Chapter 152 CHAPTER 152
The Blow That Shouldn’t Have Landed
Ares Langford stood in the center of the marble floored courthouse hallway, surrounded by people in suits, clattering heels, murmurs, and the low hum of legal warfare. But he heard none of it. Every sound felt muted, as though the world had slipped behind frosted glass. His attorney, Weston, was still talking to him, lips moving fast, panicked, desperate to minimize the damage in real time, but the words barely registered.
It wasn’t shock this time. It wasn’t fear. It was fury growing roots in his chest.
Ares blinked as Weston reached out and touched his arm. “Ares. We need to talk. Right now.”
Ares didn’t answer. The tension in his body was wound so tight it felt like a second heartbeat. He stared straight ahead at the oak doors of Courtroom 3B as they swung closed again, shutting him out for the last time today.
Denied.
The word repeated in his mind like a cruel echo.
Denied.
Not because the marriage was too fresh.
Not because there wasn’t enough evidence.
But because Marcus had been three moves ahead. He had bribed the clerk. He had bribed the judge’s assistant.
He had gotten wind of Ares’ intentions before Ares had even taken his first step toward the courthouse.
And he had cut him off right at the throat.
Ares slowly exhaled. “When did he bribe them?”
Weston swallowed. “Based on the timestamps… this morning. Before we even filed.”
Ares’ jaw clenched in slow, controlled rage. He didn’t swear. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t even move.
He simply stood there, absorbing the punch as if his body had already learned how to turn pain into focus.
Weston ran a shaky hand through his thinning hair. “Ares, listen to me. It’s not that the court sided with him. It’s that the petition wasn’t even read. Someone removed it before it reached the judge.”
Ares turned his head just slightly. “Removed.”
“Yes,” Weston whispered. “Sabotaged.”
Ares’ eyes chilled with a dangerous clarity. “Meaning?”
Weston lowered his voice. “Meaning Marcus didn’t just anticipate you would fight him. He prepared for your exact move.”
Ares didn’t blink. “He’s planning something.”
Weston released a long breath. “Yes.”
The sounds around them finally started trickling back into Ares’ awareness. High heels tapping past. Lawyers huddled in rushes of urgency. Security guards discussing lunch breaks. The faint smell of old paper, polished floors, bureaucracy, exhaustion, and ambition.
It all suddenly felt suffocating.
Ares stepped aside from the stream of people. Weston followed, still trying to talk him down before he detonated.
“We can file another motion,” Weston insisted. “We can challenge the obstruction. We can appeal to a higher court. Ares, this isn’t the end.”
Ares pressed a hand against the marble pillar beside him, grounding himself so he didn’t explode in the middle of the hallway. The cold stone did little to cool the heat rising through him.
“This isn’t about the injunction anymore,” Ares said quietly. “This is about why he needed to block it so fast.”
Weston blinked. “Ares…”
“There’s something he doesn’t want anyone to see,” Ares continued. “Something he’s desperate enough to sabotage a federal court filing for.”
Weston frowned. “Marcus has never been reckless about anything legal. Ever.”
Ares gave him a look that was half laugh, half dark revelation. “Exactly. So what changed?”
Weston didn’t answer.
Ares already had.
Tessa.
Marcus had married her yesterday. Rushed it. Forced it. Cut off every attempt Ares made to get close. And now he was sealing off every legal path Ares tried to use to break the marriage.
Something wasn’t right. Something was deeply, dangerously wrong.
Ares slowly stepped back from the pillar, straightening to his full height. “We’re leaving.”
Weston hurried after him. “Where are you going?”
“To confirm a suspicion,” Ares said.
“Which is?”
Ares didn’t stop walking. “That I’m not the only one Marcus is trying to silence.”
The Courthouse Steps
The heavy glass doors parted, and sunlight hit Ares like a slap. It should have been warm. It should have been blinding. Instead, it felt cold, too bright for a day this bitter.
Reporters snapped photos. Microphones extended toward him in a small swarm.
“Ares, is it true your injunction failed?”
“Were you trying to break up your father’s marriage?”
“Do you have a statement about the court’s decision?”
Ares ignored all of them. Each step down the courthouse stairs was sharp, controlled, powerful. Weston jogged behind, trying to block reporters and keep up while simultaneously whispering warnings.
“Ares, don’t speak to them,” he hissed. “
Not without a prepared statement. Not today.”
Ares didn’t even glance their way.
He just kept walking.