SASSY VENGEFUL LUNA

Episode 7: UNEXPECTED UNRAVELING

ARRDE

I've always known that the business world was filled with complications, but tonight was shaping up to be a different kind of challenge.

The grand ballroom was filled with the hum of conversation and clinking glasses, all painted under the gleaming lights of chandeliers. Business suits, elegant dresses, and a glimmer of ambition flowed through the crowd. It was supposed to be a simple gathering, a networking event where corporations could secure deals and partnerships, but the tension in the air told me otherwise.

The ballroom radiated with a refined energy, the hum of chatter mixing with the soft clinking of crystal glasses. It was a grand event, the kind where alliances were strengthened over flattery and silent battles waged behind practiced smiles.

I adjusted my dress, the smooth fabric an armor of its own, and glanced at Alex beside me. He was composed as ever, his sharp gaze scanning the room with the kind of awareness that never left him.

We were here for business, nothing more. That was what I kept telling myself. This trip was about expanding my company, solidifying partnerships, and ensuring that The Aurora Pack remained at the top of the industry. It wasn’t about old wounds, nor was it about the ghosts of my past.

But the moment my eyes landed on him, I knew fate had other plans.

Myron.

Even from across the room, his presence was unmistakable. His smile was too easy, his posture too rehearsed. I knew that stance well, it was the same one he had used during our marriage, right before he twisted reality to suit his narrative.

And beside him stood Percy.

Her golden dress shimmered under the lights, but there was nothing soft about her presence. Her gaze flickered toward Alex, and I caught the brief narrowing of her eyes, the way her lips curled in something too calculated to be a real smile. My stomach tightened.

"Trouble," I muttered under my breath.

Alex barely glanced at me, but his voice was a low rumble. "Let them play their games."

Easier said than done.

As if sensing our gaze, Myron’s lips stretched into a grin. Without hesitation, he started toward us, Percy trailing close behind.

I braced myself.

"My dearest Arrde," Myron greeted smoothly, his voice dripping with that same artificial charm. "I must say, seeing you here is quite the unexpected pleasure."

"It’s neither unexpected nor a pleasure, I'm a business woman," I replied flatly.

He chuckled, feigning amusement. "You've changed. That was a supposed compliment."

Percy, however, had eyes only for Alex. She stepped closer, a little too close, the sweet scent of her perfume hanging heavy in the air. "Alex," she purred. "Fancy meeting you here. I was just thinking about you."

I didn’t miss the way her fingers traced the stem of her champagne glass, or the way her gaze flickered toward me in challenge. I clenched my jaw.

Alex didn’t react. His expression remained unreadable, but I knew better. He was aware of every subtle move she made.

"Careful, Percy," I said, my voice steady but laced with warning. "I doubt you want a repeat of your last encounter with Alex."

Her smile stiffened for half a second. Then, as if composing herself, she let out a soft laugh. "Oh, Arrde. Always so territorial. It’s cute, really."

I held her gaze. "And you’re always so desperate. It’s tragic, really."

Percy’s smile twitched, but she didn’t back down. Instead, she looped her arm through Alex’s, pressing just close enough to test my patience. "Alex and I would make a perfect match, won't we?" she said playfully. "We have unfinished business." She whispered.

Alex removed her grip with a measured slowness. "Not the kind you’d enjoy," he said, his tone deceptively light.

Percy’s eyes darkened. Whatever had happened between them in the past, whatever Alex had warned her about, it was clearly still fresh in her mind. And yet, she was determined to provoke me.

Meanwhile, Myron took the distraction as an opportunity. He stepped closer, his voice dropping into that familiar, honeyed tone. "Arrde, I have to admit, I miss this fire of yours."

I turned toward him, already exhausted. "Then maybe you should’ve thought of that before trying to control me."

He exhaled, shaking his head as if I were some difficult child he had to deal with. "You always misinterpret things. I never wanted to control you, darling. I wanted to guide you. You were always so... weak minded."

I swallowed down the rage rising in my throat. This was the same game, the same manipulation. I had spent years falling for it, letting his words chip away at my confidence, making me question my reality. But not anymore.

"I see you haven’t changed," I said. "Still convinced you know what’s best for me?"

His smile didn’t waver. "I just don’t want you to make mistakes you’ll regret."

I stiffened.

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "This thing with Alex... I worry about you, Arrde. You think he’s your ally, but you and I both know alliances are fragile. You deserve someone who truly understands you."

I forced out a laugh. "You mean someone like you?"

His expression remained infuriatingly calm. "Exactly."

I opened my mouth to respond, probably with something sharp and unforgiving but before I could, Percy’s voice cut through the conversation.

"You know," she said, tilting her head at me, "I’ve been meaning to tell you something, Arrde. Something important."

Her tone had shifted. It wasn’t taunting anymore, it was something darker, something laced with malice.

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you playing at?"

Percy took a slow sip of her drink, then set the glass down with deliberate care. "Your father," she said, her gaze locking onto mine. "The way he died… I assume you still believe the story, don’t you?"

A chill ran down my spine.

"Shut up, Percy," Alex warned, his voice steel.

Percy ignored him. "Everyone always said he was killed," she continued, her voice deceptively light. "But that’s not what happened, is it?"

Something inside me twisted. "You don’t know what you’re talking about. I was six then."

She smiled. "Oh, but I do. Your father didn’t die in some tragic accident. He committed suicide."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

I stood frozen, unable to process what she had just said. The noise of the ballroom faded, the air thick with something suffocating.

"That’s a lie," I whispered, but my voice sounded far away.

Percy tilted her head, mock sympathy dripping from her features. "It’s the truth. And do you know why?" She let the question linger before delivering the final blow. "Because your mother... Your precious, devoted mother, cheated on him. With Myron’s father."

My vision blurred.

Everything around me seemed to shift, the ground no longer solid beneath my feet.

I turned to Myron, my breath shallow, my pulse thundering in my ears. He said nothing. He just watched me, his expression unreadable.

"You knew," I accused, my voice shaking.

Still, he remained silent.

The room around us was no longer just a business event. It was a battlefield, and I was standing in the middle of a war I hadn’t even known I was fighting.

Whispers began to spread, eyes turned toward me. The Aurora Pack members in attendance were already murmuring among themselves, the implications of this revelation rippling outward like a shockwave.

My company. My alliances. Everything I had built, it was all crumbling.

And then, as if to confirm the worst, a voice from behind muttered what I had feared the most:

"If this is true, then Arrde can’t be trusted to lead."

I felt my stomach drop.

Alex stepped beside me, his presence solid, protective. But even he couldn’t stop what was coming.

Because in that moment, I knew—I had just lost control of everything.

And the worst part?

The night was far from over.

Before I could process any more, a voice rang out across the room. "This is unacceptable," a man’s voice barked from across the hall.

The first crack in the foundation had appeared. And now, it was too late to stop the collapse.

I moved closer to Percy, she wasn't done. She wants to ruin me, it's not new...

Percy has done it before and won't hesitate to do it again.

She snickered when she saw the fright dangling on my face, my mind a clash of doubt.

"Your..."