Abandoned Luna Now Untouchable (Cecilia) novel Chapter 239

Chapter 239: Chapter 239 The Storm Descends 2

Cecilia’s pov

I watched as Evelyn and Vance approached, and to my surprise, I felt myself tense up a little.

Evelyn always had this unsettling grace--like she knew everyone’s secrets and kept them in alphabetical order.

Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She walked straight up and said, "Sebastian, I’m so sorry. That was my fault. I let it slip. But Cece was really worried when she heard you might be in danger. She insisted on coming. She was genuinely concerned."

She sold it well--calm, sincere, and deliberate. But I knew exactly what she was doing: trying to keep Sebastian from shutting down and to salvage whatever spark might still exist between us.

Sebastian’s shoulders relaxed. The anger in his face eased.

He looked at me. "Really?"

"Umm..." I faltered. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Which was ridiculous. I was normally pretty good at lying.

I could fake enthusiasm for budget meetings. I could charm intel out of enemy agents.

But now, with something that was... sort of true? I choked.

After a few painful seconds, I finally offered, "Everyone was worried."

And yeah, that was the safest sentence I could come up with that didn’t include the words "I missed you" or "Please don’t die again."

I glanced at Tang like a drowning person looking for a life raft.

Tang didn’t miss a beat. "That’s right. It wasn’t just Cecilia--Sawyer and I were both worried too, Alpha."

He shot a meaningful look at Sawyer, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Sawyer sighed, the picture of reluctant solidarity. "I was... concerned."

Sebastian’s expression froze over again.

His smile vanished like a light switch flipped off.

"Ah. So this is the’Who Cares Most About Sebastian’ competition. Great."

I puffed out my cheeks slightly, resisting the urge to groan out loud.

Inside, I was mentally kicking myself.

Seriously? You can sell lies in five languages, but you can’t manage one decent sentence when it actually matters? Say something nice, genius! It’s free!

I opened my mouth to say something--anything--but my brain was buffering like a slow Wi-Fi connection.

The air thickened with awkward silence.

Across from me, Vance shot me a look colder than a January wind in Chicago.

"Darling, smile," Evelyn said sweetly, pinching Vance’s side hard enough to make him twitch.

Vance’s posture deflated under her grip.

To break the awkward silence, Tang jumped in. "Isn’t the gala starting soon? Wasn’t it supposed to begin at seven?"

Sebastian replied, "They’re probably waiting for everyone to arrive."

"I hope they don’t wait too long. I’m starving." Tang eyed the massive banquet table in the center of the hall like a kid at Thanksgiving.

Sawyer shot him a look. "You do realize this isn’t a dinner party, right? We’re not here for turkey and mashed potatoes."

The man gave a shrug. "Who knows? All I know is this thing’s really just a meet-and-greet. Think of it like house-hunting--we’re still in the browsing phase."

"Except this isn’t real estate. This goes both ways."

And if they’re the ones doing the choosing, you might not get a say.

The man chuckled. "Touché. Mutual pursuit, then!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He was charming in that overly slick, yacht-club kind of way.

After some more small talk, I learned his name was Dick--an Australian business magnate with a net worth that probably needed its own accountant.

No one here was ordinary.

:30 PM.

Tang returned just as the room shifted. The organizer had finally arrived.

She entered through the main doors, flanked by several attendants.

She wore a sapphire blue gown that shimmered under the chandeliers, with golden-brown hair, fair skin and razor-sharp cheekbones.

Textbook European elegance.

What caught me off guard wasn’t her beauty--but her age.

She was young. Much younger than I’d expected for someone who supposedly owned a castle and hosted international power players.

And the longer I looked at her, the more something felt... off.