Abandoned Luna Now Untouchable (Cecilia) novel Chapter 176

Cecilia

Harper!

That traitor. That spy. That absolutely insufferable idiot.

She was going to be the death of me.

Sebastian looked like a walking time bomb in my living room-primed to explode and demolish the fragile wall I’d built between my personal life and my professional one.

Yust looking at him made my pulse spike.

But I’d always been good at hiding my true feelings.

I pulled myself together, pasted on a serene smile, and turned to

Harper.

“Harper, how thoughtful of you,” I said sweetly, each word dipped in sugar and laced with poison. “Thank you so much, my dearest friend.”

I’m going to bury you in your sleep.

Harper shrank under my blade-like smile, hands raised like she was surrendering to a ticking bomb.

“Oh, no need to thank me!”Her mouth said one thing, but her eyes were screaming for mercy.

I felt my chest tighten with frustration as I turned to Sebastian, forcing a layer of icy politeness into my tone.

“Mr. Black, a little warning would’ve been nice,” I said. “I wasn’t exactly prepared to host you tonight.

Sebastian returned my fake smile with one of effortless charm.

“That’s quite alright,” he said smoothly. “I’m not picky when it comes to food.”

“Well… alright then,” I replied, locking eyes with him.

We stared at each other in silence, a subtle standoff to see who could keep up the more convincing facade.

Spoiler: I was losing. Badly.

Mom glanced between us, clearly sensing something strange but choosing diplomacy over interrogation.

“Mr. Black, please don’t just stand there-come in and make yourself comfortable,” she said with her usual warmth.

Sebastian nodded graciously, stepping forward and placing the gift box he’d brought on the coffee table before settling onto the couch with the kind of poise that made everything around him feel too small.

Mom disappeared into the kitchen to grab some drinks, with Harper scurrying after her, throwing me a conspiratorial wink over her shoulder.

The second they were out of sight, my smile crumbled, and my whole expression collapsed into pure, unfiltered distress.

sank onto the edge of the sofa, shooting Sebastian a wary look. “What are you doing here?”

Was this some kind of emotional stress test? Because if so, I was failing-spectacularly.

He looked maddeningly at home, one arm draped over the back of the couch. “Relax, Miss Moore. I’m simply having dinner at my girlfriend’s house. Getting to know the in-laws. You know, basic boyfriend duties.” He added a wink for good measure. “Don’t worry-I’ll behave. Until you’re ready to go public, my lips are sealed.”

He dropped the word girlfriend like it wasn’t a verbal grenade, while I was sitting there trying to remember how to breathe.

“I cannot with you right now.” I glared at him. “One more word and I swear you’re getting a fork to the knee.”

His eyes lit up like I’d just threatened him with dessert.

He leaned in ever so slightly, voice dropping into a low, teasing murmur.

“And here I was hoping for something a little more… hands on.”

That voice. That look. That maddening smirk.

My face flushed instantly.

“Sebastian,” I hissed. “Be serious.”

Author

In the kitchen, Harper yanked a slightly-too-golden casserole out of the oven like she was defusing a bomb.

Esther, ever the composed matriarch, casually set a tray of mugs on the counter and said, without preamble,

“So. Does Mr. Black have a thing for Cecilia?” Harper blinked. Damn. No warm-up, no subtle lead-in-just a verbal sniper shot.

Jesus, she’s good, *Harper thought. *No wonder Cecilia turned out the way she did.

“Him?” Harper echoed, feigning surprise with all the grace of a B-list actress in a soap opera.

Mr.Black definitely respects her work. She’s been killing it at the office. But romantic interest?” She shrugged. “Who can say?”

Esther gave a knowing hum, the kind that said, I’ve been around the block, kid.

Don’t bother trying to lie to me. I raised that girl-you think I can’t spot chemistry when it’s crackling across my living room?”

With that, she picked up the tray and glided out like she hadn’t just dropped a conversational grenade.

Out on the balcony, VanDyck had been watering his succulents and pretending not to eavesdrop.

“You’re on.”

Esther reappeared with a hardcover in hand and practically dragged Sebastian into a heated debate about modernist prose.

Eecilia just stood frozen in the hallway like her world had tilted sideways.

“Jesus,” Harper muttered. “He’s good. Like, dangerously good.”

“He’s CIA-level manipulative,” Cecilia mumbled, rubbing her temple.

“He’s already infiltrated the entire household.”

Dinner passed in a suspiciously peaceful blur.

VanDyck opened his prized bottle of whiskey-normally reserved for holidays or near-death experiences-and rhapsodized about orchids.

Esther, who usually tuned out these rants, was now actively participating.

Cecilia, who usually zoned out after sentence three, found herself nodding and pretending to care.

Meanwhile, Sebastian sat there like he’d been adopted into the family and given a seat in the will.

Then-

Ding-dong.

Everyone froze.

Cecilia glanced at her parents. Both looked genuinely puzzled.

Harper shook her head. “Not me. I swear.”

“Oh!” Esther gasped. “I almost forgot.” She tapped her forehead and stood to answer the door.

Ding-dong.

The second chime came faster. More aggressive.

Like whoever was outside wasn’t big on patience.

Cecilia’s pulse skipped.

The night had been going too well-and in her experience, nothing good ever followed a second doorbell.