All Chapters of Four Babies and a Billion Dollar Lie: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Behind barsThe house was dark when they returned, but the silence did nothing to soften the storm raging between them. Chloe marched into the living room, her heels striking the marble floor with a sharp, angry rhythm. She spun on Ares, her eyes wild, her breath coming fast.“You embarrassed me!” she shouted, voice breaking. “In front of her—of that woman! You dragged me out like I was some stranger when I’m your wife! Your wife!!! Did you hear that?”Ares followed slowly, his expression unreadable but his jaw locked tight. His tie hung loose around his neck, his shirt rumpled from the scuffle at the restaurant. He ran a hand down his face, as though he might rub away the anger still simmering in his chest.“You assaulted her, Chloe,” he said, voice low but edged with steel. “You hit her. You drew blood. You flipped a table like a madwoman. What was I supposed to do? Applaud you?”Her lips trembled, torn between fury and heartbreak. “You were supposed to defend me! I’m your wife, Are

Let the media know“This is war, and I’m not about to lose,” Chloe whispered to herself, pacing the length of her dressing room, her heels clicking against the polished wooden floor. Her chest rose and fell sharply, her nerves frayed, her lips trembling as she spoke into the empty room. “They think they can paint me as the villain? No. Not when I’m Mrs. Chloe Ares Langford.”She stopped in front of the mirror, her reflection staring back at her flawless hair, makeup perfectly done, her designer dress hugging her body. Yet behind the glamour, there was panic in her eyes. The internet had turned viciously against her since the restaurant incident. Headlines screamed about “the jealous wife” who attacked her husband’s business partner. Comment sections were filled with thousands chanting Justice for Tessa while calling her the pick me girl.Everywhere she looked, Tessa’s face was plastered. Tessa smiling, Tessa crying in the hospital bed, Tessa trending. And Chloe? Chloe was being mocked

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

The Hospital Walls“Is she going to be okay, Daddy?”Beauty’s small voice trembled as she clutched Ares’s arm in the sterile white corridor of St. Helena’s Hospital. Her wide eyes shone with tears that hadn’t stopped since they’d arrived.Ares knelt to her level, though his face was taut with tension. Behind him, the emergency room doors had just slammed shut, hiding Pretty from sight as a team of doctors worked feverishly.“She’s going to be fine,” Ares said firmly, though the words scraped his throat. He reached to smooth Beauty’s hair, then drew Kamal and Jamal into his arms as well. “Your sister is strong. She’ll fight.”“But she almost died,” Jamal whispered, voice cracking. “She went under and didn’t come back.” His body shook as the memory replayed, his eyes haunted.Ares pulled him close. His own heart still hammered with the terror of seeing Pretty sink beneath the water. “Listen to me. None of you are ever going to suffer like that again. I swear it.”Kamal lifted his head,

The Cut Off“Excuse me, watch where you’re…” Chloe’s sharp voice cut through the luxury store like a blade, but it faltered mid sentence.Standing in front of her, frozen in the middle of the wide marble aisle, was Tessa. Beside her, Ayisha held two shopping bags, her eyes narrowing instantly like a cat spotting prey.The three women locked gazes, the air around them tightening, thick with hostility.“Tessa,” Chloe sneered, recovering quickly, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “What an… unexpected surprise. Out here spending my money again, I see.”Tessa’s back straightened, her eyes steady, no tremble in her voice. “Not a surprise at all, Chloe. We were bound to meet sooner or later. But don’t worry,” her lips curved slightly, sharp as glass, “next time we meet will be in court.”Ayisha smirked proudly, folding her arms.Chloe blinked, caught off guard by Tessa’s calm fire. Her laughter rang out, forced, loud, echoing across the boutique. “Court? Please. You’ve been crying ‘just