Page 39 of Modern Romance October 2025 5-8

She lost a few seconds in his eyes and suddenly had to turn away before she said other stupid things that he wouldn’t want to hear from her. Things she couldn’t take back. ‘I’m just going to freshen up before you give your speech,’ she murmured. ‘Back soon.’

Flustered, she walked out of the ballroom and off in the wrong direction. She wandered half the floor on a quest to find another restroom. She rounded a corner, about to give up, when a door ahead opened.

Bethan froze, instantly recognising the older woman in the sleek designer suit. Gia Vasiliadis. So she was here in the building but not showing up for Ares.

Gia clearly recognised her too—if her pinched expression was anything to go by.

Bethan assumed calm as the woman approached. ‘You’ve been here all night but not bothered to show—’

‘As if you’ve shown up at any time in the last two or so years,’ Gia interrupted acerbically.

She snuck a breath. ‘As if that isn’t what you wanted.’ Hit by Gia’s bitterness, she stepped back and tried to remember the bigger picture, because this was so very complicated. ‘I know I wasn’t the woman you wanted in his life.’ She worked to soften her tone. ‘I know he wasn’t the son you wanted to take over all this.’

She felt sorry for the woman but surely enough time had passed for Gia to see beyond her own pain and that others had suffered too.

‘Ares’s father’s behaviour was not his fault. Nor hisgrandfather’sbehaviour,’ Bethan pointed out huskily. ‘Pavlos bringing Ares to your home in the midst of your grief must have been terribly difficult.’

Gia stood like an ice sculpture, but her eyes widened.

Bethan had blamed—at timeshated—Gia for the doubts she’d seeded in Bethan’s head. But it had been Bethan’s mistake to be so reactive. Now older—having lived that bit more—she saw more. Understood more. Perhaps even had the smallest insight into the immensity of Gia’s heartbreak. She too knew loss. This woman had lost her husbandandher only child and then her husband’s other son had been brought into her home. They’dallsuffered for this family—because for Pavlos Vasiliadis the preservation of the dynasty was more important than anything personal. All that had mattered was blood lineage.

Gia had bought into that too, with her desire to unite her line with Ares through Sophia. Cousins and cousins—all to claim power and control. There’d never been a loving welcome but there was always more to a situation than what appeared, facets to the people involved. Nothing was ever as simple as villains and heroes. Now Bethan saw beyond her fairy-tale blinkers, saw something of the vulnerability theyallshared. And she had her voice.

‘Since Ares arrived, he’s done almost everything you asked of him. That the Vasiliadis dynasty asked of him,’ she said. ‘Yet still he gets no support for something that’s deeply personal and important to him?’

‘Would you stomach having your husband’s lover honoured in front of you?’ Gia spat. ‘You would accept that humiliation?’

‘Your husband’s behaviour wasn’tyourfault either,’ Bethan said bluntly. ‘And she wasbarelyyour husband’s lover. But she will always be Ares’s mother. She deserves her place in his life. This is not all aboutyou.’

‘What do you care?’ Gia glared at her. ‘Why now?’

Bethan swallowed and sidestepped the question. ‘Ares has my full support. Because what Ares does is good.’ She stared at the woman. ‘You should appreciate all he’s done for the family you all proclaim is so important. You should—’

‘Ares,’ Gia interrupted her, her gaze lifting.

Bethan turned, heart seizing. Ares stood only a few feet away and he was looking right into her eyes. She couldn’t look away from him. Prickly heat suffused her skin. She’d overstepped.

‘I will be able to make a brief appearance after all,’ Gia said. ‘Unfortunately Dion is still indisposed at the compound.’

Stiffly Gia stalked past, heading towards the ballroom. But Ares didn’t follow her. He remained staring at Bethan.

‘How much did you hear?’ she asked guiltily, moving closer to him.

‘All of it.’ He cleared his throat.

Oh.‘I’m sorry.’ She faced him, braced for his displeasure. ‘I know I didn’t need to defend you and I didn’t really cause a scene. I don’t think anyone else saw.’

He lifted his hand and brushed her lips with the backs of his fingers. ‘I thought you weren’t going to apologise for having a sweet nature any more.’

‘I’m not sure I was all that sweet just then.’

The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘You were...’

She leaned closer, but he didn’t finish the sentence. He just gazed at her mouth a moment too long. She didn’t care about what he’d been going to say, she wanted him to kiss her. But he stepped back.

‘I’d better go back and minimise whatever damage Gia’s about to do,’ he sighed.

‘And you still have to do your speech.’