Evil MC's NTR Harem

"Is Ross coming today, Laura?" Kate asked as she set down her fork, her tone casual enough to mask the slight eagerness in her voice.

Laura looked up from her plate, shaking her head. "No, Mom. But he said he'll be here tomorrow."

"I see…" Kate murmured, her eyes flickering down for a moment.

She tried to keep her expression neutral, but a subtle trace of disappointment crossed her features.

Why did her heart sink at such simple news?

She didn't know why Ross lingered in her thoughts the way he did.

Maybe it was the faint, intoxicating scent of his cologne that stayed on her skin long after he left.

Or perhaps it was the warmth of his hands during those massages—the way his fingers worked with deliberate care, strong enough to chase away the pain yet gentle enough to make her body feel weightless.

Those massages had become a quiet routine over the past couple of weeks.

Harmless, she told herself. Just a remedy for headaches, nothing more.

But every time his hands moved across her shoulders, every time his voice dipped low and soothing in her ear, something inside her stirred.

Something she hadn't felt in years.

Kate drew in a slow breath and straightened in her chair.

She was a mature woman, disciplined and sensible.

She wouldn't let herself cross a line—nor let anyone see the thoughts she worked so hard to bury.

The clinking of cutlery filled the silence for a moment.

Dinner carried on as usual, the soft hum of family chatter wrapping around the table.

Laura scrolled through her phone between bites, while Lois, seated across from her, was in the middle of recounting something funny that happened earlier that day.

Kate nodded and smiled in all the right places, but her mind was far away—caught on an image of Ross leaning over her, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, Relax, Kate. I'm here.

She could almost feel the phantom press of his thumbs circling her temples, sending waves of relief through her body.

Her chest tightened, and she quickly reached for her glass of water, taking a slow sip to ground herself.

"Mom?" Laura's voice snapped her back.

"Yes?" Kate said, forcing a small smile.

"I said, Ross wants to take us out this weekend. He was talking about that new Italian place downtown," Laura repeated, oblivious to the sudden flutter in her mother's chest.

"Oh… that sounds nice," Kate replied evenly, though her fingers gripped the stem of her glass a little too tightly.

Laura smirked across the table. "Wow, Mom, you seem really interested in Ross these days." Her tone was teasing, but the comment made Kate's pulse quicken.

Kate chuckled softly, masking the heat rising in her cheeks. "Don't be silly, Laura. I'm just being polite."

But deep inside, she knew that wasn't the truth. And no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

Of her two daughters, it was Lois who noticed first. She saw the subtle changes—the way her mother's tone softened whenever Ross's name was mentioned, the slight glow in her cheeks, the laughter that came a little too easily around him.

Most people wouldn't catch it, but Lois did. And she didn't like it. Not one bit.

All through dinner, Kate had been distracted, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Even when Lois tried to steer the conversation, her mother's gaze drifted, her smile lingering on some thought she refused to share.

And Lois had a sickening feeling she knew exactly what that thought was.

Ross.

The name pulsed in her head like a warning bell.

She clenched her fork until her knuckles whitened, biting back the urge to call it out then and there.

But Lois was patient. She'd play this smart.

By the time the dishes were cleared and the family retreated to their rooms, her mind was already made up.

She wasn't going to sit by and watch Ross sink his hooks into her mother. Not now. Not ever.

That night, Lois paced her room like a caged animal, phone clutched in her hand.

She hesitated for a long time, staring at the glowing screen.

She hated that she even had to do this—but there was no other way.

Thankfully, she had his number. Laura had given it to her casually a few days ago when they'd all been making plans.

Back then, it seemed harmless. Now it felt like a loaded gun.

Her stomach churned as her thumb hovered over the call button.

For a brief, desperate second, she thought about tossing the phone aside, pretending none of this was happening.

But the image of her mother—smiling softly at Ross, eyes shining in a way Lois hadn't seen in years—stabbed through her resolve.

She pressed call.

The dial tone barely rang twice before a smooth, familiar voice slid into her ear like silk. "Lois. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

That voice—calm, confident, almost amused—made her grip the phone tighter. "Cut the act, Ross," she snapped, injecting steel into her tone. "I know what you're trying to do, and I'm telling you right now—it's not going to work. My mom isn't that kind of woman."

A low chuckle drifted through the line, dark and unhurried. "Oh, really? If you're so sure about that, then why do I hear doubt in your voice?"

Lois's breath hitched. Her lips parted, ready to fire back, but nothing came. Damn him.

He'd read her like an open book—and the worst part? He wasn't wrong.

Because deep down, a part of her feared the truth: her mom was changing, softening in ways that terrified Lois.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

She could almost picture him on the other end—leaning back with that infuriating smirk, enjoying every second of her struggle.

Finally, she exhaled shakily and said the words that tasted like defeat. "You win."

There was no sound, but Lois could feel his smile through the line, curling like smoke around her.