The General's Daughter: The Mission

Moira stormed out of the study, fury and disbelief twisting inside her chest. She couldn’t understand why Ares refused to help her. Shouldn’t he even just for the sake of Shay? She was Shay’s mother after all.

...

”Boss, is that movie going to be entered into a film festival?” Jack asked cautiously.

Since Ares was pouring an enormous amount of money into the production, it was Jack’s responsibility as his assistant to make sure the investment would generate the expected returns.

He had already read the script twice. To him, it was mediocre at best. The plot was decent, the pacing acceptable, but nothing groundbreaking enough to guarantee success.

And then there was Scarlet.

”Boss, Scarlet’s just a newcomer. Are you really letting her take the female lead?”

Ares leaned back lazily in his chair, his expression unreadable. ”I’m not even the major investor. Her father is. Besides, I don’t know much about the movie industry.” He paused for a moment, as though recalling something distant. ”I only invested because it is a promotion for Isla. Besides, Scarlet did stage dramas back in college and she was quite good.”

His fingers tapped lightly against the desk before he continued, ”The cast itself is powe house. Even if I don’t know much about the film industry, Eric already gave me a summary of the male lead and supporting actors’ achievements. Their reputations alone will attract attention.”

Jack frowned but said nothing further. He still felt uneasy. Big names could only carry a film so far if the female lead failed to deliver.

Before he could speak again, another knock echoed through the study.

The door opened, and Lara walked in.

She gave Jack a small nod before placing a thin folder in front of Ares.

”He signed it,” she said lightly, unable to hide the satisfaction in her voice. She was clearly in a very good mood.

Ares looked up at her—then froze.

For a brief second, he seemed dazed.

Lara was smiling. Not her usual polite smile, but something softer, brighter. It transformed her entire face, making her look breathtakingly beautiful under the warm lights of his study.

”It’s a partnership,” Lara explained as she crossed her arms confidently. ”I’ll own sixty percent of the shares. Lionel keeps the management rights.”

Ares raised a brow. ”Then we split it thirty-thirty?”

His tone carried faint amusement. ”I told you I’d handle the acquisition myself, but you still went ahead and did it.”

”Because I don’t want to acquire it,” Lara replied immediately. ”Managing something like this isn’t my expertise.” She tilted her head slightly. ”Why buy out the original owner when I can simply let him continue working for me instead?”

Even Jack stared at her in surprise.

Who would’ve thought that the woman everyone mocked for graduating from some provincial college would possess such sharp business acumen?

Not only had she avoided unnecessary risk, she had also secured control while keeping the experienced management intact.

That kind of foresight wasn’t something ordinary people had.

”How about forty-twenty?” Lara proposed smoothly.

”That’s a great split,” Jack quickly agreed. ”Forty percent for Boss and twenty for you—”

”You’re mistaken.” Lara interrupted him calmly.

Jack blinked.

”My share is forty percent,” she corrected. ”Ares only gets twenty.”

Silence fell across the office.

Jack’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of their sockets.

”What?!”

Ares shot him an annoyed glare before turning back to Lara as if her outrageous demand was perfectly reasonable.

”Prepare the contract,” he ordered calmly. ”I agree to her terms.”

Jack remained rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded.

From what Ares had told him, Larissa Reyes only became wealthy after discovering that treasure hidden in Mount Ourea. Billions had practically fallen into her lap overnight.

But wealth alone didn’t equal competence.

She had only just graduated from college. She had no real corporate experience, no proven track record in handling large-scale investments.

So why was Ares agreeing so easily?

Jack’s thoughts spiraled dangerously. Was his boss blinded by personal feelings?

Did Ares... actually like Lara that much?

His gaze darted between the two of them.

The way Ares indulged her.

The way he trusted her judgment without the slightest hesitation.

The way his usually cold, indifferent eyes softened every time they landed on Lara—

Jack suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine.

He had seen this before.

Years ago, back in college.

Ares had been his classmate then. Quiet. Reserved. Impossible to approach. While everyone else flaunted their wealth and connections, Ares kept an unusually low profile. No one knew that he was the heir of the Zuvel Group—no, the true Belmont heir.

Even Jack only discovered the truth much later.

Back then, Ares looked like an ordinary university student. Handsome, yes, but detached from the world around him. Women confessed to him constantly, yet he rejected every single one with cold indifference.

Until Scarlet appeared.

Scarlet was the dream girl of the entire campus.

Beautiful enough to turn heads wherever she walked. Talented enough to leave people speechless. She sang like an angel, played the piano flawlessly, and carried herself with a grace that made her seem untouchable.

Despite coming from a middle-class family, she outshined every rich young lady in the university.

Countless men pursued her.

But Scarlet only had eyes for Ares.

Or at least... that was what everyone believed.

Jack still remembered the first time he saw Ares smile because of her.

It was shocking.

Ares, who had always looked distant and emotionally detached, suddenly became human. Warm and alive.

He fell hard.

Ares loved Scarlet with a devotion that bordered on obsession.

He gave her everything she wanted. Time... attention... patience... and trust. Things Ares never offered anyone else.

And for a while, everyone thought they would last forever.

Then Scarlet left him.

Without warning. Without looking back.

Jack could still remember the aftermath vividly.

Ares locking himself away for days.

The sleepless nights...

The empty stare in his eyes that looked like something inside him had completely shattered.

It was as if Scarlet hadn’t merely broken his heart—she had destroyed an entire part of him.

For years after that, Ares became colder than ever.

He stopped letting people get close. He shunned women. He stopped believing in love altogether.

Jack had thought Ares would never fall again.

But now...

As he watched Lara stand confidently beside Ares while the latter silently indulged her every whim, a dangerous sense of déjà vu washed over him.

Except this time, it felt even worse.

Because unlike Scarlet, Lara wasn’t simply beautiful.

She was intelligent, ambitious and fearless.

The kind of woman who could either stand beside a king... or completely ruin him.

Jack clenched his jaw unconsciously.

Would Larissa Reyes going to become Ares’ greatest weakness once again?

Would she be his downfall?