Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Stepping Aside

Selina swiftly sidestepped, and the slap landed squarely on Katie’s face instead.

“Ah! Honey!”

“You ungrateful child! You dare dodge?!”

Katie had just walked over, ready to mock Selina, when Selina grabbed her and pulled her in front as a shield.

Before Katie could react, the slap landed hard across her cheek.

Selina stood untouched behind her, while Katie took the hit for nothing.

“Selina, how could you? I’m your stepmother! Can’t we talk things through? Did you really need to get physical?”

The onlookers began murmuring, pointing fingers at Selina.

“What’s going on? She shows up and suddenly her father and stepmother are both upset.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Clark, you’re still her legal mother. Just rein her in—she won’t dare go too far.”

Katie’s face eased slightly.

“Selina, your father just asked for a little favor. Family doesn’t hold grudges. What’s the harm in letting us in?”

“You’re already a guest here, and they won’t stop you from entering. These uncles are all shareholders and partners of Clark Group. Angelica spent her own money to host them, and now you’re blocking them at the door. When will you finally grow up?”

Katie’s tone made it sound like Selina had committed some terrible offense.

Some shareholders shook their heads.

“Angelica’s being filial, inviting us to dinner, and Selina’s the one blocking us. What’s her problem?”

“She doesn’t get to inherit Clark Group, so now she’s sabotaging everything?”

“She’s really gone too far.”

Katie looked smug.

At this point, what could Selina say? She’d have no choice but to apologize and take them inside.

James raised his voice with disdain. “I wish I never had a daughter like you!”

Selina suddenly smiled. She looked at James and Katie with a steady gaze, then dropped the smile and let a single tear fall.

“Dad… you wish you never had a daughter like me? But is this really my fault?”

“I know how important these gentlemen are to Clark Group. I’m part of Clark Group too—I want to help, I really do.”

“But what did you just say?”

She lowered her head, looking utterly pitiful.

“You said everything in Clark Family belongs to Angelica. Even my husband is hers. You’re forcing me to give up my stake in the company and my marriage. When I refuse, you and Mrs. Bryant call me ungrateful…”

“I’m still married, and Logan and I are doing just fine. But you use these shareholders to pressure me into a divorce. Does the stepdaughter matter more than your own daughter?”

She paused, then emphasized the words: “your own daughter.”

“Just because I don’t want to divorce, I deserve to be hit? Was I born just to be Angelica’s stepping stone?”

The crowd exchanged awkward glances, falling silent.

Wait a second—didn’t Mr. Clark say Selina and Logan were divorcing, so Angelica could step in?

But now they’re happily married, and yet he’s still forcing her to give up her husband? That… feels wrong.

And Katie? She’s a stepmother who clawed her way into the family, and now she spends her time trying to crush the original daughter…

Selina sighed.

“Celestial Feast isn’t even open for business today—didn’t Angelica know that? If she really called to make a reservation, then she had to know.”

“So what was the point of inviting you all here? To get turned away at the door?”

Exactly! Angelica said she’d booked the restaurant and invited everyone.

But if Celestial Feast was closed, and she knew, then she was just setting them up to be embarrassed.

And if she didn’t know, then she never booked anything to begin with. So where’s that filial piety she kept bragging about?

Selina said softly, “It was clearly Angelica who failed to make proper arrangements, yet Dad doesn’t blame her—he blames me instead. I get it. No matter what I do, it’s always wrong. After all these years, I’ve gotten used to it.”

Someone in the crowd finally spoke up, “Mr. Clark, if Celestial Feast wasn’t open for business, you could’ve just explained. We would’ve understood. But how can you pin the blame on Selina?”

James was practically livid. “You—Selina, you’re twisting things! You ungrateful brat, I ought to—”

“Oh? So this is how Mr. Clark treats my wife behind closed doors?”

A cold voice interrupted James.

Everyone froze.

It was… Logan.

Silence swept through the room.

With a calm, unreadable expression, Logan walked over to Selina’s side. His eyes swept over the crowd, sharp and indifferent—making everyone break into a cold sweat.

Selina sniffled slightly. “Logan, ‘behind closed doors’? What do you mean? All these uncles and shareholders were here to witness it.”

Logan raised a brow, amusement flashing in his eyes. “Right. My mistake. If this is how bold Mr. Clark is in public, I can only imagine how Selina’s been treated in private over the years.”

“Mr. Reid?!” James and Katie both paled, rushing to defend themselves.

“No, no—you’ve got it wrong. Don’t listen to Selina. We adore her. It’s just that today, she went a little too far…”

“The one who ordered Celestial Feast to close today—was me,” Logan said blandly, lifting his eyes. “So, Mr. Clark, why don’t you throw a tantrum at me instead?”

“I—I…”

“Oh, Logan,” Selina chimed in with an exaggeratedly innocent smile, mimicking Natalia’s delicate tone. “Dad also said you’d be divorcing me soon to marry Angelica. He told me to be smart and start sucking up to him and Mrs. Bryant, or else I’d starve after the divorce.”

“Whatever,” she added with a mock sigh. “I shouldn’t complain. Life under a stepmother’s roof is just… hard.”

Katie’s face twisted like she’d just swallowed a bug.

This little bitch!

She wanted to scream that Selina wasn’t even James’s real daughter—so what right did she have to act like the true heiress of the Clark Family and play the victim here?

But she couldn’t say it.

She couldn’t ruin Angelica’s future. If the truth came out, Angelica’s status would crumble, and everything would be lost.

So for now, Selina had to remain the Clark Family’s precious daughter, and she herself had to remain the “illegitimate stepmother.”

Katie felt like she was going to explode from the pressure.

James, desperate, cleared his throat and forced a smile. “Selina, come on now, you’ve misunderstood. As your father, of course I want you to be happy. But you and Mr. Reid…”

“I’ve never once considered getting a divorce,” Logan cut in, voice calm and laced with quiet threat. “So I’d love to know where Mr. Clark heard such nonsense.”

A smile curled on his lips, but there was danger in his eyes as he scanned the crowd.

“Or perhaps… Mr. Clark believes he has the authority to make decisions for me?”

James nearly buckled where he stood. Gone was his earlier arrogance. His face turned beet red.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant! I just—I only…”

“You only what?”

Selina’s voice was soft but carried an edge.

“Are you trying to explain that you never pressured me to divorce so Angelica could take my place? Or that you didn’t try to barge into Celestial Feast without an invitation? Or maybe you want to clarify that you never went around flaunting your status as Logan’s father-in-law?”

The room went dead silent again.