Chapter 306: Protecting Her

Slowly, Moira turned around.

Ares was staring directly at her.

There was no trace of warmth in his eyes. His expression was so cold and severe that, for a moment, Moira felt as though the temperature around them had dropped.

His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.

That somehow made it worse.

"If you ever insult Lara again..." He paused, his gaze hardening. "I will personally have you escorted out of my mansion."

Moira’s face drained of color.

She had expected anger. Perhaps even an argument.

But she had never expected this.

Never had she seen Ares defend anyone with such ruthless certainty.

Why?

Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs.

Why is he protecting Larissa Reyes like that?

"Ares..." she whispered.

Her voice trembled.

Tears quickly gathered in her eyes, making her look small and vulnerable as she stared at the man she had once believed would always stand on her side.

But Ares did not soften.

"Did I make myself clear?"

Moira swallowed hard.

"Yes."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

She lowered her gaze.

"I’m sorry, Ares. I won’t do it again."

Ares held her gaze for another long, uncomfortable moment.

Only when he was certain she understood the warning did he turn away.

His eyes settled on Asher.

The sternness in his expression did not disappear.

"Control your woman."

Asher’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Ares had already started walking away.

"She’s not my woman!" Asher called after him.

Ares continued without looking back.

"She’s Shay’s mother, yes, but not my woman!"

His voice carried across the lawn, earning several startled glances from the servants nearby.

Still, Ares didn’t even slow down.

"Damn it," Asher muttered under his breath.

He cast one last glance at Moira before hurriedly following his brother.

Moira was left standing alone in the middle of the lawn.

For several seconds, she didn’t move.

The humiliation settled over her like a suffocating weight.

Her cheeks burned. Her pride burned even hotter.

Slowly, her hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms until the sharp sting barely managed to distract her from the shame twisting inside her chest.

She bit down hard on her lower lip.

A metallic taste filled her mouth.

Blood.

Her eyes lifted toward the direction Lara had disappeared.

The hurt in her eyes slowly hardened into something darker.

"It’s all her fault..."

The words slipped through her clenched teeth.

Her fingers tightened.

"If Larissa Reyes had never appeared..."

Her eyes narrowed, resentment consuming the last traces of helplessness in her expression.

"...none of this would have happened."

Moira’s anger was no longer directed at Ares or Asher.

It had found a new target.

...

Moira remained on the lawn long after Ares and Asher had disappeared inside.

Happy chatter from the mansion drifted to her, but she barely heard any of them.

Her pride was still bleeding.

Control your woman.

Ares’s words echoed in her mind.

Her jaw tightened.

He had humiliated her in front of Asher and the maids and guards nearby.

And for whom?

For that damned Larissa Reyes.

Moira’s eyes darkened.

She had never seen Ares react that way toward another woman.

Not even when women from powerful families deliberately sought his attention. He had always remained indifferent, dismissing them with the same cold disinterest he showed everyone else.

Not even Scarlet back then.

But Lara was different.

The realization made Moira’s stomach twist.

She turned abruptly and walked toward the mansion.

By the time she stepped through the doors, she had wiped the tears from her face and forced her expression back into something composed.

She couldn’t let anyone see how deeply Ares’s words had affected her.

Especially not Lara.

"Mommy!"

A little voice immediately caught her attention.

Moira looked up.

Shay was sitting on the sofa in the living room, swinging her little legs while Lara sat beside her.

Moira’s expression darkened instantly.

She walked over and crouched in front of her daughter.

"There you are."

She threw her arms around Shay’s neck.

Moira hugged her tightly, closing her eyes for a moment.

This was her daughter.

Her little girl.

Lara had no right to Shay’s affection. No right to the warmth in her eyes, the trust in her smile, or the way the child instinctively reached for her.

"Come on, sweetheart," Moira said softly, smoothing a hand over Shay’s hair. "Let’s go upstairs and see Grandma Beatrice."

Shay obediently followed, but after only a few steps, she glanced back.

Her eyes lingered on Lara, reluctant to leave.

Moira noticed.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she gently urged Shay toward the stairs.

But even as she led her daughter upstairs, a part of her remained downstairs—with Lara, and with the unsettling bond that had begun to form between them.

...

Meanwhile, Ares stood at the edge of the study, his back resting against the heavy mahogany desk, his arms folded loosely across his chest.

Across the room, Asher paced once before stopping, still visibly irritated. His jaw was tight, and the crease between his brows had yet to disappear.

"Do you realize what you just did?"

Ares lifted his eyes to him, completely unbothered.

"Yes."

The sheer calmness of his answer only made Asher more frustrated.

"You told everyone to control my woman."

Ares’s expression barely changed.

"Isn’t she your woman?"

"She is not!"

Asher’s voice sharpened.

"You know damn well how much I resented Moira. Even if you’re joking, don’t say that to me."

He dragged a hand over his face, exhaling heavily as though trying to rein in his temper.

Ares remained impassive.

"Then perhaps you should talk to her."

Asher frowned.

"About what?"

"Because she was behaving like one. You shared a past after all."

The words were delivered so casually that they struck harder than if Ares had said them with anger.

Asher stared at his brother.

For several seconds, the study fell silent.

Then Asher’s shoulders dropped, his irritation giving way to reluctant agreement.

"Moira shouldn’t have said those things about Lara."

At the mention of her name, something shifted in Ares’s expression.

The faint hardness that settled into his eyes. The subtle tightening of his jaw. The way his entire demeanor seemed to change whenever Lara became the subject.

Asher studied him for a long moment.

He noticed it before, but he hadn’t known what to make of it.

"You really care about her."

Ares’s gaze snapped toward him.

The warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Don’t start."

"I’m not starting anything."

Asher raised both hands in surrender, a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I’m just saying what everyone else is probably thinking."

Ares pushed away from the desk.

For a moment, his expression remained unreadable.

Then, in a calm, unwavering voice, he said,

"She is the woman I will marry."

Asher blinked once.

He had expected the words, yet hearing Ares say them so plainly still made him pause.

Then a grin spread across his face.

"Yeah. It was about time. You’re getting old."

Ares gave him a flat look.

Asher chuckled.

"What? You can’t stay single forever."

Ares didn’t bother answering.

He was already heading for the door.

Asher watched him leave, shaking his head with an amused smile.

His brother had always been controlled, deliberate, and nearly impossible to read.

But when it came to Lara, that control seemed to disappear in the smallest, most telling ways.

He had never seen Ares move that quickly for anyone.

Asher’s smile faded into something more thoughtful.

His brother hadn’t simply grown fond of Lara.

He had fallen for her.