Lunara stepped carefully into the shop, her heart sinking as she took in the charred remains. Ash covered every surface, the scent of smoke still lingering in the air. She could only sigh. How did she end up here again?
In truth, she had nowhere else to go. After realizing Naomi was connected to Eryx, she didn’t want to burden her any further.
She let out another weary sigh, scanning the wreckage. Nothing was salvageable. With a heavy heart, she looked down at her bag and pulled out her purse, counting the money she had left. It wasn’t much.
"Looks like a motel for tonight," she muttered to herself.
Just as she turned to leave, a familiar voice rang out.
"I knew it! I knew you’d co back."
Lunara froze.
Standing by the doorway, arms crossed, was Gideon. "Well, well... Do you think you can hide forever?"
Lunara’s grip on her bag tightened as she instinctively took another step back. "I—I wasn’t hiding from you," she said, though her voice lacked confidence. "Why would I?"
Gideon let out a mocking laugh. "You’re asking what I want? You know exactly what!" His eyes darkened as he took a step closer. "I sent you there to settle my debt. You, as my daughter, should’ve at least done that! And what did you do? You ran away?"
Lunara’s stomach twisted at his words. Of course, he didn’t care about what had happened to her but only about what he could gain. Her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched her purse.
"I never agreed to that," she said, forcing herself to stand her ground. "You tricked ."
Gideon scoffed. "And? Do you think that matters now?" His gaze bore into her. "You owe , Lunara."
"I said I don’t owe you anything! You’ve already taken all my money. What else do I owe you? If being your daughter is a debt, then I’ve already erased it! I removed your na from mine!" she shouted, her patience snapping.
Gideon’s expression darkened. "You think changing your na makes a difference? You’ll always be a Winfield, whether you like it or not."
Lunara shook her head. "No. I’m Lunara Hayes now. I don’t belong to you, and I never will."
His jaw tightened. "Ungrateful brat. After everything I’ve done for you—"
"Done for ?" Lunara let out a bitter laugh. "You an selling off to settle your debts? Stealing every cent I earned? You call that being a father?"
Gideon stepped forward, his presence looming over her. "Watch your mouth, girl. You don’t get to talk back to ."
Lunara stood her ground, her heart pounding. "Or what? What can you do to now? You have nothing left to take!"
His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. "You’re not going anywhere," he hissed. "I still have a use for you."
Lunara gasped, struggling to pull away, but his grip was too strong. Panic rose in her chest as she realized that Gideon wasn’t planning to let her go this ti.
"Let go!" She yanked her hand, trying to break free, but it was useless.
Gideon sneered. "If you can’t give money anymore, then give what’s left..." He turned slightly, a smirk forming on his lips.
Before she even realized it, her hand shot up and struck him across the face.
Gideon’s head snapped to the side, a stunned silence filling the air. Slowly, he turned back to face her, his expression twisting with anger.
"You little—" His grip on her wrist tightened painfully, making her wince.
Lunara’s breathing was unsteady, but she refused to back down. "I am not yours to sell, and I never will be!" she spat, her voice shaking with rage.
Gideon chuckled darkly, his smirk returning. "You think you can walk away just because you changed your na? The world doesn’t work like that, Lunara."
She glared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Maybe not, but I’ll never be under your control again."
"You and your mother are the sa... Why don’t you use the gifts God gave you?" Gideon gritted his teeth, still feeling the sting from the slap.
"If you’re talking about this..." She gestured to her face. "It’s God’s gift to , not you..." Her voice wavered, but her resolve remained firm.
"You got that face half because of —"
"No!" she cut him off, her voice shaking with rage. "I wish I had nothing to do with you! Ever since I was born, all you did was curse , saying I looked nothing like you! You called my mother a liar, a cheater, a bitch just because I didn’t resemble you!" She scread in his face, years of pain and resentnt boiling over.
"You—" Gideon shot his hand up, grabbing Lunara by the neck. "Do you think you’re old enough to fight ?"
Lunara gasped, her hands clawing at his grip as she struggled to breathe. "Let—" Her voice ca out weak, her body twisting desperately to break free, but his strength overpowered her.
"Once I get Eloise married into the Grantham family," he sneered, tightening his grip for a mont before shoving her down, "I’ll make sure your life is even more hellish than this!"
Gasping for air, Lunara coughed before letting out a weak laugh. Gideon’s words echoed in her mind, but they sounded almost ridiculous. "Grantham? Are you kidding?"
Gideon’s glare darkened. "He already t with Eloise this morning. Do you think I’m bluffing?"
Lunara froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her mind raced as she processed his words. "But... he’s already married," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"To who? You?" Gideon burst into laughter. "He said he was indebted to my daughter and even claid he’d pay off the debt you ran away from!"
Lunara snapped her head up, shooting him a death glare. "Then what the hell do you still want from ?!"
Gideon’s expression darkened. "You think this is just about money? You humiliated by running away. Now, you’re going to make up for it." He lunged forward, grabbing the back of Lunara’s blouse and yanking her up.
"Let her go!"
The voice from the front entrance made both of them snap their heads up.
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