Chapter 106 CHAPTER 106
Don’t dare me
“Marcus, you’re defending that girl again?”
Lady Bianca’s voice was sharp, trembling with the kind of fury that could only come from a mother who believed she was right.
Her husband looked up from his seat near the fireplace, calm as ever, his expression tired but steady. “I’m not defending anyone,” he said slowly. “I’m defending peace. That’s what you don’t seem to understand anymore, Bianca.”
She laughed bitterly and paced in front of him. The evening sun falling through the tall glass windows, coating the marble floor in shades of gold and red. The sound of her heels echoed across the room as she moved, her robe swishing with each sharp turn.
“Peace?” she repeated, stopping to glare at him. “Do you call it peace when your only son is living halfway across the world with a woman who doesn’t belong in our family? Do you call it peace when Chloe of all people is carrying his child?”
Marcus sighed, setting his glass of whiskey down. “You keep saying that like Ares is a child who needs saving. He’s a grown man, Bianca. He can handle his own life. If he didn’t want her pregnant then why was he fucking her?”
Bianca turned away, her jaw tightening. “You think I don’t know that?” she whispered. “I know exactly how old my son is. But what you refuse to see is that women like Chloe and Tessa are poison. They don’t love men like Ares, they love the name and family. She’s already living in his house.”
Marcus stood, adjusting his cufflinks, his movements measured. “You’ve created a version of Chloe in your head because it’s easier to hate her than to accept that Ares has made his choice.”
She spun around, eyes blazing. “His choice?” she said, voice trembling. “His choice should be the one I approved. The one from a reputable home with a good future.”
Marcus looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Leave Ares to figure out his life.”
She blinked, her lips parting slightly. “You need to understand me,” she said quickly. “I simply…I can’t sit here and do nothing.”
Marcus exhaled heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Bianca, listen to yourself. You’re talking about controlling the life of a man who hasn’t needed you since he had those kids. Do you not see how far you’ve gone?”
“I’m his mother,” she shot back. “Everything I’ve ever done has been for him.”
Marcus shook his head. “No, everything you’ve done has been about you, about your image, your control, your need to have everyone under your thumb. I did it to him when he was younger, now you’re doing it to him now that he’s older. Common!”
For a moment, silence filled the room. Only the soft ticking of the clock could be heard. Lady Bianca’s face twitched as she tried to hold her emotions together, but her voice cracked when she finally spoke again.
“You think I like this?” she whispered. “You think I enjoy being the villain in my own son’s life? You have no idea how many nights I’ve stayed awake wondering where I went wrong, how he ended up so far from me. But I can’t sit and watch him throw his life away because of a woman who doesn’t belong by his side.”
Marcus walked closer, stopping a few feet from her. His tone softened. “Bianca, sometimes love looks like letting go.”
Her chin lifted defiantly. “And sometimes letting go looks like cowardice.”
He chuckled bitterly. “There it is. The Bianca I married, never wrong, never soft.”
She turned away from him, her back straight. “You married me, Marcus. After begging me g or years.”
“I married control,” he said, his voice low. “And I stayed because I thought maybe you’d learn to love something other than power and you pretended to change. Every time I look at you, I see the same woman who chased away her friends, her son, and now she’s trying to chase away his happiness too.”
She froze. “You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not,” he said, his tone suddenly sharp. “You pushed Ares away with your interference. You’re the reason he left America. You’re the reason he doesn’t visit. You’ve turned our family into something cold and strategic, something he’s running from.”
Bianca swallowed hard, her eyes glistening though she refused to cry. “I only wanted the best for him.”
Marcus’s voice softened again, almost pitying. “Then maybe it’s time to accept that the best might not come from you.”
Her gaze flicked up at him. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that.”
“Don’t you dare interfere in his life again.” Marcus said. “I am warning you. He is also my son.”
She turned to face the other side. “I already booked my flight to Japan. I’ll see you when I am back or you can come visit us.”
Marcus scoffed, walking to her front. He stood there looking at her for a while before he finally spoke.
“If you go to Japan, then you should consider a permanent resident there because you won’t be coming back to this house.”
Bianca’s eyes blinked. “Are you threatening me with a divorce, Marcus?”
“Lately you like to dare me,” Marcus responded. “So you should dare me this time around too.”
He paused then continued. “Oh I can’t wait for you to find out what I’ll do.”
Bianca laughed. “You know these small talks won’t change my mind or hold me down.”
Marcus nodded. “You’ve forgotten this is my shit and I was running stuff from start till I handed over to you and Ares. Which was clearly a mistake.”
“I won’t sit and watch my son end up with either of those two.” She said, walking out.
“My son deserves way better than those low budget i wanna be Mrs. Langford.” She added.