The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279

Chapter 279

Ella’s POV

+25 BONUS

The morning of the charity event, Anya came to me bright and early and practically dragged me into her room to help me get ready. She’d finished the dress the night before–or rather, we’d finished it together at three in the morning–and now she wanted me to try it on one more time before the event.

“I still can’t believe you actually made this,” I said as she helped me into the gown. “You could make a real career out of fashion design, you know. If the Luma Trial doesn’t work out for you,”

Anya’s hands stilled on the zipper. “You really think so?”

“Are you kidding?” I smoothed my hands down the front of the dress. The cream silk felt cool against my skin, and the beading we’d spent hours sewing caught the morning light streaming through the window. “This is incredible. I’ve seen professional designers create worse.”

And I had. Back when I was Luna, I’d attended enough charity galas to know what passed for high fashion in our world. Anya’s work was better than half the gowns I’d worn at those events, and she’d done it all with a fraction of the budget and resources.

“I don’t know,” Anya said, although she was smiling wanly. “Fashion design seems like such a pipe dream. My family needs stability, not… not dreams.”

My heart ached. Anya was eighteen years old and already giving up on her dreams because she had to be practical. Because her mother was sick and her brothers needed books for school and her father worked himself to death in the mines.

Meanwhile, I’d spent my entire first life being handed everything on a silver platter, and what had I done with it? Wasted it chasing after a man who never loved me.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it,” I said. “After all this is over.”

Anya nodded, then stepped back to look at me. Her face split into a grin. “Goddess, Stella. You look amazing.”

I turned to face the small mirror in her room. The dress fit perfectly–Anya had somehow managed to get my new

measurements exactly right. The bodice hugged my curves, and the beading we’d added to the straps and hem made the whole thing shimmer when I moved. It was elegant without being too formal, sexy without being inappropriate.

For the first time in a while, I felt pretty–no longer wearing the plain uniform I’d become accustomed to.

Not that it mattered. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I was just doing this to help Anya.

But I couldn’t deny that some small, stupid part of me wondered what Alexander would think when he saw me in it. I shoved that thought down before it could take root, though, and focused on the event.

The charity event was being held in the estate’s grand ballroom. When we arrived, the room was already bustling with the other contestants. A small stage had been set up at one end for performances, and along the walls were booths where contestants were displaying their fundraising efforts.

We meandered through the booths, taking in the various acts. One woman was doing contortions in the corner, which was really impressive. Another was playing the violin. A duet was playing the piano together. I spotted Sophia standing near one of the bigger stages at the front, doing vocal warmups to sing later.

Mine and Anya’s booth had been set up near the center of the room. There was a small platform for me to stand on, elegant lighting to show off the dress, and a sign with our team name and the orphanage information.

The first guests started trickling in around noon. Mostly pack members and their families, along with some visiting dignitaries from neighboring territories. I stood on the platform while Anya explained the dress to anyone who stopped by, and I turned and smiled and waved and posed.

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Chapter 279

“Fifty dollars,” someone said right off the bat, dropping a wad of cash into our donation box.

“That dress is exquisite,” another woman commented. “Is it available for purchase?”

“One hundred dollars,” a man called out. “For the orphanage.”

+25 BONUS

The money kept coming and coming all day, along with the custom orders for similar dresses. By sunset, Anya was beaming with her hands practically stuffed with custom order tickets, and I also couldn’t help but smile at the sight of our overflowing cash box.

Maybe I didn’t care about winning the trial, but it was nice to see my friend succeed–and for charity, too.

Sophia’s POV

Sophia watched from across the ballroom as that Omega bitch paraded around in her pathetic excuse for a dress.

She’d lied. Stella had said she was dropping out of the trial, that she had no interest in becoming Luna, and Sophia had believed her. Had actually relaxed for once, thinking that the biggest threat to her plans had removed itself from the equation without her having to lift a finger.

But now she was strutting around like a model, letting everyone gawk at her like she was the main attraction instead of just another desperate Omega trying to climb the social ladder.

And that dress. That fucking dress.

It was good. Annoyingly good. The way it hugged her curves, the way the beading caught the light–Sophia hated to admit it, but whoever designed it knew what they were doing. And of course Stella had the body to pull it off. Tall and lean, with just enough

curves in all the right places.

Like Ella.

Sophia’s jaw clenched as she watched another man drop money into Stella’s donation box.

But deep down, Sophia knew she was just a whore who happened to look like Alex’s dead wife and was using that resemblance to manipulate everyone around her. Including Alex himself, probably. Sophia had seen the way he looked at her sometimes when he thought no one was watching. Like he was seeing a ghost.

Well, Sophia wasn’t about to let some nobody Omega steal what was rightfully hers.

She made her way backstage to prepare for her performance, running through her vocal warmups and primping herself before she headed back out. By then, a small crowd had gathered around her stage. Some people were still lingering around Stella’s booth, but Sophia chose to ignore her.

The first verse went perfectly, and Sophia’s donation box began to fill. The crowd around Stella eventually moved over to Sophia, listening intently. Sophia smiled at the growing audience and continued to sing, garnering more donations.

Even Alex came to watch the performance with his hands stuffed in his pockets, nodding along to the beat, and Sophia’s smile

grew.

But then his head turned, and he caught sight of Stella standing off to the side. He did a double take before turning and walking

toward her.

Sophia’s voice cracked just at the sight of him sidling up to that whore. Before she could recover from the missed note, a few chuckles rippled through the crowd.

Sophia’s face burned so hot she thought she might be sick. She finished out her song, but the damage had been done.

Stella’s donation box was positively overflowing. And she had all of Alex’s attention when it was Sophia who truly deserved him.

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Chapter 280