Chapter 135 CHAPTER 135
The Last Thing He Owns
Tokyo’s night sky burned with color, neon, smoke, and endless distraction. The city looked alive, pulsing under the glass towers and soft drizzle. But in the back corner of the rooftop bar, Ares Langford sat slouched in his seat, nursing a half melted drink, his mind heavy and quiet.
He wasn’t the man people thought he was anymore.
Lila sat across from him, legs crossed, her silver skirt shimmering beneath the dim light. A cigarette rested between her fingers, unlit. She didn’t need it, the smoke in her eyes came from somewhere else.
“Why do you look like the world just ended?” she teased softly, tilting her head.
Ares gave a low laugh that wasn’t really a laugh. “Because it did.”
She raised a brow. “Talk to me.”
He stared into his drink. The ice clinked when he swirled it, the sound sharp against the background jazz. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, quietly, almost as if he was confessing to himself, he said, “I’m going broke, Lila.”
The words tasted bitter.
Lila froze. “What?”
“Broke,” he repeated, leaning back, eyes fixed on the skyline. “My father took everything back, the company shares, the trust fund, even the accounts tied to Langford Holdings. Said my mother and I have been stubborn and irresponsible. Said I let my emotions ruin the family name.”
He ran a hand over his face. “I hate that man.”
Lila blinked slowly, the sharpness in her expression fading. “Wait… you mean to tell me…”
“The only thing I have left,” Ares cut in, “is this mansion in Tokyo and a few cars. That’s it.”
Lila let out a long whistle, shaking her head. “Damn.”
Ares gave a humorless smile. “Yeah. Damn.”
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the faint hum of the city below and the distant laughter of strangers. He looked like a man watching his life slip through his fingers, one piece at a time.
Lila leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand. “So what’s the plan?”
“There’s no plan,” Ares said. “I’ll sell one or two cars, pay off some of the loans. I’ll figure out the rest later.”
“Figure out the rest later?” Lila repeated, frowning. “Ares, that’s not a plan. That’s denial.”
He didn’t respond. His eyes were on the city again—Tokyo glowing like a world he no longer belonged to.
Lila sat back, studying him for a long moment. Then her voice softened. “Look, you know I care about you. I’ve known you since high school, before all the fame, before all the money. You’ve always been stubborn, but you’re not stupid.”
He gave a tired smirk. “Thanks for the compliment.”
She ignored the sarcasm. “You need to start cutting loose ends. That house is running you dry. And Tessa—”
He stiffened. “Don’t.”
Lila sighed. “Come on, Ares. You can’t afford to feed your pride anymore. You’re out here pretending to be everyone’s hero while the world is taking your crown apart piece by piece. You said it yourself, you’re broke. So why are you still playing family man with another man’s kids?”
Ares’ jaw clenched. “Those kids are mine.”
“Are they?” Lila’s voice was calm but sharp. “Even after what happened at the wedding? After Richard showed up claiming to be their father? After Tessa admitted she didn’t even know who that man was? One night stand? You believe that? This has been her plan with him all along, to let you train their kids until they’re financially ready. I am after you approached her at the hospital, she agreed with him to use you.”
He looked away. The memory still made his chest ache.
He exhaled slowly, dragging his hand down his face. “You don’t know what it’s like.”
“No,” she said, her voice low, “but I know what it looks like. And it looks pathetic.”
Ares looked up sharply, eyes dark.
Lila didn’t flinch. “You’ve spent years carrying guilt that wasn’t yours. Every time that woman cries, you break your back trying to fix her. But look where that got you, humiliation in church, scandal all over the news. Tessa dragged you down, Ares.”
He sat in silence, the tension in his jaw tightening with every word.
Lila leaned in, lowering her voice. “You need to tell her to move out. Let her go live with her so called baby daddy. If Richard wants to be the father, let him. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”
“She has nowhere to go,” Ares muttered.
“She’s survived before,” Lila said simply. “And she’ll survive again. You’re not her savior. Not anymore. And believe me, she has somewhere to go. They were just playing you.”
He didn’t respond.
Lila poured more wine into his glass. “And another thing,” she said. “You should clear the mansion. Make space. Start over.”
Ares frowned. “Clear it?”
“Yeah,” Lila said, lighting her cigarette finally, her tone casual. “Tessa, the kids, and even Chloe.”
He blinked. “Chloe?”
“She’s not family, Ares,” Lila reminded him. “She’s your wife who’s living under your roof, pregnant, feeding off your money, and making everyone uncomfortable. You told me yourself you don’t even know if that baby’s yours.”
He said nothing. His silence was answer enough.
“Then it’s simple,” Lila said. “After she gives birth, you get a DNA test. If it’s yours, you take responsibility. If not, she leaves. Easy.”
Ares rubbed his temples, the city lights flickering in his eyes. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is,” she said softly. “It’s only hard because you still care about the wrong people.”
He looked at her for a long moment, expression unreadable. “You always did know how to sound heartless when you wanted to.”
Lila smiled faintly. “Not heartless. Honest.”
Ares gave a low chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “You think I should just throw them out? Tessa, the kids, Chloe…all of them?”
“I think,” she said carefully, “you should stop letting people use your kindness against you. You’ve given enough.”
The rain had started falling lightly, tapping against the glass beside them. Ares stared at the droplets racing down the window, his thoughts heavy and tangled.
He imagined Tessa back at the mansion, braiding the girls’ hair, pretending everything was fine. And beneath it all was the quiet, twisting ache of love he couldn’t quite kill.
He leaned forward, elbows on the table, his voice low. “It’s not that simple, Lila.”
Lila reached across the table, touching his hand gently. “It is, if you stop overthinking it.”
He didn’t pull away.
She held his gaze. “Ares, listen to me. You’ve lost your company, assets, your father’s respect, and your reputation. Don’t lose your sanity trying to keep a woman who’s already broken you. Let her go. Tell her to move out with her kids. Let Richard play daddy if that’s what he wants.”
Ares’ throat tightened. “And Chloe?”
Lila’s voice softened into a whisper. “She’ll be fine. Once she gives birth, you’ll know the truth. If the child’s yours, you’ll handle it. If not… she can leave too.”
He sat there for a long time, staring at the glowing streets below, the rain blurring the city lights like watercolor. His fingers tapped against the glass, restless.