"You didn’t kill them. It was an accident."
Asher laughed bitterly.
"That’s not what the police report says."
"The report says it was an accident."
"I was driving the truck. And I got distracted."
"Their car ca fast, from a blind spot."
Ares’ voice cut through the air. Sharp. Certain.
"But people think I was at fault."
Asher looked away. Because part of him always had.
Silence stretched between them again.
Ares spoke again, his voice quieter this ti — but sohow heavier.
"I already told you. The military isn’t for you."
His gaze slid toward Asher, steady and cold.
"You’re not cut out for it."
Asher’s expression hardened instantly.
"And who are you to decide what’s right for ?"
His voice sharpened like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
A muscle twitched along Ares’ jaw.
For a mont he said nothing. The night wind swept across the balcony, stirring the curtains behind them.
Then Ares answered calmly.
"I’m not deciding anything for you."
His tone was level, almost indifferent.
"I’m just giving my opinion."
His dark eyes locked onto Asher’s.
"Your ntal fortitude isn’t strong enough."
A pause.
"If it were, you would’ve already accepted that what happened back then... was just an accident."
The words landed like stones dropped into still water.
It was rare for Ares to speak this much at once.
Asher stared at him.
A complicated storm moved through his eyes — anger, guilt, sothing darker.
Finally he asked quietly,
"Did you tell Larissa... that it was you?"
Ares didn’t look away.
Asher nodded.
"You think confessing to her makes things right?"
For several seconds, Asher didn’t answer.
The wind brushed across the balcony again, carrying the faint scent of the garden below.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"No."
His voice was low.
"But it’s a start."
Ares studied him carefully, his gaze sharp as a scalpel.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what was that nonsense Logan was talking about?"
Asher frowned.
"What nonsense?"
Ares casually folded his arms across his chest.
"Marriage."
The word left his mouth like a threat.
"You planning to marry her now as so kind of redemption?"
Asher blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"I never said that."
Ares lifted a brow.
"You didn’t deny it either."
Silence fell between them.
Asher stared at him.
Then slowly... realization dawned.
His brows lifted.
"Wait."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"You’re jealous."
The air seed to freeze.
Ares’ expression turned glacial.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
His glare could have cut steel.
But Asher had already seen it.
That brief shift.
The flash of protectiveness.
The restrained hostility.
The possessive tension that had no logical explanation.
Sothing flickered in Asher’s eyes.
Understanding.
Amusent.
"Well," he murmured.
"That explains a lot."
Ares’ voice dropped several degrees colder.
"Explain what?"
Asher pushed himself away from the pillar he had been leaning against.
"The way you hired her."
His gaze sharpened.
"The way you keep her close."
Another step forward.
"And the way you look at her."
He held Ares’ gaze.
"You like her."
The accusation hung between them like a suspended blade.
Ares’ face beca completely unreadable.
Seconds passed. Long enough for the night wind to sweep across the balcony again.
Then—
"Goodnight, Big Brother."
Asher’s tone was teasing. "We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow."
He studied Ares for another mont.
Then he chuckled softly and turned away, a sly smile lingering on his lips.
The balcony door slid open and closed.
Ares’ expression changed imdiately.
The cold mask cracked just slightly as he watched his brother disappear in the hallway.
Without another word, he followed.
Inside, the house was quiet.
The corridor lights cast long shadows across the polished floor.
Ares stopped outside Shay’s bedroom.
He raised his hand to knock. Then it froze mid-air.
His brows drew together.
’Shay is probably already asleep.’
After a mont, he lowered his hand.
He returned to his room and closed the door behind him.
But he didn’t move far. He simply stood there.
The words Asher had spoken replayed in his mind like a song stuck on repeat.
You’re jealous.
His jaw tightened. How could he possibly be jealous?
Ares walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Cold water poured down over him, washing away the tension coiled in his muscles.
Minutes passed. Then more. By the ti he stepped out, nearly half an hour had gone by.
He was still tying the belt of his robe when a knock sounded at the door.
Ares frowned slightly.
He walked over and opened it, expecting to see Asher.
But it wasn’t him.
His expression imdiately hardened.
"What are you doing here?"
Scarlet stood in the hallway.
She was wearing a silk nightdress that left very little to the imagination.
For a split second, surprise flashed across her face.
The man standing before her looked nothing like the gentle Ares who used to follow her around years ago.
His eyes were cold. Sharp.
Almost... hostile.
Scarlet leaned lightly against the doorfra, one slender shoulder resting against the wood as if she belonged there.
The silk of her nightdress clung to her curves, the fabric thin enough to catch the soft hallway light. The neckline dipped low, revealing more than modesty would normally allow.
Years ago, that sight alone would have been enough to make Ares avert his gaze in flustered silence.
Tonight, he didn’t even blink.
His eyes remained cold. Sharp. Impatient.
"The shower in my room is broken," Scarlet repeated softly. "Can you help fix it?"
Ares looked at her for a long mont.
Then his gaze slid past her toward the hallway, as if checking whether soone else might appear.
Finally, he said flatly,
"There are staff for that."
Scarlet froze.
For a second, the seductive smile on her lips almost faltered.
"I know," she replied lightly, quickly recovering. "But it’s already late. I didn’t want to bother anyone."
Her fingers brushed the edge of the doorfra as she stepped a little closer.
"And besides..."
Her voice softened.
"You used to fix things for all the ti—"
User Comments
0 comments from readers