Fifteen minutes later, Calista heard a knock and opened the door to see Lucas standing there.

The moment she saw him, her face instantly turned cold.

"What do you want, Mr. Bennett?"

"Calista, you really got married?" Lucas stared at her with a look that was hard to read, his eyes filled with concern.

"Didn't you already see the marriage certificate?"

"How could you just marry some random guy like that? Don't you value yourself?"

"Who told you I just picked someone at random? Let me tell you, my husband? Better looking than you, in better shape than you, and way more accomplished. Compared to him, you're nothing. When the time comes, make sure to kneel and serve us tea, okay?"

"Calista, I know you hate me for getting engaged to Felicity, but I didn't have a choice. I was set up, she and I... things happened. My dad found out, and I was basically forced into it. But the person I love has always been you."

So Lancelot only made Lucas marry Felicity to make him take responsibility?

"Just give me time. Once I secure my spot as the next in line at the Bennett Group, we can be together for real, out in the open. What do you think?"

Lucas saw a flicker in Calista's eyes and reached out toward her.

But Calista was completely disgusted by his words.

Looking at his face, so fake it made her skin crawl, she seriously questioned her past taste in men. What had she even been thinking, falling for a jerk like this?

Honestly, she doubted there was anyone in the world more pathetic than Lucas.

"You want to keep two women like you're some kind of ancient king? Who do you think you are?"

"Ugh!"

Her face darkened as she lifted her leg and kicked him-hard. Lucas doubled over in pain, cold sweat breaking out across his face.

Without saying another word or sparing him a glance, Calista sneered and slammed the door shut.

She took a deep breath, pulled herself back together, packed up her suitcase fast, and headed downstairs.

As soon as Felicity saw Calista coming down with her luggage, she pasted on a concerned look. "Sis, where are you going with all that?"

"I'm married now," Calista said flatly. "From now on, I'll be living with my husband, all the way until the wedding."

"This is outrageous. Calista, how could you throw your life away like this and ignore-"

"See you at the wedding."Calista didn't bother responding to her dad Wade's furious yelling. With a sarcastic smile, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked straight to the front door.

"This... this ungrateful daughter, she's completely out of line!" Wade was so mad he nearly stomped his foot in rage.

Felicity quickly stepped up to soothe him, saying all the right things to calm him down. Once she'd handled that, she put on a worried act and chased after Calista.

By the time she caught up, Calista was already standing next to Lancelot's car. She waved him over like she was calling over hired help, nodding toward her luggage for him to carry.

Lancelot didn't say a word, just pressed his lips together and got out to move her bags without complaint.

When Felicity showed up and saw Lancelot's face, she actually gasped a little. She'd always thought Lucas was good-looking, but with Lancelot standing there, she instantly realized what "out of your league" really meant.

Once Lancelot finished loading the bags, Calista dusted off her hands and glanced back-only to spot Felicity standing nearby, practically drooling over Lancelot. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Felicity hadn't seen Lucas's father before, and honestly, neither had most people. He was rarely seen outside due to poor health, and no one in Crownvale had a photo of him.

After all, he wasn't even the head of the family. That title belonged to Lucas's uncle-known only as Boss Bennett. Mysterious, low-profile, and completely elusive.

"What?" Calista crossed her arms, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thinking of stealing another guy?"

Felicity bit her lip, putting on that usual damsel-in-distress look. "Sis, I know you've misunderstood me a lot. I... never meant to..."

"Yeah, yeah, every time you open your mouth it makes me want to puke." Calista cut her off coldly. "Your weird drama with Lucas? Keep it. I've moved on, and I'm over all of you."

With that, she pulled open the car door, got in, and motioned for Lancelot to drive off.

Lancelot glanced her way-she was clearly in a mood-but said nothing and just started the engine.

Felicity stood frozen as the car disappeared down the road, face dark with resentment. Her hands clenched tightly into fists. She'd already taken Lucas. Soon, the whole Monroe family would be hers too. So what was Calista even showing off for?

That guy must be some kind of pretty-boy escort, right? No way Calista could land someone like that unless she paid him.

Felicity smirked at the thought, suddenly feeling a whole lot better.

Calista had a face like a thundercloud the whole way, glaring at Lancelot like she was about to laser beam him with her eyes.

Lancelot raised a brow, "Do I have something on my face?"

"Nope," she mumbled, instantly looking away, avoiding eye contact like the plague.

"I don't want your kid or anyone from the Bennetts to know about the marriage for now. So don't go spreading it around. Got it?"

Calista stayed quiet for a beat before speaking again.

If everyone found out she went from being Lucas's ex to his stepmom - all because she married his dad - it'd ruin the whole plan.

No, what she wanted was to hit both Lucas and Felicity where it hurt. The bomb had to drop at their wedding. That's when the real shockwave would land.

"Alright," Lancelot replied, surprisingly agreeable, as usual.

They didn't speak again until they pulled into the driveway of his villa.

The villa... honestly? It was kinda shabby.

Lucas' dad lived here? Was he trying to focus on health or something?

But last night... didn't quite feel like a sick old man struggling to stay alive.

Didn't the media say he was bedridden and practically a ghost?

"Uh... your health's alright, right?" Calista asked, a bit too late to the party, finally showing a speck of concern.

"Hmm?" Lancelot shot her a glance, as if wondering why she suddenly cared.

"It's just... I've read all those headlines about you being super sick, never appearing in public, you even skipped Lucas and Felicity's engagement party..."

"You didn't feel it last night?" he chuckled low, leaning in close, his warm breath brushing her cheek.

Calista always thought she was pretty thick-skinned.

But in that moment, with Lancelot leaning in like that, her nerves went haywire.

"I'm... tired. Gonna shower and crash."

She awkwardly coughed, pushed him away, and bolted inside like her life depended on it.

The second she was out of sight, she groaned in frustration.

Seriously? Letting some old guy get under her skin like that? And then running off? What kind of defeat was that?

No way. She had to strike back.

*****

About an hour later, while Lancelot was in his study, weird noises started floating in from the living room. Moaning noises. He couldn't take it anymore.

Frowning, he got up and headed out.

From the top of the stairs, he saw a few workers tearing down the custom wallpaper he'd picked out. His antique paintings? Dumped in the trash like leftovers.

His jaw clenched, blue veins popping on his forehead as rage started bubbling up.

He stomped down the stairs, voice low and dangerous, "What are you doing?"

Those pieces had cost him a fortune, lovingly collected one by one - and now they were being trashed?

"Babe, I didn't like the decor, so I called a new crew to switch things up. You're cool with that... right?"

Babe?

Lancelot's face darkened slightly, eyes locking on the woman strutting toward him in a spaghetti strap dress, hips swaying with every step.

"Who told you to walk around dressed like that?"

He glared, pulled off his jacket, and threw it over her shoulders. "Cover up."

This woman-did she even realize how ridiculously tempting she looked right now?

Calista saw the fire in his eyes and nearly burst out laughing.

Lumi's move worked like a charm.

After getting totally flustered by Lancelot earlier, she'd gone straight to Lumi for advice. The woman had dated her fair share and knew every trick in the book. Straight up taught her how to flip the script.

Turns out, older guys? Total suckers for a little teasing.

"I really don't see the problem. Babe, don't you think I look good in this?"

Calista looked at Lancelot with innocent eyes as she twirled in front of him, clearly playing dumb.

The vein on Lancelot's forehead pulsed with frustration.

Trying hard to keep his cool, he ordered the renovation workers nearby to wrap it up and leave ASAP.

"Babe, this vase is just... tacky. I know you're not exactly a young guy anymore, but still, taste can't be this outdated, right? I honestly don't get why you're even displaying something this boring. So I just popped some flowers in it-hope that's okay?"

Calista clung to his arm and led him over to the vase.

She obviously liked bold, colorful aesthetics, while Lancelot's villa was pretty much all dull tones and antique vibes. She figured he must be super stingy-a total contrast to Lucas.

What Calista didn't know was that the "boring" stuff she dismissed was worth billions.

"You... put flowers in a Sèvres Porcelain?"

Lancelot's jaw twitched. He stared at her clueless expression, on the verge of passing out.

Was she seriously this naive... or just pretending?

That vase? Fifteen billion worth of Sèvres Porcelain treasure he'd spent ages hunting down.

"Well, what's yours is mine now, right? I have just as much right to touch stuff here as you do."

She shrugged and held out her hands like it was no big deal.

Lancelot suddenly had the very strong urge to evict her on the spot.

"Babe, why's your face twitching like that? Are you feeling sick? Tell me where your meds are-I'll grab them for you."

"No need. From now on, you're not allowed to touch any vases or paintings. Got it?"

He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to throttle her, then told the butler to gather up all the fragile collectibles and stash them somewhere secure-before Calista wrecked anything else.

What's with the panic over a bunch of ugly old vases?

Calista watched the butler work, silently rolling her eyes.

Once her rant was over, she stomped off to the kitchen to whip up a tonic soup for Lancelot.

Her current goal was to play perfect housewife-win him over emotionally, solidify her place as Lucas's stepmother, and make sure no one could kick her out.

She spent an hour slicing and stirring, finally finishing the soup. Just as she was about to bring it over, her phone rang. It was Lumi.

"Calista, quick question-your husband's name is Jonathan, right?"

"Huh? Who the heck is Jonathan?"

Calista blinked in confusion.

"Jonathan Bennett. That's supposed to be Lucas's dad, right? Don't tell me... you messed that up?"

Lumi sounded like she was choking from the other end.

Calista froze for half a second before quickly shaking her head.

"Of course not! You told me he was Lucas's dad!"

"Yeah but... I just saw a post on Twitter about Jonathan being the father. Said he's sickly, super low-profile, hardly ever shows up in public, so not many people know what he looks like or anything..."

"Can you not freak me out like this?"

Calista's face turned dark. She couldn't even imagine the consequences if she'd slept with the wrong man.

"Oh wait-I found it. Apparently, Lucas's dad changed his name at some point."

"See? I knew we didn't mess up. You met him already, remember? There's no way it's the wrong guy."

Calista let out a long breath and patted her chest, then ended the call.

Lumi almost gave her a heart attack thinking she hooked up with the wrong person.