Chapter 1

When I woke up and opened my bedroom door, I came face-to-face with my buddy, Mason Lodge, who had clearly also slept in. We stared at each other for a solid second, then headed downstairs in a great mood.

The moment we stepped into the living room, the housekeeper, Wanda Smith, frowned. "Mr. Seth, Mr. Mason, why are you still here? Why haven't you fled?"

I calmly sat down on the couch and poured myself some coffee, while Wanda paced anxiously in front of us. "Is it because you don't know where Ms. Stella and Tanya have gone today?"

Mason shrugged lazily. "We know. Eric Stewart is back from abroad. They went to pick him up from the airport."

Who was Eric Stewart? He was the unattainable true love that both Stella and Tanya Grant wanted but couldn't have.

I thought back to yesterday, when Mason and I first transmigrated into this book. We actually thought we would be living the carefree life of rich live-in sons-in-law from then on.

But when we happily went to check out what the female leads looked like, we accidentally caught them on a video call with Eric.

On screen, Eric looked all wronged and pitiful, his voice sickly sweet and cloying as he asked, "Stella, Tanya, how could you two get married so abruptly? Can we still be like we used to?"

In the book, my wife, the famously cold and aloof CEO, Stella Grant, lost her cool. Her tone was suddenly gentle beyond imagination. "Eric, don't be like that. No matter what happens, you'll always be the most important person in my heart."

"But…" Eric's eyes dimmed. "But what if they don't like me? Maybe I just shouldn't go back tomorrow…"

Mason's wife, Tanya, who usually carried herself like an unapproachable ice queen, now frowned, her tone tough and protective. "As if they'd dare dislike you! This is the Grant family. Who cares what they like and don't like?

"Eric, just come back without a worry. We'll go pick you up tomorrow morning. There will always be a room in the Grant residence waiting for you."

Mason and I both rolled our eyes and complained to each other, "What a waste of such good-looking faces."

"How is a wife with zero emotional value any different from a deadweight?"

"We're loaded, and we don't have kids. Nothing else matters as long as the two of us lead good lives here."

"Agreed."

So the two of us took off together in a limited-edition sports car and disappeared for the whole afternoon. We finally came back carrying the newest game console, as happy as larks.

That was why, on this day, we were completely cool about the whole situation. As long as the three of them didn't mess with us, we couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

Seeing the worried look on Wanda's face, I said, "It's fine. I'm not scared."

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the front door of the villa swung open and a man with a rather… frail look walked in.

He handed his luggage to Wanda with practiced ease and instructed, "Wanda, there are bottles of Stella's and Tanya's favorite wine in there. Be careful not to break them. Tonight, we're gonna drink until…"

He trailed off when he finally noticed Mason and me. His expression changed instantly, and he slapped a hand over his mouth in fake surprise. "Oh, I forgot you two were at home. Um, please don't take what I just said to heart, okay?"

I took a calm sip of coffee and crossed one leg over the other. "So you do know you sound pretty awful, huh?"

Mason stretched and chimed in, "That's what all pick-me guys are like."

At our words, Eric froze on the spot for several seconds before he finally reacted. His eyes instantly turned red.

Right on cue, Stella's voice drifted in from beyond the front door, laced with anger. "Eric just got back, and you're already giving him attitude?"

Eric pressed his lips together, his voice catching. "I know you guys don't like me, but Stella, Tanya, and I grew up together. We're really close. I didn't mean anything else…"

As he spoke, tears shimmered in his eyes. Anyone else seeing him would probably be dying to speak up for him. Unfortunately for him, outside this book, Mason and I were both top-tier experts at spotting pretentious people, whether men or women.

Watching Eric's overly dramatic act only filled us with… disgust.

Wanda came over carrying a freshly brewed cup of coffee, about to hand it to Eric. Before she could say anything, Mason walked over.

But just as he lifted his hand, Eric suddenly threw himself backward and fell to the floor with a shout. "Ouch! Wh-What are you trying to do?"

The next second, Mason simply took the cup of coffee straight from Wanda's hand. "What's with the act?"

Then, he turned to Wanda and asked, "Wanda, if I remember right, I'm the one who asked for the coffee, didn't I?"