<h4>Chapter 279: Chapter 279 Group Dinner</h4>


    Cecilia’s pov


    I stepped out of the conference room, rolling my stiff shoulders.


    Two missed calls from Yvonne lit up my screen. I hit call back right there in the hallway.


    "Sorry, I was locked in a meeting," I said the second she picked up." What’s going on?"


    "I just got the most fabulous news today!" Her voice was practically sparkling through the speaker." I’m in such a good mood, I simply must take you to dinner tonight. My treat. What do you say?"


    "Tonight?" I hesitated, my mind already shuffling through the mental to-do list.


    I’d been mentally rehearsing how to bring up yesterday’s weird with Sebastian.


    Yvonne, sensing my pause, immediately dialed up the drama." What? You won’t even have dinner with me anymore? I see how it is. I’m already forgotten, am I? Your poor, neglected best friend..." she sighed,ying it on thick.


    I couldn’t help butugh." Okay, okay, you win. Dinner. But stop with the tragic opera routine, you’ll give me a guiltplex."


    " Perfect! I’ll text you the details," she chirped, victory clear in her tone.


    Back at my desk, I’d barely opened my email when the internal line buzzed. Sebastian’s voice, calm and definitive, filled the space." I need you to apany me to a g tonight."


    Tonight. My dinner ns with Yvonne shed in my mind.


    "Is there a conflict?" he asked, his voice dropping a fraction when I didn’t answer immediately.


    "I just made ns with Yvonne, actually," I admitted." But it’s fine. I can move it to tomorrow."


    "Hmm," was his only reply, but the sound carried the quiet weight of a settled matter."Make the necessary arrangements. We’ll leave at six."


    As soon as I hung up, I called Yvonne." I’m so sorry, something work-rted came up. The Alpha needs me at an event tonight. Rain check for tomorrow? My treat, anywhere you want."


    "Oh..."The disappointment in her voicested about half a second, then switched to pure, sharp curiosity."That’s fine. Actually, where’s this g?"


    "He didn’t say."


    "Well, find out and let me know," she said." I got invited to some charity thing today and said no. But if you’re going to be there, I might just dig my heels out of the closet and show up after all."


    "I see," I said.


    Her sudden interest felt... pointed.


    "I’ll ask and text you."


    --


    Around five, I brought the finalized reports to Sebastian’s office. While he scanned thest page, I leaned against the doorframe." So, where are we headed tonight?"


    He didn’t look up."The Evergreen."


    I nodded, taking the signed copies back.


    The moment I was in the hallway, my phone was out, texting Yvonne the name and venue.


    Her reply didn’te as a text. My phone rang ten secondster.


    "You are not going to believe this," her voice sang through the line, brimming with exaggerated surprise. "That is the exact g I turned down this afternoon! What are the odds?"


    She paused, letting the manufactured coincidence hang in the air. "Well, since my best friend is going to be trapped with the stuffy suits all night, I suppose it’s my duty to make an appearance. Moral support, and all that. See you there! "


    " Oh. Great," I said, the words t.


    The timing was too perfect.


    Author’s pov


    Yvonne ended the call with Cecilia, a smile of pure satisfaction curving her lips.


    Phase one:plete.


    Earlier that afternoon, her discreet inquiry had borne fruit: a message confirming Luna Regina’s intense interest in meeting her mysterious rescuer.


    The intermediary’s words had been clear: "She is most eager. She wishes to connect without dy." That eagerness was the fuel for Yvonne’s engine.


    Her original n had been elegant in its simplicity: dinner with Cecilia, where Luna Regina would just happen to be dining as well.


    A serendipitous encounter over crème br?lée.


    Sebastian’sst-minute g invitation had thrown a wrench in that. But a true social strategist knew how to pivot.


    --


    Across the city, in the subdued opulence of the ck family residence, impatience was wearing a designer gown.


    "Mom, you have to go. Sebastian will be furious if you’re not there," Zaria pleaded, caught in the crossfire between her brother’s expectations and her mother’s formidable will.


    "I do not have to go anywhere," Luna Regina corrected, not looking up from the phone she kept ncing at."The audacity. This ‘Cecilia’ expects me toe to her?"


    "It’s not like that," Zaria coaxed, shifting tactics. "Think of it as a neutral venue. A public space is perfect. If the vibe is off, you can make a graceful exit. If she came here and it was awkward, you’d have to practically have security escort her out. Way more drama."


    Luna Regina’s hesitation wasn’t entirely principled.


    She’d received a promising lead on the woman in green hours ago but had chosen to keep it to herself.


    After days of Zaria’s so-called help , Luna Regina saw the pattern. Her daughter wasn’t helping her find the woman.


    She was stonewalling the search. Luna Regina was certain Sebastian was calling the shots.


    That tant lie about the erased footage this morning had been the final straw.


    "I’m otherwise engaged tonight," Luna Regina stated, her tone leaving no room for debate.


    "Doing what?" Zaria pressed, her eyes tracking the phone her mother now deliberately turned screen-down on herp.


    The anxiety in Zaria’s chest tightened.


    Mission: Her mission to get Mom to the meeting was on the verge of failure.


    "Dad and York are already on their way. If you’re a no-show..."


    A single, icy re from her mother silenced her.


    Minutes ticked by in strained quiet.


    Then, Luna Regina’s phone buzzed softly.


    She read the new message. It was from Yvonne. Her whole attitude changed right then.


    A resigned, almost theatrical sigh escaped her.


    "Well," she said, rising with sudden purpose." I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to put in a brief appearance."


    Zaria’s relief was so profound she felt dizzy with it.


    She didn’t know what magic words had just appeared on her mother’s screen, and she didn’t care.


    The objective was achieved.


    As Luna Regina swept from the room to choose a gown, Zaria allowed herself a small, shaky exhale.


    Operation Save-Sebastian’s-Love-Life (and Avoid-His-Wrath) was, miraculously, back on track.