Chapter 46 CHAPTER 46
I want the deal
The café was quiet that afternoon, tucked away in one of the discreet corners of the city where no one of importance came. It was the kind of place that thrived on anonymity, perfect for whispered confessions and forbidden meetings. Lady Bianca Langford stepped inside, her gloved fingers clutching her pearl white handbag, her eyes scanning the room with the same sharpness she used in high-society ballrooms.
When she spotted Tessa already seated in the farthest booth, sipping lightly from a glass of water, her perfectly arched brows furrowed. She hadn’t expected this—Tessa reaching out to her, and in secret at that.
“Tessa,” Lady Bianca said, her voice wrapped in silk yet sharp as a blade. “Imagine my surprise when I received your message. I almost didn’t believe it was from you.”
Tessa looked up, her eyes steady, her face composed. She wasn’t dressed in designer labels like Lady Bianca, but the simple elegance of her navy blue blouse and black trousers made her appear even more grounded, more deliberate. There was no hesitation in her expression, only resolve.
“Lady Bianca,” Tessa replied, gesturing for her to sit. “Thank you for coming.”
Lady Bianca slid into the seat across from her, still studying her like a hawk circling prey. “Why here? Why secretly? You and your sister have been so loud in your defiance, so adamant in your lawsuits, so annoyingly righteous. What could you possibly want from me that required all this secrecy?”
Tessa leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. “Because I’m interested in the offer you made me the other day. About helping me get my kids back from Ares…and framing Chloe for attempted murder.”
Lady Bianca blinked. For the first time, her mask of aristocratic composure cracked. She let out a soft, incredulous laugh and shook her head. “You? Interested? Now this is rich. I could have sworn your sister or friend slammed the door in my face and told me never to come near again. Have you two finally realized how much of a lost cause you are?”
Tessa’s jaw tightened. “I came on my own. Ayisha doesn’t know about this meeting.”
That made Bianca’s lips curl into a sly, victorious smile. She rested her chin on her manicured fingers. “Oh, now this is delicious. So the united front of the fiery sisters has cracked. And you’re betraying her. Tell me, Tessa…what happened? What changed your mind? Did you finally realize she’s dragging you down with all her moral grandstanding?”
Tessa inhaled sharply, her voice low but unwavering. “Ayisha isn’t a mother. She doesn’t understand what it feels like to have your children taken from you, manipulated, raised in a home where they’re not loved the way they should be. I can’t let Ares, or Chloe, or anyone else destroy my kids’ lives. I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means doing this behind Ayisha’s back.”
Bianca’s laugh was sharper this time, a cruel melody that drew the attention of the barista before she lowered her voice again. “Ah, so motherhood finally trumped loyalty. You would risk betraying your own sister for those children. Interesting. Very interesting. And telling.” She leaned in closer. “Do you know what this makes you, Tessa? A woman who claims to have principles but is willing to sell them for convenience.”
Tessa’s eyes flashed. “Call it what you want. But I’m here because of my kids. Not you, not Ayisha, not even Ares. Just them.”
Bianca tilted her head, her earrings glinting in the café’s dim light. “You know, I underestimated you. I thought you were weak. Too meek. Too emotional. But perhaps you’re not as soft as I imagined. Perhaps you are your own kind of ruthless.”
Tessa’s lips thinned into a firm line. “Enough with the taunts. Will you help me or not?”
Bianca pretended to consider it, drumming her red nails against the table. “And what exactly are you asking me to do?”
“You already said it,” Tessa replied evenly. “Finance it. Make the arrangements. Help me build the case that Chloe tried to kill my children, and use your influence to ensure it sticks. You have the connections. You have the power. And I know you now hate Chloe just as much as I do.”
Bianca smirked, her eyes glittering with something dangerous. “Hate is too small a word, darling. Chloe has embarrassed this family in ways that cannot be forgiven. I want her erased. Out of our lives. Out of the city. Out of existence, if it comes to that.” She leaned back, savoring the tension in the air. “But tell me again—why should I trust you? Why should I believe that you, who once stood beside your sister to laugh in my face, won’t betray me too?”
Tessa met her gaze without blinking. “Because I’ve already betrayed Ayisha by coming here. I have no one else left to stand with. Only my children. And you.”
For a long, drawn-out moment, silence sat between them like an iron weight. The café noises faded into the background—the hiss of the espresso machine, the chatter of distant customers—none of it mattered. It was just the two of them, locked in a battle of stares, a silent negotiation of power and desperation.
Then, slowly, Lady Bianca’s lips curved upward into a cold smile. “Well. That answer pleases me.” She reached for her handbag, pulling out a slim notebook and a pen, as though even her plotting had to be catalogued like a society event. “Very well, Tessa. If you are truly ready to abandon your sister’s moral high ground, then I will help you. We will make Chloe pay. We will make her rot.”
Tessa exhaled, the weight of her decision pressing down on her chest. But there was no going back now.
Bianca’s eyes twinkled with venomous satisfaction as she slid the notebook back into her bag. “It seems we’re allies now, darling. Dangerous ones. But allies nonetheless.”
She rose from her seat with regal grace, smoothing her dress. Before walking away, she leaned closer, her perfume lingering in the air, and whispered into Tessa’s ear:
“Betray Ayisha all you want, but never betray me. Because if you do…I won’t just destroy Chloe. I’ll destroy you too.”
With that, she swept out of the café like a queen leaving her throne room, leaving Tessa alone with the weight of her choice.
Tessa sat frozen, staring at the half empty glass of water before her. Her heart raced, but her mind was already spinning with possibilities, fears, and the haunting thought that she might have just unleashed something she could never control.