Chapter 3

When Eric saw me standing beside him, he looked up and said in a deliberately pitiful tone, "I've always sat here. I'm not used to sitting anywhere else… You don't mind, do you?"

I snorted. "What, taking another seat will stop you from eating or give you constipation? What nonsense is that? And you're saying it so loudly. Are you afraid people won't know that you're shameless?"

As soon as I said that, the guests all turned to look at me. In the book, even though Stella didn't like me, I was still the Talbot family's only son. Maybe I wasn't some untouchable big shot, but I definitely wasn't someone just about anyone could mess with.

Naturally, none of them dared to say anything to me. They could only stare at Eric, who had an innocent look plastered to his face.

"This is Mr. Talbot's birthday celebration. What is an outsider like you doing sitting in the main seat?"

"Sure, you and Ms. Stella grew up together, but you should still know where the boundaries are, right?"

Eric instantly flushed.

Stella rushed to defend him. "Eric grew up in the Grant household. This seat has always been his. Even if Seth doesn't understand the concept of 'first come, first served', you all do, don't you?"

I propped my chin up on one hand and gave her a mocking look. "How could I have married you if you hadn't given me the chance? Did I drag you to the county clerk's office at gunpoint to get the marriage registered?

"If you think I'm the one who came later, then let's just get divorced so you can hand this spot back to him. Problem solved. Since you chose me, that makes him the one who came later, doesn't it? You're hilarious."

Stella stared at me in disbelief. After all, in the book, the original male lead had been her pathetic doormat.

Right on cue, Eric's eyes turned red. Stella actually wrapped her arms around him in front of everyone, snapping at me, "Seth Talbot, you only got to marry me because of those tricks you pulled! Do you really think that's something to be proud of?"

Seeing how fiercely Stella was defending him, Eric remained firmly in his seat. Not only did he not show any sign of giving it up, but he even suddenly brought up his past with Stella and Tanya.

His tone was gentle and tinged with heartbreak. "If I hadn't gone abroad back then, Stella and Tanya probably wouldn't even have been willing to get married. The one who isn't loved… is the real outsider here."

Excuse me? That really tickled me.

I looked back and forth between Stella and Tanya, then asked mockingly, "So, which one do you love more? The older sister or the younger one? Is your love like the flyers they hand out on the street? Everyone gets one?"

I was far from finished when Stella leaned in close, pressing her face almost against my lips in a show of faux intimacy. But when she spoke, her tone was threatening. "Shut up right now, Seth. Don't push your luck.

"I won't let you bully Eric in any way for as long as I'm here. You're going to apologize to him right now and preserve his dignity in front of everyone. If you don't, then we're getting a divorce!"

I pulled back and laughed outright. "Fine, then. No one gets male social dynamics better than I do."

With that, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a little bag of dog food, and flicked it straight onto Eric's plate. "Here. Want a bite?"

The air went dead silent for a few minutes. All I knew was that everyone was straining not to burst out laughing—everyone except Stella and Tanya, who were stunned.

Once Eric processed what had happened, he shot to his feet. "If you don't like me being close to Stell, then I just won't come here anymore! Why do you have to humiliate me like this?"

I spread my hands innocently toward the crowd. "You were yapping and barking like a dog for so long… I thought you might be hungry. If you don't appreciate my gesture, then forget it."

After he finished laughing, Mason looked over at Eric and said, "No wonder I thought you were cute the first time I saw you. Turns out, you're just like a dog."

Stella's expression turned ice-cold. She snatched up Eric's plate and hurled it into the trash, finally losing her temper as she pointed at me. "You have no sense of how a member of an affluent family should act—"

Before she could finish speaking, I suddenly leaned over the table in one smooth motion and blew out all the candles on the cake in one breath. "I'm willing to give up my ability to have children and any chance at a house full of descendants, in exchange for endless, ice-cold piles of money."

Stella listened, her expression turning complicated.

Mason was the first to start clapping. Tanya snapped back to her senses and shouted at the guests, "Since my dear brother-in-law has made his wish, that's it for tonight's party! If you're not done having fun, head over to any of my establishments to keep the party going. Everything's on me! You can all head out now."

Mason shot me a meaningful look. "You ready?"

I nodded. It was just acting insane, wasn't it? I was born ready.