Chapter 1

In a house at Regalia Heights, in the city of Southspire, a lively atmosphere filled the dining room.

Heath Lambert raised his wine glass and declared with a smile, "Now that Giselle is pregnant, Lucian, you'd better not let her suffer in any way. Otherwise, I'll be sure to hold you accountable for that!"

Lucian hurriedly lifted his own glass and glanced at the beautiful woman beside him—Giselle Lambert, his wife. He earnestly replied, "You have nothing to worry about."

Giselle stroked her belly, her face radiant with happiness.

After speaking, Lucian drained his glass in one gulp. Giselle tugged on his sleeve and chided softly, "Don't drink so much, darling."

"Huh, you guys aren’t even officially married yet, and you're already sticking up for him like this?" Melody Lambert remarked while making a slight face.

She was Giselle's younger sister, who was 18 this year and enjoying her last summer before college.

"Who said we're not officially married?" Giselle pulled out a wedding certificate from her handbag with a bright smile. "We just registered our marriage today. From now on, he's your brother-in-law. Make sure you show him some respect from now on, got it?"

"Huh?" Melody's jaw dropped.

Chuckling, Lucian piped up, "Why are you reacting like that? Aren't you going to say anything to your new brother-in-law?"

Melody snatched the certificate and, after confirming it was real, muttered begrudgingly, "Welcome to the family, my new brother-in-law…"

The others were also surprised to see the marriage certificate.

Giselle's mother, Fiona Anderson, was all smiles. "There's still a month before the wedding ceremony, but you've already registered your marriage… My, my. In the blink of an eye, you're already old enough to get married, Giselle. A part of my heart feels a little hollow now."

Melody giggled. "Even if a part of your heart is missing, Mom, there's still the rest of it. You've got me to keep you company!"

"Don't fret over nothing. Lucian is a good man. Don't tell me you're worried that Giselle won't have a happy marriage!" Heath chuckled before raising his wine glass again. "Come. Let's all toast the happy occasion!"

This was a small family dinner that also served as an engagement party for Lucian and Giselle. They'd been dating for seven years. After having recently found out that Giselle was pregnant, they decided to finally get married.

The wedding ceremony was a month away, and it would mark the beginning of their married life.

Lucian and Giselle looked at each other and smiled.

Everyone around the table clinked their glasses together, celebrating the happy occasion.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and the entire dining room fell silent.

Heath keenly noticed that the smile on Lucian's face had stiffened. He quickly asked, "Who's that at the door?"

Lucian said nothing.

Giselle picked up her phone and waved it lightly before saying with a smile, "Eddie's home alone. I felt bad for him, so I asked him to come join us."

Edward Cobb was two months younger than Giselle and had been her neighbor since they were both children. They were childhood friends.

Lucian's smile slowly faded.

Frowning, Fiona said, "Giselle, this is supposed to be a family gathering to celebrate your engagement with Lucian. It doesn't seem appropriate to invite Edward over."

"What's the big deal?" Giselle protested in dissatisfaction. "Hurry up and get the door, darling. Don't keep Eddie waiting."

Lucian shot her a glance and remained in his seat. His silence spoke volumes.

Startled, Giselle exclaimed, "What's up with you, darling?"

"Since your parents are here today, it won't be convenient for Edward to join us. You should tell him to go," Lucian said.

Giselle's eyes widened at once. "What on earth are you saying, darling? Eddie's already at the door! How can I tell him to leave?"

Her tone was cold and reproachful. "If you're not going to get the door, so be it. I'll do it myself."

She got out of her seat and opened the front door. Soon, she came back while wheeling in a pale man in a wheelchair.

Edward, who had two bags of gifts in hand, quickly called out, "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert!"

Heath and Fiona nodded in greeting.

Giselle took the gifts from him while chastising him mildly, "Why did you bring these gifts with you? I'm the one who invited you over to join us."

"I couldn't possibly come empty-handed when Mr. and Mrs. Lambert are here," Edward replied with a smile.

"You're always so courteous," Giselle said before she began pushing him over to the dining table. "Darling, Eddie can't get it himself, so bring over a plate and some cutlery for him."

Lucian did his best to restrain himself as he quietly sipped his wine instead.

Sensing Lucian's mood, Heath quickly said, "We've already finished most of the food, Giselle. Wouldn't it be better for Eddie to go home and order takeout for himself?"

"What are you saying, Dad?" Giselle retorted in displeasure. "There's plenty of food left, and it's not like Eddie's a stranger to the family."

Edward also smiled and chimed in, "That's right, Mr. Lambert. I'm not picky. I'll just have a few quick bites."

By now, Giselle had already wheeled Edward to the table—positioning him in a way that raised everyone's eyebrows, with Lucian on her left and Edward on her right.

"What's with the sour faces? What's with the attitude, huh?"

Giselle's icy voice rang out when she saw that Lucian hadn't moved to get the tableware for Edward. Even though she hadn't named anyone specific in her remarks, it was clear she was expressing her dissatisfaction toward Lucian and Lucian alone.

She herself went into the kitchen to get a plate and cutlery for Edward.

Alas, the atmosphere in the dining room had changed drastically.

"Congratulations on the baby, Giselle. You know I can't drink any alcohol, but I'd like to offer you a toast anyway," Edward said as he turned toward her.

As his gaze brushed over Giselle's ample chest and curvaceous body, his eyes flashed with lustful desire.

"Thanks!" Giselle said with a chuckle. "Once the baby is born, you'll be the godfather!"

"Sure! That means I'll have to work hard. I'll give my future godson and goddaughter everything I have to give. Hahaha!" Edward nodded eagerly before downing the glass of orange juice in his hand.

A fork and knife slammed down on the table with such a loud thump that everyone jumped.

Still a little shaken, Giselle looked at Lucian and snapped, "What the hell are you doing?"

Lucian's piercing stare was fixed on Giselle and Edward as he asked darkly, "You're making him the godfather of my child? Did I agree to that?"

"What do you mean by that?" Giselle questioned coldly.

"What do I mean? Does this gimp really think he's good enough of being the godfather to my child," Lucian snarled coldly as he shot to his feet and jabbed a finger at Edward.

Immediately, all the color drained out of Edward's face.

Giselle froze for two seconds before a mix of shock and fury appeared on her face. "Lucian! Have you lost your mind? How could you say something like that? Apologize to Eddie at once."

Lucian sneered. "You want me to apologize to him? You must be dreaming."

Just then, Edward spoke up.

"Lucian… did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad. I… I'll drink to make it up to you…"

At some point, the ashen-faced Edward had picked up a glass of vodka. Looking at Lucian, he raised the glass with a trembling hand.

When Giselle saw this, her heart jolted in alarm. She exclaimed, "Don't do it!"

But Edward gritted his teeth and downed the liquor in one gulp before looking at Lucian and saying haltingly, "If you're still not satisfied, Lucian… you can hit me… I didn't mean to upset you…"

Before Lucian could even speak, Giselle exploded in anger. She jabbed a finger at Lucian and screamed, "Are you happy now? You know very well he can't drink, yet you still forced him into it! What exactly are you trying to achieve, huh?"

Lucian's jaw was hard. "I—"

But he was cut off by Edward crying out weakly, "I don't feel good…"

He fell right out of his wheelchair, his face red and his body convulsing.

"Eddie! Are you alright?" Giselle cried out.

Chaos took over the dining room.