Chapter 3

The atmosphere froze into an awkward standoff. Willow remained silent, painfully aware of the gaze fixed on the top of her head.

Every nerve in her body tensed as she mentally rehearsed excuses in case he recognized her.

"Willow, say hello," Charles hissed, squeezing her hand with increasing pressure.

She snapped back to reality and forced herself to sound composed. "Uncle Sterling."

After a moment, the scrutinizing gaze slowly shifted away. Sterling's voice carried unmistakable disapproval. "So you're not mute after all."

Willow froze before quickly realizing he was merely chastising her lack of manners. Considering her earlier silence, she'd created a misunderstanding.

Inwardly, she sighed with relief—Sterling truly didn't remember her.

As she looked up to explain herself, more Lancaster family members arrived, eagerly greeting Sterling. Willow swallowed her words and followed Charles inside.

"My uncle's always like that—even family members fear him. Don't worry about it. You won't have to see him much anyway," Charles reassured her, assuming Sterling had intimidated her.

Willow nodded, aware of Charles's resentment toward Sterling.

Though technically his uncle, Sterling was only five years older. This meant that as long as Sterling remained in power, Charles would never rise to prominence in the Lancaster family, no matter how brilliant he was.

Unwilling to remain in Sterling's shadow, Charles had struck out on his own, building from scratch and enduring considerable hardship.

When they entered the living room, several elders had already arrived.

Seeing Charles, they flocked to him with excessive attention while barely acknowledging Willow with so much as a glance. It was as if Charles had married thin air yesterday.

Charles's mother, Penelope Lancaster, arrived fashionably late with a demure Rachel in tow.

"Charles, Rach is staying at the same place as you two. Why didn't you bring her along?" Penelope reproached her son while completely ignoring Willow beside him.

Charles frowned. "Mom, today's family gathering is for Willow and me—to celebrate our marriage."

Penelope dismissed his concern with a wave. "Rach grew up with you. She's like your sister. What's wrong with her attending a family gathering?"

She pulled Rachel to sit on Charles's right side. "Come, Rach, sit next to Charles."

All eyes in the room turned toward them. Everyone knew Rachel had been close to Charles since childhood and had grown increasingly attached to him as they matured. If not for Willow, Rachel would have been the bride yesterday.

With Rachel now seated beside Charles, it became difficult to discern who was actually married to him.

Even someone with Willow's patience couldn't tolerate such humiliation, especially after witnessing last night's events. Seeing Rachel and Charles together made her stomach turn.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Willow stood up.

"Willow!" Charles grabbed her hand, sensing the schadenfreude in the room. "I know this isn't appropriate, but with everyone watching... please sit down. I'll apologize later."

Willow lowered her gaze to meet Rachel's doe-eyed look of feigned innocence—as if she were the victim.

"Willow, if you're uncomfortable, I can..." Rachel made a show of starting to rise.

Willow promptly sat back down, giving Rachel a cold stare. "So you do recognize the inappropriateness, Ms. Smith."

She had initially planned to simply move elsewhere, but Rachel's presumption changed her mind. If she left now, wouldn't that just play into their hands?

Willow's calculated response left Rachel standing awkwardly, unable to sit back down or walk away gracefully.

Now the center of attention, Rachel looked to Penelope for help.

Penelope immediately scolded Willow. "Rach grew up with Charles. If you can't even accept her, will Charles have to avoid looking at any other woman in the future?"

The accusation was clear: Willow lacked generosity of spirit.

Appearing outwardly submissive, Willow responded, "Mom, since this is a Lancaster family gathering, if the other elders are willing to acknowledge Rachel as part of our family, she can sit wherever she likes."

She lifted her chin slightly. "I'd even be willing to give up my seat to her without complaint."

The other family members, merely interested in the drama rather than becoming involved, remained silent.

Both Penelope and Rachel's expressions soured.

Charles frowned. He had specifically asked Willow not to be difficult today. "Willow..."

Before he could finish, commotion at the entrance interrupted him.

Sterling entered, surrounded by attendants. Immediately sensing the strained atmosphere, his eyes fell on the awkwardly standing Rachel before sweeping over to Charles and Willow. His expression darkened.

"Peter, please escort anyone unrelated to the Lancaster family out," he commanded.

At his word, the butler immediately approached Rachel. "Ms. Smith, this way, please."

Not daring to defy Sterling, Rachel followed Peter with a humiliated expression.

Willow exhaled in relief, glancing gratefully toward Sterling. Whether intentional or not, Rachel's removal had lifted an enormous weight from her shoulders.

Sterling took his seat at the head of the table. An invisible pressure immediately filled the room.

"Ster—" Penelope began, looking guilty.

Sterling coldly cut her off. "Penelope, you know I dislike coming home to chaos."

His voice was quiet but carried to every corner of the room. "I'll overlook it this time. Don't let it happen again."

Penelope quickly acquiesced.

The family lunch officially began. The servants had just finished serving when everyone waited for Sterling to take the first bite.

In the silence, Charles's phone rang.

Sitting beside him, Willow saw Rachel's name on the screen. Charles excused himself to answer.

On the phone, Rachel sobbed about being stranded halfway down the mountain, unable to get a taxi, and begged Charles to drive her home.

Charles sighed. "I can't leave. I'll send a driver for you."

Rachel continued crying. "Charlie, my waist hurts so badly, and my legs are weak... I'm afraid the driver will notice..."

Charles suddenly remembered last night's activities and felt relieved that Willow hadn't noticed anything earlier. "Fine. Wait for me."

Hanging up, he returned to Willow. "I need to go down the mountain for something. I'll come back for you later."

Willow maintained her composure. "Just have a driver take me home."

This worked perfectly—she needed to buy emergency contraception without Charles knowing.

Charles agreed and hurriedly left.

As the family gathering concluded and everyone dispersed, Willow lingered behind, trying to order a ride on her phone.

She couldn't let any Lancaster family member—including their drivers—know about her need for the morning-after pill.

But Lancaster Manor was remote, and after waiting for some time, no drivers accepted her request. The Lancaster family drivers had all been sent on other errands.

With an aching body, Willow resigned herself to walking down the mountain when a familiar Bentley pulled up in front of her.