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.

"Madam, is this soup for your husband?"

The butler walked over with a warm smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

He was an old hand at this villa, and ever since Calista announced herself as Lancelot's wife, he had been all smiles, clearly very pleased with her.

"No need, I'll take it up myself. Might as well work on our relationship a bit,"

Calista replied with a sweet grin as she shook her head.

The butler chuckled knowingly. "Alright then, I won't disturb the lovebirds."

He was clearly comforted by the fact that Mr. Bennett finally settled down and started a family.

"Butler, just to confirm... his surname is Bennett, right?"

The butler looked a bit puzzled at the sudden question but still nodded. "Of course."

Their boss, after all, the head of the Bennett family.

"Good, phew... I thought I had the wrong guy. Glad I didn't mess that up,"

Calista mumbled to herself, patting her chest with exaggerated relief.

"What was that, Madam?"

The butler had only caught her mumbling without catching the words.

Snapping back to attention, Calista laughed awkwardly and waved it off. "Nothing! I'll just go deliver the soup to my husband now."

"Alright,"

the butler grinned suggestively.

He'd seen the ingredients she used-definitely the kind that gave a good boost.

He figured Mrs. Bennett was probably feeling neglected and wanted to remind Mr. Bennett not to forget her.

Tonight, he thought, this couple might just take things up a notch.

The butler's smile had an odd edge to it, and Calista caught the weird vibe but couldn't figure out what was up.

Frowning slightly, she went upstairs and made her way to Lancelot's study.

No one just waltzed into his study without permission. Everyone in the house knew that.

Only the cleaning staff had access, and only at specific times.

So when Calista stepped in, Lancelot's face instantly darkened.

"Who said you could come in?"

"The butler did. I made some soup for you, honey. Have a taste,"

she said with a bright smile, placing the bowl on his desk, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

She firmly believed: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Even though this was her first time cooking, the soup looked phenomenal. She was pretty sure it was a winner.

Lancelot shot a look at the soup like it was toxic.

What had this girl put in there? Didn't she know this kind of stuff could drive a man nuts?

"It's really tasty. Just try a bite,"

Calista said eagerly, noticing he hadn't even touched it yet. She picked up the bowl and moved to feed him herself.

Lancelot narrowed his eyes, catching her chin with his fingers lazily.

"You really want me to drink this?"

His voice was low, his posture effortlessly seductive, sending a strange vibe across the room.

Calista's eyes lit up instantly.

Lucas might be his son, but wow-compared to Lancelot, they weren't even close in presence.

"I made a whole pot just for you-you have to drink it!"

A whole pot...

Lancelot's eyelid twitched slightly.

"If you want me to finish it that badly, then..."

he smirked, the glint in his eyes dark and playful.

Before Calista could even blink in confusion, Lancelot picked up the bowl, took a sip, then suddenly leaned in and kissed her-right on the lips!