Chapter 129 CHAPTER 129

Chapter 129 CHAPTER 129
The unexpected guest
Two weeks had gone by since the accident, and the long nights of hospital corridors, machines humming, and whispered fears had given way to something like ordinary life. But in Ares’ mansion, ordinary was never simple.
The morning sunlight streamed through tall glass windows, soft and clean, touching everything like a slow, healing hand. The dining room gleamed with polished silver and white linen. A vase of tulips sat in the center of the long marble table…Tessa’s touch. She said the flowers brought calm, that color had its own way of keeping people sane.
Lady Bianca sat at the head of the table. She was out of coma now, though her body still looked fragile, as if the hospital bed had stolen a piece of her spirit. Her skin was pale but her eyes were sharp, knowing, still Lady Bianca. A shawl rested across her shoulders, and Dorcas, ever attentive, kept a hand near her chair, ready to steady her if she needed it.
Ares sat beside his mother, his usual composure clipped and quiet. He looked like a man who’d gone through too much and didn’t trust the quiet that followed. His bandaged hand rested near his glass of juice. Tessa sat across from him, her eyes flicking between Lady Bianca and the kids, her presence steady. Ayisha was next to her, trying to keep a calm smile for the kids.
Julian, always the collected one, had taken a seat at the far end. He poured himself coffee and occasionally helped one of the kids cut their pancakes. Kamal, Jamal, Pretty, and Beauty were the only ones truly alive at the table, their laughter bouncing against the marble like small bursts of light. Eight years old and full of energy, they were oblivious to the tension that sat between the adults like invisible smoke.
“Daddy, I drew you yesterday,” Pretty said with a grin, holding up a folded paper.
Ares turned, smiling faintly. “You did?”
“Yeah,” Jamal added, chewing his toast. “But you look like a superhero in her drawing. I said you don’t even fly.”
“I don’t need to,” Ares said. “Superheroes don’t always wear capes.”
Beauty giggled. “You just wear suits.”
That earned a rare laugh from Julian. “Smart girl,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell your father for years.”
Even Lady Bianca smiled faintly. “They’re growing fast,” she murmured, adjusting the shawl on her shoulders. Her voice was soft, weaker than usual but still full of that calm authority that had always held her family together. “Soon they’ll start telling us what to do.”
Dorcas leaned close, whispering something, and Lady Bianca nodded. “Thank you, dear,” she said.
Tessa reached for her orange juice, stealing a glance at Ares. He hadn’t touched much of his food. There was something on his face she couldn’t quite read, something quiet, restrained. Since the accident, he had been different. Not distant exactly, but cautious. She knew about Lila, of course everyone did. And though he had said nothing inappropriate happened, the knowledge still lingered like perfume you couldn’t wash away.
“You’re not eating,” she said quietly.
Ares looked up at her. “Not really hungry.”
“Then at least drink something,” she said, her tone careful, not wanting to start anything with the children around.
Ayisha glanced between them, sensing the thin tension. She tried to break it. “Maybe after breakfast we can take the kids to the garden,” she said. “They’ve been asking to play outside all week.”
“Good idea,” Lady Bianca said. “They could use some fresh air.” Then she looked at Tessa. “And you too, dear. You’ve hardly left the house since we came back.”
Tessa gave a polite nod. “I will.”
The air in the room was warm, but the kind of warmth that came with a nervous heartbeat underneath it. Everyone was pretending everything was fine because pretending was sometimes easier than fixing.
Dorcas came around to refill coffee cups, moving quietly like a shadow in uniform. Julian thanked her softly, brushing his fingers against hers by accident or maybe not. The look they exchanged lasted a breath too long. No one else seemed to notice.
“Grandma,” Kamal said suddenly. “When will you be strong again so we can go to the park?”
Lady Bianca smiled gently. “Soon, sweetheart. I just need to rest a little longer.”
“Grandma was asleep for so long,” Beauty said, voice small but curious. “Were you dreaming?”
Bianca blinked, her smile faltering slightly. “Something like that,” she murmured. “Sometimes dreams are where we fight our hardest battles.”
Ares’ hand stilled on the table. He didn’t like hearing her talk like that, it reminded him how close he’d come to losing her. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a knock echoed from the front door.
It was sharp, unexpected, breaking the fragile calm that had settled over the table.
Everyone paused. Even the children froze, mid-chew.
Julian set down his mug. “Expecting anyone?” he asked, looking toward Ares.
Ares shook his head. “No.”
Tessa frowned. “Neither am I.”
Ayisha looked just as lost. “Maybe it’s a delivery?”
Dorcas started to move toward the door, but Ares stood first. “I’ll get it,” he said. Something in his tone made everyone fall quiet again. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, placed it neatly on the table, and walked out toward the hall.
The house was large, his footsteps soft against the marble. The knock came again, this time slower, deliberate. The sound carried through the wide hallways.
He reached the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open.
The sunlight spilled across the floor. Standing there, looking effortlessly put together, was Lila.
She wore a fitted beige trench coat, her hair loose, her lips painted in a color that somehow matched her calm expression. For a second, Ares didn’t move. It was too strange, seeing her here, in his space. The last time he’d seen her was before everything fell apart that night, the accident, the hospital, the silence that followed.
“Lila?” he said finally, his tone cautious, surprised.
“Hi,” she said softly, with a smile that used to disarm him in college. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
Ares blinked once, confused. “What are you doing here?”
She looked past him, toward the hall that led to the dining room. “I was invited,” she said simply.
“Invited?” he repeated.
Before he could ask more, Lady Bianca’s voice floated from the dining room, steady and clear:
“Let her in, Ares. I invited her.”
The room behind him fell into instant silence. He turned his head slightly, hearing the faint clatter of a spoon dropped against porcelain. The children stopped talking. Tessa’s heartbeat felt like it had moved into her throat. Even Julian was shocked, his eyebrows lifting just slightly in surprise. Lila? No fucking way! The bad influence of their gang back then.
Ares turned back to Lila, his expression unreadable. “You heard her,” he said quietly. “Come in.”
Lila stepped past him into the mansion, her heels soft against the marble. She looked around with open curiosity, taking in the clean lines, the quiet wealth, the faint scent of polished wood and lavender. The air in the dining room thickened before she even appeared in the doorway.
When she did, every head turned toward her.
Tessa’s grip on her glass tightened. Ayisha’s lips parted in a quiet gasp. Dorcas lowered her gaze. The quadruplets looked from one adult to another, their young faces puzzled. Julian merely raised his brows, leaning back, assessing the moment like an outsider in his own family.
Lady Bianca looked calm, her shawl still draped across her shoulders, a faint smile curling at the edge of her lips. “Everyone,” she said softly, as if announcing a dinner guest, “This is Lila.”