For six years, I was basically an NPC—a background character in someone else’s spicy romance novel. Then I married the male leads’ father. I thought I’d finally cashed in my ticket to the quiet life of a wealthy housewife. But on my wedding night, I had a dream that my new husband, Harrison Cole, was just another one of the heroine’s conquests. I woke up in a cold sweat. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks—of course, it was too good to be true. I’d been a nobody for six years, just drifting through life. The one time I stumble upon a handsome, successful CEO, did I really think he was meant for *me*? I was delusional, thinking I was getting my happily-ever-after. The truth, as the dream so kindly revealed, was that Harrison only married me out of spite. The story’s heroine, Elara, had laughed in his face, telling him he was too old to be chasing after a young, beautiful girl like her. So, he married me—a woman who was inferior to Elara in every conceivable way—just to prove a point. To show her he was over it. But you can’t fight fate, especially not in a romance novel. Harrison was one of the main love interests, and his destiny was tangled up with hers. In the end, I was just collateral damage in their grand, dramatic love story. The one silver lining? Even though we were technically married, I hadn't taken his virginity. Or, you know, whatever the equivalent is for a man his age. That was reserved for the heroine. It wasn't something a side character like me could even dream of touching. My eyes fluttered open and met a pair of dark, intense ones staring back at me. The master bedroom, done up in a modern, minimalist style, felt huge. Harrison, fresh from a shower, loomed over me. The scent of sandalwood clung to him as he tilted my chin up. "You look pale. Everything okay?" I went rigid as a board. "I, uh… have a killer headache," I stammered, feeling like a deer in headlights. "Maybe we could… try again some other time?" He paused for a beat, his expression unreadable. Then, he loosened the belt of his robe, slid into bed beside me, and pulled up the covers. I held my breath, afraid to move a muscle. But Harrison kept his distance, leaving enough space between us for another person. You'd think I'd be up all night, but the sheer stress of it all knocked me out cold. * From the next day on, I made it my mission to play matchmaker. I'd avoid Harrison as much as possible, but I always kept tabs on Elara's whereabouts. "Oh, I heard Elara is at the gallery downtown this afternoon," I'd say casually. And just like that, Harrison would find a reason to leave the house, disappearing for hours. As for my three new stepsons, they were, of course, completely obsessed with her. I'd met them a few times before the wedding, but now, they were never around. Which was a relief, honestly. In my dream, those three were each crazier than the last. Compared to them, Harrison seemed like the most normal guy on the planet. Technically, he wasn't even their real dad. He was their late father's younger brother, only about ten years older than the boys themselves. After his brother and sister-in-law died in an accident, Harrison, still single, took them in and raised them. I guess it makes sense. The heroine of a story like this deserves only the best, most complicated backstories for her men. Not my circus, not my monkeys. My job was to be what I’ve been for the past six years: invisible. I’d wait for Harrison and Elara to finally get together, sign the divorce papers, take my settlement, and make a clean getaway. Thinking about it that way, life didn't seem so bleak. A background character should never get involved with the main cast. The good news was, the plot was moving along right on schedule. As the "grand finale" from my dream got closer, the knot in my stomach slowly started to unwind. The massive mansion was usually empty, my only company being the housekeeper and the staff, who'd give me these pitying, "you-could-do-better" looks. I couldn't care less. Harrison's monthly allowance hit my bank account like clockwork. Life was peaceful until the night of Elara's twenty-second birthday. I was scrolling through my phone when I saw a post from my youngest stepson, Leo—the only one I had on social media. It was a picture of Elara, radiant and beautiful, standing in the middle of a crowd in front of a giant birthday cake. The entire Cole family was there. And that's when it hit me. My wedding anniversary was Elara's birthday. I didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, without Harrison, I never would have worn seven-figure jewelry or lived in this kind of luxury. But on the other... this wasn't my life. I was made for the sidelines. Getting this close to the main characters, you’re bound to get blinded by the light. I'd saved up a decent amount of my own money. As I was quietly packing a suitcase in my room, ready to make my escape, an unexpected visitor barged in. I instinctively kicked the suitcase under the bed, my eyes landing on a stunningly handsome face. "Leo?" I asked, confused. He flashed a bright, boyish smile and walked toward me, backing me into a corner. His long fingers rested on my shoulders, his voice a low, mournful whisper. "Stepmom, what am I supposed to do? I can't win against them." I stared at him, my mind racing. It took me only a second to understand what he meant. He let out a soft sigh. "My two older brothers are bad enough. Now you've pushed old man Harrison back into her orbit. What chance do I have?" My back was pressed against the cold wall. I looked into his smiling, amber-colored eyes and felt a chill crawl up my spine. My voice trembled. "Well, maybe you should take a moment to reflect on... your own lack of charm?" I swear, I meant to say it nicely. But us background characters, we're not exactly known for our high EQ. He didn't seem offended. In fact, his smile widened. He leaned in closer, his voice a seductive murmur. "Really?" Okay, I was starting to lose my cool. What was this? Was he trying to prove his charm? Test my self-control? Listen, we side characters never get to have any fun. We just watch from the cheap seats as the main cast lives out their epic love sagas. Harrison ignoring me was one thing, but was I really about to get pushed around by my own stepson? Something inside me snapped. I looped my arms around his neck, my voice dropping to a purr. "That's right. You're not nearly as charming as your uncle." His lips curved. "Is that so? Then why do you look like you're about to kiss me?" "You're imagining things," I said, my smile feeling tight. The boyish charm was gone, replaced by something sharper. He tilted my chin up. "Tell you what. Why don't we just... settle? After all, no one's competing with me for *you*." "Excuse me?" I said through gritted teeth. He ignored me, his fingers toying with a strand of my hair. "Who else would you settle for? My brothers? I doubt they even know your name. Or Harrison? Please. The man’s seen it all. You think he actually cares about you? You're just a little trinket he brought home." Leo’s smile was angelic, but his words were poison. "Aren't I your best option, Stepmom?" "You're insane," I hissed. Was anyone in this godforsaken novel normal? He just raised an eyebrow, his arm snaking around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "Let's make a bet, then." My eyes widened as his lips gently brushed against the corner of my mouth. Time seemed to stop. The only sound was the heavy, approaching footsteps from down the hall. The world snapped back into focus when Leo was violently shoved away from me. I looked up and met Harrison's furious, dark eyes. Leo, however, just grinned. "Don't look at us like that. The mood was right. We just got carried away." "She's young, she doesn't know better," Harrison said, his voice dangerously low, his glare fixed on Leo. "What's *your* excuse for seducing her?" * I sat ramrod straight on the living room sofa, the silence thick enough to cut with a knife. The tension finally broke when the front door swung open and a slender girl in a short skirt breezed in. It was Elara. Harrison's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here so late?" She flashed a dazzling smile. "Julian told me I should just crash here tonight. What, did you think I came to see you, *Uncle* Harrison?" She drew out the last two words, dripping with playful provocation. A moment later, a tall figure appeared behind her. It was Julian, the oldest brother, casually tossing a set of car keys in his hand. He scanned the room, a look of amusement on his face. "What's all this, then? Family meeting?" The instigator of the whole mess, Leo, was slumped on the armchair, looking bored. I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. To my surprise, Elara marched right up to me, her arms crossed. "Auntie," she began, though it sounded more like an accusation, "you look awful. Did you do something to upset Uncle Harrison and Leo?" I blinked. How was I supposed to answer that? *Oh, you know, your boy-toy Leo just kissed me, and his uncle caught us.* When I didn't answer, she raised an eyebrow and turned to Harrison. "If she made you angry, why don't you just lock her in the basement?" The room went dead silent. Elara laughed, a strange edge to her voice. "Julian and Leo have both been in the 'time-out room.' What makes her so special?" So that's what that creepy, hidden door in the cellar led to. A punishment room. "That's enough, Elara," Harrison said, his voice dropping a few degrees. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "Was I wrong? Are you really yelling at me... for *her*?" I finally looked up, my gaze locking with Julian's. He was leaning against the doorway, looking entirely unbothered, and gave me a slight, lazy tilt of his head. "So," he drawled, "what did you do?" I took a deep breath and let out a cold, sharp laugh. "I kissed your brother." The silence that followed was even heavier than before. Elara's jaw dropped. "What?! You're his stepmother! Have you no shame?" she shrieked. Julian's eyes narrowed slightly, turning to Leo. "That true?" Leo, who clearly hadn't expected me to just announce it, blinked once before shrugging with a disarmingly innocent smile. "Yep." "Enough," Harrison growled. He strode over, hooked an arm under my legs, and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, heading for the stairs. Elara stubbornly blocked his path. "Harrison, you tell me right now! She did that, and you're not going to punish her?" "Punish her?" he repeated, his patience clearly wearing thin. He shot a look over his shoulder. "Julian. You brought her here, you deal with her." Julian smirked. "Elara, you heard the man. Father thinks you're being a nuisance." She stomped her foot, her face red with anger, and stormed out of the house. Julian, however, just stayed put, thoughtfully spinning his keys. Harrison stopped, his voice like ice. "Go after her." Julian raised an eyebrow. "She didn't run off because of me. Why should I be the one to comfort her?" The implication was crystal clear. I, still slung over Harrison's shoulder, looked pleadingly at Leo. *He's not going, so you go!* I mouthed silently. I thought he said he couldn't compete? Here was his golden opportunity! But the kid didn't move a muscle. In fact, he just sank deeper into the sofa, looking even lazier than before. Did he not understand? Harrison's jaw tightened. Seeing that neither of his nephews was going to move, he set me down on my feet, giving my lower back a firm pat. "Go to your room," he said calmly. "Where are you going?" I asked. He was already rolling up his sleeves. "Elara's out there alone, and she's upset. I'm going to make sure she's okay." "And what is she to you that you have to be the one to look after her?" The question slipped out before I could stop it. Harrison's dark eyes swept over me for a second before he turned and walked out the door, his footsteps heavy. He never answered my question. "Get some sleep," was all he said. I stared at his retreating back. I shouldn't have asked. This was exactly what I wanted, wasn't it? Everything was going according to the script. Harrison was one of Elara's men. It was only natural for him to worry about the proud, impulsive young girl. Still. If Julian, or Leo, or even both of them had chased after her, I wouldn't have felt this… pang. I guess seeing your own husband run off to care for another girl stings, no matter the circumstances. After all, when Harrison proposed, for a fleeting moment, I actually thought there might be something real between us. * The quiet settled in again. "So, you two really kissed?" Julian asked, his voice casual. Leo struck the same pose as before, an innocent curve to his lips. "Couldn't help it. A crime of passion." I glanced at them both, smoothed the wrinkles from my dress, and started walking upstairs. "Couldn't get Elara, so you moved on to an easier target?" Julian's voice, sharp and cold, followed me. Leo didn't confirm or deny. I shut my bedroom door, blocking out the world. My mind drifted. Harrison's brother and his wife had died young, leaving behind three sons. The two oldest had taken their mother's last name, the youngest had their father's. Each one was completely different, and their relationships with each other, and with Harrison, were distant at best. Whatever. It was a romance novel. Everything was designed to serve the heroine. I don't know how much time passed before my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. It was a picture. A handsome, serious man in a tailored suit, kneeling to tie a young woman's shoelace. Then the texts started. 【You're such a slut. Marrying him isn't enough, you have to seduce Leo too?】 【You've got it all wrong. The old man is mine. And so is Leo. Don't you dare take advantage of Leo's innocence to trick and play with him.】 【I'm going to expose you for who you really are!】 I shut off my phone, my face a mask of indifference. Could someone please tell me why *her* precious, innocent Leo was currently climbing into *my* bed? The boy yawned and started to pull back the covers like he owned the place. I shot up, blocking him. "What do you think you're doing?" Leo just blinked at me. "It's raining." "And?" "And there's thunder," he whispered. "I'm scared." As if on cue, a loud clap of thunder rattled the windows. He looked up at me with big, pathetic puppy-dog eyes. I scoffed. "It's raining, and you're not with Elara? What are you doing here?" He smiled and snuggled closer. "They don't need me over there." "I don't need you here, either," I said, my own smile just as fake. He paused, his fingertips gently tracing the corner of my eye. "Then why does it look like you've been crying?" I slapped his hand away. "Leo, listen to me. Harrison and I are getting a divorce soon. You don't need to use me to get a rise out of him." He stared at me for a long moment. I hooked a finger under his chin. "You're a very pretty boy, I'll give you that. But you're not pretty enough to make me lose my mind." He caught my hand and brought it to his lips, his voice a cool, clear whisper. "You don't have to lose your mind. You just have to enjoy it." His eyes were shimmering. He leaned over me, propping himself up on his arms, caging me in. His perfectly sculpted face was inches from mine, a pout on his lips. Honestly? A delicacy like this, practically served on a silver platter... it was hard not to be tempted. But I'd resisted Harrison for this long. If I turned around and slept with his nephew, what would that make me? All my hard work would be for nothing. But then I looked at Leo's face again, my thumb tracing his soft lips. Fine. Harrison was out playing hero to Elara. The two main characters weren't here. Just a little taste... what could it hurt? After all, having a nineteen-year-old as your first kiss… it kind of made me feel young again. Leo let me tilt his chin up, let me clumsily press my lips to his. He smelled like fresh rain, innocent and non-threatening. I climbed onto his lap, just as the bedroom door swung open.
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