Chapter 34

[Third-Person’s POV]

Well, it wasn’t the best Luna gathering but it was certainly a memorable one.

The atmosphere drastically shifted once Alexander had shown up to escort Evelyn and Wendy home. By that point, it was the early evening and many of the other attendees began heading home as well.

Caroline was still silently fuming in anger over the embarrassing application from earlier. When it had been Evelyn who spoke up to her, Caroline hardly concerned herself with the younger woman’s candor.

For all that she was concerned, Evelyn was just another short-sighted, inconsequential girl who held no real threat to her ambitions. However, it was clear that her new daughter-in-law possessed a lot more spirit and bite to her than she originally anticipated.

No one had ever spoken to Caroline which Evelyn had. She had every and all intention of putting Evelyn back in her place had Fiona not stepped in when she did.

She’d always admired Fiona for her ability to tear others down when the occasion called for it. The venomous, sharp tongue of hers always came in handy when attending certain social functions such as these.

It was important to make others realize where their true places are in life. And Caroline was determined to get as close to the top as possible. What the woman hadn’t expected was for Wendy to step up in Evelyn’s defense.

Wendy, unconscious of her actual age, was still quick-witted and a fierce verbal opponent. She still had the ability to command a room and draw in everyone’s attention when it suited her. That came from years of obtaining people’s respect as well as their fear.

Upon hearing the impossible news that Evelyn would, essentially, end up taking over the accounts and gaming her full role as Luna, Caroline felt her insides burn with rage. No. She refused to accept such a ridiculous notion.

While she was impressed with Fiona’s ability to break Evelyn down, they needed a new plan. She leisurely glanced around until she found Fiona amongst the scattered crowd.

The young woman looked utterly deflated and extremely put off by the day’s events. Fiona leaned against one of the large marble pillars with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Now is not the time to be pouting,” Caroline informed her firmly. “What we need to do is re-strategize and find a way to bring that snotty, little bitch down.”

Fiona rolled her eyes and huffed. “Forget it,” she hissed. “So far, none of your plans have worked out as they were supposed to. I’m already walking on thin ice with Alexander’s pack as it is. The last thing I need is to get completely ex-communicated or worse.”

Fiona pushed herself off the pillar and headed out to her car. Caroline pursed her lips in irritation. Seriously? How could Fiona just up and leave when they knew how important this mission was? Gaining control of the Moonstone Pack meant the possibilities for the future were utterly endless.

The power and statues were just beyond Caroline’s reach and the thought drove her insane. So, she needed to find a new way to get to Evelyn.

When Caroline let her gaze roam through the crowd once more, she found a pair of women who seemed to hold the same amount of disdain for Evelyn as she did.

“Isabella!” she called out.

Isabella and Samantha were in the midst of waiting for a car to come around and pick them up. They both turned around when Carline approached with her usual calm resolve back in place. It was clear to see that the two of them were still deeply vexed themselves.

Perhaps not all hope was lost yet, she thought.

“Why don’t we all exchange our contact information?” she suggested causally. “It’s a shame that we only happen to meet at these gatherings, you know. It would be far more beneficial if we could meet up when we wanted to.”

Isabella perked up instantly. “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. That way we can have our own private conversations without any inconvenient interruptions.”

“Agreed. There are many topics which could be discussed. Such as the right and proper way a Luna is meant to conduct herself in public,” Caroline remarked daringly.

Samantha glanced at Caroline with growing suspicion. For someone as simple-minded as her, even she was able to see through the woman’s words.

What could someone like her possibly want to do with Evelyn, Samantha wondered. And why, out of nowhere was she wanting to get into contact with them? It wasn’t as though they didn’t regularly see each other at events...

She recounted most of the conversation that went on between Fiona and Evelyn. It was brutal. Samantha almost felt bad for her Stepsister. But she was still somewhat grateful that it had been Evelyn instead of her who faced the end of Fiona’s verbal sword.

Things were not going well for her at home, so the last thing she needed was to feel even more insecure than she already had.

Once the group of them exchanged numbers, Caroline strode off toward her car without having bothered to invite either Isabella or Samantha to join her.

Samantha clicked her tongue in irritation while her mother merely patted her on the shoulder.

“It pains me to think that you could have been the one married to Alexander. As much as I hate to admit it, Evelyn looked positively radiant in that dress,” Isabella commented dryly.

“How the hell was I supposed to know the two of them were going to make their marriage work?” Samantha fired back with a pout.

“Perhaps you ought to take it as a sign to do better with your own marriage,” the older woman remarked. “Speaking of which, your husband ought to be here picking us up.”

She was right. Even if she and Liam were having issues with their relationship back at home, that didn’t mean that he could completely shut her out when it mattered. Having seen the way Evelyn was greeted by Alexander, Liam should have been there too.

With her phone still clutched in her hand, she called up Liam. At the very least, she hoped that he would answer the phone. The call rang twice before the exhausted voice of her husband came through the speaker.

“What is it?” Liam asked.

“The event is over and we need someone to come and pick us up.”

“Yeah, well, I’m really busy right now,” he said harshly. “You can either call someone else, or you’re going to have to wait until I get there, which won’t be for a while.”

Samantha’s features pinched with anger. “Fine!”

Indeed, it was much later when Liam had finally arrived with the car. It was well into the evening and a majority if not all the other guests had already gone. Samantha was truly irate at her husband’s lack of care and concern for her well-being.

“Good God, it took you long enough,” Samantha snapped.

Liam glared at her. “Don’t start with me, Samantha. Just get in the goddamn car before I decide to pull away and actually leave you stranded out here!”

Samantha felt like someone had jabbed a blade into her chest and kept turning it. It wasn’t fair.

She couldn’t understand why Evelyn, who had married a disabled man, seemed to be living a better life than she was.

Yeah, but for all I know, the two of them weren’t even having sex. And, surely, underneath that creepy mask was a hideous face

Perhaps, her mother was right...Samantha realized that the only way she’s going to make her marriage work in the end is if she works harder herself. It was time that she and Liam tried to reconcile.