Chapter 162 CHAPTER 162

Chapter 162 CHAPTER 162
The Performance
The morning sun poured through Marcus’s mansion windows, golden and unbothered by the chaos that lived inside its walls.
Marcus stood by the edge of his office table, jaw tight, voice slicing through the silence like a whip.
“Tessa, I don’t care if Dorcas is pregnant, or Chloe, or the entire damn neighborhood is walking around with swollen bellies,” he snapped, slamming his palm against the desk. “That’s not your problem, you hear me?”
Tessa stood a few feet away, her hands clasped together in front of her, eyes lowered like a child being scolded by a furious parent. Her chest rose and fell, slow and shaky.
Marcus paced back and forth, his voice rising. “You have one job. Just one. Make Ares and Lady Bianca jealous. Make noise. Be creative about it. Don’t just sit around crying and waiting for miracles. This isn’t Sunday school!”
Tessa’s lips trembled. “I—I’ve been trying,” she said quietly.
“Make him look!” Marcus barked, cutting her off. “You have to pull his attention, Tessa. Make him see what he lost. Rub it in his face until it burns.”
He stopped pacing and turned to her, his face hard, his tone colder now.
“If you can’t do that, then what good are you to me? Huh? Everyone out there is fighting to stay relevant, and you’re sitting here acting like a victim.”
Tessa flinched. His words hit deeper than she expected. “I didn’t ask to be a part of your game,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Marcus laughed bitterly. “Game? This isn’t a game.”
Her eyes filled with tears. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from falling, but one slipped free, tracing a line down her cheek. “You talk like feelings don’t matter.”
“They don’t,” Marcus snapped. “Only results matter. You want to sit around crying over Ares?”
He stepped closer, his tone dropping to a slow, dangerous calm. “You think I built my empire by being emotional? No. I built it by knowing when to strike. And right now, Tessa, you’re the weapon.”
Her heart clenched. His words were cruel, but in some twisted way, they were true.
She had spent weeks hiding from the spotlight, avoiding confrontation, hoping time would heal what was broken. But all time had done was bury her deeper.
Marcus turned away, dismissing her with a flick of his hand. “Do your job. Be loud, bold, messy if you have to. But make them watch you. Every move. Every word. Spend money if you have to, I’ve got lots of it.”
Tessa nodded slowly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Fine,” she whispered, her voice raw. “I’ll do it.”
“Good,” Marcus said flatly, already pouring himself a drink. “Now get out of my sight.”
She turned and walked out quietly. Her heels clicked across the marble floor, fading as she reached the hallway.

Heads turned as she passed.
The receptionist blinked. “Madam, do you have an appointment?”
Tessa smiled faintly. “Tell your boss his old friend just came to invest.”
Before the receptionist could respond, the elevator doors closed behind her.

Ares was behind his desk when she entered, scrolling through a report, his sleeves rolled halfway up, revealing the veins in his forearms. His phone buzzed twice, but he ignored it. The moment the door opened, he didn’t look up.
“Whatever it is, leave it on the desk,” he said.
But when he finally did glance up, his words froze. Tessa stood in the doorway, her hand resting lightly against the frame. The afternoon light streamed in behind her, outlining her silhouette. She looked expensive, dangerous, and heartbreakingly familiar.
“Tessa,” he said slowly, his tone unreadable. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled, soft and deliberate. “I came to invest.”
Ares leaned back in his chair, an eyebrow raised. “Invest?” he repeated, his voice cool. “That’s cute.”
She stepped closer, heels clicking against the polished floor. “Don’t act surprised. I told you I’d build something on my own. I found a project that interests me. I thought maybe I could start with you.”
Ares scoffed, standing now, buttoning his jacket. “You want to invest in my company?”
“Why not?” she said smoothly. “I have money. You need investors. It’s business.”
He walked around the desk, stopping just a few feet from her. “Let’s get one thing straight,” he said, his tone low. “I don’t need investors like you.”
Her breath hitched. “Like me?”
“Yeah,” Ares said coldly.
The words stung, but Tessa forced a tight smile. “You think you know me.”
“I do know you,” he said quietly. “Better than you think.”
Their eyes locked. The air between them was thick, charged like lightning waiting to strike.
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Ares picked up his phone and smirked. “Actually,” he said, his voice shifting, playful, cruel. “Let me call someone who does make smart investments.”
He dialed Lila’s number and put it on speaker.
“Baby?” Lila’s voice purred from the phone. “You calling to miss me already?”
Tessa’s chest tightened.
Ares leaned on the edge of his desk, his eyes still on Tessa. “Yeah,” he said smoothly. “Just thinking about that dinner you promised me tonight. Still wearing that red dress?”
Lila laughed softly. “Maybe. If you play nice.”
Tessa’s face drained of color. Her nails dug into her palm. Every word felt like a deliberate stab.
Ares smirked. “You know I always play nice.”
“Good. Don’t be late, handsome,” Lila replied sweetly, then hung up.
The silence that followed was brutal.
Tessa’s throat tightened as she stared at him, the man she once thought she understood. “You love her,” she whispered.
Ares shrugged. “I married her, what do you think?”
Tessa blinked, tears gathering fast. She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “You really are cold.”
“I am just living my life,” Ares said flatly.
She turned away before the tears could fall. She opened the door sharply. She walked out of his office, her head high even as her vision blurred. The elevator doors closed behind her, cutting him off completely.
Ares exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. The silence in the room pressed in on him like guilt. He told himself it didn’t matter. That she didn’t matter. But the echo of her heels on the marble floor told a different story.