Chapter 110 CHAPTER 110
Run Tonight
The morning began quiet, deceptively normal.
Ares was in the study going through some files, Julian sprawled lazily on the couch half asleep, and Lady Bianca sat by the window of the living room sipping tea, her crimson robe neatly folded over her knees. The smell of breakfast still lingered faintly in the air.
Then the phone rang.
Ares looked up first, the sharp tone cutting through the silence. Lady Bianca reached for her phone on the table. “Yes?” she said briskly, her voice as calm and composed as always.
But as she listened, her hand stilled.
Her face drained of color, her lips parting in disbelief. “What did you just say?”
Ares frowned, already rising from his chair. “Mother?”
On the other end, the voice was panicked, male, trembling. “Ma’am—it’s gone. Everything’s gone. The whole boutique… it burned to the ground last night. The fire department says it’s untraceable. They couldn’t save anything.”
The phone slipped from Bianca’s hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.
“Mother!” Ares caught her just as she staggered back, her breathing uneven. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, her lips moving soundlessly as if trying to make sense of what she’d heard.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, no, that’s not possible.”
Julian jumped to his feet, rushing over. “What’s going on?”
Ares glanced at him briefly, still holding Bianca by the shoulders. “Her boutique… it caught fire.”
Julian’s eyes widened. “Shit.”
Lady Bianca pressed her palms to her face. “It was everything. All my designs, all my archives… my whole life’s work.”
Her body trembled. Ares pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay, Mother. We’ll fix this. We’ll rebuild.”
But Bianca wasn’t listening anymore. She was staring blankly ahead, her breaths shallow, her face pale as porcelain. “My store… my name…billions…do you know how long it’ll take to rebuild? With whose money?”
Her knees buckled. Ares caught her just in time.
“Julian, call the doctor!” Ares barked, his tone sharp now, commanding.
Julian was already dialing as Dorcas came running in from the kitchen, panic written across her face. “Sir! What happened?”
Ares didn’t answer, he was too busy keeping Bianca upright, guiding her gently to the couch.
“Her boutique was burned down,” Julian said quickly. “We need a cold towel, something—she looks like she’s about to faint.”
Dorcas nodded and ran off, nearly tripping on her slippers.
From upstairs, the sound of laughter echoed, the children returning from school. Their voices filled the hall before Dorcas appeared at the staircase, blocking their view.
“Come, come, my darlings,” she said quickly, forcing a smile. “Let’s go upstairs. Grandma’s resting, hmm?”
Pretty pouted. “But I wanted to say hi to Grandma.”
Dorcas shook her head. “Later. She’s very tired.”
Beauty and Kamal exchanged a look but followed without protest. Jamal lingered a moment longer before Dorcas tugged him gently by the arm. “Come on, Jamal. Let’s go.”
When the children were finally out of sight, Julian let out a slow breath. “Good call.”
Ares was still kneeling beside Bianca, who now sat clutching his hand tightly. “They can’t just call me and tell me it’s gone,” she murmured weakly. “My legacy, Marcus’ investment, our entire collection. Years of work, gone overnight.”
“Mother,” Ares said softly, “money and property can burn, but you can rebuild. You’ve done it before.”
Tessa appeared at the doorway, her expression concerned. “What happened?”
Ares looked up. “Mother’s boutique caught fire.”
Tessa gasped softly, moving closer. “Oh no…”
Julian rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. “It’s bad. I just called the hospital, they’re sending someone over. She needs to calm down before she passes out.”
Bianca’s lips trembled. “The only investment I have to my name.”
“Don’t say that,” Ares murmured, brushing her hand. “Stop acting like we’re poor or bankrupt. I will build it back, better too.”
But she shook her head stubbornly. “No, Ares. Someone did this. Someone wanted to ruin me.”
Her voice cracked as she said it, the tremor of rage and disbelief leaking through the polished calm she’d spent years perfecting.
Chloe was at a corner quietly enjoying the chaos. She called it Lady Bianca’s karma.
Tessa bit her lip and quietly stepped outside, needing air. The mansion suddenly felt suffocating, filled with worry, whispers, and grief.
She leaned against the railing of the balcony, the wind brushing against her hair. The sound of faint traffic below mixed with the steady hum of cicadas in the garden.
Her phone buzzed.
She looked down at it and froze. Ayisha was calling.
She hesitated before answering. “Ayisha?”
The voice on the other end was rushed, urgent, nothing like the usual teasing calm she knew. “Tessa, listen carefully. You need to leave that house tonight.”
Tessa straightened, her heart skipping. “What? Why?”
“There’s no time for why,” Ayisha hissed. “You need to take the kids and go. Don’t argue, don’t ask. Just pack up and get out before midnight.”
Tessa frowned, confusion turning into irritation. “Ayisha, what are you talking about? Why would I—”
“Ethan,” Ayisha interrupted sharply. “He’s planning something. I just found out.”
Tessa’s pulse quickened. “Ethan?”
“Yes.” Ayisha’s voice cracked. “He’s planning to bomb the mansion, Tess. Tonight. With you and the children and everyone else inside.”
Tessa froze, her breath catching. “That’s—no, that’s insane. He wouldn’t…”
“He would,” Ayisha snapped. “He wants revenge on Ares. I’m telling you, Tessa, you have to leave now.”
Tessa pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. “Ayisha, this doesn’t make sense. Why would he go that far? The kids—”
“That’s why I’m calling you,” Ayisha cut her off. “Because you have children, and he doesn’t care who dies in the process. In fact the kids are the target. Just run. Do you hear me?”
Tessa’s throat tightened. “Ayisha—”
“Run, Tessa!”
The line went dead.
Tessa stared at her phone, the echo of her friend’s words pounding in her ears. Her fingers trembled as she lowered it slowly.
Run.
Her gaze drifted back toward the mansion, where she could still see Ares through the window, crouched beside his mother, his hand rubbing her back as she wept quietly. Julian was pacing, talking on the phone.
Everything inside her twisted painfully.
Could this really be true? Could a human being truly be capable of such a thing?
Her heartbeat thundered.
She turned away from the window, gripping the edge of the balcony as her mind raced. The children. The house. The servants. Ares.
If she was wrong, she’d look insane. But if she was right then they’d all die.
She took a deep breath, forcing her trembling lips into stillness. “Ayisha wouldn’t lie to me,” she whispered.
The sound of Lady Bianca’s faint crying drifted through the air again, breaking her thoughts.
Tessa closed her eyes, pressing her hand against her stomach.
There was no time to think, no time to plan.
Just run.