Luke sneered, his eyes cold. "What's the point of being Mrs. Huxley Dawson if she can't speak her mind freely?"
Dexie, who had been quietly observing from the side, froze for half a second, then tilted her head with a faint, sarcastic smile. She still couldn't figure him out.
From the moment she set foot in the Zellweger house, his intentions had been unreadable.
If not for her past life, Dexie might've been foolish enough to believe he was defending her… because he cared.
But she knew better now. And honestly, she wasn't sure how to feel. Confused? Annoyed? It didn't matter.
What mattered was how his words completely upset Susan and Regina's carefully laid plans.
They had wanted Luke to dislike her—to see her as petty, spoiled, and ungrateful.
Instead, he had flipped the entire situation on them.
Regina's eyes burned with jealousy. Her nails dug into the sofa, the pressure whitening her knuckles. The man she loved… was protecting Dexie.
And to make it worse, his words… Mrs. Zellweger isn't my sister-in-law.
Like a knife to the chest.
Regina's face paled. Her breath hitched. Her whole existence reduced to… a burden. An outsider.
Tears welled up uncontrollably. Her lower lip trembled as she choked out, "Luke… do you… hate me that much?"
Her bloodshot eyes clung to him, her voice soft and pitiful, painting herself the victim.
Dexie rolled her eyes. The performance never changed.
Luke's gaze didn't waver. His voice, calm and sharp, cut through the act. "Hate you?" His lips curled faintly. "Sorry. We're not even close enough for that."
The room went dead silent.
The meaning was clear. Regina wasn't even worthy of his hate.
The color drained from her face as humiliation clawed at her chest. She had thought, as the beloved daughter of the Zellweger family, that Luke wouldn't dare humiliate her openly.
But she had underestimated him.
Hatred burned behind her eyes as her fists clenched, nails digging deep into her palms until they almost broke skin.
Susan, ever the strategist, read the room instantly.
This wasn't a fight they could win.
If they kept pushing, they'd only anger Luke further.
She gently placed a hand over Regina's trembling fists, squeezing lightly. Her smile, though strained, never wavered.
"Roger," Susan spoke softly, her voice layered with subtle meaning, "this is just a little argument between the kids. Regina doesn't mind… why should we?"
Dexie raised an eyebrow, her lips curling in amusement. Susan never missed a chance to retreat with dignity.
Susan, for all her scheming, deserved credit for her patience. Few women could smile after such humiliation. But maybe that was the mark of all successful mistresses — tolerance disguised as virtue.
Roger's face darkened. As a son-in-law married into the Winston Hansley family for the past ten years, he'd perfected the art of reading the room.
But with Luke here, he was helpless.
All he could do now was put on the fatherly mask and scold Dexie. "Regina's been generous, not blaming you for what happened today… but you shouldn't push your luck, Dexie. You're a married woman now. You should know how to protect this family's image."
Dexie gave him a long, lazy look before her lips curled into a faint sneer. Then she turned to Luke for the first time since he'd stepped foot in the Zellweger house.
"Would you laugh at our family's upbringing?"
The room stiffened.
For reasons Dexie couldn't explain, those few words loosened something tight in Luke's chest.
"No," he replied simply.
Dexie nodded in satisfaction, her gaze drifting back to Roger. "You heard him."
The room fell silent.
Roger's face flushed with frustration, Susan's smile froze, and Regina looked ready to scream.
Is she deliberately trying to piss us off? Roger fumed. And Luke… is he blind? How could he defend her?
Dexie didn't care what the Zellwegers were thinking. She still couldn't figure out Luke's sudden protectiveness, but she wasn't going to waste the advantage.
She stood, smoothing her skirt with calm precision. "I'm hungry. Matilda, serve dinner."
She spoke as if she owned the house.
Roger's jaw clenched, but he forced himself to stay composed.
Not just because of Luke's presence, but because of the 40% of Winston Hansley Corporation shares still under Dexie's name.
Until he got those, he couldn't afford to drive her away.
Taking a deep breath, he gritted out, "Let's eat."
Just as the tension seemed to settle, Luke's voice cut through the air.
"Father-in-law."
Roger's stomach twisted. His instincts screamed this wasn't good.
Luke rose to his feet, the vague smile gone from his face.
"You're Dexie's father, I respect that. But she's also my wife—the president of Huxley Dawson Corporation's wife—the youngest daughter-in-law of the Huxley Dawsons."
His tone sharpened with each word.
"When a woman marries, she becomes part of another family. You may disagree with her… but I won't tolerate you raising a hand to her. Not now. Not ever."
Roger's face froze. He hadn't expected that moment when his anger boiled over earlier and he'd nearly slapped Dexie to come back to haunt him.
But Luke hadn't forgotten.
And worst of all, Roger couldn't fight back.