Half an hour later, the two returned to the villa. Breakfast was already served on the table, thanks to the butler.

Noticing how drained Calista looked, the butler gave her a knowing smile and said, "Ma'am, I made you a nourishing tonic. Mr. Bennett might've gone a bit overboard last night. Please don't take it to heart. He's quite something physically, after all."

Wait, hold up-what?

Why was she being handed a tonic?

Calista was totally confused.

"Come sit down and eat," Lancelot said, already seated at the table with his usual grace. Seeing her whispering with the butler, he narrowed his eyes a little and motioned her over.

Calista pouted at him but shuffled over.

Her whole body felt sore-arms, legs, everything hurt. She wasn't even in the mood for breakfast.

"Drink it," Lancelot said, pushing over the tonic the butler had made for her.

She gave it a glance-looked decent, smelled sweet.

"Honey, I want you to feed me," Calista said, trying her best to look cute as her eyes sparkled mischievously.

Lancelot's hand twitched so hard he nearly spilled the entire bowl in her face.

"Drink it yourself."

He set the bowl down with forced calm and gave her a cold snort.

"But I'm too weak," Calista whined, sticking out a finger covered in a little bandage. "And I even hurt my finger making soup for you last time."

Lancelot's jaw twitched.

With a resigned sigh, he picked up the bowl and began feeding her.

As she sipped the soup, Calista shamelessly kept throwing flirty darts at him.

"Honey, you look so charming feeding me like this."

"Can you feed me every day? I'd love that so much."

"Mmm, tastes even better when it's you who's feeding me."

"Calista, if you don't shut that mouth of yours, I swear I'll have it sewn shut."

Lancelot gave her a sharp glare, clearly annoyed by her constant teasing.

But Calista just giggled. "Aww, are you blushing? Come on, we're married, what's there to be shy about? Keep feeding me, hubby."

The butler and staff were struggling to keep straight faces, their shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

This young lady definitely had Mr. Bennett's number.

Ten minutes later, after finishing breakfast, Calista asked Lancelot to take her to Ors Café for her piano performance.

She had previously made arrangements with the café owner to play there for the day as part of her prep for an upcoming piano competition.

Lancelot just frowned slightly but didn't object. Instead, he had someone get a bicycle from the garage.

Calista stood by the door, texting Lumi while waiting for Lancelot to pull the car around.

But when she saw Lancelot wheeling out a bike, she nearly froze on the spot.

A bike? Was her vision glitching?

"Get on," Lancelot said flatly, already mounting the bicycle without even glancing at her stunned expression.

Calista's eye twitched. "You... want me to ride a bike to a piano gig?"

"You said I'm in poor health, right? This is exercise," Lancelot glanced sideways at her, looking all chill.

"Well, I guess a cute bike date could be kinda romantic," Calista muttered with a stiff smile, climbing onto the back of the bike, trying to keep her expression in check.

Lancelot seemed a bit surprised that Calista actually got on without complaining. Guess she really wasn't your typical spoiled rich girl.

If it were any other socialite, she'd probably be having a meltdown right now.

"Hold on," Lancelot warned before pedaling off swiftly like an arrow.

It had been ages since Calista rode a bike, and she was low-key terrified he'd fling her off, so she clung tightly to his waist.

The second Calista wrapped her arms around him, Lancelot's body tensed up.

A faint scent wafted from her - light, floral, and something about it seriously messed with his focus.

*****

"Lucas, is that... my sister?"

Lucas had been invited to the Ors Café banquet, and of course his date was none other than Felicity.

While they were mingling with guests in the hall, Felicity casually glanced outside and caught sight of Calista on the back of Lancelot's bike just across the street.

Lucas turned to look out when he heard Felicity's voice.

"Looks like she married that guy just to spite us. Honestly, Lucas, we really let her down," Felicity said, lips curled in a slight smirk.

Calista, the Monroe family's precious daughter, ending up with some broke pretty boy? What a joke. Embarrassed the whole family.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing," Lucas said with a dark look, lightly patting Felicity's hand.

He hadn't even had a taste of Calista yet-there's no way he'd let her get taken by some broke loser.

Outside the Ors Café.

After dropping Calista off, Lancelot left without saying a word.

"Honey, don't forget to pick me up after work!" Calista waved at his retreating figure with a grin.

Lancelot nearly lost control of his bike.

Seriously, this woman's so thick-skinned, he's surprised bullets don't bounce off her.

Seeing him almost bolt like that made Calista laugh even harder. Teasing her grumpy man every day-life really couldn't get any better.

"Hey sis, fancy running into you here."

Her good mood shattered the moment Felicity's voice cut through the air.

Calista turned, her smile gone in a blink. Standing behind her were Felicity and Lucas.

Her face darkened. "Coincidence? Yeah, right. Get out of my way."

"Calista, come on, don't be like this. We're just worried about you. You should leave that-what was he?-gigolo."

Gigolo...?

Did Lucas seriously not recognize his own father just now?

Well, to be fair, maybe not. The glass at the café was a bit reflective, and Lancelot was wearing a high-collar black coat-easy to mistake. But calling his dad a gigolo? Then what does that make him, a baby gigolo?

"Bahahaha!"

Calista cracked up, hugging her stomach as she burst into laughter.

Felicity and Lucas exchanged confused looks. Neither had a clue why Calista was laughing like that.

Felicity finally asked, "Sis, what's so funny? We're just looking out for you. Why would you degrade yourself like this?"

"'Degrade'-what a word choice." Calista's smile faded, her tone turning cool. "Felicity, Lucas, you both just wait and see. It won't be long... before you realize heaven and hell are just a step apart."

"Stolen happiness doesn't always smell sweet-sometimes it just reeks."

With that, Calista moved closer, leaned in, and whispered into Felicity's ear, slowly and clearly.

Felicity's expression shifted. Her fists clenched tighter.

What did Calista mean by that?

Could it be-she's planning to steal Lucas back?

Was marrying some random guy just a ruse? Some distraction to throw them off? Was her real goal to win Lucas over again?

"She's probably still bitter, but no matter what, we can't let her stay involved with that man."

Lucas stared at Calista's fading figure, expression hardening, fists clenched.

"Lucas, do you... still have feelings for my sister?" Felicity's eyes darted around, jealousy flashing. She clung to his arm, clearly annoyed.

She was about to marry Lucas-there's no way she'd let Calista mess this up again.

"What are you talking about? Of course not. I'm just upset that she's throwing her life away."

"Mom and Dad want her to marry the Jennings family's son."

"The disabled one?" Lucas frowned slightly.

The Jennings family had a few sons, but the one Calista grew up with had an accident-he couldn't walk anymore.

"Even if he's in a wheelchair, she'd still be the Jennings family's daughter-in-law. Look at who she's with now-a man who lives off women. She's not just embarrassing the Monroes, she's heading straight for a dead end. Don't you think the Jennings guy's a better match?"

Felicity tiptoed and leaned into Lucas's neck, resting her face against his with a soft, syrupy tone.

Lucas gave Felicity a lurid grin, swallowing hard as he pinched her cheek. "That Gigolo guy? Please. Even a disabled heir from the Jennings family's a better pick."

He'd rather see Calista married off to someone in a wheelchair than let her keep fooling around with that so-called male escort. At least a disabled man wouldn't sleep with her.

Felicity's eyes lit up as she leaned close. "Then why don't we give them a little push? Once Calista and Mr. Jennings are... you know, in too deep, she won't be able to crawl back to that escort ever again."

Lucas's gaze sharpened. "Sounds like a plan. After all, we're just looking out for her."

"Let's reach out to Mr. Jennings now. He's always had a thing for her anyway," Felicity added with a sly smirk.

"You handle it," he said breezily.

Lucas brushed a kiss on her cheek, a twisted smile creeping up.

In Felicity's mind, she sneered-Calista, even if you're Miss Monroe, in the end, I still got your man. First, you marry a male escort, now you're about to marry a cripple. I'll make sure everyone sees just how far from grace you've fallen.

*****

Calista had two performances today-one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The time in between was her break.

She already had her Level 10 piano certificate in hand, and in all of Crownvale, no one could really hold a candle to her performances. Those who'd heard her play before basically agreed-she was on a master level.

With fifteen minutes to go before her next set, the event organizers were getting her outfit ready.

Just then, Lumi texted her.

[Wanna drag your husband out for some grilled food tonight?]

[Thought you'd never ask,] Calista replied, her eyes glinting as she shot back a message.

Lumi didn't even wait-she called immediately to lock down the spot.

"How about my husband's villa?"

"Totally. I haven't even seen your love nest yet. Perfect time to check it out."

"Being a Bennett, that house must be real fancy, right?"

"Fancy?" Calista gave a slight snort.

"His taste is so stiff and gloomy... I had to change up everything as soon as I moved in."

"You're unbelievable. He actually let you do that? Looks like the old guy is head over heels. Turning him into a doting-husband type, huh?"

"Well, duh. You think I don't have that kind of pull?"

Calista was clearly enjoying herself.

"At this rate, if you told Lucas and Felicity to serve you tea and wash your feet every day, Lancelot probably wouldn't bat an eye."

The thought made Calista beam.

A knock came from the door-must be the staff with her dress.

She ended the call with Lumi and called out for them to come in. After receiving the dress, she changed quickly, then snapped a selfie and sent it to Lancelot.

[Hey hubby, do I look cute or what?]

She had her hair styled in a half-up princess look, topped with a small white tiara. Pure and sweet, she looked just like a fairytale princess.

Meanwhile, Lancelot was deep in work when his phone buzzed.

The moment he checked it and saw the picture, his expression changed.

Staring at Calista in that dress, he felt a tightness in his throat.

This girl... always messing with him at the worst times. She was really asking for it.

Lancelot fought back the urge to see Calista. He set his phone down, trying to ignore her voice memo that popped up again not long after she noticed he hadn't replied.

[Babe, why aren't you answering? Do I look pretty or not?]

[My dearest husband, aren't you gonna say something nice about your wife?]

As he listened, Lancelot's sharp, cool expression softened just a little.

Even he didn't realize how far he'd gone in indulging her. Maybe it was those eyes... exactly like hers back then.

"Boss Bennett."

One of his subordinates stepped into the office, only to see him holding his phone, the edges of his lips slightly curved-half-smile, half-tease, undeniably gentle. It scared her stiff.

[I'm waiting, hubby. Say it, I'm the prettiest woman in the world.]

Ping.

Calista's flirty voice echoed from the phone just as the papers White Ice was holding slipped right from her fingers.

"Hubby"? What the hell...?

Was Boss Bennett really doing that cheesy couple stuff with someone? And judging by his reaction... he wasn't even mad? That sent chills down her spine.

Lancelot's face darkened immediately. He glanced up at the nervous White, his tone cold as ice. "What? Want to keep listening?"

"N-No, sir. I didn't hear a thing, I swear!"

White's legs practically turned to jelly. She stammered something, dropped the documents on his desk, and bolted.

[You still there, hubby? I wanna hear your-]

[If you don't drop that cringey baby-talk, don't even think about coming home tonight.]

With a snap, the pen in Lancelot's hand broke as he hit send on a voice message.

Calista had done it on purpose anyway, trying to mess with him for fun.

She opened the audio, and after hearing his furious tone laced with threat, she pouted.

[What's so gross about it? Don't most guys like that playful, sweet kind of voice?]

[Lucas totally eats it up whenever Felicity does it. Wouldn't even be dating her otherwise.]

Grumbling under her breath, Calista's words made Lancelot frown. A chill flickered in his vision as he said coolly, [Enough. I don't like it, period.]

Click.

He hung up without a second thought.

Beeep. Calista's eyes stared silently at her phone, still displaying the call ended screen. She was fuming.

That jerk really hung up on her?

"Miss Monroe, are you ready? It's almost your turn to play."

She was still swearing at Lancelot in her head when a servant's voice came from the door.

With a deep breath, Calista clenched her fists.

"Yeah, I'm coming now."

She snapped her phone shut and forced down her frustration as she stepped out.

Just wait till I get home, old man. You think I can't handle you?

*****

More than a few people had shown up at the café just to hear her perform.

As Calista walked in, soft whispers rippled through the audience.

"I heard the second Monroe daughter and Lucas have been secretly in love for a while... that's why they got engaged behind the eldest sister's back. She stormed off after finding out."

"Please. I heard she straight-up stole her sister's fiancé. Love had nothing to do with it-it was just scheming and betrayal."

"No way, right? Felicity is always so delicate and sweet. How could she possibly pull something like this?"

"I heard Calista rushed off to marry some male escort just because Felicity got engaged to Lucas."

"For real? Can we even trust this kind of gossip?"

Calista's fingers froze for half a second on the piano keys. A chill crept onto her flawless face.

Male escort? Seriously?

Felicity, you're really going there with this kind of smear?

Riiip.

"Oh my god, is Calista seriously about to flash us or something?"

Right when Calista was already in a foul mood, her dress strap slipped. A disgusting gasp echoed from the crowd-one of the men practically drooled.

"Is she trying to sell sex out in the open?"

"Can you believe the Monroe family's eldest daughter would stoop this low...?"

"What a shameless woman."

Felicity had packed the café with trolls, all aiming to destroy Calista's reputation and ruin her chance to play.

More and more people started throwing verbal punches at Calista.

Felicity watched her sister clutching her chest, head lowered, and a satisfied grin slowly spread on her lips.

Just when Felicity was savoring what she thought was her victory, Calista calmly dropped her hand and stood up straight in front of everyone.

Surprisingly, the slipped strap had stopped right at her collarbone, turning her gown into an elegant off-shoulder piece. And at the center of her back, a stunning blue butterfly emerged-so vivid it looked real.

That, combined with her makeup today? She looked nothing short of stunning.

"Well, looks like Miss Monroe had something up her sleeve. That was basically magic!"

Someone in the audience stood up, clapping for her.

Calista lifted her skirt slightly and smiled with a nod.

"Just a little trick I've been practicing-some new makeup techniques. Hope it didn't disappoint."

"Not only can she play piano like a pro, she's got insane makeup skills too? That was straight-up illusion work!"

"No wonder she's from a top-tier family. Totally on another level."

The crowd, who a second ago was trying to rip into her, now broke into praise. They were stunned by how effortlessly Calista had flipped the script with her 'magic trick' of a makeover.

Felicity looked on, seething, as the haters turned into admirers. She clenched the fabric at her side so hard her knuckles turned white-practically shaking with rage.

Since when did Calista learn such crazy makeup skills?

Did she see right through the trap from the start and turn it around?

"That blue butterfly... it's... beautiful."

Lucas had been fuming when he thought Calista was stripping for attention. But now, as the tables turned, his eyes locked onto that blue butterfly near her shoulder blades, lighting up with a hungry spark.

They'd been together for a while, but besides holding hands... nothing. Not even a kiss.

Honestly? When it came to looks, Felicity didn't even come close.

Calista was easily one of the most stunning women in high society.

"You've fallen for her, haven't you... Lucas?"