Chapter 96

Stella's POV

When I returned to the living room. Eric was bent over his phone, fingers moving rapidly. He briefly looked up when I entered, then continued to focus on the device.

"So," I began, sitting on the sofa opposite him, "You're Adam's cousin?"

Eric nodded, not looking up.

"Do you live nearby?" I tried again.

"No," was his short reply.

I suppressed a sigh. Clearly, getting information from Eric would be as difficult as pulling teeth.

"Are you hungry?" I changed tactics,"It's almost lunchtime."

As soon as I mentioned food, Eric's head shot up, interest flashing in his eyes before quickly returning to an indifferent expression. "I could eat."

Ah,the universal language of teenagers: food. I smiled, recognizing the teenager beneath the aloof exterior."Let's go to the dining room, Joseph can prepare something for us." The dining room at the Lancaster estate was intimidatingly formal, the smooth mahogany table large enough to comfortably seat twenty.

"It's just us today," I said, gesturing for him to sit down, "No need to be too formal."

Joseph appeared, carrying two steaming plates of pasta,the rich aroma of garlic and herbs filling the air. Eric stared at the elegant presentation for a moment, then dove in with the enthusiasm of a hungry teenager. After finishing the first bowl,he visibly relaxed.

"Your table manners are impressive," I observed, "Better than most professional gamers I've seen."

Let him know I did my homework. Maybe it will help him open up.

"Do you follow esports?" he asked skeptically.

"Not really," I admitted, "But I looked up your profile while you were having coffee." Eric seemed to consider this, then nodded as if agreeing with my honesty. "Most adults either don't know what I do or think it's a waste of time." "Well, considering you're earning more in your teens than most people do in a decade. I'd say it's a legitimate profession."I replied with a smile.

A hint of a smile crossed Eric's face, then he returned his focus to the food.

After lunch, we returned to the living room. I had work to do-preparing a speech for my alma mater's anniversary celebration-while Eric continued to play on his phone. About twenty minutes later, I noticed him setting down his phone.curiously watching me.

"Adam won't be back until five or six," I looked up to him."You can watch TV or go to the game room, if you'd like."

"Game room?" Eric asked, suddenly perking up involuntarily.

I laughed. "At the end of the hallway, third door on the right.It probably has every gaming console model, I think. Adam doesn't use it much."

Eric hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll stay here. If that's okay."

"Of course," I replied, returning to my work.

"Is 'nurturing environment' too cliché?" I muttered to myself.deleting the phrase for the third time.

"Anything education-related is cliché," a bored voice replied from across the room. I looked up to see Eric Lancaster sprawled across the sofa,one leg dangling over the armrest while he scrolled through his phone.

"Then what would you suggest?" I asked, grateful for the distraction.

Eric shrugged without looking up from his phone. "I dunno.Just say something like, 'thanks for the student loans, now here's how I'm killing it in the real world."

I laughed despite myself. "I can't say that to a room full of professors and alumni donors."

"Why not? It's honest." He sat up suddenly, his eyes widening as he stared at his phone. "Whoa, sis-in-law,you're trending."

Trending? What now? "What do you mean?"

Eric swiped and tapped on his screen. "You know Frank? The designer?"

"Yes," I replied cautiously."Why?"

"My mom loves his designs." He glanced up at me with newfound interest. "If you know him, could you get her something? Like an autograph or whatever?"

"Sure, I could reach out to him if your mother would like something,"Isaid,surprised by the request."But how did you

know I know him?"

Eric snorted. "Pretty sure the entire internet knows by now."He turned his phone toward me, showing a social media page filled with video clips and photos.

I leaned forward to see the screen better. There I was, sitting in the central seat at Frank's show, and another clip of Frank answering the journalist's question

about why he had reserved the seat for me all these years.

"She is my benefactor, my muse, deserving of the throne at the cost of my honor," Frank's voice declared from the video.

Oh God, I didn't realize this had gone viral.

"You're quite the celebrity," Eric smirked, pulling his phone back and continuing to scroll. "Listen to this comment:Winston is not just beautiful,she's evidently

brilliant too. The way Frank speaks about her contributions to his career... she must be extraordinary."

I felt my cheeks warming. "They're exaggerating."

Eric laughed, a sound surprisingly similar to Adam's rare chuckles. "You know what people are calling you online?The annual ridiculous person representative."

"What?" I blinked, confused by the strange title. "Yeah," Eric nodded enthusiastically.′′One comment says: 'A stylist who can't dance is not a good stage designer.' But then others are defending you like: 'Winston excels at everything she does- styling, dancing, design... is there anything she can't do?It's hilarious!"

Eric continued gossiping. "By the way, are you blind or something? Why did you marry Adam?"

The question was so unexpected and direct that I nearly choked on my breath. "What?"

Eric looked at me with genuine curiosity. "Your husband...you know, my cousin? I'm just wondering what you saw in him."

"Your cousin isn't that bad..." I trailed off, not entirely convinced by my own words.

"Really?" Eric's expression was incredulous. "Before you married him, you probably didn't know his legs were fine,right? So from your perspective, he was a physically disabled man with a terrible temper. Sure, he's good-looking, but he has the emotional range of a brick wall! How does someone like you end up with someone like him?"

I stared at Eric, completely caught off guard by his blunt assessment. The worst part was that I couldn't entirely refute his logic. When we first married, I did think Adam was disabled.

"It's... complicated," I finally managed to say.

Eric snorted. "That's what people say when they don't have a good answer."