Alpha's Discarded Luna (Talia) novel Chapter 204

Chapter 199

Imema’s POV

But as soon as Aires and I speak, I notice everyone is

looking at us with strange expressions. My eyelid twitches. Something is wrong.

Aeson. The boy who usually hovers around me like a loyal

little butterfly, always eager to check on me, to ask if I am

okay, has not come over.

He is standing there, frozen, while Robin bleeds and Talia

fusses over him. I feel a flicker of irritation. Ungrateful child.

Raymond’s deep laugh fills the room. “Mr. Perseus, Ms.

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Volkov, don’t you think you are being a bit hasty? Isn’t it

basic common sense to understand what actually happened before jumping to conclusions?”

His eyes glint with amusement. He is enjoying this. “I don’t think Mr. Perseus and Ms. Volkov are that foolish, so why are

you missing the most basic sense of judgment? As soon as the cup was found to be broken, you didn’t ask any questions. You just assumed it was Talia who did it.”

He tilts his head. “What, does Talia have a habit of

breaking cups for fun? Is that why you have decided she is

automatically guilty with just one look?”

He pauses, letting the words hang. Then his eyes lock onto Aires, a faint smile playing at his lips. “Or maybe… is it because you are used to blaming Talia for everything? You have been doing it for so long that now you throw any dirt her way?”

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Electra chimes in, blunt as always. “Talia did not break the

cup. With this intelligence and judgment, you are running a pack?” She snorts, loud and deliberate. “The bar for CEOS

must be pretty low these days, and even lower for an Alpha!”

Robin adds, his voice small but clear. “I broke the cup by

accident. It has nothing to do with Ms. Jackson, she didn’t

even touch it.”

All eyes turn to Aires and me, heavy with judgment. Aires’s

composure doesn’t crack. His face remains unchanged, carved from stone. But I feel the heat creeping up my neck. A

flush of embarrassment I cannot control.

I bite my lower lip, summoning my sweetest, most wounded

expression. I open my mouth to speak, to explain how I was

only trying to help, how I was worried about Aeson, how I

could not have known-

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Talia’s voice cuts me off, calm and icy.

“Are you going to say that they are all my friends, that they

will take my side, and even help me lie?”

The words land like a slap. I keep my face soft and innocent, but inside, something coils tight.

Aeson, whose emotions were running high, suddenly gets

quiet. He whispers, “It was not Mom who broke it. It was this

bad kid who did it.”

The room falls silent, I stare into Aeson’s eyes. I let my

expression shift–just a fraction. Doubt. Concern. The look of

someone who wants to believe but needs to be sure.

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“Aeson, are you sure?” My voice is gentle, coaxing. Let him hear the hesitation. Let him wonder if maybe, just maybe, he

is being manipulated.

He does not understand why I am asking. But Talia knows. I

see the cryptic smile curling at the corner of her mouth, and I

want to wipe it off.

“Ms. Volkov, are you implying that because Aeson is my

biological son, he might help me lie?”

My expression stiffens for half a second. I recover quickly. Force a warm, indulgent smile.

“How could that be? Aeson is a child who never lies.” I glance

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down at him, letting my voice soften to something motherly. “So, Ms. Jackson, I think you should trust Aeson a little more

from now on.”

There. Smooth. Redirect. Let her chew on that.

Aeson, who was feeling hurt and distant from Talia, melts at

my words. Of course he does. I am the one who sees him. The

one who listens. His eyes well up, and he throws himself into

my arms like I am his safe harbor.

“Ms. Volkov, that mean kid is bullying me.”

I stroke his hair gently, and he melts. Children are so easy. Give them a little attention, a little sympathy, and they

belong to you.

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lift my head, looking at Talia over Aeson’s small frame. “Ms. Jackson, even though you and Aires are divorced, the fact

remains that Aeson is your son, and that will never change.” I

pause, letting the weight of my words settle. “I hope you will

take more interest in him going forward.”

A tiny dig. A reminder that she has been absent. That I have

been the one present. I let it hang in the air, innocent and devastating.

Aeson pulls back, looking up at me with those adoring eyes. “Ms. Volkov, what are you doing here?”

I smile, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “I

heard from your dad that your preschool is having another parent–child event soon.” I tilt my head. “I think it is a foreign language performance, right?”

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He nods, suddenly looking down. “I asked Aunt Athena for

help, but she said she is not good at Spanish.”

Poor thing. Left to rely on the help. How convenient that I am

here.

I let my smile turn warm, understanding. “I am pretty good at Spanish myself.” I glance at Talia, then back at Aeson. “If Ms.

Jackson cannot join you, I would be happy to help.”

Aeson glances at his mother. His hesitation is palpable. Then his face lights up. “Mom does not speak Spanish, so

how could she join me?” He wraps his arms around mine, clinging like I am his lifeline. “Ms. Volkov, do you really speak Spanish?”

I laugh softly, indulgent. “I am fluent in five languages.

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S

< Chapter 199

Spanish is one of them.”

I let the word hang–fluent. Let her hear it. Let her feel the

distance between what she is and what I am.

Aeson’s eyes go wide. “That is awesome! I am top of my class

in language courses.” He bounces on his heels. “With you, Ms.

Volkov, we will definitely win first place again!”

Robin’s voice cuts in, sharp and unwelcome. “What do you

mean ‘again‘? Aeson, how many times have you and Ms. Volkov gotten first place?”

Aeson pauses. The recent music performance surfaces. Talia

and Robin took first place. My smile tightens. A cold, icy flash

I cannot quite suppress flickers through my eyes.

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Lost to Talia. At her own game. The humiliation still stings.

I force my composure back into place. A gracious smile. A

magnanimous tilt of my head. “Since this is a parent–child

event, if Ms. Jackson can join Aeson, I would be happy to step

aside.”

I have laid my trap, making myself the bigger person and

offering her the grace she doesn’t deserve. Because I know

deep down, that Talia cannot do what I can.

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