Chapter 35 CHAPTER 35
The Threat
“Why did you slap her?” Marcus’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tense silence in the Langford dining room. His fork clattered against his plate as he shoved it aside.
Ares sat across from him, stone faced, his jaw tight. He hadn’t touched his food. He hadn’t said a word since the slap. The air was thick, suffocating.
“She deserved worse,” Ares finally muttered, his voice low, heavy with restrained rage.
“Worse?” Marcus scoffed, leaning back in his chair. His eyes flicked toward the closed doors, where Chloe had fled moments ago, sobbing and clutching her face. “Ares, she’s your wife. You humiliated her under this roof. Do you understand the scandal if this gets out?”
Ares’ eyes snapped up, dark and dangerous. “She humiliated my children.”
The words carried weight, an accusation that silenced even Marcus for a moment. Ares’ fist clenched on the table. “She told the world they weren’t mine. She told the world lies about Tessa. Lies that nearly killed Mother. And you sit here worried about scandal?”
Marcus swallowed hard, his irritation dimming under Ares’ fury. He glanced at Lady Bianca’s portrait on the far wall, her cold eyes watching even in stillness.
“This family survives on reputation,” Marcus said finally, his voice more measured. “We control narratives, not destroy them. What Chloe did was reckless, but what you did…” he paused, lowering his tone, “…was dangerous. Don’t forget the cameras outside this estate. One leak and…”
“I don’t care.” Ares’ voice thundered, final. He rose from the chair so abruptly it screeched across the marble floor. “Let the world see who she really is. I’ll deal with the fallout.”
Marcus exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. He knew better than to push Ares further. He was no longer the boy he used to control.
“We all know they are your kids…” He said softly. “Hitting her wasn’t necessary.”
Upstairs, Chloe locked her bedroom door and collapsed onto the bed. Her cheek still burned from the slap, a hot reminder of the humiliation she’d just endured. Tears streamed down her face, smudging her makeup into a mess.
She stared at herself in the mirror across the room. The reflection wasn’t the polished socialite she had worked so hard to become. It was a broken woman, rejected, scorned, discarded like trash.
“He slapped me…” she whispered hoarsely, touching her cheek. The sting deepened her resolve. “He slapped me…for her.”
Her tears dried quickly, replaced by a dangerous gleam in her eyes. She grabbed her phone, dialing furiously. “No one humiliates Chloe Langford. No one.”
Meanwhile, across town, Tessa sat in their living room, still shaken from Chloe’s TV stunt the night before. The city lights spilled through the floor to ceiling windows, illuminating her pale face.
Ayisha was pacing, her heels clicking against the polished wood floor. “That witch thought she was smart. Thought she could paint you as the villain. But now? After Ares slapped her, she’s finished.”
Tessa lifted her head slowly. “He slapped her?”
Ayisha smirked, satisfaction curling her lips. “Oh, it’s all over the blogs. ‘Ares Langford Hits Wife After Explosive TV Scandal.’ The videos are everywhere. He couldn’t even hide it this time. Half the world is calling him a hero. The other half is crying abuse. Either way, Chloe is cooked.”
Tessa’s heart twisted. She didn’t know whether to feel relief or guilt. “Ayisha, this isn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to destroy their marriage. I just want my children back.”
Ayisha stopped pacing and knelt in front of her. Her voice softened, though her eyes burned with strategy. “And you will get them back. But you need to stop thinking like a victim and start thinking like a queen. Don’t you see? Every move Chloe makes only makes you look better. Everyone is still screaming Justice for Tessa. No one believes her. Let her destroy herself. Sit still, look beautiful, and soon Ares will bring those kids back to you on his knees.”
Tessa bit her lip, torn between fear and hope. Her reflection in the window showed a woman unrecognizable from the timid mother she once was. Her new body, her new fame, her new strength—it was all Ayisha’s doing. But deep inside, she still felt like the same fragile woman who once cried outside Ares’ door.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Tessa whispered.
Ayisha’s grip on her hands tightened. “You don’t have a choice. And I appreciate you for telling me the truth behind your kids.”
Back at the Langford estate, Lady Bianca lay in her grand bed, her breathing shallow. Marcus sat faithfully by her side, reading the newspaper.
The headline screamed: “Langford Scandal: Chloe Strikes Out, Ares Strikes Back.”
Bianca stirred, her weak voice breaking the silence. “Marcus… it’s unraveling. Everything we built…”
“Don’t speak,” Marcus said firmly, placing a hand on hers. His voice softened only for her. “Rest. Let me handle it.”
Her lips trembled. “Handle it? How? That woman…Tessa…she’s pulling Ares back in. Chloe is losing. I can feel it.”
Marcus’ jaw tightened, but he forced a calm smile. “Then we remind Tessa who she is. If she wants a war, we’ll give her one.”
Bianca’s eyes fluttered shut again, her chest rising and falling weakly. “Did anything Chloe say was true?”
Marcus folded the paper, his eyes dark. “No. All lies. She was jusy frustrated but I have warned her.”
Later that night, Chloe stormed into Marcus’ private study without knocking. Her hair was wild, her cheek still red.
“Do something!” she snapped, slamming her palms on his desk.
Marcus raised a brow, unfazed. “Chloe, you should be in your room nursing your children, not barging in here like a child.”
“I won’t be humiliated again!” Chloe’s voice cracked with desperation. “He slapped me. In front of the staff that took a footage and leaked it. The blogs are calling me weak, a liar, a disgrace. Do you know what that means for me? For us?”
Marcus leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. His calmness unnerved her.
“It means you finally understand the price of failure,” he said coolly. “You were given the role of wife, mother, and protector of this family’s reputation. And you botched it.”
Chloe’s face twisted in outrage. “Botched it? I went on TV to defend us! I fought for this family while you sat here doing nothing!”
Marcus’ eyes hardened. “And in the process, you revealed secrets that should have stayed buried. You painted Ares as a man raising children not his own. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to our legacy?”
Chloe faltered, her anger shifting into fear. “I…I was desperate. The world hated me. I had to fight back.”
Marcus stood slowly, towering over her. “Desperation is weakness. And weakness has no place in this family.”
Chloe’s back hit the desk as he leaned closer, his voice low and venomous. “You want to stay in this house, Chloe? Then stop acting like a fool and start acting like a Langford. Or I’ll find someone who will.”
Her throat tightened. “What are you saying?”
Marcus straightened, his cold smile sending a shiver down her spine. “I’m saying one more mistake, and you’re out. Permanently.”
Chloe’s breath caught. She turned away, her tears blurring her vision. But beneath the fear, anger brewed hotter than ever.
She would not be discarded. Not by Marcus. Not by Ares. And definitely not by Tessa.
As she stormed out of the study, her thoughts sharpened into a vow: If they want war, I’ll give them hell.
Hours later, Ares stood alone in his office, staring at the city skyline through the tall windows. His reflection looked back at him—tired, angry, haunted.
The knock at his door was soft but firm. He didn’t turn. “Enter.”
It was Marcus.
“We need to talk,” Marcus said, stepping inside.
Ares’ jaw clenched. “About?”
“About Tessa.”
The silence stretched, heavy as stone.
Marcus continued, his tone cold. “She’s dangerous. She’s already destabilized this family once. Now she’s doing it again. You’re letting her back in, and it’s costing us everything.”
Ares finally turned, his eyes blazing. “Tessa is the mother of my children. She’s not the danger. Chloe is, with her lies and schemes.”
Marcus’ nostrils flared. “Careful, Ares. I’ve protected this family longer than you’ve been alive. Without me, everything collapses.”
Ares stepped closer, their faces inches apart. “Without me, there is no family.”
The two men locked eyes, the room charged with unspoken war.
Far across town, Tessa tossed in bed, unable to sleep. Her children’s faces haunted her. Chloe’s lies echoed in her ears. Ares’ name lingered on her lips.
Ayisha, half asleep beside her, murmured, “Stop overthinking, Tess. Let him come to you. That’s the only way you win.”
Tessa whispered into the darkness, a vow to herself. “I will get my children back. No matter what it takes.”
Ayisha nodded. “Maturing is realizing you are the victim here. Ares used you…wanted to use you and your kids. He just put to birth and…look, maturing is realizing Ares was the selfish one, not you.”