Chapter 141 CHAPTER 141
Fun gone wrong
The flashing lights of the ambulance painted the front of the mansion red and white. The siren’s cry split through the night, cutting through the heavy silence that had settled after the music died. The bass had been pounding just minutes ago—Ares and Lila laughing, Julian tossing back a drink but now everything had gone still, like the house itself was holding its breath.
Lady Bianca lay motionless on the stretcher, her pale skin glistening with sweat, her eyes half open but unseeing. Her hair, usually styled and perfect, was now sticking to her face, blood still oozing faintly from the cut on her temple.
“Step back, sir!” one of the medics shouted as Ares tried to follow too closely.
“I’m coming with her!” he yelled, his voice thick with panic and disbelief.
“No space! Please step aside—we’ll update you at the hospital!”
The back doors slammed shut. The siren started again.
Ares stood frozen, his hands shaking, the smell of blood still faintly clinging to his shirt.
Lila walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ares… calm down.”
He turned to her sharply. “She could’ve died, Lila! She fell and no one heard her! No one!”
Her tone stayed annoyingly smooth. “Because the music was loud. You can’t blame yourself for that. It’s not like you could have known.”
Julian was standing near the entrance, his jaw clenched, eyes darting between them. “You heard her screaming, didn’t you?” he asked quietly, guilt flickering across his face.
Lila scoffed. “Don’t start with that drama. We were in the basement, Julian. How was anyone supposed to hear her from up here? The place is soundproofed, for God’s sake.”
Ares pressed his hands to his face and took a few steps back. “Soundproofed,” he muttered under his breath. “So no one heard her calling for help.”
Lila sighed, her tone soft but sharp. “You’re spiraling. Let the doctors handle it. She’s strong. She’ll be fine.”
Ares didn’t respond. He grabbed his jacket, slammed the door behind him, and went to his car. The sound of his engine tore through the driveway as he sped away toward the hospital.
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and quiet despair. Nurses moved briskly, and machines beeped with mechanical calm. Ares stood outside the ICU, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, staring through the glass at his mother lying motionless on the bed. Tubes were everywhere—oxygen, IV lines, monitors tracking her heart rate and brain activity.
A young doctor approached him, her face grave but professional. “Mr. Ares Langford?”
“Yes,” he said hoarsely.
“I’m Dr. Li. Your mother has suffered a cerebral stroke due to internal bleeding from the fall. We’ve stabilized her, but…” She hesitated.
“But what?” Ares demanded.
“She’s in a terrible coma. There’s brain damage. It’s too early to say how extensive it is. But she wasn’t brought in on time. The delay…made things worse.”
Her words sank into him like knives. He felt his chest tighten, the air thinning around him. “Not brought in on time?”
She nodded slowly. “If she’d been brought even thirty minutes earlier, her chances of recovery would have been higher.”
Ares stepped back, running a hand through his hair, pacing. “She was in the house the whole time… we were there… I—”
Dr. Li looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ll do our best. But right now, she’s critical.”
He didn’t reply. He just stared again through the glass. His mother looked so small, so fragile. The woman who had always been commanding, loud, and unshakable now lay still, the rhythmic beeping of the monitor the only proof she was still alive.
Back at the mansion, Lila poured herself another drink, swirling the glass idly as Julian watched her. The party lights were still flickering faintly, though the music had long stopped.
Julian leaned against the counter. “You don’t look too shaken.”
Lila shrugged, sipping her drink. “I don’t do well with drama. She’s old. These things happen.”
He gave her a cold stare. “You sound heartless.”
“Oh, please,” she said, setting her glass down. “You and I both know Bianca has never been a saint. She’s manipulative. Always treating Ares like he’s some puppet she built herself. Maybe this will teach her to stay out of our business.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed. “Our business?”
“Yes,” she replied, smiling faintly. “The wolf gang, right?”
He didn’t return the smile. He could see right through her, past the charm, past the coolness. She wasn’t worried about Bianca at all. She was worried about control, about losing Ares if he decided to go soft.
“You think Ares is going to take this lightly?” he said finally. “He loves that woman, Lila. Whatever she did, she’s still his mother.”
Lila chuckled softly, pouring another shot. “Love has limits. And Ares has crossed enough lines to know that.”
Julian studied her for a long time, then turned away. He didn’t like the way she said “our business.” It sounded like ownership. And worse, it sounded like she was plotting something deeper than a party gone wrong.
Across town, Chloe sat in a small restaurant, stirring her drink absent mindedly. The place was quiet, a mix of soft chatter and background jazz. She’d barely touched her food. Her thoughts were far away, tangled in questions that refused to leave her alone.
Richard.
The name kept echoing in her mind. Who had hired him? Why had he come after them? Why did everything around Ares seem to spiral into chaos?
She pressed her fingers to her temples. “There’s always something,” she whispered to herself. “Always another secret.”
The waiter came by to clear her plate. “Are you done, ma’am?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m done.”
Her eyes wandered across the restaurant. And then she froze.
There across the room, seated by the window was a familiar figure. Older, composed, dressed in a tailored suit. The sharp jawline, the greying hair, the controlled posture… there was no mistaking him.
Marcus Langford.
Ares’s father.
Chloe’s stomach knotted. What was he doing here, alone, in this part of town? She hadn’t seen him since the day he’d come to the mansion demanding an explanation and left seething when no one begged him to stay.
She hesitated for a moment, then took a breath, stood up, and smoothed her hair. Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor as she walked over to his table.
“Mr. Langford?” she said quietly, stopping by his side.
Marcus looked up from his phone, his eyes sharp, assessing her instantly. Then a faint flicker of recognition crossed his face.
“Chloe,” he said, his tone polite but guarded. “It’s been a while.”
She smiled faintly, though her hands trembled slightly. “It has. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He gestured to the seat across from him. “Neither did I. Sit.”
She hesitated for half a second before sitting down. The waiter immediately came over, asking if she wanted anything. She shook her head.
Marcus set his phone aside, clasping his hands together. “You look… tense. Has Ares been causing more chaos?”
She gave a short laugh. “He’s always causing chaos. But I think this time it’s different.”