Chapter 7: The Inheritance of Arrogance
The fallout was instantaneous.
By 9:00 AM the next morning, the photo was splashed across three major gossip blogs. The headlines were exactly as vicious as Luna had predicted: A Family Affair: Liam’s Ex Trades Up to the Patriarch!
Luna was sitting at the front desk of Carter Events, reviewing floral invoices, when the front door of the studio violently slammed open.
Liam marched in. He looked unhinged. His designer suit was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and his face was flushed with absolute fury. Maya, who had been organizing fabric swatches in the back, immediately stood up, her eyes narrowing.
"You have five seconds to leave my studio before I call the police, Liam," Maya warned, grabbing her phone.
"Shut up, Maya," Liam snapped, not even looking at her. His manic eyes were locked entirely on Luna. He marched up to her desk, slamming a crumpled printout of the gossip blog onto the wood.
"Is this a joke?" Liam shouted, his voice echoing off the exposed brick walls. "Is this your pathetic, desperate attempt to get my attention? Because congratulations, Luna. You have it."
Luna didn't flinch. She didn't stand up. She slowly capped her pen, folded her hands on her desk, and looked up at the man who had once shattered her heart. He looked so small to her now. So incredibly weak.
"I don't want your attention, Liam," Luna said, her voice dropping to a freezing temperature. "I haven't thought about you in six months. Now, lower your voice in my place of business, or I will have you physically removed."
"Your place of business?" Liam scoffed, a nasty, bitter laugh escaping his lips. "You think you're a CEO now? You're playing house in a rented studio! And what is this with my father? Are you sleeping with him to get back at me? Or did he just buy this little hobby shop for you?"
Luna stood up. The movement was so sharp, so full of sudden, terrifying authority, that Liam instinctively took a step back.
"Let me make this crystal clear for you," Luna said, walking around the desk until she was inches from him. "Your father did not buy this business. I built it. With my own money. And as for my relationship with Nico, it has absolutely nothing to do with you. You do not own me. You do not own him."
"He's my father!" Liam yelled, his arrogance cracking to reveal the panicked, insecure boy underneath. "You can't do this! It's sick! You're only doing this to punish me for moving on!"
"The world does not revolve around your guilt, Liam," Luna replied coldly. "Nico is a man who actually respects me. He listens to me. He doesn't treat me like an accessory. You're angry because you realize the woman you threw away was always out of your league, and the man who picked her up is twice the man you will ever be."
Liam’s face twisted in rage. He raised his hand, pointing a shaking finger at her face. "You listen to me, you little—"
"I suggest you put that finger down, Liam."
The voice came from the open doorway. It was not loud, but it carried the lethal weight of an executioner's blade.
Nico stood in the entrance of the studio. He wasn't wearing a suit today. He wore a dark cashmere sweater and an overcoat, looking like a storm about to break over the shore.
Liam spun around, the color instantly draining from his face. "Dad... I..."
Nico walked into the room. He didn't look angry; he looked disappointed, which was infinitely more terrifying. He bypassed his son entirely, walking straight to Luna.
"Did he threaten you?" Nico asked her, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of distress.
"No," Luna said calmly. "He was just leaving."
Nico finally turned to his son. "You are trespassing in Ms. Carter’s establishment. You are embarrassing yourself. And you are disrespecting a woman who is under my protection."
"She's playing you, Dad!" Liam pleaded desperately. "She's just using you to hurt me!"
"Liam," Nico said, his voice terrifyingly soft. "If you ever raise your voice to Luna again, if you ever step foot near her business, or if you ever breathe her name in public... I will strip you of your position at the company. I will freeze your trust. I will erase you from the board. You will learn what it means to live in the real world without my name to protect you. Do we understand each other?"
Liam stared at his father in absolute horror. He opened his mouth to argue, saw the lethal finality in Nico’s eyes, and snapped his mouth shut.
Defeated, humiliated, and utterly broken, Liam turned and practically ran out of the studio.
Silence descended on the room.
Luna looked at Nico. Her heart was racing, but not from fear.
May you like
"You didn't have to fight my battles," Luna said softly.
"I know," Nico replied, stepping closer, reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "You had him handled perfectly. I was just taking out the trash."
