Chapter 107 CHAPTER 107
The Queen Has Landed
The smell of sizzling oil and fried garlic drifted through the kitchen, wrapping the air in a kind of cozy warmth that didn’t quite match the tension simmering just beneath it.
Tessa hummed softly to herself, wooden spoon in hand, as she stirred the pot bubbling on the stove. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun, a few curls escaping and clinging to her cheeks. She looked calm or at least she wanted to look calm. Inside, she was anything but.
She’d been restless all morning. Ever since Ayisha’s words at the restaurant, they kept echoing in her mind like a stubborn ghost.
Make it real. Get Ares to sleep with you for real.
She’d laughed it off yesterday, pretended it didn’t get to her. But here she was, in the kitchen, trying to cook for a man who was caring and sweet to her but just didn’t want to bed her.
Tessa sighed, tasting the stew and frowning. “Needs more salt,” she muttered, reaching for the shaker.
The door creaked open behind her.
At first, she didn’t bother turning. But then she heard the sound of soft laughter. Not friendly laughter. That kind of laugh that slithers under your skin.
“Well, well,” Chloe’s voice came, cool and amused. “Look who’s suddenly the perfect little baby mama.”
Tessa froze, her hand tightening on the spoon before she turned slowly. Chloe was leaning casually against the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow arched, her lips twisted into a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Tessa’s tone was flat. “What do you want, Chloe?”
“Oh, nothing. Just admiring the view.” Chloe walked further in, her gaze scanning the countertop. “Who would’ve thought? Tessa in an apron, cooking like she’s in a Hollywood home video.”
“Funny,” Tessa muttered, turning back to her pot. “Don’t you have something better to do? Maybe stalk Ares’ shadow again?”
“Ouch.” Chloe’s laughter was low, mocking. “Hit a nerve, did I?”
Tessa ignored her, but her hands weren’t steady anymore. She could feel Chloe’s eyes glaring into her back.
“You know,” Chloe said, picking up an apple from the counter and twirling it in her hand, “I remember when you used to brag that Ares didn’t like women who cooked. Guess you found out he likes women who try too hard.”
“When did I ever say that?” Tessa spun around. “You really have no shame, do you?”
“Shame?” Chloe took a bite of the apple, smiling through it. “Honey, I ran out of that the day you stole my man back in Uni. My first love.”
Tessa’s jaw tightened. “He was never yours. He was running after me.”
“Oh please.” Chloe’s voice rose slightly. “You think because you’re playing baby mama in his house, you’ve won? I can see right through you, Tessa. You’re not happy. You’re desperate. You walk around here like you’re the queen, but you’re just… scared.”
Tessa’s nostrils flared. “At least I don’t need to sneak around in hoodies like some escapee.”
Chloe’s laughter was sharp this time, her eyes narrowing. “Say that again.”
Tessa folded her arms. “You heard me.”
Chloe set the apple down hard on the counter. The sound echoed. “You want to play this card with me? You really want to do this?”
Tessa didn’t back down. “I’ve been ready since the first day you walked in with that fake innocent act.”
The air shifted, heavy, hot. The kind of silence that usually comes before something breaks.
Chloe took a step closer, her voice low. “You think you’ve got him wrapped around your finger because you faked a pregnancy?”
Tessa’s eyes widened for a split second. “Watch your mouth. Stop projecting, you probably faked yours.”
Chloe smirked. “What? Afraid someone will hear the truth?”
Tessa slammed the spoon down, the stew splattering slightly across the stove. “I said watch your mouth!”
“And I said,” Chloe shot back, “you’re a liar and a fraud, Tessa! You’re nothing but a placeholder!”
That was it. Tessa moved before she could think. The next second, the two of them were face to face, shouting over each other.
“Say it again!”
“You heard me!”
Tessa shoved her shoulder. Chloe pushed back harder.
“God, you’re pathetic,” Chloe hissed. “Trying to trap him with a baby you don’t even have…”
Tessa slapped her.
The sound cracked through the kitchen like a whip.
For one long, dangerous second, neither of them moved. Chloe’s hand rose slowly to her cheek. Her eyes darkened.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered.
“Then stop talking.”
Chloe lunged at her. The next few moments were chaos, they were pulling their hair, shoving, the pot almost tipping off the stove, utensils clattering to the floor.
“Let go of me!”
“You hit me first!”
“You deserve worse!”
“Ladies, please!”
Julian’s voice cut through the madness as he ran in, wide eyed and panicking. “Oh my God—what the hell is wrong with you two?”
Neither woman stopped.
Julian grabbed Tessa first, pulling her back by the waist. “Tessa, stop—hey! You’re pregnant, for crying out loud!”
Chloe was breathing hard, her eyes wild, her hair a mess. “Fake pregnancy, you mean,” she spat.
“Okay!” Julian barked. “Enough!” He turned to Chloe. “And you! You’re not helping either. Jesus, I leave you two for five minutes and you turn this house into WWE!”
Tessa struggled against his grip, but Julian held firm. “Breathe, Tess! Look at me. Breathe!”
Chloe glared at them both, grabbing her jacket from the counter. “This isn’t over.”
“Yeah?” Tessa snapped. “Next time, I’ll make sure it is.”
“Perfect,” Chloe said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Make sure you’re not faking contractions when I do.”
Julian groaned. “Can both of you please stop before I call Ares?”
That shut them both up.
The name alone was enough to drain the room of sound.
Julian exhaled heavily, finally letting go of Tessa. “Honestly,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead. “You two need a hobby. Like knitting or maybe therapy. Good thing the kids are in school.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “You think you’re funny.”
“I know I am,” Julian said dryly, then glanced at the stew pot. “And by the way, whoever was cooking, congratulations, it’s now officially burnt.”
Tessa turned to the stove and cursed under her breath. “Great.”
Chloe smirked. “Perfect. Just like your life.”
“Chloe!” Julian barked again, glaring at her.
“What? She started it!”
“You’re both grown women,” he snapped. “Can we at least pretend we have class?”
Before either of them could reply, a sound outside caught their attention.
The faint hum of an engine.
Julian frowned. “You expecting someone?”
Tessa shook her head slowly.
The sound grew louder. Tires crunched against the gravel driveway. Then came the unmistakable slam of a car door.
Chloe’s expression changed, the sarcasm fading into confusion.
Tessa stepped toward the window, peeking through the curtains.
Her face went white. “Oh my God.”
Julian walked over, following her gaze.
A black Rolls Royce sat parked by the fountain. The kind of car that made the air itself seem heavier. The driver hurried out first, opening the rear door.
Lady Bianca Langford stepped out.
Dressed in a cream dress and black heels, sunglasses perched perfectly on her nose, her hair styled into a flawless twist. Even from the window, her presence was commanding. The kind of woman who didn’t need to raise her voice to make the world stop.
Tessa’s hand went to her chest. “No… no, no, no.”
Julian blinked. “That’s—”
“Yes,” Chloe whispered, frozen where she stood. “That’s her. Well, she will be happy I am carrying a real Langford.”
Bianca glanced once at the mansion, then at the doorway. Her expression didn’t change, calm, poised, but sharp enough to slice through steel.
“Does anyone else feel like the oxygen just got expensive?” Julian murmured under his breath.
No one laughed.
Tessa’s heart pounded in her chest. “She can’t be here. Ares didn’t even tell me—”
Chloe cut her off. “Of course he didn’t. She doesn’t announce visits. She arrives, you dummy.”
Julian rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, everybody breathe. Maybe she’s just visiting.”
Tessa turned to him, eyes wide. “Chloe must have invited her.”
Outside, the front door opened.
Elegant, deliberat footsteps echoing through the foyer like a countdown.
Tessa’s pulse raced. Chloe’s hand tightened on the edge of the counter. Julian’s eyes darted between them.
“Where,” Lady Bianca said, “is my son?”