"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 I know you're not exactly a young guy anymore, but still, taste can't be this outdated, right?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!

"If we're having soup, shouldn't a married couple drink it together? Seems like it'd taste a little... different."

Lancelot thought for sure Calista would get all flustered and push him away. But nope-ears a little red, she just gazed at him with that look in her eyes.

"You're totally right, babe. There's something special about sharing it."

She really thought he'd win by making her blush again? Yeah right. Lumi had once said, in a game of flirt vs. counter-flirt, the shameless one always wins.

"Want some more, honey?"

Calista glanced at Lancelot's tense expression, grabbed the spoon, and moved to feed him again.

Lancelot let go of her and cleared his throat as he stood up. "Nah, you finish it. I've got work stuff to handle. If you need anything, just ask the butler."

"Alright, but come home early, okay? I'll be waiting right here."

Watching him leave in such a rush, Calista couldn't help but giggle behind her hand.

Oh man, did he really just flee like that? Was that his version of running away?

Hearing her last line, Lancelot nearly slipped. He was seriously starting to wonder-was letting her stay here the worst decision he'd ever made?

If wives came with a return policy, he'd be the first in line.

*****

Two hours later, Calista was fresh out of the shower, munching on a fruit platter and bombarding Lancelot with messages.

[Babe, you're still not home? I'm waiting for you to go to bed.]

[Don't drink too much tonight, okay?]

[I'm already showered and on the bed, waiting~]

Her texts popped up one after another, blowing up Lancelot's screen like popcorn.

He narrowed his eyes, that handsome face of his now shadowed with helplessness.

Tristan, sitting next to him and noticing the constant buzzing, leaned over curiously. When he caught sight of the screen filled with "babe" and cutesy words, his eyes widened.

"Whoa-since when do you have a girlfriend? Thought you weren't even into girls..."

"My wife," Lancelot corrected flatly, giving him a side-eye while grabbing his phone.

Tristan nearly spit out his drink. Did he hear that right?

Wife?

When the hell did Lancelot get married?

"Wait-are you serious?"

Tristan had been about to crack a joke, but seeing how dead-serious Lancelot looked, he blinked in disbelief.

"Anyway, let's stick to what we discussed earlier. I'm heading home."

Lancelot didn't bother explaining anything else. He got up, barely sparing Tristan a glance, and walked off.

"Hey! Dude, you're seriously gonna leave without telling me who you married? I don't even know her name!"

Lancelot didn't respond, his figure disappearing through the door. Tristan could only stomp his foot in frustration.

Unreal. What kind of friend keeps a marriage a secret?

Who was the mystery woman calling him "babe" anyway?

Did Lancelot really get hitched? This had to be the biggest shocker of the year. He was definitely gonna dig around and find out who she was.

*****

"Calista, get down here!"

The moment Lancelot walked into the villa, reeking of alcohol, he spotted his prized orchids tossed in the trash like weeds.

Those orchids weren't just rare-they were basically irreplaceable. He'd spent a fortune to get ten of them transplanted here, only for them to be trashed.

There was only one person clueless enough to mistake orchids for weeds-and it was obviously Calista.

Calista was tidying up the living room-it had just gotten a makeover, and most of the decor still needed placing.

As soon as she heard Lancelot's voice laced with irritation, she dashed out in nothing but a slinky slip dress.

"Honey, you're back! Come check it out-I swear the living room looks way better now than that old-school style you had."

"Go... upstairs and put some real clothes on."

Seriously, what the hell was she wearing again? Was she trying to tempt someone?

He was about to ask her what she did to their garden's centerpiece, but the moment he caught sight of her outfit, his face darkened on the spot.

"Doesn't this look good? Why are you always on my case about what I wear?"

Calista deliberately rubbed her chest area as she leaned closer to him.

Just as expected, he blushed a little, but kept his poker face.

She was about to touch his cheek when he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her with an all-too-cold tone. "Calista, are you begging me to throw you out?"

"Come on, babe... don't be mad."

"Talk properly."

That "babe" hit him square in the nerves.

She's doing it on purpose. No doubt.

"I am talking properly."

Calista widened her eyes in innocence, stood on tiptoe, and lifted her hands in front of him.

"Honey, look-I've been slaving away in the kitchen all for you."

"Serves you right. Who told you to cook? The house's got a chef, it's not like we're broke."

Lancelot froze for a second, his gaze landing on her hands as she edged closer. Something inside him twisted, but he kept his face tight and unreadable.

"Chef's food doesn't hold a candle to mine," she mumbled under her breath, lips pouting.

Ugh. He really didn't get romance at all. What a buzzkill.

Forget it. She wasn't going to stoop to the emotional level of an uptight old man.

Lancelot, brows furrowed and charm turned icicle, completely ignored her chatter. Instead, he pointed at the orchid pot by the trash.

"You did that?"

"I helped clean up the garden. Seriously, why were you growing so many weeds?"

Calista tilted her head and gave him that classic "I'm doing you a favor" look.

"That's... a premium orchid."

Lancelot looked at her wide-eyed, innocent face and almost coughed up blood.

He wanted a refund. Right now.

This little demon must've been sent just to drive him insane.

"An orchid? Since when did orchids look like weeds? My bad, babe. I'll get you new ones."

She genuinely didn't know those were prized orchids-looked like weeds to her, and she was trying to help.

"Forget it."

He spat out the words coldly, didn't even glance at her, and just went upstairs.

Seeing how mad he was, Calista nearly rolled on the floor laughing, clutching her stomach-he was just too entertaining.

Seriously, how could Lancelot be this much fun to mess with?

When it came to emotional intelligence, even their son Lucas could beat this guy hands down.

Speak of the devil.

Her phone buzzed. One look, and her smile disappeared, replaced by a chilling indifference.

[Calista, don't throw your happiness away like this. I told you, once I take the number two spot in the Bennett family, I'll leave Felicity and marry you. Can't you just wait a little longer...]

[Save it. You'd better start practicing calling me Mom.]

Calista didn't bother reading the rest. Her fingers flew across the screen, sending the message without a second thought.