Anthom's Luna

chapter 3

Aurora's phone screen lit up, cutting through the thick silence like a knife. Without thinking, she reached for it, ignoring the frightened gazes, the shattered porcelain on the floor, the smell of gunpowder still hanging in the air like an omen. Her fingers trembled for a moment, but when she saw the caller ID, her lips curled upward.

Landre.

She exhaled, a deep breath of relief leaving her lungs. Everyone at the table turned to her. Even the other maids who were shaking, stood frozen, terrified to move. Anthom's golden eyes had already found her—sharp, quiet, measuring. But then something happened.

He smiled.

It wasn’t the kind of smile you gave in polite society. It was hidden, sly, and barely there. But it existed, carved into his lips for a split second, like the twist of a blade after it had done its job. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss it entirely.

But Aurora noticed. And she didn't care.

"Landre!" she said quickly as she picked up the call, her voice half joy, half relief. "Landre, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting all day."

But the voice on the other end wasn’t calm. It was shaking. Distant.

"Don't try to find it, Aurora... Don’t try to find it..."

There was static.

"Help me. Help—hel—"

The line went dead.

Aurora blinked.

Then again.

She pulled the phone from her ear and stared at the screen. Disconnected.

She redialed. Again. Again. Nothing.

The silence was no longer just uncomfortable. It was stifling. Cold sweat ran down her back. Her heart kicked into high gear.

She stood.

Her chair scraped against the tile with a piercing screech.

"Where do you think you’re going?" her stepfather barked, already halfway up, panic rising in his voice. "What is wrong with you, Aurora? Don’t you see what’s going on here? This is a family dinner, a serious one at that!"

His voice cracked. Desperate, maybe even afraid, he turned quickly to Anthom and forced a weak, apologetic smile. It looked more like he was about to throw up.

Aurora, still gripping her phone, turned her head slowly and looked directly at Anthom.

"I’m sorry, Brother-in-law," she said flatly.

"It’s Anthom," he corrected, the tone of his voice like silk dragging over steel. "Just Anthom."

The way he said it did something strange to her spine. She shivered involuntarily.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Anthom, I have something urgent to attend to. I won’t be accompanying you to this delightful dinner."

Without waiting for permission, she turned and walked out. Her heels clacked against the tile with precision, not fear.

Serena gritted her teeth.

Anthom had let Aurora call him by name. She'd tried it once. He had looked at her like she was filth and told her not to overstep again.

Four years. Not once had he let her.

Serena's jaw twitched as she watched Aurora disappear past the tall double doors. Her hand clenched into a fist so hard her nails cut into her palm. Her father caught her eye and gave a short, near-invisible nod. She nodded back.

But neither of them noticed the subtle way Anthom tilted his head, his gaze following Aurora's exit.

"This family..." he murmured under his breath. "Pitiful."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and typed a message.

Don’t touch Landre Faye. She’s on her way.

He put the phone back down and leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his broad chest. The gun lay cold and still on the table beside the untouched wine.

Everyone else was still standing, too afraid to sit.

"You may resume your dinner," Anthom said casually.

But no one moved.

Outside the mansion, Aurora moved quickly. The cold night air slapped her face and helped her regain her thoughts. Her phone was still not connecting.

Landre had sounded terrified. Not scared. Terrified.

And Landre Faye didn’t scare easy. Daughter of the private shipping empire that owned RIVE Securities—a global corporation that specialized in intelligence, surveillance, and private military contracts. A company with dirt on almost every government in the world.

If Landre was scared, something had gone very, very wrong.

Aurora didn’t wait for a driver. She headed to the garage, found her car, started it with one push, and peeled out of the estate like hell was behind her.

Something wasn’t right.