Chapter 145 CHAPTER 145
This is not happening
Chloe stood in front of the couch, arms folded, eyes burning with the kind of wild determination that came from desperation and ambition mixed in one volatile cocktail. Ayisha was pacing, glancing between Chloe and Tessa, who sat stiffly at the dining table, her face unreadable.
“I don’t think I heard you right,” Tessa said finally, her voice calm but sharp enough to slice glass. “You said… what?”
Chloe exhaled, brushing her hair back with a shaky hand. “You heard me right. Marcus Langford made me an offer.”
Ayisha stopped pacing. “Wait, Ares’ father? That Marcus?”
“Yes.”
Tessa’s lips parted slightly, disbelief and fury flashing in her eyes. “Why would Ares’ father be making you an offer?”
Chloe hesitated, weighing her words carefully. “Because he hates his son’s guts. He wants to get back at him and at Lady Bianca. He wants revenge.”
Ayisha frowned. “Revenge how?”
Chloe’s gaze flicked toward Tessa. “By marrying someone that would make both Ares and Lady Bianca lose their minds.”
The silence that followed was long, stretching painfully between them.
Then Tessa laughed, cold, humorless, the kind that carried more anger than amusement. “Don’t tell me…”
Chloe cut in quickly. “He wants to marry you.”
The knitting needles Tessa had been holding clattered to the floor.
Ayisha froze, staring at Chloe like she had just spoken another language. “He what?”
Chloe pressed her lips together. “He said it himself. He wanted to marry me first, to make them jealous, but then he changed his mind. He said if I could convince you to marry him instead, he’d make me rich. Us rich. He’ll take care of all of us, you, me, Ayisha, the kids.”
For a moment, all Tessa could do was stare, her hands trembling slightly, her breath coming fast and shallow.
“Are you insane?” she burst out suddenly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor as she stood. “Do you even hear yourself, Chloe? Do you realize what you’re saying?”
Chloe flinched but didn’t back down. “Tessa, just listen…”
“No!” Tessa snapped. “There’s nothing to listen to! That man, that manipulative old man ruined his own son’s life. He tore Ares down, took everything from him, and you think I’m going to marry him? You think I’m going to be some pawn in his disgusting revenge game?”
Ayisha stepped in quickly. “Tess, calm down…”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Tessa’s voice cracked. “Do you know what this means? What people will say? What my kids will think? How twisted this all is?”
Chloe’s jaw tightened. “I’m not saying you should actually marry him. I’m saying…”
“You are saying that!” Tessa shouted. “You’re standing here, asking me to marry Ares’ father, and for what? Money? Security? Some deal that sounds too good to be true?”
“It’s not just about money!” Chloe shot back. “It’s about power. It’s about survival! Marcus is offering something we can’t get anywhere else. He said he’ll make you his wife legally. You’ll have the Langford name. You’ll have status, protection, influence…”
Tessa stepped forward, her voice low and trembling with rage. “You think I care about a name? About influence? I’ve lived through humiliation, betrayal, abandonment. I’ve been dragged through the dirt by the people who claimed to love me. I’m done being used. I’m done being someone’s tool.”
Ayisha placed a hand gently on Tessa’s arm. “Tessa…”
Tessa pulled away. “No. Enough.”
She turned to Chloe, her eyes glassy but fierce. “You go back to Marcus Langford, and you tell him I’m not for sale. My children are not for sale. My dignity, my peace, not for any amount of money. Not for his games. Not for him.”
Chloe’s voice softened slightly, her confidence starting to waver. “Tessa, I’m just trying to help. You don’t see what he can do for us…”
“Help?” Tessa let out a bitter laugh. “That’s not help. That’s manipulation dressed up as opportunity.”
Ayisha spoke quietly. “Chloe… maybe this isn’t the right way.”
But Chloe’s pride was already wounded. “You think I like this? You think I want to crawl to a man like Marcus Langford? I’m doing what I can! You two keep sitting here acting like the world’s going to hand you peace just because you’re good people. It doesn’t work that way, Tessa. It never has.”
Tessa’s voice dropped to a near whisper. “Maybe not. But at least I can sleep at night knowing I didn’t sell my soul trying to get even.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Chloe looked away, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “You’ll regret turning this down,” she said finally, voice trembling. “We could’ve had everything.”
Tessa didn’t answer. She picked up her knitting from the floor, set it neatly on the table, and walked toward the door.
“Tessa, wait…” Ayisha called after her.
But Tessa was already out the door, slamming it shut behind her.
Ayisha turned back to Chloe, who was standing there staring blankly at the wall.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Ayisha said quietly.
Chloe didn’t respond. She just sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.
The room fell silent again, heavy with things that could never be unsaid.
At the mansion, the air was filled with laughter, music, and the faint smell of expensive champagne. The party lights in the grand basement glowed violet and gold as Lila sat lazily on one of the couches, legs crossed, sipping from her glass. Ares stood by the bar counter, flipping through a thick envelope of documents.
The mood between them was electric but cautious business laced with seduction, the kind of balance that both of them knew how to play perfectly.
“So…” Lila said, setting her drink down and walking over. “What’s this?”
Ares handed her the envelope. “A business proposal.”
She raised an eyebrow, taking it from him and flipping through the pages. “You’re offering me shares?”
“Partnership,” Ares corrected. “Your company merges with mine for the upcoming international project. Equal shares in profit, but I lead operations.”
Lila looked up at him, lips curling into a slow smirk. “Equal shares? That’s generous. But what’s in it for me?”
Ares tilted his head, watching her closely. “You’re a businesswoman. You know exactly what’s in it for you. Exposure. Expansion. Power. Everything your company needs to dominate Asia’s luxury tech market.”
Lila chuckled, setting the papers on the bar. “And what do you get out of it?”
“Leverage,” Ares replied simply. “And a fighting chance against my father.”
Lila stepped closer, her perfume thick and intoxicating in the dim light. “I like the sound of that,” she murmured. “But…”
Ares raised a brow. “But what?”
She smiled, her eyes glinting. “I have a condition.”
He studied her carefully. “What kind of condition?”
Lila leaned forward, her voice soft, seductive, but laced with something deadly serious. “I’ll sign your proposal, Ares. I’ll merge with you. But only on one condition.”
He didn’t move, didn’t blink. “And that is?”
She smiled wider, her lips barely brushing his ear as she whispered…
“You marry me. Legally.”
The words landed like a thunderclap.
Ares froze, his jaw tightening. The silence between them grew sharp and heavy, the music outside fading to a dull pulse.
Lila leaned back, eyes locked on his. “Those are my terms.”
Ares stared at her for a long moment, saying nothing.
And in that silence, Lila’s smirk deepened, slow and triumphant.