The Triplet Alphas Second Chance Luna.

ELLA.

"What exactly is it you want to say, Micheal?" I asked.

The words came out sharper than I intended, but I could not take it anymore.

For several minutes, he had been standing there, looking at me with an expression I could not quite understand. Every time it seemed like he was finally about to speak, he hesitated.

And my patience was quickly running out.

Micheal exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes met mine briefly before shifting away again.

"Look, Ella," he began, his voice unusually unsteady. "It might seem so sudden, but I actually..." He paused, and swallowed hard before he tried again. "I really do..."

The words struggled to leave his mouth.

As though whatever he wanted to say was far more difficult than he had anticipated.

I frowned slightly.

Confusion and frustration battled inside me as I waited for him to finish.

But before another word could leave his lips, a loud voice suddenly interrupted.

"Oh my!" Bella’s voice rang through the air dramatically. "You actually can’t hide it anymore."

My entire body tensed, and I immediately turned toward her. The irritation that had already been simmering inside me instantly flared.

"What do you want, Bella?" I asked, my voice cold and sharp.

Bella merely chuckled.

The sound grated on my nerves.

"I don’t need anything, Theresa." She paused deliberately, a slow smile spread across her face, the kind of smile that made it clear she was enjoying herself. "I just want to confirm if he is the father of your bastard."

The smile widened.

And in that instant, something inside me snapped.

The world seemed to blur for a second and before I could think, before I could stop myself...my hand moved. The sharp sound of skin striking skin echoed through the air.

"Watch your mouth!" I yelled.

My chest heaved with anger.

Bella stumbled slightly from the impact, her eyes widened in complete shock. One hand immediately flew to her cheek and for several seconds, she simply stared at me as though she could not believe what had just happened.

The shock disappeared after a while and fury took its place.

The moment she regained her balance, she lunged toward me, her hand raised and ready to strike but it never reached me.

Micheal moved before she could, his hand shot out and wrapped firmly around her wrist.

"Don’t you dare touch her in front of me!" He yelled, his voice dangerously hard.

The grip on her wrist tightened before he forcefully pushed her hand away.

Bella staggered back, and after several seconds she suddenly laughed. A loud, mocking laugh.

"I can’t believe it." She shook her head dramatically. "How many men are you hooked up with?" She asked, as she locked her eyes onto mine. "And the fact that you’re a Luna...so shameless."

Every word chipped away at the little patience I had left. My hands clenched tightly at my sides and I swear, I could feel my temper slipping.

Feel the anger building hotter and hotter inside me.

Bella, however, seemed delighted by the reaction she was getting.

"Well," she said with a satisfied smile. "It seems I have gotten my answer." she added, as she folded her arms confidently, her grin widening even further. "He is really the father of those bastards and not my brothers."

The certainty in her voice only made the accusation sound more insulting.

And judging by the pleased expression on her face, she believed she had just uncovered the greatest secret in the world.

I took a step forward, intending to grab Bella before she could continue her ridiculous accusations.

At that point, reasoning with her seemed impossible, but I was still willing to try.

Someone needed to speak some sense into her. Someone needed to make her realize how absurd she sounded.

But before I could say a single word, Micheal spoke first.

"And what if I am the father?" He said, his voice rang out clearly and confidently.

The sudden statement caught both Bella and me off guard.

Micheal did not look away from her, as his gaze remained fixed on her face.

"That has nothing to do with you," he continued firmly, as there was not even the slightest trace of hesitation in his tone. "And why are you bothering Ella?"

The question landed heavily between them.

Bella blinked, and then her expression twisted with irritation.

"And who are you to question me?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing immediately. "Look here, my brothers don’t even question me!"

The arrogance in her voice was unbelievable. As though she genuinely expected everyone around her to simply tolerate whatever nonsense she decided to spew.

I couldn’t help myself, and a scoff escaped my lips. "Your stepbrothers," I corrected coldly.

The moment the words left my mouth, Bella’s face paled instantly. The confidence she’d been carrying faltered for the first time.

"...in whom you shamelessly desire."

The silence that followed was almost amusing.

Bella stared at me completely frozen, as though she could not believe I had actually said it aloud.

I tilted my head slightly. "What do you think?" I asked, as my lips curved into a faint smile. "Wouldn’t the press be so interested in such news?"

The color drained from her face even further and for the first time since she’d appeared, she looked genuinely nervous.

"Really?" Micheal suddenly said, his voice carrying a surprising amount of amusement. "What a forbidden love."

I glanced at him.

Honestly, I had not expected him to join in.

Yet there he was, looking entirely entertained.

"I think I have a few friends who work as journalists," Micheal added.

A slow smile spread across his face as he spoke, the kind of smile that suggested he was enjoying Bella’s growing discomfort far more than he should have.

His eyes never left her.

"They would surely be interested." He added.

The confidence in his voice made the statement sound less like a possibility and more like a promise.

I watched Bella carefully and the reaction was immediate as her jaw tightened.

The muscles along her face visibly tensed as she struggled to maintain her composure.

For the first time since she had appeared, the smug confidence she’d been carrying seemed to waver.

Micheal noticed it too and I could tell from the way his smile widened slightly.

"And for the fact that she is an heiress..." he continued, his tone light and almost conversational.

Yet every word seemed to hit Bella exactly where it hurt.

He did not even have to finish the sentence.

Bella had already understood where he was heading.

"Are you threatening me?" she demanded.

The question burst out of her before Micheal could continue.

Anger flashed across her face, sharp and uncontrolled. The nervousness she had briefly displayed moments ago disappeared entirely beneath her growing fury.

Her hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides.

The movement was so forceful that her knuckles turned pale.

For a moment, it looked as though she was struggling to stop herself from exploding.

Micheal, however, looked completely unbothered. In fact, he seemed amused and slowly, he turned his head toward me.

His expression instantly shifted into exaggerated surprise.

The transformation was so dramatic it was almost ridiculous.

"Are we?" he asked.

I stared at him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

For a second, I genuinely didn’t know whether to laugh or roll my eyes.

The question was completely absurd.

And judging by the innocent expression he was attempting to maintain, he knew it too.

His sudden interference still felt strange and unexpected.

Micheal had stepped into the argument far more aggressively than I had anticipated.

Yet despite how surprising it was, I found that I did not mind, especially if it meant helping me deal with Bella.

Because at this point, she was becoming an unbearable pain in the neck.

"I have no idea, Micheal," I replied, as I folded my arms firmly across my chest. The gesture felt natural and almost defensive. "She is such a pathetic being." My gaze swept slowly over Bella, deliberately taking in the outrage written across her face. "And she is definitely hallucinating now."

"Woah." Micheal’s eyes widened dramatically. "I never knew she was mentally unstable."

The excitement in his voice was completely fake and somehow that made it even more annoying.

Bella’s face turned red with rage. "You—" She yelled, her voice rising sharply, the fury radiating from her was almost tangible as she pointed a trembling finger toward us. "Just you both wait!" she added, her breathing had become uneven. "I will deal with you and your bastard!"

The threat echoed through the air but neither of us responded and that only seemed to make her angrier.

Without another word, she spun around sharply, her heels struck the ground with force as she stormed away.

Every step radiated outrage.

Neither of us stopped her.

We simply watched as she disappeared back into the house, carrying her anger with her.