Chapter 18

Stella's POV

The car ride to Lancaster Manor felt endless. I'd spent the entire afternoon memorizing every Lancaster family member's background like I was cramming for finals. Their connections,businesses,scandals.

"Your head's going to explode if you keep thinking so hard,"Adam said, breaking my concentration.

I shot him a glare, which probably looked about as threatening as an angry puppy. Without warning, he reached over and flicked my forehead with his knuckles.

My heart did that annoying little skip it always did around him. The touch hadn't hurt- if anything, it had been oddly gentle.

"Mr. Lancaster." I kept my voice steady despite my racing pulse. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a child."

"You look like you're planning world domination instead of attending a family dinner." "Well,with your family, what's the difference?" I muttered. His mouth twitched."Point taken." Before I could decode that cryptic response, the car turned onto a winding driveway lined with ancient oaks. Lancaster Manor loomed ahead, a sprawling testament to old money and even older power.

Taylor got Adam's wheelchair ready. and I noticed how the ramp was just steep enough to be annoying. Classic William-doing the bare minimum while making sure everyone knew what an inconvenience it was.

About forty family members were already gathered - women gossiping over cards on one side. men talking business on the other. What a joke.

"You're late." William's voice carried across the room like he was addressing a misbehaving child.

"Traffic." Adam's tone could've given everyone frostbite. "The wheelchair takes some time to manage. Unless you'd prefer I didn't come at all?"

William's jaw ticked, but he could hardly criticize his son's disability in public. Well played, Mr. Lancaster.

"Adam." Thomas stepped forward,oozing fake brotherly concern. "You should've called if you needed help. As your older brother-" "Brother?" Adam cut him off with a smile that was pure venom. ′′Mymother only gave me one brother, and you're definitely not him."Oh snap. Everyone knew about Irena 's two sons (one deceased) versus William's illegitimate kid Thomas, but nobody ever mentioned it out loud.

"Mrs. Lancaster." Thomas's wife practically spat my title.′′Oshould wre still call you Miss Winston? We were so surprised to hear about the...arrangement."

"Mrs. Lancaster works just fine," I said sweetly."The Winston name is just a bonus at this point."

"A temporary bonus, from what I hear."

"Not at all. Being Adam's wvife is perfectly official." I smiled. "Unlike some other family situations."

Her face went from fake tan to angry red real quick.

"Speaking of temporary," Brian chimed in, "isn't this just another one of your games, Stella? Like our engagement?"

I felt Adam go absolutely still beside me - that dangerous stillness that always preceded a storm. His knuckles went white on his wheelchair's armrest. Before I could respond, Brian smirked and added, "What's wrong, Uncle? Truth hurts?" Just couldn't stand it anymore, I retorted, "Brian, maybe show some respect to your uncle's wife?""Respect?" Thomas's wife actually laughed. "You are just Brian's leftovers."

She stepped toward me with her hand raised. But before she could get near me, a coffee cup went flying - right into her silk dress.

"Adam!" She screeched, pawing at the stain. "How dare you-"

"How dare I?" Adam's arm wrapped around my waist with possessive force, pulling me firmly behind him. When he spoke his voice was pure ice, but I could feel the rage vibrating through his body where he touched me. "Who do you think you are, trying to touch my wife?"

My heart did a weird flip at the way he said "my wife."

"Now, Adam." William tried to play peacemaker. "There's no need for-"

"No need?" Adam's smile was terrifying. "Should I remind everyone who I am? Your only legitimate heir." He paused. "Want me to show you what that means?" The emphasis on'legitimate' made Thomas flinch. The threat in his voice was unmistakable. The tension in the Lancaster Manor's dining room could have been cut with a knife. For the first time, I glimpsed the ruthless power hiding behind his carefully controlled facade. "I think," his grip tightened on my waist, "we need some fresh air. Mrs. Lancaster?"

He guided me toward the terrace, and I was super aware of his hand still on my waist. Behind us, William was doing damage control while Thomas's wife kept whining about her dress.

"How dare that cripple..." Thomas's words faded into angry mutters.

"If only Mother had succeeded in driving Irena out before..."His wife's poisonous whispers carried just far enough to make their intent clear.

"Enough!" Henry Lancaster's voice cut through the whispers."This is meant to be a family dinner!"

Adam's hand tightened imperceptibly on his wheelchair's armrest, but his face remained impassive.

All I could think about now was how Adam's hand felt through my dress, and how he'd said "my wife" like it actually meant something.

Stop it, I told my treacherous heart. He's just keeping up appearances. "Mr. Lancaster." I tried to sound normal despite his thumb doing distracting things to my hip."′′That was quite the knight in shining armor act." He laughed darkly. "Not even close. That was pure self-interest.

" His eyes locked onto mine. "Nobody touches what's mine."

Yours? I wanted to ask, but the way he was looking at me made it impossible to think straight. Instead. I found myself leaning into him like an idiot.

Dangerous, my mind whispered. But as his other hand came up to trace my jawline, I couldn't bring myself to care.