life—someone who left you. Tyler always felt he was just the second choice. He doesn’t deserve to feel that way!”
Every word is a calculated blow. Does Tyler really believe this? That I was just using him so I could forget another guy?
‘Damn!’ I curse at myself. ‘That’s not what I did.”
“You’re wrong, Tanya. You know nothing about my relationship with Tyler. ESPECIALLY about how Tyler and I feel for each other.”
With that, I walk away with Elise trailing behind me.
“What was that all about? Why did she say that Tyler was just a rebound when you never even had a boyfriend before Tyler?”
I sigh, biting my lip. I remember when Sebastian left, I was devastated and angry and I ended up drinking in the bar, where Tyler was the bartender. I never told him it was because of a guy. I guess that’s what he concluded.
Elise watches me, waiting for my response, waiting for me to admit something.
“Tanya doesn’t know anything,” I say, trying to sound defiant.
The past creeps in. I think of Sebastian, the stepbrother who was almost a bit more. I thought I had forgotten about him. But somehow, some memories refuse to stay forgotten.
“Anyway, I need to go and meet Kyle. You sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”
I roll my eyes at her. “What am I? Ten? I’ve been living without a car, or a bodyguard and a driver for three years. I can take care of myself.”
“Alright. Call me if you need anything.”
Instead of hailing a cab, I decide to walk. I want to clear my head anyway.
The street is unfamiliar, even after all this time. Three years, and sometimes, I still get lost in the city.
Suddenly, I notice a black van passing by. Then again. After the third time, I feel like something is definitely off.
I turn corners without thinking, trying to stay a step ahead of the nagging worry. The van circles back, its engine a persistent hum in my ears. Now, I’m more sure that I’m being followed. Another turn. The engine gets closer. The street is too quiet, the city feels too big. They could do anything to me out here, and no one would know.
‘RUN, ANALISE!’ The voice inside my head comes out of nowhere.
“What the—”
‘Am I hearing voices now?’
But before I have the time to process my thoughts, the van comes to a halt beside me. Then the door opens, and two masked men grab my arm. I yank away but they are strong and aggressive.
“Let go!” I scream, but the sound bounces off buildings and echoes into silence.
The first man, tries to drag me toward the van. I fight, my body twisting, my heart pounding.
I plant my feet, letting a raw fury surge through me. My father's betrayal, Tanya's taunts, Sebastian's ghost—they all crystallize into something dangerous inside me.
"I said, let GO!" I slam my elbow into the first man's ribs with more force than I knew I possessed. There's a satisfying crack and a grunt of pain. He loosens his grip just enough.
The second kidnapper tries to grab me, but my knee connects with his groin and then I punch his nose. Blood sprays across his mask. The scent hits me, seeming to awaken something in me—a hunger, a power I never thought I have.
“The bitch broke my nose!” the guy howls.
I don’t wait for him to recover. I see this as an opportunity to run.
I hear footsteps. The thud of my pulse. And then a voice—“Analise!”—cutting through everything.
Tyler!
I turn around and see him running towards me, a security guard right behind him. My attackers retreat, getting back into their van and speeding off.
Tyler catches up to me, cupping my face between his palms. “Are you okay?” he asks, his voice a mixture of fear and relief.
I feel myself shaking, likely due to a surge of adrenaline and a sense of panic.
I nod, unable to find my voice. Tyler pulls me to him in a comforting hug. “It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he says.