Chapter 54 CHAPTER 54
The Wrong Knock
The house was unusually quiet that evening, the air thick with a kind of nervous anticipation. Tessa had spent the entire afternoon pacing the polished tiles of the grand sitting room, every sound magnified. The tick of the antique clock on the wall, the distant hum of traffic from the boulevard, the occasional clatter of pots from the kitchen where Ayisha was busy.
The house itself was no small house. Its wide, glass paneled windows looked out over trimmed hedges and a stone driveway. High ceilings arched above the dining hall, chandeliers glittering like captured starlight. The home was a fortress and yet tonight, Tessa felt exposed, vulnerable. She was about to open the door to Ares himself.
When the bell finally rang, her stomach dipped. She froze in the foyer, fingers curling at her sides. For a second, she almost told Ayisha to say they weren’t home. But then she remembered the children—Jamal, Kamal, Beauty, Pretty. Their faces…She had only seen them once, when Ares was getting married to Chloe…their laughter, the way her arms ached from missing them. She had to do this.
Ayisha appeared at her side, wiping her hands on a dish towel, trying to look calm though her own pulse was racing. “You ready?”
“No,” Tessa whispered, “but open the door anyway.”
The door swung wide to reveal Ares. He stood tall, his expression unreadable but his eyes… those eyes searched Tessa’s face like he was looking for something lost long ago.
“Tessa,” he said softly, his voice carrying that magnetic pull that had once unraveled her.
“Ares,” she replied, her tone steady though her knees felt weak.
Ayisha forced a polite smile, stepping back. “Come in. Dinner’s ready.”
They sat at the long dining table, a meal laid out before them—grilled salmon, jollof rice, roasted vegetables, and a bottle of red wine Ares had brought as a gesture. The clink of cutlery against porcelain was the only sound at first, tension draped over them like a heavy curtain.
Tessa barely tasted her food. She was too aware of the man across from her, the way he watched her with quiet intensity, the way his presence filled every corner of the room. Ayisha tried to bridge the silence, cracking light jokes, nudging conversation forward, but it was like speaking into fog.
Finally, Ares broke the silence. “I appreciate you agreeing to see me, Tessa. I know I don’t deserve it. But I’m grateful to be here.”
Tessa’s throat tightened. “This doesn’t change anything,” she said, her fork pausing midair. “We’re only talking. That’s all.”
“Talking is a start,” he replied simply.
Ayisha exhaled quietly, relieved. Maybe, just maybe, tonight would end without war.
But just as the plates were being cleared, a sharp knock echoed through the house. Three quick raps at the door.
Tessa’s brow furrowed. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
The knock came again, firmer this time. She pushed back her chair, uneasy, and crossed the marble floor to the door. The others followed with their eyes, waiting.
When she opened it, the world seemed to tilt.
“Damien? Aren’t you the guy Ayisha has been posting on her status?”
There he was. Sweaty from what looked like a late run, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, his dark curls damp against his forehead. His presence in the doorway felt surreal, almost like a dream barging rudely into reality.
“Evening,” he said casually, his gaze darting past Tessa until it landed on Ayisha. His grin widened. “I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by.”
Ayisha gasped, rising from her chair. “Damien!” Her voice was bright, too bright, betraying her shock. She hurried over, heart racing. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Tessa turned to her, eyes narrowing. “You invited him?”
“What? No!” Ayisha shook her head furiously. “I swear, I didn’t. I had no idea…”
But Ares had already risen, his sharp gaze locked on Damien like a predator sizing up a rival. The atmosphere thickened, every second stretching taut.
“Who is this?” Ares asked, his voice deceptively calm but carrying an edge that made the air vibrate.
“No one,” Tessa snapped quickly, glaring at Ayisha. “He shouldn’t even be here.”
Ayisha winced, caught between two storms. She turned back to Damien, her tone softer. “You should’ve told me, Damien. Tonight isn’t… it’s not a good time.”
But Damien, oblivious to the hurricane swirling around him, simply smirked. “Didn’t think I needed an appointment to see you, Ayisha.”
Tessa’s patience snapped. She grabbed Ayisha by the arm and dragged her a few feet aside, away from the men. Her voice dropped into a furious whisper. “Are you out of your mind? Why would you invite him here tonight of all nights? Do you think this is a game?”
“I didn’t invite him!” Ayisha hissed back, eyes wide with desperation. “Tessa, I promise, I had no idea he’d show up. I would never…”
Tessa’s chest heaved, anger boiling up. “Of course. Because everything with you lately has been about him. Smiling at your phone, laughing at his texts, while I’m begging for your help with my children. And now? Now he shows up here? Do you know how this makes me look?”
“Tessa, please,” Ayisha whispered, her voice trembling. “I’m telling the truth…”
“No.” Tessa yanked her arm free, her eyes blazing with hurt and fury. “Forget it. Forget everything. Clearly, I’m a fool to think anyone takes me seriously. First Bianca, now this. You all think I’m a joke.”
Her voice cracked on the last word. Without another glance at Damien, without sparing Ares the conversation they were supposed to have, Tessa turned on her heel and stormed away, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Moments later, the slam of a door reverberated through the house, final and heavy.
The dining room fell into stunned silence. Ares’s jaw tightened as he stared after her. Ayisha stood frozen, torn between chasing after her friend and explaining to Damien, who still looked bemused by the drama he had walked into.