Chapter 122 Voices from the Study

Chapter 122 Voices from the Study
Charlotte’s words were not meant for Cora.

They were a warning to Luna.

No matter how close Julian seemed to Luna now, the woman of the Rio family was still Cora.
The chairman of the Rio Group recognized Cora, not Luna. Without her approval, no one truly belonged here.

Cora nodded, no longer sparing Luna a glance, and turned back into the house.

The moment she stepped inside, a maid approached with a glass of freshly pressed juice.

Before Cora could reach for it, Luna suddenly snatched the glass from behind her and tipped it back, draining it in one go.

Charlotte and the maid froze.

The audacity was staggering.

“This juice is good. I like it,” Luna said casually, shoving the empty glass back into the maid’s hands. Her tone turned sharp and superior. “I have very high standards for my lifestyle. You’d better do your jobs properly, or whether you keep them is another matter. I’m tired. Where’s Julian’s room? I’m going to rest.”

Julian’s room?

Even with Cora’s restraint, that crossed the line.

“Luna,” Cora said coolly, “don’t you owe me an explanation for that cancer diagnosis? Weren’t you terminally ill? Why aren’t you in a hospital instead of standing here?”

Luna laughed softly and stepped closer. She reached out, brushing aside a loose strand of Cora’s hair, her lips close to Cora’s ear.

“You really are stupid,” she whispered. “Fooled once and you still didn’t learn. If I wasn’t lying to you, who would I lie to? You’re so easy to trick. One fake sob story and your sympathy kicks in. Honestly… you’re still just as naïve.”

Vivienne had already told her the truth.

But hearing Luna admit it herself felt different. Sharper. Colder.

Cora closed her eyes briefly.

Don’t get angry.
For the baby. Stay calm.

She had been foolish. Soft-hearted. Deservedly deceived.

This was the end.

“Oh, Cora,” Luna murmured again, her voice playful and cruel, “aren’t you curious what Julian and I have been doing together this past week? If you really want to know… why don’t you kneel and beg?”

Cora clenched her fists, standing rigid as Luna continued whispering poison into her ear.

“To Julian, you’re just a woman he sleeps with temporarily. I’m different. I’ve been with him for years. I know what he likes, what he’s used to. I’m the kind of woman he truly wants.” Luna glanced her over deliberately. “And look at you. Your body’s changed, you’re ordinary-looking, and honestly? Boring. The fact that you’ve held the title of Mrs. Rio this long already shows how indulgent he’s been.”

Cora turned her head away, refusing to engage.

But Luna wasn’t done.

“You should leave on your own,” she said sweetly. “Being thrown out would be humiliating. If I were you, I wouldn’t even keep the baby. I’d leave the Rio family immediately, the farther the better. Julian’s heart has always been with me. Surely you can see that now. Letting me move in proves it.” Her voice dropped. “As an old friend, let me give you one last piece of advice. Never reach for what doesn’t belong to you. Everything here belongs to me.”

She jabbed a finger hard into Cora’s shoulder.

Caught off guard, Cora stumbled. If she hadn’t grabbed the edge of the table, she would have fallen.

Luna didn’t look back.

Charlotte stepped forward, unable to stay silent any longer. “Ma’am… perhaps you should speak to the chairman. She’s always been very fond of you. If she speaks up, Julian would never allow another woman to stay here.”

Cora shook her head gently. “Thank you, Charlotte. I appreciate you standing up for me. But it’s not necessary. Julian is the master of this house. He decides who stays and who leaves.”

So what if Luna moved in early?

Then why did her chest feel so unbearably tight?

⸻

At dinner, the three of them sat at the same table.

Cora kept her head lowered, ignoring the intimacy on display beside her.

Luna, however, seized every opportunity to provoke.

“Julian, try this,” she said sweetly, lifting a dessert toward him. “You used to love this flavor.”

Julian glanced at Cora.

She didn’t react. She ate quietly, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

His expression darkened.

Luna’s fingers stiffened, but she forced herself to persist.

If she didn’t secure Julian tonight, she might lose everything.

“Of course,” Julian said deliberately, his voice raised. “You do know my tastes best.”

He took the dessert from Luna and ate it.

Luna’s heart leapt.

Julian was a clean freak. He never ate food touched by others.

If he did this now… did it mean tonight was hers?

Julian watched Cora from the corner of his eye.

She never looked up.

That indifference burned worse than anger.

Cora sat there, composed on the surface, while every sound from across the table cut into her.

Five months.
Just endure it.

She set down her utensils, accepted a napkin, dabbed her lips, and spoke softly. “I’m finished. I’ll go upstairs.”

She rose slowly, supported by her assistant, and headed for the stairs.

Moments after she entered her room, a violent crash echoed from downstairs.

The table overturned. Dishes shattered.

Luna screamed.

Cora paused only briefly, then continued toward the dressing room, letting her assistant prepare her nightclothes.

Downstairs, Julian stood rigid, eyes red.

Luna stared at the wreckage in shock. She couldn’t understand how the man who had just accepted her dessert could erupt like this.

Nodin stood nearby, understanding everything and saying nothing.

Servants rushed in. The stained rug was rolled up and removed, replaced with a new one.

“Julian…” Luna whispered shakily.

He didn’t respond.

He strode upstairs, bypassing the bedroom and entering the study, shutting the door behind him.

Luna bit her lip.

Tonight, no matter the cost, she had to get closer to him.

Only by truly becoming his woman could she drive Cora out for good.

⸻

Julian locked himself inside the study, barely suppressing the urge to storm into Cora’s room and pull her into his arms.

What was wrong with him?

The colder Cora became, the more he lost control.

He had never cared this much about any woman in twenty-eight years.

Cora sat on the bed, holding the book Nina had given Kaelin, but the words blurred.

She sighed, closed it, and set it aside.

Her throat felt dry. Not wanting to wake her assistant, she decided to get water herself.

She had just opened the door when sounds drifted from the study next door.

Low. Intimate. Embarrassingly unmistakable.

Cora had slept with Julian twice.

She knew exactly what those sounds meant.

“Julian… mm… I missed you so much… I want you right now…”

Luna’s broken voice slipped through the half-closed door.

Cora’s hand froze on the doorknob.

The sounds inside seemed to grow more heated.

She rested a hand on her belly, a bitter smile curving her lips.

Maybe I need to leave sooner.
If she gets pregnant too… will this child still matter?

Cora drew a steady breath.

At least she still had a way out.

The apartment she’d rented earlier hadn’t been canceled yet.

Just as her thoughts spiralled, the study door flew open.

Julian burst out, disheveled.

Cora looked up and saw the unmistakable smear of lipstick on his face.

Strangely, her heart was calm.