Chapter 4

By morning, Lucas had released a statement to every alliance group.

It said I was jealous of my pregnant sister. It said I had bullied Emma and threatened her unborn child. It said Lucas had tried to protect her, but I refused to accept my place in the family.

At the bottom, he announced their engagement.

The statement spread through the Moonshadow Alliance before breakfast. Women from the old blood families filled the group chat with laughing faces and comments about my "wild nature."

One of them wrote, Emma is finally taking over Moon & Moss.

Emma replied with a white heart.

I read the messages while standing in my shop. Every shelf, every bottle, and every supplier contract had been paid for by me. Emma had only copied my clothes, my notes, and the way I spoke to clients.

That afternoon, my parents came to my apartment.

My mother closed the door behind her and looked at my bandaged wrist. She did not ask how it happened.

"Nora," she said, "you need to think about the family name."

"The family name did not pay my bills."

"Lucas has already shown the statement to the alliance council," my father said. "If you fight him publicly, this will become worse."

"He is using a contract to force me to apologize."

"Then apologize," my mother said. "You can explain the truth later."

Lucas had sent me a copy of the contract. One clause said that any public accusation against Emma could be treated as a breach of my business agreement with the Moonshadow Alliance. If I refused to apologize, they could freeze several accounts and block my access to alliance suppliers.

It was not a request. It was a leash with legal words tied around it.

My father sat down. "You built a good business. Do you want to lose it over one argument?"

"One argument?" I asked. "They changed prices, moved stock, used my accounts, and rented a hall under my brand name."

My mother lowered her voice. "Emma is pregnant."

"She was pregnant when she pushed me."

"She says you frightened her."

"She lies."

My father rubbed his forehead. "Just attend the engagement party. Say a few words. Keep the peace."

I looked at both of them. They wanted silence because silence was easier to display than the truth.

The next day, Celine Ward came to the shop alone.

Celine was one of the oldest buyers in the alliance and had known my formulas since the first Moon & Moss collection. She walked past the display shelves without looking at the labels.

"Lucas is telling people Emma will manage the brand after the wedding," she said.

"I heard."

"He is also saying the alliance gave you your success."

"Did they?"

Celine looked at me. "The alliance gave you a door. You built everything behind it."

She touched a bottle from the first collection.

"The guests trust your formulas. They trust your service records. They trust the supply chain you built. They know which farms provide the oils and which batches can survive winter shipping."

I said nothing.

"Lucas can put Emma behind your logo," Celine continued, "but he cannot make people trust a bottle by standing beside it."

It was the first honest thing anyone from the alliance had said to me all week.

That evening, I accepted the engagement invitation.

When Lucas called, I kept my voice calm.

"I'll attend," I said. "I'll apologize to Emma in front of everyone."

His breathing eased. "Good. You're finally acting like an adult."

"I'll say exactly what you want."

"You'd better."

After the call ended, I opened every security file in the shop.

I fixed the cameras so they recorded continuously and sent copies to three separate drives. I checked the apartment cameras, the front-door access logs, and every transfer from the business account. I matched the discount records to the days Emma had entered after closing.

Then I opened the audio folder.

The recording began with Emma asking Lucas how quickly they could move Moon & Moss into an alliance holding company. Lucas answered that once I apologized, the clients would believe I had surrendered control.

I saved the file under a new name and copied it to two more drives.

On the worktable, I placed ninety-nine empty bottles from the latest collection.

I sorted them by batch date and moon phase, then packed them into seven boxes. Each bottle carried a delivery code. Each box held a printed list of payments, stock changes, and customer orders.

Celine had told me the guests trusted the work.

I would give them the work.

On the night of the party, Lucas sent a car.

I wore a plain black dress and carried the first box myself. The driver tried to take it from me, but I held on.

"It's part of my apology," I said.

The hall was already full when I arrived. Alliance leaders stood beneath the Moon & Moss logo. Emma wore a white suit copied from one of my old designs. Lucas stood beside her, accepting congratulations.

When he saw me, his smile returned.

"Nora," he called. "Come up here. Emma is waiting for your apology."

The guests turned toward me.

I carried the box past the tables. Emma lifted her chin, ready to receive the words she had demanded.

I did not stop beside her.

I walked straight toward the stage.