Chapter 142 CHAPTER 142
The Deal
“So,” Marcus said finally, resting his elbows on the table, “What does Chloe want?”
Chloe smiled faintly, her fingers brushing the rim of her glass. “Laugh out loud.”
He tilted his head, studying her. “You always were ambitious. When I last saw you, you were still trying to prove you could stand in the same room with my son.”
“That was a long time ago,” she replied evenly. “Things change.”
Marcus’s eyes narrowed, as if he could see through the practiced calm in her voice. “And what exactly has changed, Chloe? You’re pregnant for him.”
She leaned closer, lowering her tone. “I know what’s going on, Marcus. You lost control of Ares and Lady Bianca. Lila’s manipulating him, and Tessa…” She paused, letting the name hang heavy in the air. “…Tessa’s taking all the attention again.”
He smirked, a small, bitter sound. “Ah, yes. The charity case.”
“Not just a charity case,” Chloe replied quickly. “She’s a problem. And she always has been. But maybe I can help you fix that.”
He chuckled lightly, swirling his wine. “You’re not the first to offer help against her. Why should I trust you?”
Chloe met his gaze. “Because I know how to get under her skin… and under Ares’s too.”
Marcus’s brows lifted slightly. “Go on.”
Chloe sat back, crossing her legs. “Tessa’s whole identity is built around your family. The kids, Ares, the house, even the sympathy she gets from everyone. Take that away, and she’s nothing. If she feels replaced, if she feels unwanted, she’ll crumble. And when she does, Ares will too. That’s your opening.”
Marcus gave a slow nod, clearly intrigued. “And how do you suggest we accomplish that?”
Her lips curved in a cunning smile. “By using jealousy. You can use me.”
“Use you?” he repeated, the corner of his mouth twitching in faint amusement.
“Yes. You could pretend to have something with me, make it public. Tessa will hate it. Lady Bianca will lose her mind, seeing her husband with another woman half her age. It’ll make them both unstable. And while they’re too busy reacting, you’ll regain control.”
Marcus studied her silently for several seconds, his expression unreadable. Then he leaned back, exhaling. “You’re clever. Desperate, but clever.”
Chloe’s jaw tightened. “Desperate? I’m just offering you a strategy that works.”
He nodded slowly, his tone almost mocking. “Yes… a strategy that benefits you too, doesn’t it?”
She didn’t deny it. “I won’t lie, I need this as much as you do. Ares threw me out like trash. Tessa gets all the pity, all the protection. I want what’s mine back.”
Marcus tapped his fingers against the table. “And what exactly is yours?”
She met his gaze coldly. “Power. Position. Security. Money. I’m tired of being the one left behind while Tessa plays saint.”
For a moment, Marcus said nothing. The only sound between them was the faint clinking of cutlery and a waiter taking orders at another table. Then he smiled, slowly, calculatingly.
“I admire that,” he said finally. “A woman who knows what she wants. You remind me of Bianca when she was younger. Always scheming, always trying to outsmart everyone in the room.”
Chloe straightened, unsure if it was an insult or a compliment.
“But your plan,” Marcus continued, “is shortsighted.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Shortsighted?”
“Yes. Tessa isn’t my enemy.” He reached for his glass and took a slow sip. “If I marry you, I get nothing but gossip. Jealousy, maybe a few headlines. But if I marry someone more… symbolic, someone that hits both Bianca and Ares where it hurts, then I win completely.”
Chloe frowned. “What do you mean?”
Marcus smiled faintly. “You’re thinking small, my dear. The woman I should marry isn’t you.”
Her heart skipped. “Then who?”
“Tessa.”
The name hit her like a slap. “What?” she whispered, almost choking on her own breath.
Marcus’s voice stayed calm, smooth, deliberate. “Think about it. If I, Marcus Langford, marry Tessa, the woman my son loved, the mother of the children he raised, what happens?”
Chloe stared at him, her mind struggling to process the audacity of what he’d just said.
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his tone. “Bianca and Ares will be so hurt and mad.”
Chloe blinked, her lips parting in disbelief. “You’re insane.”
Marcus laughed softly. “Can you get Tessa to do it or not?”
She shook her head. “She’d never agree to that. Tessa’s too proud, too emotional. She still loves Ares no matter how she acts.”
“Everyone has a price,” Marcus said coolly. “You just have to find it.”
He leaned back, his eyes gleaming. “Convince her. Tell her Ares doesn’t deserve her, that I can give her stability and a future for her children. Make it sound like I’m her only way out.”
Chloe stared at him, horrified and impressed at once. “You actually think she’ll go for that?”
“I don’t think,” he replied. “I plan. And I reward those who help execute my plans.”
Her gaze sharpened. “Reward?”
He nodded slowly. “You convince Tessa to marry me, and I’ll make you rich. Money, property, your own business if you want. You’ll never have to depend on anyone again, not Ares, not Tessa, not anyone.”
The offer hung in the air like a dark temptation.
Chloe’s heart raced. It sounded impossible, ridiculous even but Marcus Langford wasn’t the type of man who made idle promises. If he said he’d make her rich, he meant it.
Still, her instincts screamed that this was dangerous. Tessa wasn’t just another woman. She had fire. And though broken now, Chloe knew she wouldn’t easily fall for manipulation.
Marcus noticed her hesitation. “You’re doubting me,” he said, his voice softer now. “Don’t. You have something Tessa doesn’t, survival instincts. She’s emotional, fragile. You’re not. Use that.”
Chloe exhaled slowly. “And what happens after? If she says yes?”
“Then you step aside. Quietly. And I’ll take care of the rest.”
She frowned. “Take care of the rest?”
He smirked. “Let’s just say once I have Tessa under my roof, things will… change.”
A chill ran down Chloe’s spine.
Still, she forced a smile. “Alright,” she said softly. “I’ll talk to her.”
Marcus raised his glass, satisfied. “Good girl.”
Chloe picked up her drink too, though her hands were trembling slightly. Their glasses clinked softly.
“To new beginnings,” he said.
“To dangerous ones,” she replied under her breath.
He grinned. “The best kind.”
They both drank, the air between them humming with dark agreement.
As Marcus checked his phone and called for the bill, Chloe glanced toward the window. The night outside was clear and quiet, Tokyo’s neon glow painting streaks of color against the glass. Somewhere across the city, Tessa was probably tucking her children into bed, blissfully unaware that someone had just plotted her next heartbreak.
And Chloe couldn’t decide if she pitied her… or envied her.
When Marcus rose to leave, he placed a business card on the table. “Call me when she agrees,” he said, his tone final. “And Chloe, don’t get sentimental. It’s just business.”
She stared at the card, then at the man walking away, his presence still heavy in the air.
As the door closed behind him, Chloe leaned back in her chair, exhaling shakily.
Her heart was beating too fast, her mind spinning too hard.
Marry Tessa?
She finished her drink in one gulp, stood, and walked out into the cold Tokyo night, her lips curling into a small, dangerous smile.