Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 176

Alpha’s Discarded Luna

Chapter 171

Talia’s POV

I accept the flowers and smile. “Thanks.”

I didn’t tell Raymond about the divorce. But Robin practically lives at my place, and I never bother to keep my conversations with Electra, secret from him anyway.

All in all, it doesn’t surprise me that he heard.

Nick’s voice cuts through, dripping with sarcasm. “Not even trying to hide it anymore, huh? No wonder you were so eager to get divorced.” He crosses his arms. “Looks like the side piece just could not wait.”

Electra fires back immediately. “When your mind is filled with trash, you naturally see trash everywhere. Just because you cheat on someone yourself, doesn’t mean every person in the world must be cheating too!”

She scoffs. “Have some shame and keep your mouth shut.”

Nick sneers. “A man giving a woman flowers is just a normal friendship? Why don’t we ask the crowd and see what they think?”

Electra opens her mouth to argue, but I hold her back.

16:19

Chapter 171

“Nick.” My voice is calm. “I am divorced now. Who I spend time with or whose flowers I accept is none of your business.”

“Divorced?” He raises his voice, practically shouting for

everyone to hear. “Who does not know you were fooling around with him long before the divorce?” He jabs a finger at Raymond. “That is called cheating! Ever heard of it?”

I raise a brow. “So you do know cheating is wrong?”

“Maybe you should worry about your dear buddy instead of pointing fingers at me.”

I glance at Aires, then at Imema, “He is the one who has been parading his mistress around town like a badge of honor. He even brought her along for the divorce proceedings, as if she was too impatient to wait for the legal process.”

I shake my head. “Shameless does not even begin to cover it.”

Nick’s face turns beet red. “Do not change the subject! You are the shameless one, who cheated while still clinging to my friend and calling yourself his wife!”

He gestures wildly. “Alpha and Imema are completely innocent…”

I cut him off. “Just because I accepted a bouquet of flowers, that

2/7

16:19

Chapter 171

is cheating?”

I hold up the bouquet. “Meanwhile, they held a whole wedding ceremony, and you are calling them innocent?” I let my voice go flat. “Sure. Totally innocent.”

Nick points a finger at me, his mouth opening and closing, but no words come out.

The crowd murmurs. The ones who started to believe I was in the wrong are now looking at Aires and Imema with odd expressions, and I catch some snippets of whispered

conversations.

“A wedding? That was bold.”

“I think, you should say brazen!”

“Really…? He couldn’t find the time to get divorced before doing all this drama with his girlfriend?”

“Did you see, how they let their friend throw dirt on the wife without owning up to their mistakes at all!”

I have had enough of this pointless back–and–forth. I wave to Electra and Raymond. “Let us go.”

Author’s POV

3/7

16:19

Chapter 171

Nick’s phone rang. He snatched it up, still fuming from his confrontation with Talia.

“Mr. Thorne,” the voice on the other end says, eager and hurried, “we just received news that Ms. Jackson, the influencer you promoted last time, has gone viral online. The platform is considering making her their next top internet celebrity.”

Nick’s grip tightened on the phone.

“Since the traffic boost came from you, they assumed Ms. Jackson is under your management. They wanted to check if you need further support for her promotion.”

Nick’s face twisted with rage. Through gritted teeth, he spat, “Support? My ass!” His voice rose. “Blacklist her! I want her banned from every platform, completely wiped off the internet!”

The Thorne family held significant sway in the entertainment industry. They practically called the shots in half of it. After all, they had built their empire from the ground up through

entertainment.

Nick might not have had many talents, but his word still carried weight, as the family’s heir. Banning someone like Talia, a complete nobody, was child’s play. Even top–tier celebrities could be wiped off the industry with a single word from him.

The person on the other end hesitated. “Ban her? You camM$9

Chapter 171

Jackson?”

After a pause, the voice continued, more cautious now.

They had asked around. The original video of Talia first had leaked from Nick’s own account. That livestream had ended right when Talia was at her best, perfectly timed to leave the audience wanting more.

Everyone knew, nothing grabbed attention like a little mystery.

The more one kept something out of reach, the more people wanted it. This smoke–and–mirrors act was a masterstroke. Truly, only someone with so much experience in the industry could pull off such a slick publicity stunt.

It was clear that all this buzz was meant to boost one of his own

artists.

r

Nick snarled into the phone. “That is right! Ban her first, then spread the word!”

In this industry, who would dare cross the Thorne family?

The person hesitated for a moment longer. Then: “Understood. I will take care of it right away.”

Nick hung up. His face was twisted, his jaw tight. The better Talia’s life got, the more it grated on him. The worse h life16:19

Chapter 171

became, the more satisfied he felt.

Later that evening, Nick had thrown a small gathering in a private room at a restaurant, something to celebrate Aires’s divorce. Since it was not the kind of news to broadcast to the world, he invited only the close circle, including Richard and

Imema.

Richard swirled his drink, his gaze thoughtful. “Alpha, are you and Talia really divorced?”

Nick jumped in before Aires could answer. “Absolutely.” He leaned back, smug. “Imema and I saw it with our own eyes.”

Richard turned to Aires. “Alpha, I still do not get it. How did things between you and Talia get so bad that you divorced?”

Aires poured himself a glass of wine. His tone was indifferent, distant. “She brought it on herself.”

r

Nick jumped in again, his voice rising. “What else? She could not stand Imema. Ever since Imema came back, Talia has been acting up, hasn’t she?” He gestured wildly. “First, she deliberately went after Imema. She even pushed her into the water. Almost got her killed.” He slammed his hand on the table. “And she still had the nerve to deny it.”

The more he talked, the angrier he got. “If she were not Alpha’s wife at the time, there is no way we would have let her off so 6:19

Chapter 171

easily.”

Richard’s gaze shifted to Imema. He did not say anything, just watched her. His eyes were unreadable.

Imema’s hand trembled. The water in her glass rippled, spilling a few drops onto the tablecloth. But she did not dare to look up.

717